The ‘whaling plan’

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, January 14th, 2010 - 47 comments
Categories: International, slippery, spin - Tags:

Govt drafts deal to end whaling in Antarctica – Herald
Key plan to end Southern Ocean whaling – Stuff

That sounds like a real break-through, I thought. What could this deal/plan be? I watched the full press conference here:

“New Zealand has been working very hard to try and find [please, people, the phrase is ‘try to find’] a diplomatic solution to the whaling issue’

So, we’re not going to war then? Great. Any details on the deal?

‘There’s going to be a international whaling commission meeting in Honolulu in the latter part of January [great chance to renew the tan!]. So, this will be our last chance to voice our perspectives on that meeting when we see Secretary Clinton on Friday.’

Was that the royal ‘we’ there John? But more importantly, what are our perspectives? How are they any different from our existing position? What’s the proposed deal?

We’ve been working on a potential solution but whether that’s an acceptable outcome, it’s too early to tell.

Huh? Can I ask again, what the details? Do they even exist?

Certainly from New Zealand, Australia, and, I believe, Japan’s point of view, we are trying to find a diplomatic solution to this problem.

Wait. You ‘believe’ the Japanese want a solution? So, there is no deal on the table, there haven’t even been negotiations? How do you know that a Japanese solution would involve an end to whaling?

Q. What’s the best outcome you can hope for from the meeting with Clinton?
A’Well, I think she [Clinton, who I don’t think is Japanese] will have a very strong sense of our perspective and I think the Americans already do, they have been active participants in the Whaling Commission

I literally ended up holding my head in my hands at this point. The Americans already know our position, there is no plan, and there is no deal. He doesn’t even know if Japan would consider a deal that would involve the end of whaling. Just what the hell was Key announcing and why were the media giving it such big billing?

Key wasn’t actually announcing anything. The reality is this is a PM fresh from another 3 weeks holiday and keen to persuade us that he hasn’t just been comatose the whole time. Nothing more.

47 comments on “The ‘whaling plan’ ”

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  1. BLiP 1
    14 January 2010 at 10:31 am

    No doubt an ideal opportunity for The Goober to pop in and check that his holiday batch is all okay,

  2. ak 2
    14 January 2010 at 10:34 am

    ***CONFIDENTIAL***

    Eyes only PM:

    Internal Poll Report #78 – w/e 15/01/10

    Trends:

    (a) Punters like whales

    (b) Hate Hone

    (c) PM lazy, doing nothing

    Recc action:

    Solve (c) by statements on (a) and (b) (attached, recc tick “all media”)

  3. mickysavage 3
    14 January 2010 at 10:35 am

    He really is a poll driven sop.

    He can see that there is deep concern about illegal whaling by Japan and the running down of a New Zealand boat and the attempted murder of New Zealand citizens ought to give rise to diplomatic protests at the highest level.

    There is no diplomatic solution that I can see.

    What is the bet that in 6 months time nothing has changed? But will the MSM then ask Key what he meant when he spouted what Eddie has reported on?

    • Gosman 3.1
      14 January 2010 at 10:41 am

      How is this Japanese Whaling illegal?

      You remind me of the Zanu-PF supporters who argue the targetted Sanctions against certain Zanu-PF people are illegal because they haven’t been sanctioned by the UN.

      • mickysavage 3.1.1
        14 January 2010 at 1:50 pm

        How about this Gosman:

        “… commercial whaling, whether by pelagic operations or from land stations, is prohibited in a region designated as the Southern Ocean Sanctuary. … ”

        And the Aussies seem to think so.

        Anything to counter this Gosman? Your reference to Zanu PF is rather odd.

        • Gosman 3.1.1.1
          14 January 2010 at 2:36 pm

          The Australian ruling is based on the assumption that the Antarctic waters being fished are under Australian soverignty. Given the fact that Japan doesn’t recognise the Australian claim, and neither does the UN, this is a moot point.

          As for the IWC link to Whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary you might have a point as the Japanese are a signatory to this. Do you have evidence that the Japanese are breaking the IWC rulings as they are using these rules to engage in their activities. If so then this is what they should be hauled up on.

          • mickysavage 3.1.1.1.1
            14 January 2010 at 2:42 pm

            Do you have evidence that the Japanese are breaking the IWC rulings as they are using these rules to engage in their activities?

            A thousand whales a year seems like an awful lot of evidence to me.

            The suggestion that their death is required to ensure their survival is something that even Kafka would struggle to come up with.

            • Gosman 3.1.1.1.1.1
              14 January 2010 at 2:55 pm

              Southern African nations like South Africa do something similar with Elephants. They cull several hundred every year to ensure they don’t cause too much environment damage. I’m not saying this is the reason why the Japanese catch Whales but killing some animals can be beneficial for the remainder.

              I still don’t know why anybody rates Whales above Elephants or even some fish types like Cod, which are just as rare (if not more so).

              • gitmo …
                14 January 2010 at 2:59 pm

                Whales ain’t fish for a start.

              • logie97 …
                14 January 2010 at 3:42 pm

                Gosman, why not champion the issue of cod as you have identified the danger to that species.

                The Japanese can breed and harvest all the mammals they like on their own bit of land / acreage. And if they can cordon off an area of their harbors to breed cetacean, then fine (though I would consider that slightly abhorrent).

                But the mammals of the sea do not belong to any particular nation or person. They belong as much to me as a Japanese chef.

              • Gosman …
                14 January 2010 at 5:16 pm

                I never stated Whales were a fish.

                BTW Logie97 Fishing in International waters is allowed and is actively pursued by many nations, not just the Japanese..

          • Gosman 3.1.1.1.2
            14 January 2010 at 2:52 pm

            In fact on closer inspection the reason the Japanese egage in ‘Scientific’ Whaling is to exploit the loophole in the IWC rules on the Southern Ocean Sanctuary. So what the Japanese are doing isn’t illegal just sneaky.

            As for the Zanu-PF comparision, I explained it because the logic used here to argue what the Japanese are doing is illegal is the same warped logic that Zanu-PF supporters used to try and argue the targetted sanctions against Mugabe and his cronies is also illegal.

            Just because you say something is so doesn’t make it so especially in matters of internation law.

        • Gosman 3.1.1.2
          14 January 2010 at 2:38 pm

          BTW I doubt very much the Japanese would be breaking the IWC rules as they worked very hard to set up the exemptions to the Whaling ban in the first place and continue to work very hard at maintaining the status quo. It is more likely that you are mistaking what those rules do allow and where exactly these activities are banned.

          • the sprout 3.1.1.2.1
            14 January 2010 at 4:38 pm

            what a fucked up thing to be an apologist for

            • Gosman 3.1.1.2.1.1
              14 January 2010 at 4:44 pm

              Ummmm….. why exactly?

              You haven’t advised why Whales have any special right for protection from being killed by man over something like an Elephant.

              • mickysavage …
                14 January 2010 at 4:54 pm

                What about Japan agreed with the rest of the world to do so (not hunt whales in the sub antarctic) and it is also bound by the law of the sea not to smash up boats containing protesters nor put the lives of kiwi citizens at risk?

                Read the IWC Convention and tell me how it does not apply.

              • Gosman …
                14 January 2010 at 5:15 pm

                Ummmmm….. because the IWC specifically allows nations to carry out a certain amount of Whaling for ‘Scientific’ purposes. Now this is a loophole that is being exploited by the Japanese to continue Whaling but it is a legal one none the less.

                I’m sure the legal ins and outs of the collision will come to light in time. If the Japanese come out as the bad guy’s then the Sea Shepherd crowd, or their insurerers, can take appropriate actions through the courts.

              • felix …
                14 January 2010 at 5:37 pm

                I don’t think you’re discussing this in good faith Gosman.

              • logie97 …
                14 January 2010 at 5:55 pm

                Gosman – read my earlier post. I never suggested that you thought that whales were fish. Your inference from gitmo. However in subsequent posts you talk about fishing for whales. The Japanese hunt whales.

        • Frank 3.1.1.3
          15 January 2010 at 11:59 am

          So remind me again, what has the Australian Government actually done? Absolutely nothing! They promised alot come election time and have done nothing but make excuses for not doing anything since. So I wouldnt hold the Aussie gov as a great example.

          “Before it came to office, Labor said it was prepared to use the international courts to stop Japan killing an annual whale quota but it has been slow to translate that threat into action.”

          http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/abbott-slams-govts-whaling-inaction-20091214-krdo.html

  4. roger nome 4
    14 January 2010 at 10:37 am

    i wish the standard had enough cash to send someone after Key on his hollidays to snoop around in Hawaii. what the hell does he do there anyhow? i hope it’s all savory activities. no strip clubs etc…. if he were going to indulge in anything that offends “mainsteam NZ” he sure as hell wouldn’t be doing it in Wellington.

    at the very least an expat NZ asset could be developed to keep tabs on him.

    a flight of fancy perhaps, but maybe not an unrealistic one..

    • Gosman 4.1
      14 January 2010 at 10:43 am

      You are seriously sad with that past comment.

      Perhaps you should snoop around Key’s Auckland and Wellington residences and go through his rubbish bins.

      • gitmo 4.1.1
        14 January 2010 at 10:46 am

        Oh dear one would have thought the lessons regarding ‘panty sniffing’ would have been learnt post the Mike William’s debacle.

      • Craig Glen Eden 4.1.2
        14 January 2010 at 10:58 am

        Na no need Gosman people are starting to see what an idiot this guy is, its only a matter of time before more punters realize Key is all pitch.

        It does not matter what the topic is he is all talk.

    • Julie Fairey 4.2
      15 January 2010 at 9:46 am

      Who cares what he does on his holidays? I’d rather he and his family got to have proper holidays, because I know how important they are for everyone, regardless of what they do when they are not on holiday.

      I think there is a point though about Key taking many more weeks in holidays than he is prepared to give other workers, particularly in light of the move to effectively scrap the fourth week of annual leave.

    • Bob 4.3
      15 January 2010 at 10:41 am

      I wonder if rogernome said the same thing when Helen went to Norway and elsewhere. John Key had his wife and family with him. What would he get up to? Both Key and Clark merely wanted privacy by going where they are not known.

    • illuminatedtiger 4.4
      15 January 2010 at 7:53 pm

      My god Roger! You bastard! How dare you attack our highly aspirational and relaxed leader.

    • BLiP 4.5
      15 January 2010 at 8:04 pm

      Roger!!

      respek, bro.

  5. roger nome 5
    14 January 2010 at 10:54 am

    nah – that would be illegal gosman. the rubbish would still be key’s property so long as it’s on hs premisis. a good idea though. this is politics not kinergarten. the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of lower-income nzers is at stake here – and Key is screwing them. they’re more important than this filthy rich dude’s privacy (of course within the boundaries of the law).

    • Crash Cart 5.1
      14 January 2010 at 3:38 pm

      Lower income NZer’s. If you think they are the only ones who are going to be hurt by this government then you are mistaken. Even blubber boy and DPF regularly have goes at this government.

    • Julie Fairey 5.2
      15 January 2010 at 9:46 am

      What’s kinergarten (sic) got to do with it?

    • CS30 5.3
      15 January 2010 at 12:27 pm

      I think you should see a doctor STAT roger nome. You appear to have a serious case of small man syndrome. Get it treated before you explode up you own ass.

  6. Scott 6
    14 January 2010 at 11:02 am

    Don’t be so mean to our poor PM.

    Our John really, um y’know, likes the whales.

    Isn’t that enough? You want policy too?

  7. Anne 7
    14 January 2010 at 11:11 am

    @ ak…
    and what’s more, that is how the memorandum would have been worded when presented to him. 😀

    I would add one further reason why Key hit the whaling button. Murray McCully. After McCully’s incredibly stupid comment late last week someone decided it was time for a bit of damage control.

    • grumpy 7.1
      14 January 2010 at 11:48 am

      I agree with your last comment.

      A word of warning to John Key, “don’t go to Hawaii in a hospital Ship”,

  8. logie97 8
    14 January 2010 at 12:57 pm

    Now that Hillary has had to reschedule, and all those important discussions (not to mention photo-ops), will our government go on hold? And what chance the plan for whaling?

  9. randal 9
    14 January 2010 at 1:10 pm

    accordoing to news reports our beloved prime minister says he can talk them out of doing it.
    yeah right.
    straight after transmission gully is finished and when the ab’s choke on the world cup he will be feeling up to that little jobby.

  10. Bored 10
    14 January 2010 at 1:19 pm

    Justified doubt and cynicism aside, I wish Jonkey every success in his attempt to achieve what nobody has to date. If he can prevent the mindless slaughter of whales by Japanese die hards he will have achieved all that he ever needs to in life. I wish him well.

    • felix 10.1
      14 January 2010 at 1:50 pm

      Likewise. I’d even consider voting for him if it turns out to have any substance to it.

      My hopes are not high though.

      • Armchair Critic 10.1.1
        14 January 2010 at 2:34 pm

        I’d vote for the National candidate in my electorate if he succeeds in stopping the Japanese from whaling. Party vote is a different story.

      • gitmo 10.1.2
        14 January 2010 at 3:01 pm

        No matter how low your hopes I’d suggest you lower them further – the whaling nations have been extremely resistant to stopping the killing of whales.

  11. tc 11
    14 January 2010 at 4:02 pm

    I’d vote for national if they had a credible plan for NZ’s economic growth which had a future where my grandkids get a decent education system, reasonably priced power/water/Internet and other essential services with a corporate landscape that wasn’t full of overseas owned firms taking Kiwi profits offshore or sold off State assets filling their shareholders pockets.

    Still waiting for any clear and constructive plan from any of Johnny clown’s placeholders.

    • ParkDrive 11.1
      14 January 2010 at 9:58 pm

      Our economic growth doesn’t have much more to grow.
      We have for some time been barely able to break past 3%. Once the nimbys get their heads out of the sand, our responsibility as a food nation will be to develop effective technologies (see scott technologies, wellington drive) that increase food output, lower energy usage, and get to a point that developing nations will be able to buy them off us.
      We are a developed country, built on oil and gas. There’s no way that developing nations will get the same opportunity, hence why COP15 was an absolute shambles.

      The snowball is nearly at the bottom of the hill. Economic growth is not the way forward tc

  12. Ianmac from Abu Dhabi 12
    14 January 2010 at 7:15 pm

    Eddie. Your writing style is great and would lend itself to audio/visual. It could be a script for Jon Daly.
    The Key strategy seems to work. Soft topic. Non-contentious. Must be in control. Right? We get the Government we deserve!

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