Carter leads on whaling

Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, March 10th, 2010 - 26 comments
Categories: Conservation, Environment, International - Tags: , , , ,

Good on Chris Carter. He’s the only politician on Left taking some leadership in opposing the National Government’s abandonment of New Zealand’s anti-whaling stance. Today he launched an online petition against the government’s position. Carter writes:

“John Key’s great plan to save the whales is apparently allowing the Japanese to hunt them commercially. This appalling move can only be stopped by public pressure, so the New Zealand Labour Party is starting an online petition

John Key and Murray McCully should be working with the Australian Government which has given Japan a clear choice: stop killing whales in the Southern Ocean by November or this year face the legal consequences at the International Court of Justice. New Zealand should be joining with Australia in this action instead of undermining Australia’s efforts”

Good stuff.

Where are the Greens when every environmental group is vehemently opposing this plan? Last I heard, Russel Norman was on some kayaking tour.

Where are the Maori Party? A commenter says they have heard from Te Ururoa Flavell that there’s no way they would support a backflip on whaling, but officially they are silient.

Where is Phil Goff? Yeah the Axe the Tax tour is going really well and it’s great that he’s getting out there but here’s another huge issue on which he should have made a statement by now. Carter’s doing a fine job but the Leader’s got to step up.

I’d encourage Carter to set up a Facebook group too. I know, everyone does it but it’s a great way to show the public feeling over an issue and get like-minded people talking.

Look at the Save NZ Radio group, about to overtake John Key’s group for number of members, and the 5,000 people who have joined the anti-Wellywood sign group in a day and a half. Both have earned media coverage and shown the strength of community feeling.

You’ll get far more people on a facebook group than a e-petition. That will really show the Government Kiwis’ depth of feeling about whaling.

26 comments on “Carter leads on whaling ”

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  1. the sprout 1
    10 March 2010 at 3:14 pm

    Indeed Carter has been the only politician on the Left to bother lifting a finger over this issue.
    Good on him, and what a disgrace for other supposedly left-wing politicians.

  2. Danyl Mclauchlan 2
    10 March 2010 at 3:15 pm

    “Where are the Greens? Where are the Maori Party? Where is Phil Goff?”

    It’s almost as if the issue was complex and multi-sided and the only empty-headed lightweight willing to throw their credibilty away scoring cheap political points is Chris Carter.

    • Bright Red 2.1
      10 March 2010 at 3:21 pm

      bitter little Danyl.

    • blinded by the right 2.2
      10 March 2010 at 3:22 pm

      That can’t possibly be it. Could it?

      Maybe there’s a conference offshore somewhere to do with the issue that he has eyed up?

    • Captain Rehab 2.3
      10 March 2010 at 3:34 pm

      Is that supposed to be satire?

    • Galeandra 2.4
      11 March 2010 at 12:17 am

      …it’s almost as if the someone so in love with his own grand-eloquence and willing to throw his excess premodifiers away on shallow insinuations is Danyl.
      BTW Chris Carter is a he not a they, usually, anyway, unless travelling overseas on parliamentary business.
      As a NZer I’d quite like to hear a rigorous and balanced examination of the two choices apparently before us: international court action or a ‘commercial’ solution. That is, of course, if there is no third way. In the meantime I’m all for ‘scoring cheap political points’ in favour of the status quo.

  3. Santi 3
    10 March 2010 at 3:20 pm

    Carter is incapabale of leading anything, except a taxi on the way to his next overseas junket.
    He’s a liability to Labour and should step down.

  4. Darien 4
    10 March 2010 at 3:26 pm

    Come on be fair. Chris is speaking for Labour, not himself. If Labour, including Phil Goff didn’t support him speaking out against the whaling debacle, he wouldn’t be saying anything. Good suggestion about the Facebook group. I’ll pass it on.

    • Smokie 4.1
      10 March 2010 at 3:44 pm

      Darien, I’m not sure that Eddie thinks everyone in Labour should be speaking out. Rather, this is a question of whether or not Labour’s leadership think it’s an issue worth getting involved in.

    • Bright Red 4.2
      10 March 2010 at 4:13 pm

      As a party of action, why not just set it up? Darien Fenton MP doesn’t like National’s plan, Darien sets up facebook group, invites her friends, posts on red alert, emails the standard etc.

      It doesn’t need to go through some big discussion process.

      • Lanthanide 4.2.1
        10 March 2010 at 4:25 pm

        That’s how you end up with Garrett making stupid comments about abortion.

        • Lew 4.2.1.1
          10 March 2010 at 4:34 pm

          Except, while Labour MPs might sometimes be a bit wet and waffly, they’re not stupid and evil like Garrett is. So the potential for catastrophe is somewhat limited.

          L

    • lukas 4.3
      10 March 2010 at 4:49 pm

      Darien, see how much better blogs are when people are not auto moderated… perhaps you can pass that message on to Trev whilst you are setting up your FB group.

  5. PeteG 5
    10 March 2010 at 3:42 pm

    What at best is this likely to achieve? If Japan sees a few thousand people on a Facebook group they will change their stance? Christ Carter will go and give Palmer some advice and that will sort it out?

    This is just playing with people for politics, whales are seen as large votes. Goff may be being being sensible by keeping out of it (he likely knows what whale negotiation realism really is).

  6. Lew 6
    10 March 2010 at 3:44 pm

    PG, the idea of social media campaigns isn’t so much to influence foreign governments as the local government. By building awareness of the position, galvanising local support for it, and demonstrating that support.

    L

  7. backbones MIA 7
    10 March 2010 at 4:05 pm

    I guess we should say goodbye to whales now .
    Our government will not do anything but smile and take the money. Our media will not do anything that threatens the coma. Will the citizens do anything?
    Perhaps we could begin with some freemarket trade sanctions , say on japanese tourists, and manufacturers.
    Then publicise and support the businesses that make a stand.

    show your government that we still have power
    and maybe their government will choose to listen

    in the real world though it is obvious the harpoons of profit will soon be flying or there would be much stronger actions being taken globally.

  8. gitmo 8
    10 March 2010 at 4:51 pm

    Is there a trip in it for Carter, can’t see why else he’d be interested.

    • the pinkpostman 8.1
      12 March 2010 at 3:38 pm

      Well Gitmo you seem to be very uninformed .Chris Carter has been a champion og Whales for years ;About six years ago he suppled most primary schools with beautiful posters of whales and with kits for the young people to learn all about the wonder of whales. The latest news is that Labour has started a petition toSave Whales. Labour has spoken out about the slaughter of Whales.What is rather disturbing is the lack of protest from the GR

      • lukas 8.1.1
        12 March 2010 at 3:45 pm

        “About six years ago he suppled most primary schools with beautiful posters of whales and with kits for the young people to learn all about the wonder of whales”

        No. About six years ago the NZ taxpayer did that.

      • the pinkpostman 8.1.2
        12 March 2010 at 3:56 pm

        There seems to be a vow of silence from the Greens .I thought they would be screaming from the house tops.
        However what is more disturbing is the silence from the Maori Party.
        Where have the Whale Rider traditions gone. ? This so called Maori Party is rapidly becoming not only an embarassment to Maori but to the rest of Aoteroa .

  9. MikeySmokes 9
    11 March 2010 at 12:09 pm

    Good on National for doing something about whaling, Carter and the rest of the anti-whaling brigade have their heads in the sand. Because of our wanky moralising and our belief that whales can speak to us in our dreams and write poetry we’ve lost track of the real issue, which is how to get the Japanese to whale in a sustainable manner.
    Personally I cant wait to go to the Viaduct for a lovely grilled whale steak with fondant potatoes and a seafood sauce dianne, all washed down with a rich, hearty pinot. yummy

    • mickysavage 9.1
      11 March 2010 at 12:18 pm

      Another wingnut looking for a bite …

      Typical right wing thought process. Throw “sustainable” into any sort of environmental degradation and somehow it is all OK. Ignore the available data that will actually show what a stupid idea it is and you too can engage in a slanging match.

    • the pinkpostman 9.2
      13 March 2010 at 2:59 pm

      well you might be disapointed MickeySmokes. Londoners like me were eating some whale meat in WW2. it supplemented the meat ration. My memory of it was that it was horrible.Once eaten it was avoided . There are a lot tastier things to eat believe me.

  10. MikeySmokes 10
    11 March 2010 at 12:52 pm

    Mickysavage isnt it better to address the issue rather than posturing and trying to moralise with the Japanese who are currently harvesting about 800 Minke whales a year? Instead of scolding them like they’re naughty school children and forcing them into the loophole that is “scientific research”.