National are really losing it on the TPP. On Tuesday a farce unfolded in Parliament:
Green Party trade spokesman Russel Norman repeatedly questioned associate Minister of Trade Todd McClay during Parliamentary Question Time yesterday on whether the text of the TPP could be modified once the Government had signed, a claim made recently by Whangarei MP Shane Reti. Mr McClay refused to give a yes or no answer, despite the question being posed four times.
“From the National Party’s point of view, they want to present an image that there’s a big parliamentary process [around the TPP]. Really, the point of those questions was to expose them for not wanting to admit the truth,” Dr Norman said.
The video is quite something to behold:
On Wednesday Russel Norman returned to his questions, and this time he got some answers:
Once again the video:
It’s not just in Parliament that the Nats hate any kind of scrutiny of the TPP. Groser has called those concerned “breathless children”, Key has called us “misinformed”. Yesterday Groser lashed out again:
TPP sceptics won’t halt deal – Groser
Trade Minister Tim Groser has lashed out at public opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership, saying he won’t let “anti-trade forces” stand in the way of the contentious deal. … “I mean, really?” Groser said. “It is a mixture of a set of deeply ideological opponents to the use of markets … [who] focus on trade liberalisation to express a deeply ideological view that is the antithesis of all countries’ practical experience over the last 40 years.”
The thousands of people who marched 2 weeks ago are not anti-trade (there were no such marches for other FTAs) – they are anti-TPP. Arguably the TPP is more anti than free trade – most of the text is about enforcing more and more restrictions.
“But when we’ve done this deal – if we do this deal – then we’ll be able to get the facts out and confront these ludicrously exaggerated concerns,” he said.
The concerns are not “ludicrously exaggerated”, it has already been admitted that the TPP will for example raise the cost of medicines.
“I’m absolutely beyond the stage of argument on the value of integrating our communities in a politically sensitive way and we’re not going to be stopped by these anti-trade forces.”
Groser is absolutely beyond the stage of rational thought and is now operating on pure ego. He needs to stop flinging out the random insults and engage with people’s legitimate concerns.
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