No friends National’s sock puppet party has now been announced. And it involves the usual suspect:
Don’t get me wrong. I think we do need to work for a truly sustainable environment. But I am pretty sure that this particular entity, if it does get off the ground, is not interested in working with all sides of politics.
Because in its website it spends a bit of time talking about principles and philosophies but then engages on a full on attack of New Zealand First and the Greens.
The site says this about the party’s beliefs:
Our primary focus is on environmental matters such as clean water, sustainable oceans, protection of our native species, dealing with climate change; and these all have economic, social and cultural dimensions. A society with dramatic inequality is not sustainable. We need to move our economy away from polluting and environmentally destructive ways of doing things; by embracing technological and scientific innovation we can become wealthier, creating higher paying jobs for New Zealanders, all while treading more lightly on the earth.
We can save the environment AND become richer! The phrase “snake oil salesman” comes to mind.
It then says this about NZ First:
The coalition arrangements of the current government allocated billions of dollars to political trophies and slush funds – the price of NZ First support for a Labour-led Government. We have also seen the scrapping of important environmental initiatives like the mandatory installation of cameras on fishing boats because the fishing industry are key NZ First donors and supporters. MMP should deliver better outcomes than this.
While a valid comment it belies the claim that Sustainable NZ wants to work with all parties.
But then for some peculiar reason it gets stuck into the Greens:
The Green Party has made a deliberate decision not to use the leverage that comes with the number of MPs they have in Parliament. Instead of negotiating with both major parties, they have made a decision to always support the formation of a Labour Government meaning that Labour can take them for granted. This is no way to get the best deal for the environment.
Having given away their negotiating advantage, they are in a weak position to demand funding for cleaner beaches and rivers, for modern sewage infrastructure in major cities, for sustainable management of our fisheries, a major upgrade in predator control, nor for the significant increases in science and research funding that will underwrite a modern, sustainable economy.
The Greens have a historic tendency to be suspicious of scientific innovation – particularly in biotechnology – and hostile to business. New Zealand deserves a political party that will work together with the innovators in business and science who will lead the way through the complex and interconnected sustainability challenges of the coming century.
What a load of bollocks. The Greens have negotiated with National and achieved policy wins in the past. Russell Norman floated the idea twice of a National Green coalition during campaigns and each time Labour’s and the Green’s polling was hurt.
But a party with such strong social justice principles as the Greens are never going to go into coalition because they are so unalike. One party is dedicated to inequality and is happy about pollution as long as its farmer mates can keep making profits. The other is totally opposed to these.
There is considerable work currently going into cleaning up our beaches and rivers, and on improving infrastructure. And if there is a suspicion of business and science it is because big business has led us into the mess we are currently in.
I will confidently say now that if this party ever gets off the ground it will never think about coalition with Labour.
Shame really because our environment does deserve as many champions as we can manage.
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