Where the parties stand on the ETS
The NZ Herald has a useful summary of where the parties stand on Labour’s Emissions Trading Scheme.
* Act: “The Government’s ETS is a crock and should be dumped.”
* Green Party: Close to pulling support because of Government backdowns on fuel and industry emissions, but waiting to see final shape of the scheme.
* Maori Party: Could withdraw support because of Government backdowns.
* NZ First: Will discuss future support at caucus next Tuesday, but has concerns about people on fixed incomes.
* United Future: Reserving position until sees final shape. Supports fuel delay but wants more information on costs for householders and “compensation” for extra costs.
* National: Supports concept of an emissions trading scheme. Pleased with delay of fuel sector. Says final scheme must be “durable” and balance economic and environmental issues or it will not support it.
Will it pass 119-2? Starting to look difficult. Unless Labour do something really stupid, National should stay on board and it will pass. But the risk is one will have either the Greens and Maori Party opposing it as ineffective, or NZ First and United Future attacking it as too costly for consumers.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
National should stop being populist and start being principled. The cost is not justified. Scrap support for it.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
“Unless Labour do something really stupid, National should stay on board and it will pass.”
The whole thing is really stupid, as everyone from the Greenpeace to the Business Roundtable has said.
National cannot support something so stupid. This is becoming a litmus issue.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I may start calling Key Charlie Brown. On the days he’s wishy hes washy. He just can’t decide which.
Tell your boy to harden up and stand for something David. ANYTHING would be good. Campaigning on NOT being Helen Clark isn’t the answer, I have house plants that could get elected on that basis.
Its same as how we ended up with Fat David and his pile of ego driven wank not that long ago.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
he guys, if you want to change National, vote ACT.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Can’t decide here.. on National’s approach. Most thinking folks know that the ETS is just another taxation lever to get business dancing to the environment tune de jour.
The problem is that most NZers are not thinking – they believe the bollocks that passes for independent news these days, so trying to turn back public opinion on this issue could cost National the election.
Is this a case of capitulate and loose this battle now so that the election war (against a socialist Labour govt) can be won?
May 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I am with Act on this – this bullshit is a waste of time and resources. Key has an opportunity to show some common sense and make a stand on something – finally. It is Labours problem and he should not let them off the hook – problem is that Nick Smith is nearly as looney as David Parker and he would mess it up.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
National should stop being populist and start being principled. The cost is not justified. Scrap support for it.
Due to the ignorance of the general population, if they start being principled the cost would be another three years of Labour. The only thing you can really do in your position is stop viewing National as an alternative to Labour and give your vote to ACT, otherwise there is little hope Key will change – he’s about as populist as Clark and Peters.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Only ACT that stands up to this deluded government which blindly follows the advise of climate oracles who tell us that they can see (predict) the future (we’re doomed as they say) via differential calculus psychic techniques.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
John Key’s leadership of the National Party continues to disappoint. I’m struggling to see why I supported them for so long.
The costs of this ETS are going to be huge, and for what gain?
I’m with Rodney Hide and Act on this one.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
There must be some secret plan so that we DO all vote ACT. That way, with Nat having to rely on Act support to form a gummint, ACT can be the (libertarian?) Bad Guy to the National (populist) Good Guy. That way we can get all the privatisations done, the school vouchers, tax cuts, Families Commission et al dismantled and it will be SOMEONE ELSE, not dear National.
Except that at the very next election, the voters will remember that Nat+Act = personal responsibility, and they’d rather just have hand-outs and a nanny to wipe their bum, please.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Rather than blow my own trumpet re this foolish Bill I refer to a statement by Terry Dunleavy:
The first observation is that the Greenpeace mouthpiece has grossly misrepresented what Owen McShane said yesterday in his evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee conducting hearings on the Emission Trading Bill. Owen did not say climate change is a hoax. What he did say can be viewed in full on the Coalition’s website:
http://www.climatescience.org.nz
May 8th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
More support for Owen McShane:
http://bp1.blogger.com/_rCeGL9UG1EM/SArrWO6lyoI/AAAAAAAAABM/d5gwED4krds/s1600-h/FES+Letter+PAGE+1.jpg
May 8th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I also am saddenned at National’s me too approach. Despite what the socialist leaning leader of Fed Farmer’s says I doubt very much that grassroots farmers agree…If there are believers in National then they should still refuse to support this bill and promise to hold their own enquiry as to the most appropriate action after the election…Liabour’s delay gives them this opportunity.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
We are at the fag end of a dying Government. National should NOT come on board to give a flag ship policy trophy to the Labour Party. If should vote against and leave it for the NEXT parliament. Or do you really want the Labour Party to stay in office (but not in power – FOREVER!!!!!).
May 8th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Murray should wash his mouth out for his last sentence. Very pathetic.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
The ETS is a solution looking for a probelm.. As I said before its promoters are the snake oil salemen of the 21st Century.
Its just another scheme to raid the hip pockets of the citizens. Follow the money Always follow the money to see who will benefit and who will it cost.
The beneficaries are those with most to gain
Politicans More tax revenue to waste on their latest fruit loop scheme
Scientists Looking for more research funding by giving those who dish the money out the “results” they want.
The NZX Looking to clip the ticket on the way thru.
Big Business Looking to promote themselves as environmentally firendly to gain market share.
None of them have the citizens interest at heart In fact all of them are looking to gouge the citizens
Why should we be surprised More of the usual.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
The arguments against the ETS above are all actually about the Kyoto Protocol. If NZ intends to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments (and that’s an entirely different debate), someone has to pay. It’s either tax payers or emitters. So the 2 year slippage we have on the ETS for motorists means we now pay that as tax payers – and using the government’s figures, 2 years is about 40 million tonnes and at $25/tonne, about $1 billion. And at least if motorists pay rather than tax payers there’s a small chance that someone might drive less and thus for the bill to go down, and it somehow seems fair (in addiiton to being economically efficient) that motorists pay for their emissions rather than tax payers. The same applies to industrial emissions. Far from it being a scheme to raid the hip pockets of the citizens, it’s doing exactly the opposite.
The costs come because we signed the Kyoto Protocol, not because of the ETS. The ETS is just making the costs as low as possible.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
guess I’ll have to vote for Rodney
May 9th, 2008 at 8:14 am
bruceh should learn to count. Very pathetic karma.
And if I was going to wash my mouth out for anything that would be a long way down the list Prudence.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Voting ACT.