Upper Hutt City Council idiots

Stuff reports:

Upper Hutt City Council has declared the city a “TPP-Free Zone”, prompting its mayor to condemn his colleagues’ “ultimately meaningless” political statement.

Don’t those Councillors have any actual work to do, rather than puerile idiotic gestures?

What do they mean by a TPP-Free Zone? Do they mean they want all imports from the US, Japan, Australia and Canada banned?

Do they want Upper Hutt businesses to stop exporting?

Deputy mayor John Gwilliam agreed the declaration was a political statement but said he voted for the resolution because of serious concerns about how the TPP could thwart local government and undermine public welfare, because of the powers it gave international companies to use dispute settlement proceedings against governments.

McClay said the agreement would not change the ability of governments, to fulfil core functions, at local as well as national level.

“I am surprised that the council has not tried to be better informed.”

After learning about Wednesday night’s vote, Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce & Industry chief executive Mark Futter said he was astounded the business community was not consulted.

The council owed the people of Upper Hutt an apology for the “purely political” resolution, which could cause a backlash against export businesses in the city trying to establish international trade links, he said. 

“The political stake they’ve put in the ground means nothing. If I was a business owner, I’d be pretty disappointed in the council.”

Someone should remain those Councillors of the rates paid by local businesses.

Councillor Angela McLeod said she voted for the resolution because she had gauged a rising anti-TPP public sentiment and was concerned the provisions of the agreement amounted to an attack on “the sovereignty and democracy of Upper Hutt”.

They’re like lemmings. They repeat a phrase with no understanding of it.

THE VOTE

FOR: Deputy mayor John Gwilliam, councillors Mary Amour, Paul Lambert, Glenn McArthur, Angela McLeod, Helen Swales and Dave Wheeler (7).

You now know which grandstanding fools not to vote for.