National to the rescue of climate and the RMA

A few days ago, Christopher Luxon announced the first part of National’s new Electrify NZ policy, explaining:

Electrify NZ will help double the amount of renewable energy available and put New Zealand on track to reach its climate change goals.

The Labour government’s Maorification agenda simultaneously shreds our freedom while the Net Zero agenda tears the heart out of our national treasury. Continue Reading →

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National’s incompetence, identity politics, faulty buildings

John Scarry, a structural engineer and member of the Free New Zealand think tank, wrote this today as a contribution to a discussion of the political philosophy through which Labour views the country and its problems. It seemed good enough to me to publish, and John was good enough to let me. It’s being published here because the Free NZ website is under construction.

Identity politics

Collapse of Hard Rock Hotel, New Orleans, in October, 2019 (click to enlarge).

1. I am completely opposed to identity politics, and it is, in large part, National’s wilting before and partial surrender to identity and woke politics that has got them into their current bad polling position and is keeping them there.

2. There may be many factors (including indoctrination at school and through the media) that have so many people in awe of the likes of Ardern and Shaw, but the main factor is that these people have never been properly exposed to sound, rational and consistent counter-arguments.

3. Ardern is pathetic under pressure, but she is never subjected to real pressure. She is given a complete pass on every artificial crisis she creates for her own political benefit and to enable her to implement her dystopian plan or, more correctly, the dystopian plan that she supports. The most disappointing current example of this is Chris Bishop as the National spokesman on COVID-19. If nothing else, masks do not work – that is the undisputed science, from multiple studies over many years. Yet Ardern is allowed to impose them in order to “keep up the scare” and to enforce obedience, unopposed. Continue Reading →

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Todd Muller must abandon Shaw’s treacherous Zero Carbon folly

Todd Muller supports a socialist wrecker — is that wise?

Some National Party strategists think Todd Muller can hardly say he supports the Zero Carbon Act then do nothing about it. Sooner or later you must accept that National has agreed to the Zero Carbon Bill as a matter of policy and therefore has to show some acceptance of its obligations.

But the implied condition of support for any proposal is that the assumptions behind it remain true. If it emerges that the basis of a policy is wrong, it then becomes the height of reason to withdraw your support. The new honourable path is to abandon it.

Continue Reading →

Views: 3

Cabinet ETS paper makes my toes curl

I have received a copy of a confidential Cabinet briefing paper obtained under an Official Information Act request. It was prepared by Nick Smith as Minister for Climate Change Issues before his resignation.

The paper sets out proposed amendments to the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and the ETS.

It begins by stating the Minister’s key motives. I could scarcely believe them — they so strongly exclude each other they make my toes curl, yet the language makes me feel good! I trust them, I really do! I’m sure I do. No matter what self-contradictory aims the government expresses, I’m full of faith that a) it means well and b) it can do exactly what it says. Continue Reading →

Views: 57