16 July 2004

Brash nostalgic for Muldoonism

Green Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says Don Brash's support for the Dobson hydro scheme shows National wants to return to the days of Muldoonism by overriding the law.

The National leader said last night that the Dobson scheme on the West Coast would go ahead under a government led by his party.

"Not since Muldoon have we seen a political leader say they will set aside the law and due process to facilitate a specific power project," said Ms Fitzsimons, the Green Party's Conservation and Energy Spokesperson.

"Do New Zealanders really want to return to the days of politicians deciding what does and doesn't go ahead in their backyard, with no hearing of evidence or right of objection?

"The Dobson hydro scheme is illegal under the Conservation Act; the area of land is specifically gazetted so that it cannot be taken out of the conservation estate without legislation. Even if that were done, you would still need to have a process to weigh the costs and benefits of the scheme.

"But in his comments reported today, Don Brash would over rule all of that and give his go-ahead to this project from on high. If that's not the Government 'picking winners', which National claim to be opposed to, I don't know what is.

"And all for a very minor scheme that would produce no more than 60Mw, a third of a year's growth in demand," said Ms Fitzsimons.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>