I don’t know if Frog is angry, but on reflection I’m disappointed.
I’m disappointed that Michael Cullen puts up legislation that gives tax breaks for sending jobs overseas.
I’m disappointed that there is legislation going through the house that will see indefinite detention without charge, on the basis of secret evidence that even the judge can’t see.
I’m disappointed that greenhouse gases continue to rise, especially methane which is 16 times as powerful a warming agent as CO2.
I’m disappointed that our forests are being converted to dairy farms.
I’m disappointed that the quality of our rivers and lakes continues to be complete shit.
I’m disappointed that the poverty of children being raised on benefits continues to rise, and that the minister denies her own department’s reports on the issue.
I’m disappointed that there are still pokies everywhere in the suburbs, ripping money from the hands of the poorest and those least able to manage their money well.
I’m disappointed that we lock up more of our citizens per capita than almost any developed country (and that a huge number of these are for cannabis related offenses).
I’m disappointed that more money is being spent on roads to nowhere, that will kill more through pollution (400 annually are killed by vehicle emissions in Auckland alone), worsen our dependence on oil imports (and damage our balance of trade), and further contribute to global warming.
I’m disappointed that Labour believes the market will insulate New Zealand’s houses, while hundreds of thousands suffer the terrible cold of winter, and we have shockingly high rates of pneumonia and other preventable diseases.
I’m disappointed that Labour will allow the police to take without proof of guilt, try people for the same crime twice, and chemically and electronically torture citizens.
I’m disappointed that Labour shakes the hands of war criminals rather than threatening them with arrest.
I’m disappointed that Labour sponsors the arms industry and thinks of it as a growth area of the economy.
I’m disappointed that our workers and population still continue to be exposed to a litany of toxic chemicals.
I’m disappointed that the number of animals tortured in experiments causing “extremely severe” suffering still numbers in the tens of thousands and is increasing. And that the minister blankets these experiments in secrecy.
I’m disappointed that Labour participates in using our intelligence services for the international war machine.
I’m disappointed that wholesale imports of illegally logged CITES protected timber continue unchecked.
I’m disappointed that the minister allows the suffering of tens of millions animals through an exemption to the animal welfare act which his own department advises is illegal.
I’m disappointed that it was New Zealand f@#&*ing First that demanded a $12 minimum wage, yet Labour takes the credit for it.
I’m disappointed that the minister thinks hungry children are a joking matter.
I’m disappointed that cycling is still seen as a fringe thing, something for spandex wearers.
I’m disappointed that our level of aid to the world’s poorest is still pitiful.
I’m disappointed that beautiful valleys with endangered species are being turned into coal mines.
[edit, as Kakariki notes in the comments] I’m disappointed that Labour thinks that the Treaty of Waitangi is a historic document, and the confiscation of the seabed and foreshore is legitimate.
There are many others, I’ve only listed a few for brevity.
I’m not angry, because to be angry there would have to be a large gap between expectation and reality. And my expectations of this Government were always low; I was 15 in 1999, but I expected Labour to sell out the left even then. So even my disappointment is muted.
I was thinking that time in opposition after this election would help, but on reflection, I think we’re damned to this kind of Labour Party for eternity. Opposition against a right wing party simply allows Labour MPs, members and activists worldwide to mentally self-position themselves as the party of the left, and inure themselves to criticism.
Nandor got it right. Parliament is a waste of perfectly good time.
11 Comments
I’m disappointed that they confiscated the Foreshore and Seabed.
xox
Cheers Kakariki, that definitely ranks up there with the rest of the disappointments of Labour.
PS, do you (or any other reader) know how to move things round so that the comments don’t appear ridiculously low on the page?
Not sure, depends on how your theme is set up. I’d try looking at the theme website and see if they have any tips.
I am disappointed that they killed 400 people on our roads last year. The National Road Safety Committee told them how to cut the road toll by three-quarters within ten tears but Cabinet wasn’t interested. If the road toll included people killed BY car crashes rather than only those killed IN car crashes it would be possible to compare it with vehicle emissions deaths. I am not aware of any studies of the life expectancy of those seriously injured in crashes but I suspect that number of proplr seriously injured in crashes each year is a good proxy for the number of premature deaths from car crashes, that makes the road toll almost 4,000 rather than the official 400.
The best way to solve the road toll is to get people out of cars. These machines are extremely dangerous, and kill far more per kilometre than all comparable modes of transport.
Quite apart from anything else I’m not entirely sure that it’s Labour’s fault that more people don’t regard cycling in a positive way.
You’re right, I could have been a little clearer. Labour ministers still see cycling as a fringe issue. This is made pretty clear by the relative level of investment in cycling infrastructure.
Build cyclepaths, and dedicated separated cycle lanes, and the population will use them. There’s plenty of evidence for this internationally.
Myself I’d like to see more done to make cycles and cycle maintenance cheaper. The cost of a bike, let alone a set of bikes, is pretty prohibitive for a low income family looking at getting rid of their car.
It’s a great idea. The Danish Government gives a generous subsidy for the purchase of bikes. From memory, it’s about $1000 every 3 years for a working person (on the assumption that this will likely change their commuting), which allows people to buy a good quality bike they actually like (and are therefore likely to actually use. Considering what that saves in other Government in other spending, it’s a pretty good deal for all. I’d love it if we could get the Government to give out subsidies for bicycles, maintenance and accessories, eg. lights, clothing, trailers for families to tow children and groceries in. An investment in training a cohort of bicycle mechanics to keep these new bike owners up and running and happy should also come with any deal that puts more bicycles on the road.
I’d thoroughly recommend Copenhagenize.com – it’s a wealth of information and ideas.
Not that I’m necessarily arguing the point, but in which areas of government spending could we expect to see a reduction if a larger cycle fleet was in action?
That’s a fair question. I haven’t had time to read it in detail, but Krizec (2007) reviews and analyzes the literature and finds a cost benefit ratio of between 1.43 (Amsterdam; already very high bicycle use) and 20 (Dehli; poor and very little infrastructure in general) .
We could expect less spending on roads, which are incredibly expensive pieces of infrastructure, but which seem to receive funding without a second thought. A single new road often costs in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. A decent stretch of motorway can be in the billions. There would also be less pressure on road maintenance, health spending (asthma and respiratory conditions, obesity, injury rates generally decrease as cycling is made more widespread and safer), our Kyoto liabilities would be decreased. We could also ditch some of the ‘Push Play’ advertising and expensive websites
There would also be less demand for oil, which would help us get back to a positive balance of trade and decreased inflation – which would put downwards pressure on interest rates. There is also the benefit of increased mobility as high oil prices start to bite those with little disposable income. Unfortunately, as Krizec notes, while recognisable, most of these benefits are hard to quantify directly.
Those are some of the benefits. The cost for a proper Government intervention in favour of cycling? Hard for me to say. Just looking at subsidies for bikes, $1,000,000 over several years would allow the Government to give $500 for the purchase of a bike to half the population. Helen Clark would have the opportunity to look groundbreaking, innovative and world leading. It would sure beat the hell out of the media gained from opening a new motorway! As for bike lanes and paths, I don’t know, but I would be very surprised if they cost more than comparable road maintenance and construction which is necessarily ongoing anyway. There would also have to be bike parking and modifications to buses, trains, and parts of urban design.