Less than two years ago as we led into the November 2008 election, the preservation of our fight against the evils of climate change, in the form of the emissions trading scheme, was sacrosanct.
Only ACT railed against it, National promised to be pragmatic while Labour told us the ‘end is nigh’ if we dared to scupper it.
We’re now into day two of a watered down ETS, and based on the furore in the media the end is certainly nigh – in terms of the impact it is predicted to have on our disposal income.
Media would have us believe the only people in NZ that now support an ETS is a National Party that has lost touch with the electorate.
Across the Tasman, one of the reasons put forward for the dramatic rolling of Kevin Rudd as Australian PM is that he did not follow through on his commitment to introduce an ETS!
It would appear that while we want to see ours gone, Australians are keen to have one imposed on them.
Perhaps our Government is paying more attention to the words of the Acting British High Commissioner, who in an address in Wellington last month was pretty blunt when he talked about Europe’s position on climate change.
Buried in the text was the warning ‘…don’t underestimate how important climate change and low carbon issues are to us. It is at the heart of what we believe and central to our governments’ policies. It is driving our business and is a massive issue for many of our citizens. We are prepared to judge ourselves and others by how we respond to the challenge’.
For a diplomat that is pretty strong language. Perhaps he has been even blunter in his private discussions with our trade emissaries about the impact not doing our bit could have on our future food trade with Europe?
Being successful in politics has always included the ability to balance yourself strategically on the high wire. This Government is mastering the art fast.