National going back to Brash

Over the weekend Don Brash crawled out of his fetid crypt to remind us all that he was still a racist old arsehole. And the National party followed suit, by reintroducing their Kermadec ocean sanctuary Bill. As I've said before, a Kermadec Ocean sanctuary is a good idea. But it also pisses all over a Treaty of Waitangi settlement. National, the party of racists, naturally ignores this completely, and wants to unilaterally overturn the settlement. This calls the government's good faith and the entire settlements process into doubt. And National is doing this not because it particularly cares about our oceans - they don't, any more than they care about our national parks - but simply in an effort to stir trouble in the coalition government. Its a piss-poor reason to undermine a fundamental of our constitution. But isn't it so very, very National?

I want to see the Kermadecs protected. I also want the government to honour the Treaty and act in good faith towards its Treaty partners. These are not irreconcilable goals, and I'm confident that the current government is both interested in and capable of finding a solution. But National's arrogant racism isn't helping. If they really wanted an ocean sanctuary, they'd drop their bill, and focus on negotiations instead.