The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have voted for them anyway. As a result, they pleased nobody, delivered nothing, and were abandoned by their voters at the 2023 election.
Sadly, that electoral lesson doesn't seem to have sunk in. Yesterday, the National government rolled over to climate denying farmers, announcing they would end any efforts to price agricultural emissions and make farmers do their share in the fight against climate change. As with so many of the government's other anti-environment policies, the perfect counter-policy is for the opposition to make it clear that National's policies will be immediately reversed. This isn't just a statement of party values - it ensures policy certainty, deters wasteful investment predicated on a free ride forever, and avoids stranded assets. The Greens clearly understand this. Labour, OTOH, clearly does not:
Labour leader Chis Hipkins wouldn't commit to restoring the climate change policies the coalition government is backtracking on.It's Labour in a nutshell: no values, and no commitments. And they wonder why nobody gives a shit about them anymore.
