By Frank N Further
For the first time in a few years, I went to a political meeting yesterday morning. The sitting MP had arranged a “SuperBlues” meeting, with Paula Bennett advertised as guest speaker. I thought that I would go and raise my thought that losing freedom of speech is the greatest threat facing us today.
Rather than Paula Bennett, the local MP was supported by Todd Muller. There was no apology from Bennett, nor any explanation on why the change in guest speaker had been made.
Now Muller is a probably a pleasant enough guy, and it may not be entirely his fault that he is the Nats spokesman on climate change. But that was very much the focus of the meeting.
Muller is obviously a climate change disciple. He said words to the effect that it is real and had to be dealt with. And that rather than turning their backs on the issue, the Nats had to get in bed with the international community, and the government, and come up with an agreed combined strategy. He didn’t say that there was an emergency, but he made it quite clear that in his mind the science was settled.
After his address they did allow a few questions from the floor; these were all around this topic. After perhaps half a dozen questions the meeting was drawn to close.
I did not get to make my point re freedom of speech, nor ask what they thought of the recent Australian election when a lot of the climate change matters were rejected by their electorate.
We were invited to stay and chat with both the local MP and Muller, but I figured that I had already lost 90 minutes or so of my life that I was never going to get back.
I have the feeling that I am not walking away from the National Party; rather the National Party is walking away from me. Or perhaps I should say they are running away from me.