Q+A review
David Parker is on discussing water quality.
David Parker is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very good.
Acknowledges that there will need to be some areas where cows are going to have to de-stock.
Pushes back that the de-stock will be economically damaged by arguing that there will be subsidisation to enable new technology which helps direct future agricultural behaviour.
Parker is so passionate about clean water, it’s a powerful issue for him and I trust he has the intellect to be able to do this.
We are lucky to have him protecting our water.
Notes how disappointed he is that US steel tariffs are still on us. Argues that the CPTPP is more essential than ever because of rising protectionism. Doesn’t sound like taking the issue to the WTO is worthwhile, paints beak picture that US is undermining the WTO by refusing to appoint judges. Corin asks why we aren’t doing any thing about that, Parker says we aren’t a Superpower.
Pagani, Tamihere and Chris Allen from Federated Farmers are the panel. Allen is working desperately to not sound defensive, trying to be upbeat. He’s had very good media training.
Pagani argues Parker is focusing on the science and not bashing farmers. Argues that NZers are so stupid that when tested in opinion polls they freak out when they hear the words ‘climate change’, argues Labour are playing smart by using the word ‘environment’.
Tamihere says Labour are making gradual change that has been well signalled to the farming community and that they have no justifications to revolt.
Allen argues that there are technological upgrades that makes cleaner framing possible.
Problems about water pricing all acknowledged.
No one points out what synthetic meat and milk will do.
Catriona MacLennan is on defending why she attacked a Judge who showed mercy on a husband who was out with his family and saw a sexual text message to his wife from a family friend who was across the road passing them by in Queenstown. In a fit of rage, the husband attacked the family friend once he realised that he had sent his wife a sexual text and realised they were having an affair.
The Judge acknowledged that the situation was unique and he showed mercy to the husband.
Catriona attacked that Judge for showing such mercy and she is now under investigation for criticising the Judge.
Surely you want Judges who can see the uniqueness of cases and rule with merciful justice, not punitive justice.
The panel talks about how there isn’t the nuance of culture and language to allow places where men and women can talk about behaviour.
Line of the week was Tamihere when challenged on his praise for Shane Jones attack on public servants, ‘If you don’t have a judicious dislike for senior public servants you have problems’.
Good coverage of Q+A Martyn,
I was more cynical about David Parker’s rather ‘wet bus ticket’ complaint about WHO as he should complaint to the WTO to become the real global police on trade.
Parker has effectively now let us be screwed by the crooked ISDS private industry tribunal that will always rule in favour of “deep pockets and global elitists and wind up ruining small countries as he excuses these oligarchs,with his wet bus statement “Parker says we aren’t a Superpower.”
CPTPP or TTP 11 will kill us all if it proceeds.
I don’t think there is a market for synthetic milk and meat. The sort of people that this appeals to (due to environmental concerns) are the exact same sort that currently eat “sustainable organic” food, and they sure as shit won’t go anywhere near these lab-made “Frankenfoods”… unless they can somehow create it for a fraction of the price of the real thing, which I’m almost certain won’t be the case.
Here’s why I disagree.
Synthetic milk and meat are now amongst the largest R & D globally.
The cost of each ‘pattie’ of meat have already nose dived.
If this were mass produced and the exact falvour and texture of meat with more positive health with less salt/fat at a fraction of the water use, land use and cost, it will revolutionise the food industry.
We, as a country built upon the old intensive farming model would face a serious crash.
Globally the planet needs us to radically reduce meat to offset the global warming impacts.
So we face a future with enormous adaptation challenges due from climate change and synthetic meat could be the solution.
Time will tell. Nonetheless I still hold that the market for synthetic beef and milk are already vegans. Also there is no word yet on the input/energy costs of creating this “food”. Remember grass grows more or less for nothing, while whatever they use for this “milk” and “meat” needs to be manufactured somehow from something.
The cows that eat that grass use enormous amounts of water and energy, far more than mass produced synthetic meat would.
Once they perfect taste and texture, and can sell the product at a fraction of cost, mass production will take over. The speed of research is enormous.
Parker was brilliant. Its hard to argue against cleaning up our waterways.
Which is what Simon Bridges tried to do this morning on Morning Report, and came across as a negative nellie, whinging just because he was given a platform. Guyon Espiner knew Bridges was full of shit.
You are joking about Catriona MacLennan right? The judge was an old fusty who could understand a man assaulting his wife, his daughter and a man having an affair with his wife. I dont believe that a man has the right to assault 3 people when he finds out “his” wife is having an affair. She is not his property and if she chooses to have sex with someone else he does not have the right to assault anyone!!!!!
I’m not justifying nor am I defending any assault on another human being, but the context of that event does explain why it happened. The man went into a fit and lashed out at the person who he had just discovered was having an affair with his wife and during that fight, the wife and daughter have become involved in the melee.
We ask Judges to pass sentence with a mercy that contextualises the event that has occurred, the Judge did that.
The puritanical desire to punish and lock up is part of the problem, not the solution.