It’s a curious thing: why is John Key so shy about New Zealand’s nuclear-free policy when it is the very thing that got him invited to President Obama’s nuclear security summit?
Key told Audrey Young of the Herald that President Obama told him “New Zealand had well and truly earned a place at the table of the nuclear security summit”. But then he fails to mention our nuclear-free policy once in his three page statement to the summit. He saves any mention of it for remarks for the audience at home.
Why so shy Mr Key? Say it loud, I’m nuclear free and I’m proud!
Further in the Herald story it says Vice President Biden said he thought New Zealand could play a “leadership role working with other countries demonstrating that the world free of nuclear weapons could be a better place.’” I don’t know if Audrey Young got that from Mr Key or direct from Mr Biden but hell, does the White House have to spell it out any more clearly?
Now is the time for New Zealand to step up and take an active role working with other countries to push the nuclear disarmament agenda forward. Without international pressure on the nuclear weapons states to disarm President Obama won’t get very far with his plan for a world free of nukes.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has put forward a 5-Point Plan for nuclear disarmament, which includes the proposal for a Nuclear Weapons Convention that would over time lead to the abolition of nuclear weapons. The Prime Minister should get serious about this issue. There is a genuine opportunity here for New Zealand to stand up and play a leadership role. He should grab it.
Yay nuclear disarmament!
I heard a Doctor on Radio Live at about 12:20 today from some Peace project talking about NZ’s history of Nuclear Free Action from the 1950s through to some call Goff made in the UN for a nuclear weapons convention a couple of years ago…
The list was long and proud, why wasn’t even one part mentioned..?
Seems every quote attributed to the Prez and the Veep came from Key or his lackies. Is that unethical or just bad and lazy journalism?
I think the problem is that this sort of thing requires a huge effort—hard work, long hours, few holidays, dedication, vision, strong belief, no photo-ops, leadership, no money to made……none of which our current PM seems enthusiastic about.
NZ’s nuclear free stance was/is one of the main reasons I chose to come and live here. Since I was twelve I have been supporting campaigns for nuclear disarmament and am so proud to live in a country with a nuclear free stance. Perhaps the real problem for Key is that he is still not convinced that nuclear free really is the way to go, after all power and consents to produce it are hot topics right now.
Key isn’t the man David Lange was…
I suspect that you’ll find that Jonkey and the rest of National don’t believe in being nuclear free and hence don’t want to draw attention to it.Remember the “gone by lunchtime” promise that they made a few years back.
It’s pretty simple really, Key and McCully have decided that, like Muldoon “Our Foreign Policy is Trade”. Nuclear weapons, human rights and that sort of stuff just isn’t a revenue generator so why bother?
Far better to spend our time hunting unicorns like a real free trade agreement with the US or the curtailment of EU agricultural subsidies.
Perhaps media folks should attach Geiger-Müller counters to their mikes when they next hold it in front of John Key’s mouth?
Dear David might have been able to tell from the smell.
Another good piece, Phil.
Come to think about it, it’s like
John Key and some fundamental components of his support base
can’t stomach our NZ nuclear-free policy
A glowing dead rat that they’ve had to swallow and he is trying not to throw up
Smile and wave … and try not be sick
Beautiful Gary
@Mike “It’s pretty simple really, Key and McCully have decided that, like Muldoon “Our Foreign Policy is Trade”. Nuclear weapons, human rights and that sort of stuff just isn’t a revenue generator so why bother?”
Agreed – and I agree with Gary – smile and waves real agenda here is to not upset those nations that they are trying to get some dodgy trade agreement from. Another – “lets not talk about kiwis supporting the dali lama Mr C – I will smile and wave – not mention his name, his visit or the protests outside – please let us sell our soul to you” moment – only this time hes pretending to ‘smile and wave’ his way right past the whole world pretending we are not nuke free. He continues to amaze me – what next?
paul – as I get older my memory does play tricks, I accept that. But wasn’t “lets not talk about kiwis supporting the dali lama Mr C – I will smile and wave – not mention his name, his visit or the protests outside – please let us sell our soul to you” the way that the last Labour government dealt with visits from high profile guests from the People’s Republic as well?
I think I remember Rod Donald standing on the steps of the Beehive silently holding a Tibetan flag in protest at the visit of a Chinese delegation, and sadly he’s been dead for over four years now.
I don’t understand why a year ago New Zealand voted against nuclear disarmament at the UN.