THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES:
WHAT THE FRACK?: Fracking—the mining process which blasts a mixture of water, sand and chemicals deep into the earth to extract gas or petroleum. We’ve been doing it for decades but now there is Parliamentary inquiry into process. The Greens are calling for a moratorium on fracking until the inquiry is over but the Government says that’s not necessary. It’s controversial—the practice has been blamed for groundwater contamination and earthquakes. Is fracking safe? Is there enough oversight? Oil and Gas exports bring about $3 billion to the economy. Can we say no to the practice?
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE: A bill by Labour’s Sue Moroney says 6 months(26 weeks) rather than the current 3.5 months/14 weeks. The Government says that is unaffordable. Do we need more time for the country to recover financially? Key has left the door open for the future—but will our country EVER be able to afford extended leave? Is it ever a good idea to borrow money for additional entitlements? Or are there benefits, bigger than financial to consider?
Live pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 18th of April, 9:05pm and on TVNZ7.
The Panel: Green Party MP Gareth Hughes, Labour MP Annette King, and National MP Katrina Shanks.
Did you see last weeks show, when that dreadful little worm from ACT on campus made his revolting comments regarding people on benefits having children ??
Go Annette!
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Fracking scary!
! I don’t like my water flammable 
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Paid parental leave good!
Veto bad! 
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Sure did Peter – he was the pits. The Young Labour guy was most impressive. Some RWNJ on a blog [can't remember which one] could only come up with the gay label.
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
I thought Bill English was just the Minister of Finance but it seems he has assumed the powers of an absolute monarch (King William V?). Never mind come late 2014 the only throne he will be sitting on will be in a Dipton outhouse.
You’re a delusional bunch. 2014 is going to be another whitewash. The Greens will have more seats than Labour. There iPredict, pick that up and run with it.
Paid Parental Leave.
Paid by CGT – you know that you won’t make any money in the first several years, so you will have to borrow. Not a good idea.
Holiday Highway Money – You know this is only a one off right? Not an annual figure! How many other times have you already spent this money?
What I like is that you are banking and relying on National to get back into surplus and you have already spent the money after them doing so. And then the cycle begins again. You spend, tax more, run debt, then lose the election and ask someone else to clean up.
In the famous words of Battlestar Gallactica – “This has all happened before and will all happen again”
Labour should really be supporting fracking, mining and drilling. Or at least taking a moderate stance. Politically, I mean. You’ll always have the Greens there in your next government to say “no way” to that if it needs to be stopped.
At least if you pretend to support it, you’ll get some votes from sensible people who know these things can be done safely and cleanly in a properly regulated environment to provide economic betterment for people in New Zealand. Stop trying to cuddle the Green Party.
If you read the below, I think that you will find that Fracking is not all it’s cracked up to be..
Two small earthquakes near the English town of Blackpool in 2011 were caused by fracking, a new report commissioned by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change has found.
Here is a recent report from the American Association for the Advancement of Science on a recent study of fracking. Which found “no direct evidence that fracking itself has contaminated groundwater”. Rather they found that “contamination tends to happen closer to the surface when gas and drilling fluid escapes from poorly lined wells or storage ponds”. Which are problems that could affect any type of drilling wells.