20111126NZGeneralElection
Transport Policy Questions to all Parties answered here:
Smart Transport Network: Voting Choices
Results of the New Zealand General Elections : Saturday the 26th of November 2011
Of the 68% that voted,
48% voted for the incumbant National Party which is planning to close down 5 of our regional railways.
So with a 'mandate' of 35% of eligible voters New Zealand stands to lose:
The North Auckland Line and the Dargaville Branch Line,
The Gisborne - Napier Line, The Stratford-Okahukura Line , The Northern Wairarapa Line
and over NZ$11,000,000,000 diverted from our economy to build the roads of 'National' significance.
Ignored or Denied in the lead up to this General Election :
All attempts to inform New Zealanders about the 'Big Picture' issues of strategic importance such as:
the International Energy Agency's warnings on Climate Change
the IEA's warning to our government on the urgent need to reduce our vulnerability to post 2006 peak oil prices,
the inappropriateness of the National Government's Roads of 'National' significance and proposed closure of 5 regional railways,
The National Government's suppression of research papers, reports and Ministerial Briefings
- by all of NZ's Newspapers, Talkback Radio, Radio New Zealand National, TV1 and TV3 -
AND by all candidates in the opposition parties.
If people do not know about these issues they can not make decisions about them.
A responsive democracy is an informed democracy.
People working in the media are complicit in ensuring that New Zealanders are distracted from the real issues that will really affect
them in the future.
Alan Preston @ Save Our Rail Northland.
The issue of National Significance
The money NZ spends on importing oil has risen 22% this year to over $21 million per day, $7.7billion for the 2010 year,and while the International Energy Agency is warning us to reduce our vulnerability to what are going to become increasingly expensive post 2006 peak oil prices, the National Government is diverting funding from social, health, education and welfare programs to benefit their benefactors in the Auto-Petro lobby by committing more than $11billion on Roads of ' National' Significance' and threatening to close another 5 of our regional railway lines.
Advocates for sustainable energy and transport, environmental health and Climate Change have a huge body of evidence that would support a complete review of National's approach to the provision of Transport Infrastructure.
We also have evidence that they are systematically covering up advice and covering up research that isn't consistant with their desired outcomes.
Is this the way forward for NZ ?