National Cabinet Minister Nick Smith intends to impose a new tax on the modern world’s cheapest, cleanest, most efficient form of packaging: the supermarket plastic bag.
As Liberty Scott says, Nanny Nick is just “the Green Party's Cabinet Minister in drag.”
UPDATE 1: Good to see opposition around the blogs:
- “I thought Nanny had got the sack!” says Fairfacts Media.
- “Fantastic Plastic” says MacDoctor.
- “Has the government not realised that Nzers are sick and tired of government telling them what they can and cannot do in their daily lives. It will be just like the light bulbs and showers issue,” says Whale Oil.
UPDATE 2: Susan points out the obvious to Fairfacts:
"I thought Nanny had got the sack".
Whatever gave you that idea? John Key thinks Nanny State starts and stops with lightbulbs.
Hate to say we told you so, but your blue glow was always decidedly mauve ...
And from Cactus: “Nick Smith pollutes New Zealand with yet another stupid namby-pamby idea
Save the world - one plastic bag at a time. Spare me the gibberish.”
UPDATE 3: "Just like a bad sitcom National has its own token greenie, MP Nick Smith," says Madeleine.
8 comments:
"I thought Nanny had got the sack".
Whatever gave you that idea? John Key thinks Nanny State starts and stops with lightbulbs.
Hate to say we told you so, but your blue glow was always decidedly mauve ...
We all knew National was centre right. This should come as no surprise sadly.
Well I've emailed him and suggested that he do something that his electors might actually have wanted (like cutting surplus bureaucrats) and desist from inconveniencing us all with this stupidity. I already have to put up with it from Borders and Bunnings, along with their unconvincing "we're doing it for the environment" slogans.
You haven't checked all the blogs for opposition PC...
Oi! Don't pick on me!
I'm on your side but I take your point.
We had to deal with this law in Ireland. It wasn't too bad, but then we didn't have a child at the time so weren't buying as many groceries at once.
But it takes a lot of resources to make a reusable bag. I'd really like to see a decent analysis of how many disposable plastic bags you'd have to use for each reusable one you replaced them with before you were better off with reusable bags. Reusables don't really last that long on average before they get lost / broken / have something disgusting spilt through them.
When you don't get plastic bags with your groceries, you keep running out of bags for rubbish bins etc. So you have to buy plastic bags... Somehow people promoting these policies never work through the logic completely.
Analysis? Logic?
What are you thinking, Mr Dennis: this is feel-good politics -- gesture politics -- and a pretty pathetic gesture it is.
PS: FM: Knew you did. Knew you would. :-)
Quick fix, instant gratification politics is the name of the game.
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