Andrew Dickens: It's time for politicians to back away from the bluster

Andrew Dickens Afternoons

Some of the things that have scuppered the Labour Government are their use of hyperbole, and exaggeration, and magical word salads that are easily debunked and ridiculed

The good old favourites like the 100,000 houses from Kiwibuild or the light rail that would be started by 2021.

Too many times the words and promises have not matched the deeds and that reduces trust in their ability to govern.

So with this quite obvious it's a gimme for Opposition parties in their campaigning.

All they have to do is project competence, and common sense, and achievable goals and aspirations and we'd consider them a government in waiting.

So on Friday, Chris Bishop launched National's Electrify NZ policy. This is designed to create more renewable electricity to power on a green future away from oil, gas, and coal.

I was doing Drive so I got the first crack which is always hard because you haven't had long to digest the policy.

But right from the start, I realised that the policy principally involved shortening the resource consent process. I asked and Chris confirmed there was no financial help for generators.

I wondered whether this was just a resource management policy repackaged as an energy policy because Labour had just released its Second Harbour Crossing policy. I wondered whether this was just a piece of political flannel.

So Chris Bishop turned up on Q+A yesterday. By then questions had been asked of generators about what they needed. Turns out there are 8 wind farms already consented, but the generators are waiting for favourable market conditions. So consenting is not the immediate problem.

Now look, I have no problem with streamlining of resource processes. Nobody does. Minister David Parker has been wrestling with that for the past year. And Bishop's policy is not of itself bad. But… it's not a clean energy policy.

It's time for all politicians to realise that we're not stupid and present policy to us that makes sense and to back away from the bluster.

We've had too much of it over the past 6 years and we won't want to vote for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.