GWPF Newsletter: Corona Crisis

Federation Of German Industry Calls On EU To Review Unilateral 2030 Climate Goals

In this newsletter:

1) Corona Crisis: Federation Of German Industry Calls On EU To Review Unilateral 2030 Climate Goals
Federation of German Industry (BDI), 27 April 2020

2) Post-Pandemic: Europe's Choice Between Very Cheap Fossil Fuels & Expensive Renewables
Bloomberg, 27 April 2020

Frank Newman: Straight talk - Oh dear: Deborah Russell

Deborah Russell is the Labour MP for New Lynn. She is apparently, a tax expert and a well respected academic - respected by whom is not clear. 

These things she may be, but based on her comments about the collapse of small businesses she does not seem to have much comprehension of what it’s like to run a business and nor does she seem to have much empathy with people who actually contribute the wealth that she and her colleagues consume.

Paul Driessen: Fauci-Birx Climate Models

Honest, evidence-based climate models could avoid trillions of dollars in policy blunders

President Trump and his Coronavirus Task Force presented some frightening numbers during their March 31 White House briefing. Based on now 2-week-old data and models, as many as 100,000 Americans at the models’ low end, to 2.2 million at their high end, could die from the fast-spreading virus, they said.

Frank Newman: Straight Talk - Uber Eats

Uber Eats describes itself as a food delivery platform, but its more than that. It’s also a sales platform and that's the attraction for food outlets - it's a source of new business that they would not otherwise gain.

Of course it comes at a cost: between 30% and 35% of the sale value. That cost has come under attack from the Restaurant Association NZ.

In a press release, it's Chief Executive Officer, Marisa Bidois, called on the government to "enforce a cap on commission rates for third party delivery apps." Their headline refers to Uber who they said was "taking the shirt off the industry’s back".

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Police Commissioner defends community checkpoints

I’m pleased to see police plan to have a presence at these vigilante checkpoints.  

But really, this should not have been allowed to happen for the last four weeks.

And I wonder if they’ve created a problem for themselves.

GWPF Newsletter: It's All Over For Europe's Green Deal

Angela Merkel’s MEPs Say ‘It’s No Longer Financially Viable’

In this newsletter:

1) It’s All Over For Europe’s Green Deal As Angela Merkel’s MEPs Say ‘It’s No Longer Viable’
Focus Magazin, 24 April 2020

2) Europe Stocks Slide After EU Leaders Fail to Reach Stimulus Deal
Bloomberg, 24 April 2020

Breaking Views Update: Week of 19.04.20

Saturday April 25, 2020

News:
Coast councils support legal challenge to SNA and wetland labels on Māori reserves
The West Coast Regional Council may challenge the legality of labelling Māori reserves as wetlands, or significant natural areas.

Councils around the country are being made to identify wetlands and SNAs in their districts, including on private land, in line with the Government's national policy statements on freshwater and indigenous biodiversity.

Scott W. Atlas: The data is in — stop the panic and end the total isolation

The tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be entering the containment phase. Tens of thousands of Americans have died, and Americans are now desperate for sensible policymakers who have the courage to ignore the panic and rely on facts. 

Leaders must examine accumulated data to see what has actually happened, rather than keep emphasizing hypothetical projections; combine that empirical evidence with fundamental principles of biology established for decades; and then thoughtfully restore the country to function.

Five key facts are being ignored by those calling for continuing the near-total lockdown.

Frank Newman: Straight Talk - The good news and the bad news

The good news and the bad news.

The good news first. The latest round of relief for business was announced on the 14th of April.  There are a number of measures but two points are significant:

Matt Ridley: The Bats Behind the Pandemic

From Ebola to Covid-19, many of the deadliest viruses to emerge in recent years have the same animal source.

RaTG13 is the name, rank and serial number of an individual horseshoe bat of the species Rhinolophus affinis, or rather of a sample of its feces collected in 2013 in a cave in Yunnan, China. The sample was collected by hazmat-clad scientists from the Institute of Virology in Wuhan that year. Stored away and forgotten until January this year, the sample from the horseshoe bat contains the virus that causes Covid-19.

Wendell Cox: Early Observations on the Pandemic and Population Density

It is still too early to draw precise conclusions on the extent to which the spread of the COVID-19 is related to urban population density. But there are important recurring themes. 

The following observations are made with the caveats that we are largely dealing with data inconsistent across geographies in terms of reporting and testing and preliminary. Rigorous research will have to await final data, which could be months in the future.

Mike Hoskins: Climate nutters taking advantage of our hardship

About the most futile of all the futile nonsense that has gone on during this mess, is the seemingly never-ending, and yet ultimately wasteful attempt by the climate change obsessives to convince us, this is all good.

How many stories have we had of how the air quality has improved? As if to show or tell us what? If you do nothing, if you lock everyone away, and close an economy, you can improve the environment? Do you suspect anyone above the age of six could not have worked that out? Is having pollution disappear because we are all indoors really a victory?

NZCPR Weekly: New Zealand's Democratic Vacuum

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we raise concerns about the democratic vacuum that has been created in New Zealand and the lack of scrutiny over how Jacinda Ardern is using the virus crisis to impose her socialist world view onto our nation, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Frank Newman explains that if the government is genuine about wanting to get New Zealand working it should get rid of the Resource Management Act, and our poll asks whether you believe taxes should be increased to pay for the cost of Jacinda Ardern’s lockdown.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

GWPF Newsletter: Happy Earth Day! None Of The Eco-Doomsday Predictions Have Come True

Even After 50 Years Of Eco Scares, Brits Favour Economy Over Environment

In this newsletter:

1) Earth Day At 50: None Of The Eco-Doomsday Predictions Have Come True
Ron Stein, 22 April 2020

2) Happy Earth Day! Even After 50 Years Of Eco Scares, Brits Favour Economy Over Environment
Gaia Fawkes, 22 February 2020

GWPF Newsletter: UN Climate Change Fund Calls Coronavirus An 'Opportunity' To Re-Shape The World

Economic Recovery At Risk As Climate Campaigners Launch Legal Bid To Stop UK Road Building Plan

In this newsletter:

1) UN Climate Change Fund Calls Coronavirus An 'Opportunity' To Re-Shape The World
Sky News Australia, 20 April 2020

2) Economic Recovery At Risk As Climate Campaigners Launch Legal Bid To Stop UK Govt’s £29 Billion Road Building Plans

Forbes, 21 April 2020

GWPF Newsletter: COVID-19 Could Help Solve Climate Riddles

Melting Glacier Reveals More Evidence Of Very Warm Medieval Warm Period

In this newsletter:

1) COVID-19 Could Help Solve Climate Riddles
Scientific American, 17 April 2020

2) Melting Glacier Reveals More Evidence Of Very Warm Medieval Warm Period
Phys.org, 16 April 2020

Frank Newman: Property market metrics

The impact of the lockdown on the property market is becoming clearer. And it's significant.

The NZX listed Kiwi Property Group (KPG) has this morning released details of its latest valuation as at 31 March 2020. It owns a substantial portfolio and range of property types so it is a useful insight into the way the market as a whole has been impacted.

Frank Newman: Straight Talk - The Green's black hole

The Greens want to spend $9 billion on a "high-spec" intercity commuter rail network between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. See Press release >>>

Garrick Tremain Cartoon: Lockdown Limerick

Here is Garrick Tremain's latest cartoon commentary!

Frank Newman: Dear David

19 April 2020

David Seymour
Leader, ACT NZ
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Dear David

Congratulations on drafting legislation to extend the Ministerial and public sector chief executive pay cuts announced by the Prime Minister to all MPs.  (See press release >>>)

I agree with your sentiments when you say, "New Zealanders are making extraordinary sacrifices right now. It is only fair that all MPs show solidarity and make them too.”

I am writing this open letter to you to request that the draft legislation be amended to include those who have their remuneration set by the Remuneration Authority and local government elected officials in particular.

Mike Butler: Covid-19 model warnings flawed

The decision to lock down all “non-essential” workplaces was an overaction to a claim by modellers that between 8560 and 14,400 could die over the next year and that claim was not supported by evidence, Ian Harrison of Tailrisk Economics said today.

One model was built by the University of Otago Covid-19 Research Group and the other by Te Punaha Matatini, which is a cluster of researchers from Landcare Research and the Universities of Auckland and Canterbury.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned of 14,400 deaths after shutting down all “non-essential” workplaces for four weeks.

Frank Newman: Straight talk - Dumb idea of the day

Congratulations to Dr Simon Chapple , Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies in the School of Government at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and recipient of the dumb-idea-of-the-day Award. The day is not over yet so at this stage the award is provisional.

Here's his idea.

Sterling Burnett: COVID-19 Trumps Climate Concerns

In the United States, Europe, and around the world, governments are setting aside concerns about the purported “existential threat” of climate change to focus on the much more real, concrete threat the coronavirus poses to human health and the economy. 

Everywhere you look, world leaders supposedly committed to fighting climate change as the gravest threat facing human civilization and the environment, are jettisoning climate policies in hope of reducing the damage to their economies from the COVID-19 shutdown and speeding economic recovery once the pandemic subsides.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 12.04.20

Saturday April 18, 2020

News:
More new qualifications for trainees in te ao Maori
Following on from the recent arrival of its new qualification in manaakitanga, Skills Active has launched two more programmes that focus on cultural competence in work settings.

The New Zealand Certificate in Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) (Level 2) covers a basic understanding of Māori concepts and customs. The New Zealand Certificate in Māori Business and Management (Level 3) deepens understanding through added history and cultural components, further links to a workplace context, and participation in a noho marae (overnight marae stay).

Karl du Fresne: A welcome respite from neo-Marxist scaremonering

It’s true, then. Every cloud really does have a silver lining.

The coronavirus pandemic has plunged the world into economic and social turmoil on a scale not seen before in most people’s lifetimes. We have no idea how long this will last or what the long-term repercussions might be.

But look on the bright side. For several weeks we have enjoyed a respite from the shrill scaremongering and moralising of the neo-Marxist Left.

Moral panics over hate speech, gender identity, climate change, white supremacy, Islamophobia and the consumption of meat and dairy products have been displaced from the headlines. The world’s news media have found more pressing issues to concern themselves with. It’s amazing what an urgent existential crisis can do.

Frank Newman: Straight talk - Cafes and restaurants buggered

Our Supreme Leader and She-Who-Shall-be-Obeyed has outlined how we shall behave under Lockdown Level 3. For most it will be back to business with sensible precautions, but not for all. Astoundingly, restaurants and cafes will remain closed. Diplomacy aside, that's a stupid decision.

For many café and restaurant owners it will extinguish what was a light at the end of the tunnel. Those that have been hanging on in hope will now have to accept their business in buggered. They will put up the "Closed for Good" sign, sack the staff, and let the landlord know they now have a vacant building.

Sir Bob Jones: The Coming Economic Crisis and its Political Consequences

Have an election today and the government would bolt in, primarily because of Jacinda’s star power induced by the media’s obsession with her. But the election is six months away and then, I’m picking a change of government.

First, to clear the air, I like Jacinda and don’t wish the government’s demise. 

Long before there was any thought of her rise I admired her and Julie Anne Genter more than any other MPs. That’s because when I occasionally tuned into Parliament and they were speaking they did so enthusiastically, arguing for initiatives they thought beneficial, without ever resorting to the customary and tiresome abuse of the other side. This I found refreshing.

Barry Soper: Ardern has to reveal new level details - but our leaders went too far

It's true that with the benefit of hindsight we would all be much better off, and that most certainly applies to political decisions.

Some of us were aghast when the Prime Minister announced on a Saturday afternoon just over a month ago that New Zealand would the following midnight expect everyone arriving in the country to self-isolate for a fortnight.

They had to extend the midnight deadline by an hour to account for the planes already on the way here. That immediate reshuffle of the timeline should have been a signal to all of us to worry about what was to come.

Frank Newman: Straight Talk - Dump the RMA

If the government wants to get New Zealand working it should get rid of the Resource Management Act (RMA). Even one of its architects, Geoffrey Palmer, has said it's broken. It is, and has been for quite some time, which is why it's so frustrating that the problem has been allowed to persist for so long, more so because National's tinkering during its last term made it worse not better.

The RMA started out with great intentions. 

GWPF Newsletter: NASA Fights Campaign To Remove 97% Climate Scientists 'Consensus' Claim

Belgian Region To Block EU Green Deal

In this newsletter:

1) NASA Fights Campaign To Remove 97% Climate Science 'Consensus' Claim
The Washington Times, 14 April 2020

2) Belgian Region To Block EU Green Deal
EUObserver, 9 April 2020

Barend Vlaardingerbroek: Coronavirus –musings from Beirut

Invercargillites would have been delighted to hear Boris Johnson publicly thanking a nurse called Jenny who is from their city for keeping a watchful eye on him while he was in intensive care – indeed at the juncture where, in his words, “things could have gone either way”. 

The nightmare continues, but pressure is mounting on governments to start easing the lockdown restrictions. Austria is allowing some cafés to reopen. France is likely to follow suit in mid-May. The pressures are social and economic but these decisions should be based on robust statistical data.

NZCPR Weekly: The Lockdown Week 3

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week as we come to the end of the third week of the 28-day COVID-19 lockdown we question whether the Government’s radical attempt to ‘eliminate’ the virus is the right approach – and we also report on new developments relating to Marine and Coastal Area Act claims, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Anthony Willy shares his concerns over the ease with which our freedoms and democracy have been taken away, and our poll asks whether you believe the Government’s attempt to ‘eliminate’ COVID-19 is the right approach.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Garrick Tremain Cartoon: Lockdown!

Here is Garrick Tremain's latest cartoon commentary!

CLICK TO VIEW

Frank Newman: Straight Talk - a Foreigner's Insight

Sometimes the obvious just needs to be stated, and sometimes it takes a foreigner to say it.

Stuff reports on an article appearing in the Bristol Post about a UK man and his wife Mike and Yvonne Rowland, holed up in a dinky hotel room in Auckland - see HERE. 

GWPF Newsletter: Europe To Be Crushed By Deepest Recession Since Great Depression

MEPs Urge Commission To Put Green Deal On Ice Amid COVID-19 Crisis

In this newsletter:

1) Europe To Be Crushed By Deepest Recession Since Great Depression
Daily Express, 14 April 2020

2) France Faces Climate Shutdown As Green Soviets Demand Ban On Cars, Hypermarkets & 5G

The Times, 14 April 2020

Breaking Views Update: Week of 5/04/20

Saturday April 11, 2020

News:
Iwi establish more checkpoints to protect communities from Covid-19
At least five more iwi have enforced border controls in the last week in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus by rule-breaking locals, hunters, and tourists.

And while most have respected the checkpoints, some members of the public have questioned whether the checkpoints are legal.

Bob Edlin: You will know the border has been reached when virus vigilantes stop you in the name of health and safety

Good questions were raised by “a Far North man”, who did not want to be named because of his fear of retribution.

Talking to the Northland Age late last month, the man said he was

“… scared. Really scared. Not because of some virus. We have ways to deal with this. I am scared because our authorities allow people to take the law into their own hands.

“People with no authority, people with no mandate, who are not elected to represent the people by democratic rules.

“They are allowed to form a private militia, select their own people and block public roads. They are allowed to take away one of the basic human rights from us, the freedom to move.”

Nicholas Kerr: A Eulogy to Sir Ron Trotter by My Father

I came across the eulogy Dad [Roger Kerr] gave at Sir Ron Trotter's funeral almost 10 years ago - and thought you might be interested...

Reflections on a Life Well Lived 

- Tribute to Sir Ron Trotter

Eulogy by Roger Kerr, Old St. Paul’s, Wellington, 17 August 2010

Margaret and the family have asked me to reflect on Sir Ron’s role in business and public affairs and I’m honoured to do so. 

Clive Bibby: Free world justice system under attack

The unanimous verdict of the Australian Supreme Court (7 to nothing) to overturn the Appeal Court decision that upheld the conviction of Cardinal George Pell on sexual assault charges is a timely reversal of a trend that is endangering the very existence of our modern democratic society.

I say timely because this was the last opportunity for justice to be served in a case that epitomised the growing influence of popular movements that have wreaked havoc throughout the legal systems in many Western countries, especially those that have based their laws on the British version - the United States, the U.K., Australia and even here in New Zealand.

Garrick Tremain: Queues

Here is Garrick Tremain's cartoon commentary on queuing for food in New Zealand during the lockdown!

CLICK TO VIEW

Bob Edlin: How the Treaty and indigenous rights are being brought into the response to Covid-19

A news item by Māni Dunlop, Māori News Director, has been posted on the RNZ website  under the heading Government urged to put Māori at forefront of Covid-19 planning.

“Forefront” means the position of greatest importance or prominence.

One implication to be drawn from the headline, therefore. is that Māori should be promoted to take over from whomsoever now is heading the Covid-19 planning response team.

Another is that the planners should make Māori people their top priority.

Perhaps the headline writer misconstrued what the reporter was told.  Let’s see.

Matt Ridley: WHO must answer serious questions before it is trusted with leading a Covid-19 inquiry

When the pandemic passes, which it will, there will be a reckoning to determine who could have stopped it early and did not. Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has suggested that it would have to be carried out by the World Health Organisation: "Obviously, after the crisis has abated I think the time will be right to conduct a kind of 'lessons learned' [inquiry] and I'm sure the World Health Organisation will be at the forefront of that.”

This is a terrible idea. WHO is full of good people with good intentions, but as a body it has very serious questions to answer about its own conduct before we trust it with looking at that of others.

NZCPR Weekly: The Lockdown Week 2 – Concerns

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we reflect on two weeks of the Government’s lockdown and look at how to best manage this virus outbreak, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Jean-Dominique Michel shares the latest COVID-19 medical developments and best practice advice for governments, and our poll asks whether you think the Government has underestimated the economic damage that is being caused by their lockdown.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Muriel Newman: Facemasks for the public – safety or rationing?

COVID-19 is not only spread through coughing and sneezing but by regular breathing as well. That’s why those countries that have the disease under control – namely Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China – require people to wear face masks in public.

Since health workers wear facemasks to keep themselves safe, it makes sense for the public to do so too. This is particularly important given that well over a half of all people infected with COVID-19 do not show symptoms, so no-one knows who they are.

GWPF Newsletter: Europe’s Carbon Market Collapses

EU Urged To Put Economic Survival Ahead Of Green Deal

In this newsletter:

1) Europe’s Carbon Market Collapses
REcharge, 7 April 2020
 

2) SOS: EU Urged To Put Economic Survival Ahead Of Green Deal
Global Warming Policy Forum, 4 April 2020

James Agresti: Crucial Facts About Covid-19

Given the spread of misinformation about Covid-19, Just Facts is providing a trove of rigorously documented facts about this disease and its impacts. These include some vital facts that have been absent or misreported in much of the media’s coverage of this issue.

This research also includes a groundbreaking study to determine the lethality of Covid-19 based on the most comprehensive available measure: the total years of life that it will rob from all people. This accords with the CDC’s tenet that “the allocation of health resources must consider not only the number of deaths by cause but also” the “years of potential life lost.”

Garrick Tremain Cartoon: COVID-19 in Africa!

Here is Garrick Tremain's latest cartoon commentary!

CLICK TO VIEW