Palmer, who lives in Hawke’s Bay, made the point that primary industry services were undervalued with many people believing this country’s reliance on dairying came down to the price of milk and cheese and their belief that a small number of people were getting fabulously richer than them.
Stephenson said sometimes what most people wanted was achievable through commercial means, but what they needed was a framework to allow them to stop talking past each other.
The importance of the debate that followed with farmers was not the outcome but that it was happening at all.
Five, 10 or even 20 years ago there were very different debates about the issues of the day. Going right back to the early 1980s I particularly recall the knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out economic debates around the removal of subsidies and moves towards the free market. While they made great copy for journalists often no one came away feeling very enlightened.
There was some residue of that seen the following day when co-leader of the Greens, Dr Russel Norman, fronted up. He got a going-over about alternative fuels and land-farming in Taranaki and was urged by two delegates to stop attacking farmers.
In an election year the federation’s to be congratulated for taking an open-minded view of what’s on offer. But it’s worth remembering that no matter what the political party’s hue, talking past them is almost certain to be simply a case of wasting your breath.
PS. All the best for the festive season.
Glenys Christian
Editor
