Gaseous Emmissions from New Zealand

Seems as though Blogger has been doing crazy things with my email postings… Friday’s wasn’t published until Monday and yesterdays was eaten and rejected by Blogger – I got some sort of “gateway error message”…

But to business at hand… there are two things that have been in the news the past 24hrs that have gotten my attention.  Firstly, its John Howard’s heal digging exercise in not signing the Kyoto Protocol.  Driving home yesterday, the news played a sound bite of Howard saying the reason he wont sign is that its because India and Pakistan have more emissions than Australia yet the greater burden of responsibility to reduce emissions rests with Australia and until all nations under Kyoto have the same level playing field then he wont sign.

This may be true, but surely there is such things as “good faith” and demonstrating that Australia is part of the world community that is prepared to deal with this issue?  If India or Pakistan was asked to do the same as Australia, why should that make a difference to what Australia should do under the points of the agreement?  If Howard says we’ll meet the obligations of Kyoto without signing it and the signature is because of the obligations of India and/or Pakistan, why does it matter?  Just sign the bloody thing and get busy with fixing emissions!

The second item is this issue with Nathan Fien playing Test Match Rugby League for New Zealand.  Born in Mt Isa in Queensland and made his first grade debut with the North Queensland Cowboys, I recall it was Fien who was disappointed to be off loaded by the Cowboys due to salary cap reasons and was picked up by the New Zealand Warriors.  He then begrudgingly made the move to New Zealand in 2005 and said it would be a big change.  Now fast forward to the end of season Tri Nations and he’s playing for New Zealand in their test team claiming a Kiwi grandmother.  This rule on eligibility is always a tenuous one and if one of my grandparents were foreign born, I doubt I’d have an affinity to that country over Australia.  Hell, my father was born in QLD and I hate Queensland! (hi Dad!)  Now this second rate journeyman hooker has made his way into the NZ test team claiming loyalty to the Silver Fern and I watched him struggle in the match against Australia to sing God Defend New Zealand before the game.

Now it turns out that its his Great Grandmother who was the Kiwi and he isn’t eligible to play under the rules of national eligibility and that the Great Britain team may protest and have the two Tri Nation points stripped from the Kiwis.  And so they should!  Drafting in players that are ineligible strips a legitimate Kiwi of playing for his country.  Just because Fien is a decent hooker for his club side based in NZ doesn’t mean he’s instantly eligible for NZ Test football.  Strip the points, punt him from camp and send a message that this wont be tolerated.  Having said that, I do note we have had Tonie Carroll play for QLD, then Australia and then New Zealand and now Australia again.  Also Brad Thorn can play league for QLD and Australia and then get a run with the NZ All Blacks in Rugby Union and then return to league… Not sure where all that goes either.