2008 NZ election to be fought on the environment

With the significantly narrowing differences between the political parties in Parliament, next year's election will be based around few political issues. Issues of race and the economy will be of decreasing importance in debate, as the parties agree on the issues more than ever. And although there is significant agreement on combating climate change, it is likely to be the key issue being fought over. Certainly in the UK, this is the central issue in politics at the moment. The Independent - as well as all the other UK papers - reports that global warming is clearly becoming the main battleground for the three main parties, with the leaders 'all placing unprecedented emphasis on the environment'. Gordon Brown has called for a 'new world order' to combat climate change, while the Tories have announced plans for 'pay as you burn' taxes on aviation to curb air travel. Labour's Peter Hain has even called for a ban on stand-by buttons on appliances. "Green speak" is raging across the political spectrum, but mostly amounts to the same banal 'clip-on environmentalism' seen in NZ.