National Party's response to Solid Energy job cuts: Crooked lies by crooked men

Joyce criticised for comments on mining court action
Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce is being criticised for encouraging opponents to a new mine on the West Coast to give up their court action.

He's asked those against the proposed mine on the Denniston Plateau to end their court action, in light of job losses at nearby Spring Creek Mine.

West Coast Environment Network spokeswoman Lynley Hargreaves says it's not the minister's place to say.

"It's actually also deeply inappropriate for a Minister to intervene in a case that's before the court."

You've got to give Joyce an A+ for best spin of the week. Trying to claim that environmentalists should drop their complaints to opening a new mine on the environmentally important Denniston Plateau because miners need jobs in the wake of the massive Solid Energy cuts, are some of the most disingenuous crooked words spoken over mining.

1: Why is the Minister getting involved in a case currently in front of the Court?

2: The Denniston Plateau is an hour and a half away from Spring Mine, it's not just down the road and Joyce's constant use of 'nearby' to describe the distance is as credible as Key's position on the GCSB.

and finally 3: The job cuts at Solid Energy wouldn't be occurring if Solid Energy wasn't preparing itself for sale. Yes coal stocks are huge in China and that is driving prices down, but a Government can look to the long term price cycles of coal and plan to that. Shareholders wanting a return in the next quarter won't give a damn.

For Joyce to attack environmentalists for job losses his Government's policies are causing are crooked words from crooked men.

NZ deserves better from it's political leadership.

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