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The Tuesday Club at Smash Palace Christchurch

Citizens assemblies could be a way forward to break our deadlock on three waters and what appears to be our failing democracy. Through his book and his consultancy work, Alexander has gained renown for championing a third way. Rather than effectively defining defining ourselves as "subjects" or "consumers", he argues for a new type of "citizen" who is willing and able to participate in democratic decision-making. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/proposal-to-break-central-local-deadlock-on-three-waters-and-climate

The Three Waters tensions are a symptom of a deeper democracy and legitimacy problem, says visiting author, that can only be addressed by allowing New Zealanders to participate in decision-making.

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The Tuesday Club at Smash Palace Christchurch

If more EVs are the answer we are asking the wrong question "We can have only one overarching policy priority at a time. Protecting the biosphere and continuing economic growth are clearly in conflict.

The only way the economy can grow is to use more energy and raw materials. The only way the biosphere can be restored is to significantly reduce the amount of energy and raw materials we use to live well."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/jack-santa-barbara-the-planetary-emergency-that-isnt-climate-change

Rather than expanding our renewable electricity production and developing an EV fleet, a degrowth approach would be to initiate a massive energy conservation program and investing in cities where we can live, work and play within 15 minutes' walking or biking.

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The Tuesday Club at Smash Palace Christchurch

Join James Shaw and Sara Templeton 6pm Friday 2 December - Aldersgate - please RSVP

6pm December 2 Aldersgate 309 Durham St RSVP here Join Green Party Co-leader James Shaw and Christchurch City Councillor Sara Templeton for a kōrero about action on climate change both globally and at a local level. James will have recently returned from the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27...

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The Tuesday Club at Smash Palace Christchurch

"Serious public debate is needed on the deeply planted entrenched inequalities that have been built into our economy. The current Labour government appears to be bedding them in even deeper."

This week we have Eugenie Sage, Green MP, to speak to us about the 3 Waters legislation. Eugenie was on the Select Committee which considered the Bill. Like most people concerned about the 3 Waters legislation I will be interested in Eugenie’s observations about the process and where she sees the ...

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The Tuesday Club at Smash Palace Christchurch

"Our council has not informed us that it is struggling with 14.6%. We had to find that out through leaks. "

Rate increases: Remember how Phil was promoting 4% rates increases during the election campaign? Last week we analysed how much costs CCC is facing that have gone up over which they have little control, and that it would be nigh on impossible to get to that figure. So, let us consider how rates coul...

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The Tuesday Club at Smash Palace Christchurch

'I challenge this property-owning group to work collaboratively with CCC and refrain from using threats, probably through a PR firm. Sit with the rest of us and we can work it out collectively. '

Every now and then a group of central city property owners stand up and clear their collective throats. This happened again on Saturday in the Press. A group of grim-faced people demanding that their opinions be considered more important than other submitters. Because they are rich. One of this grou...

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