As fears of a fuel shortage continue to grow, pushed along by the pandemonium in the Middle East, the government has had to rise to the occasion and show the kind of leadership which has largely been missing since Jacinda Ardern’s administration had to grapple with the arrival and continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inflated fuel prices, of course, are not such an obvious matter of life or death as Covid-19.
However, as well as the evident potential effects on our economy of expensive and/or scarce petrol or diesel, people’s lives do depend on its availability, especially when it comes to the emergency services.
In the same way we all got to know what terms like ‘‘asymptomatic’’ and ‘‘flattening the curve’’ meant during the pandemic, the Strait of Hormuz is entering our vernacular and understanding the longer the war against Iran goes on.
While a trickle of oil tankers are getting across this heavily defended and dangerous stretch of sea, through which about 20% of the world’s total oil supply is shipped, the bottleneck continues to threaten global stability and cause anxiety — particularly for those countries downstream of it, like New Zealand and our regional neighbours.
Mr Jones, responsible for fuel security, was confident importers could find new supplies if necessary.
He assured the country he had not seen any evidence New Zealand would be ‘‘caught short’’.
New Zealand is at Phase 1, ‘‘watchful’’. At Phase 2, ‘‘precautionary’’, there would be widespread encouragement to conserve fuel.
While phases 3 and 4, ‘‘managed’’ and ‘‘protected’’, are still being consulted on, they would involve prioritising fuel for life-preserving services and strict intervention in fuel distribution.
There certainly appears no need to panic about fuel-supply security, even if the high prices are difficult for many to afford.
At this stage, there appears little likelihood of ever reaching Phase 3, let alone 4.
The government is certainly managing the situation the right way at present.
Let us hope that carries on if things start to deteriorate.
Bad week for Mr Jones
Standing in front of a bookcase full of learned volumes, sporting a slightly crushed stripy jacket, Mr Jones launched into the kind of bookish rabble-rousing he enjoys as he pulled out of the planned April 8 debate with Sir Ian Taylor on the proposed Bendigo gold mine.
Despite quoting A A Milne’s poem Bad Sir Brian Botany, whose battleaxe had great big knobs on but was taught a lesson and became a reformed character, Mr Jones’ bizarre video seemed straight out of the professional wrestling circuit, dramatically staring down the barrel of the camera and making aggravating comments to his opponent.
Yet it was boxing, not wrestling, which Sir Ian referred to in print, saying he had been looking forward to ‘‘stepping into the boxing ring with the crowing rooster’’ before he ‘‘lost his voice’’.
Mr Jones blamed the media for his bailing, naturally. He did not want to debate in an event controlled by the Otago media and driven by Sir Ian ‘‘and the knobs he has on his laptop’’. Neither did he want it to take place in a windowless room without a public audience.
Sir Ian said the debate would have been livestreamed on several platforms and he would hold it regardless, with a cardboard cutout of Mr Jones if necessary.
The minister has had a bad week. Just a few days ago he was forced to make an embarrassing U-turn on one of the most controversial aspects of his Fisheries Amendment Bill, which had been to scrap the minimum-size limit for the commercial fishing industry from several popular species.
The melodramatic way he pulled out of the debate reminds us a little of the behaviour of another elected official not a million miles away.
