Kelsey says Labour must not sign TPP11

Jane Kelsey writes:

Tomorrow and the day after, David Parker will sit down in Da Nang, Vietnam, with fellow trade ministers from the 11 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and decide what to do with the deal, now the United States has withdrawn.

The new minister knows that agreeing to proceed will contradict the position Labour took in Opposition. Its minority opinion in the select committee report said: “The TPPA will have ramifications for generations of New Zealanders. For their sake, we should not so lightly enter into an agreement which may exacerbate long-term challenges for our economy, workforce, and society.” …

The new Government will suffer a serious blow to its integrity if it proceeds to endorse an agreement that its three parties have previously opposed.

Of course Labour will sign TPP11 because they now have the responsibility of Government, rather than mindless slogans in Opposition.

If Kelsey thinks Labour were ever sincere in their opposition, well that’s naive.