TREE HUGGERS WITH A CAUSE

Some of Mike Hosking's "crazy" protesters.

Mike Hosking rushes to the defence of a poor old property developer who wants to cut down an ancient kauri tree - but "crazies" and "tree huggers" won't let him. Boo hoo.

ONE OF MY THREE READERS tweeted me last night. She invited me to check out what Mike Hosking had to say on Seven Sharp about the campaign to prevent a 500 year old Kauri tree being chopped down by a West Auckland property developer, John Linehan.

Too much Hosking is no good for anyone, but I eventually made my way to the TVNZ website. Fortunately for me, Hosking's inanity was just a minute long.

Hosking said he want to talk the 'facts' about the kauri tree.

 Apparently those opposed to the tree being felled are just too emotional. This appears to include local iwi and former Prime Minister Helen Clark who expressed her opposition via Twitter. And model Rachel Hunter also can't control her emotions because she too has tweeted her opposition to the ancient tree being axed.

So Hosking felt it was his responsibility to inject some sanity into proceedings. Of course this is the same guy who thinks climate change is a fabrication. So his familiarity with 'the facts' when it comes to environmental matters is tenuous at best. Hosking is so stupid he thinks that Naomi Klein is a fashion designer.

Hosking's main 'fact' is that Lineham is legally entitled to chop down the tree - just like fat cat employers are 'legally entitled' to put workers on zero hour contracts for instance.

It will be breaking news to Hosking, but just because something is legal doesn't necessarily make it right. Some laws happen to be unjust - and one has the responsibility to disobey such laws. I'm quoting Martin Luther King here although I could equally quote Henri Thoreau or Rosa Luxemburg or Thomas Jefferson. They also expressed a similar view.

What it really amounts to is that Hosking thinks that the venal interests of a property developer are of more importance than protecting the environment or respecting the wishes of the local community.

Having dealt with the 'facts' Hosking then proceeded to slander the protesters. He described them as "crazies" - just like the crazy individual who is apparently threatening to poison infant formula. I'm sure Michael Tavares, who is sitting in the tree as I write, appreciates being labelled a 'eco-terrorist'

Hosking also managed to slip in 'tree hugger' as well.

Personally I don't see what's wrong with hugging a tree. Trees provide invaluable shade and keep us cool and they play an invaluable role in regulating climate because they make oxygen from CO2, and store the leftover carbon in their trunks, roots, and surrounding soils. They deserve our thanks - but Mike Hosking is obviously a perfectly ungrateful sod.

UPDATE

MIKE HOSKING continued to explore "the facts' about the Kauri tree protest on his Newstalk ZB show this morning.

According to Hosking the protesters are also 'loonies', as well as being “crazies”. He singled out former Labour leader David Cunliffe for special mention, presumably because Cunliffe has offered to join Michael Tavares up the tree.

Hosking was joined in bashing the rotten protesters by the very dull Bernadine Oliver-Kirby, an occasional newsreader for TVNZ , and Radio Sport's Andrew Mulligan.

Oliver Kirby was of the opinion that the people assisting Tavares should be arrested although she failed to say what for - but that didn't stop Hosking from agreeing with her.

 Andrew Mulligan of Radio Sport muttered darkly about 'lefties'. That was his sole, and not very enlightening, contribution.