Wed, 02 Dec 2009 2:16p.m.
By Duncan Garner
The big u-turn on Copenhagen is set to happen.
John Key is clearing the diary and the decks and is likely to announce shortly, perhaps later this week, that he will go to Copenhagen for the Climate Change Conference.
It is a big about-turn, but it's the right call.
World leaders are lining up to go and Key has finally stuck his nose out far enough to sniff the breeze. How the hell could he ignore the signals anyway!?
Key has gone from saying he was never going, to saying there's a five percent chance. He is now clearing the decks to go.
He should really have never ruled it out.
Sending your leader is about symbolism. Key might be tired from all the travel. He probably is. But that's no excuse. Arguing there'll be no deal struck is also a poor excuse. Saying we're too far away to get there is lame.
So he is about to finally make the right call, but it's taken him too long to get there.
With so many other leaders in town, Key had only one option.
Kevin Rudd is going without an ETS in place. Key can at least take his ETS along. It may not stand up to too much scrutiny, but he has one.
So Nick Smith gets demoted as lead Minister at the conference.
Mr Key, it's the right call. Why did it take so long?
Click here for full 3 News coverage of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.