Labour / NZ First Government

[BlackPeter]

Who are you suggesting is corrupt?

westerly

Just citing John Dalberg-Acton ;

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men"

Obviously - John's world was not PC ... otherwise we would have talked about "women" instead of "men"

Who is in power? I guess you can easily answer your question yourself, but if I need to point you to some symptoms of the problem, than just follow a bit the saga around your new found populist friends.

Trying to silence opposition MP's by threatening to withdraw support from projects in their electorates if they speak for them would be corruption. Threatening to withdraw regional support as penalty for a MP criticizing a government minister would be corruption. Was this really just a big misunderstanding created by inept government MP's?

Agree however that the senior coalition partner at this stage seems to make more headlines just through acting incompetent, than corrupt. But hey - we don't know everything, and I am just wondering why we still couldn't identify the sex offender in Labour's annual binge drinking contest? Maybe somebody in the know could comment on the rumor that the offender is the offspring of a Labour minister?

Would somebody else enjoy similar protection? If no - than this would be corruption as well.

[westerly]

Just citing John Dalberg-Acton ;

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men"

Obviously - John's world was not PC ... otherwise we would have talked about "women" instead of "men"

Who is in power? I guess you can easily answer your question yourself, but if I need to point you to some symptoms of the problem, than just follow a bit the saga around your new found populist friends.

Trying to silence opposition MP's by threatening to withdraw support from projects in their electorates if they speak for them would be corruption. Threatening to withdraw regional support as penalty for a MP criticizing a government minister would be corruption. Was this really just a big misunderstanding created by inept government MP's?

Agree however that the senior coalition partner at this stage seems to make more headlines just through acting incompetent, than corrupt. But hey - we don't know everything, and I am just wondering why we still couldn't identify the sex offender in Labour's annual binge drinking contest? Maybe somebody in the know could comment on the rumor that the offender is the offspring of a Labour minister?

Would somebody else enjoy similar protection? If no - than this would be corruption as well.

And where were you when Alfred Ngaro threatened to cut off NGO funding if they spoke out against National policies.? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/ne...ectid=11856955

And as for the sex offender, as the matter was subject to a complaint to the police perhaps you should wait until they decide on prosecution before lowering yourself to whaleoils level with speculation and rumour.
Possibly your only true statement was "But hey we don't know everything" In your case fairly obvious.

westerly

[fungus pudding]

Just citing John Dalberg-Acton ;

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men"

Obviously - John's world was not PC ... otherwise we would have talked about "women" instead of "men"

Who is in power? I guess you can easily answer your question yourself, but if I need to point you to some symptoms of the problem, than just follow a bit the saga around your new found populist friends.

Trying to silence opposition MP's by threatening to withdraw support from projects in their electorates if they speak for them would be corruption. Threatening to withdraw regional support as penalty for a MP criticizing a government minister would be corruption. Was this really just a big misunderstanding created by inept government MP's?

Agree however that the senior coalition partner at this stage seems to make more headlines just through acting incompetent, than corrupt. But hey - we don't know everything, and I am just wondering why we still couldn't identify the sex offender in Labour's annual binge drinking contest? Maybe somebody in the know could comment on the rumor that the offender is the offspring of a Labour minister?

That's certainly the rumour, but eZ will be happy to confirm it for us. He'll be along shortly.

[BlackPeter]

And where were you when Alfred Ngaro threatened to cut off NGO funding if they spoke out against National policies.? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/ne...ectid=11856955

And as for the sex offender, as the matter was subject to a complaint to the police perhaps you should wait until they decide on prosecution before lowering yourself to whaleoils level with speculation and rumour.
Possibly your only true statement was "But hey we don't know everything" In your case fairly obvious.

westerly

I have no clue what you are referring to (and no point to retrospectively score points) - but I am sure that you made at that stage enough noises for the two of us (though I honestly don't remember ... maybe I qualify for a minister position in the current government ), no matter whether justified or not .

BTW - I did happen to notice as well as comment on things I didn't like with the previous government. Nobody said they were perfect.

Really interesting however to see how somebody who never could see any good in the last government has now problems to see much worse issues with the current bunch.

I am sure you would have no problems in rightly criticizing NZF if they would behave the way they currently do in a coalition with National.

The fact that the populist bullies are currently supporting your lot is blindsiding you and makes you ignore their behavior. This is a form of corruption as well. Think about it.

[iceman]

Just watched Jacinda on the AM Show. Sad really but basically I think they've already found Steven Joyce's HOLE in their budget and realise they can't do most of the things they'd promised. The Middlemore issue is simply a diversion and costs only about $50m to fix. Just do it.
All she is really saying now is "we can't do this".
This Government is completely in over their heads, poor buggers.

[minimoke]

Just watched Jacinda on the AM Show. Sad really but basically I think they've already found Steven Joyce's HOLE in their budget and realise they can't do most of the things they'd promised. The Middlemore issue is simply a diversion and costs only about $50m to fix. Just do it.
All she is really saying now is "we can't do this".
This Government is completely in over their heads, poor buggers.

Loosening us up for more tax increases I reckon

[Joshuatree]

Just watched Jacinda on the AM Show. Sad really but basically I think they've already found Steven Joyce's HOLE in their budget and realise they can't do most of the things they'd promised. The Middlemore issue is simply a diversion and costs only about $50m to fix. Just do it.
All she is really saying now is "we can't do this".
This Government is completely in over their heads, poor buggers.

What a lightweight entertainment show AM is , Try listening to National radio where they really dig down to the truth. This is why some national MP's just won't be interviewed or hang up.

And now we are seeing what an irresponsible power over everything tactic National were offering with the tax cut bribe when for 9 years things have been run down, under investment, maintenance not kept up etc. Corrupt and inept and dishonest.

[minimoke]

And now we are seeing what an irresponsible power over everything tactic National were offering with the tax cut bribe when for 9 years things have been run down, under investment, maintenance not kept up etc. Corrupt and inept and dishonest.

Since when is "maintenance" a government issue. That shouldnt even rate with the Board or CEO. Its just a bog standard operational matter.

[fungus pudding]

Since when is "maintenance" a government issue. That shouldnt even rate with the Board or CEO. Its just a bog standard operational matter.

Labour will spend the rest of their term blaming National for every single problem in the entire world because Labour conveniently forgot to budget for things like maintaining hospitals. Naturally they will start hurling rocks at the previous govt; a time honoured standard behaviour for all newly elected govts. be they Labour or National.

[Joshuatree]

Thats true fp but its extreme this time imo, the underfunding, run down excessively by previous govt.
Seems to me like a cult of fear from the top down in some of these organisations/ govt depts, health being the sector im thinking. IF Coleman really didn't know , why not? Everyone is under pressure to keep costs down and effiencies up but on minimal funding, everyone is covering their butts, so no one risks being a messenger and reporting things that are wrong. This goes all the way down to the front line staff, nurses who it turns out are being bullied by doctors , themselves under pressure and so on. This top down autocratic system needs changing and at the same time funding found for the health system.