MEL - Meridian Energy

[Harvey Specter]

The point is that unless National had agreement from the other parties it was always going to become a political football. There are some things that are bigger than a single political party. What did National think was going to happen? Once the SOEs are sold, job done?

But surely that is the purpose of the election. Under MMP, you are never going to get 75% (or 66% or whatever special vote % you can think up). You cant stop a country progressing.

On the same basis, Labour shouldn't be allowed to increase the retirement age to 67 if they get in as National oppose.

[Goldstein]

But surely that is the purpose of the election. Under MMP, you are never going to get 75% (or 66% or whatever special vote % you can think up). You cant stop a country progressing.

On the same basis, Labour shouldn't be allowed to increase the retirement age to 67 if they get in as National oppose.

I'm not sure they are the same. Should one political party support making NZ a repbulic and then when in power assume they have the mandate to start the process, even when there maybe 50% of the country opposed?

I undserstand what you are saying - just because we have MMP shouldn't stop the govt from doing effective governance.

However, I stand by my claim that it is not the Green's fault that we are now in the situation we are in. They may have been a bit naive with the kiwi-power idea, and that was probably a knee-jerk reaction to the sales going ahead. I think this latest idea of the partial buy-back has more teeth. We shouldn't denegrate them for it. They are putting up alternatives.

[Harvey Specter]

I think this latest idea of the partial buy-back has more teeth. We shouldn't denegrate them for it. They are putting up alternatives.

Without seeing the detail, it actually sounds quite reasonable.

Compare it to Winston's, we'll just take the shares back.

[Daytr]

A much better turn out for the referendum than I certainly anticipated. The government has been sent a resounding NO! Key better start listening to the electorate or he is going to be turfed out at the next election. There is no way they should have raced to float these with this sort of uncertainty surrounding them. They have now damaged NZ's reputation for investment as it is likely these sales will be reversed. They thought they had a mandate to do this, clearly they didn't! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11172228

[Daytr]

I hear Key's Granny is up for sale, any offers considered. Phase two will be the grandkids... LOL

[Xerof]

Problem with a non-binding referendum is a huge proportion of those who gave them the mandate in the first place don't bother to have a second, irrelevant cast of opinion. It's only the minority opposition who wish to shriek their protest, in vain. Well less than a million protest votes is no victory.

lets see if they gain a mandate to buy it all back in 2014, AFTER they tell us what we need to sacrifice to do so.

I have an open mind on the result, and will make sure my vote counts when it counts, not in some pathetic referendum

[Daytr]

I would suggest a turn out of 1.3M says a lot of people care about the issue. That is a much bigger turn out than I think most expected. Sure asset sales may have been part of their election platform, however did they ever consider that they got elected for other reasons? i.e. lack of credible opposition at the time. (How the hell do you think Abbott ever got elected across the ditch.) The referendum maybe non-binding, however the next election isn't. I have lived & worked overseas for 20 years in commodity markets & I have seen the damage that having these sort of assets in the hands of corporations have done. They have been a disaster & it ends up that the tax payer ends up paying much higher power bills & then also ends up picking up the pieces of the trashed company left behind. It hasn't worked in Australia or the States, why do they think it is the right thing to do here These assets are owned by generations of Kiwis & should be retained by the future generations.

Problem with a non-binding referendum is a huge proportion of those who gave them the mandate in the first place don't bother to have a second, irrelevant cast of opinion. It's only the minority opposition who wish to shriek their protest, in vain. Well less than a million protest votes is no victory.

lets see if they gain a mandate to buy it all back in 2014, AFTER they tell us what we need to sacrifice to do so.

I have an open mind on the result, and will make sure my vote counts when it counts, not in some pathetic referendum

[winner69]

Problem with a non-binding referendum is a huge proportion of those who gave them the mandate in the first place don't bother to have a second, irrelevant cast of opinion. It's only the minority opposition who wish to shriek their protest, in vain. Well less than a million protest votes is no victory.

lets see if they gain a mandate to buy it all back in 2014, AFTER they tell us what we need to sacrifice to do so.

I have an open mind on the result, and will make sure my vote counts when it counts, not in some pathetic referendum

With allude respect to those who believe it I don't think that they were given a 'mandate' in the last election ....the party stood on Issue 1 and Issue 2 and Issue 3 etc and Asset Sales .....with Asset Sales only one of several issues.

How many people who voted National in the last election went along and voted saying to themselves 'I vote National today because I want the asset sales to happen' .....not many I would say

Oh well it is just politics and putting spin on things to suit yourself.

[winner69]

Was a bigger turnout than the last Auckland mayoral race (34% I believe) ......was Len given a mandate to stop cutting the grass on the berms

[winner69]

Suggest you re-look at the number there mate ... Or perhaps re-sit that statistics paper you failed. There is no way that 900,000 votes against could have been put together without National voters voting NO too.

Belg ...there was a YES vote in Epsom and Tamaki .....isn't that what really matters?

Hey ....you live in Epsom don't you?