InvisiNats: Bill English

Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, November 14th, 2011 - 17 comments
Categories: bill english, election 2011, national - Tags: ,

Many have commented that John Key dodges all the hard questions in favour of scripted photo-ops. But 3 News reminded us that his MPs are just as bad. In fact, although Key’s face is everywhere, the rest of the Nats are working hard at being invisible. Let’s bring a little sunlight into that darkness, and remind ourselves just who we’d be re-electing along with the Dear Leader.

Today’s InvisiNat is Bill English.

Infamous for leading the Nats to their worst ever election result, 21% in 2002, and rolled as leader shortly thereafter by none other than Don Brash.

In this term as Deputy PM and Minister of Finance the main thing that he has enriched is himself.  Mr Double Dipton appears to have been given special treatment to allow him to pocket $32,000 dollars as a housing allowance for living in his Wellington home while claiming to live in his Clutha-Southland electorate.  He got caught out and the public outcry forced him to pay the money back (whining all the while that “the system” had failed him).  But it’s the attention to detail that really impresses.  English made sure he took time out of his busy schedule of watching the invisible hand to do the paperwork for an extra $20 per week house cleaning expenses.  Nice one.

Arguably the worst Minister of Finance ever, English has presided over three years of derisory growth, a 50% jump in unemployment, record inflation, a growing wage gap with Australia, record emigration to Australia, an extra $1.1 Billion in borrowing to pay for supposedly “fiscally neutral” tax cuts, and a double credit downgrade as an international vote of no confidence.

Policies: English has opposed abortion, voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, civil unions, and the decriminalisation of prostitution.

Favourite pass times: Inventing dodgy statistics, attacking public servants, flogging off our assets.

17 comments on “InvisiNats: Bill English ”

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  1. McFlock 1
    14 November 2011 at 1:24 pm

    You forgot “Interesting fact: has a bottom that is extremely sensitive to cold, so on the occasional trips to his Dipton holiday home (Dipton: Hawaii of the South) he is most likely the beneficiary of the only government luxury car with heated seats”

  2. Hemebond 2
    14 November 2011 at 1:52 pm

    I’m going to enjoy this series 🙂

  3. tsmithfield 3
    14 November 2011 at 2:42 pm

    A lot of the reason that other Nat members have not been so conspicuous is that Labour has made a point of focusing on John Key.

    • Pascal's bookie 3.1
      14 November 2011 at 2:48 pm

      Lolwut. ‘The Labour Party makes them run away from interviews!!!’

    • felix 3.2
      14 November 2011 at 2:56 pm

      Darn that pesky Labour Billboard Design & Right Wing Media Strategy Co Ltd

    • Colonial Viper 3.3
      14 November 2011 at 3:02 pm

      Are you saying if we don’t look at Bill English, he somehow disappears into the background? 😀

    • Armchair Critic 3.4
      14 November 2011 at 3:17 pm

      I understood Labour are focussing on policy, and due to an absence of palatable policy, National are focussing on John Key and associated bland meaninglessness. Like “Building a Brighter Future”.

  4. RobertM 4
    14 November 2011 at 2:57 pm

    An extraordinary three years of inactivity from the Minister of Finance. [deleted] The continued prominence of the brat pack shows how thoroughly the liberal nats were decimated by Muldoon. Really their just the party of rural reaction and provincial males. Bill has no answers to the nations problems.

    [lprent: Unless you show political relevance we tend to get peeved when people pull in family members of public figures. You didn’t and I suspect that you could not do anything more than speculate. I’d strongly suggest that you don’t. ]

  5. kriswgtn 5
    14 November 2011 at 4:46 pm

    He aint that imvisible
    that cringe worthy photo op with the Obama’s @ Apec

    hahah fuk wot a cock

    Nationals secret weapon bwahhahahahhaha

  6. Lenore 6
    14 November 2011 at 5:17 pm

    Robert M – can we keep the criticism of English to him as I find the implication about Mary English etc actually pisses me off as it implies that she is somehow responsible for him being a twat. Very kiwiblog sort of comment that will just make me stop reading the standard which would be a shame cos i think labour needs all the support they can get!!!!

    English is a complete idiot on his own accord and I am sure he has come up with his own excuses to rip off the tax payer and support the wealthy etc.

    [lprent: Thanks – missed that. ]

    • RobertM 6.1
      15 November 2011 at 1:26 am

      I don’t agree at all. Mary English is not a neutral figure or passive political wife at all. She has demonstrated extreme hard line anti abortion views in the political and legal sphere. Other political commentators have specualated on her views and it is well known she was a significant backer of some politicians such as Roger Sowry.

  7. happynz 7
    14 November 2011 at 5:30 pm

    Having a bit of a lie-down yesterday afternoon and was listening to Murray Deaker on Radio Sport. Deaker had invited former minister of sport and recreation Trevor Mallard and current minister of sport and recreation Murray McCully. Trevor was there to give his take on sport and government involvement whilst, to no surprise, McCully declined to be interviewed.

    I hope this is a daily series, because the whole government cabinet is chocker with no-shows.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1
      14 November 2011 at 6:21 pm

      Daily? It’d really have to be every half hour so that we get them all covered before the election 😈

    • Brooklyn 7.2
      15 November 2011 at 11:43 am

      Dodging Murray Deaker? Who next? Afraid of an intellectual mauling from Petra Bagust?

  8. anne 8
    14 November 2011 at 5:31 pm

    I live in the area and i can tell you he only has a ‘business interest’ in Dipton and apparentley he only spent a few hours in the area before he scuttled off again.
    He is ‘still’ claiming $900pw for accomadation benefit,for it being his ‘home’ if a bene did this
    they would be before the courts.
    Also English’s business interest is changing his dipton ‘farm’ from sheep to dairy,while the govt
    gave fonterra and the meat industry $300 thousand for promotion and advertising costs,how shonkey is that?
    Charges i feel should follow this is corruption,no doubt,but he wont be investigated for that
    or for the scf isssue,which he was deep in the dirt,costing tax payers $2b and blamed labour.
    There isn’t any justice in nz.

  9. The Pink Postman 9
    15 November 2011 at 2:15 pm

    It rather interesting because even in Tory Blue Taupo Upston did not turn up to a meeting put on by Grey Power.In Hamilton West the Nat candidate was very late and took only a short time in the debate put on by Hamilton Grey Power /.Is there anyway we can get his out to the public other than tha Standard.

  10. Matto 10
    15 November 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Reading the comments above is akin eavesdropping at the Rovers..
    “I ‘eard she as a TAB account”
    “Oooh I never, well I eard [insert latest ‘eard’]”