Show us you cards, John
Written By:
- Date published:
1:46 pm, April 18th, 2012 - 44 comments
Categories: john key -
Tags: convention centre, gambling, lobbying, pokies, SkyCity
David Shearer’s created an easy way to send John Key a message about selling the law to SkyCity.
If you think changing the law to suit a particular commercial enterprise is all, well, a bit Banana Republic, click the link and have your say. Sky’s obviously already feeling the pressure, so a bit more should help…
As Key has revealed that the deal came out of an offer he personally made, the heat and messages should go to him.
SkyCity have tried to challenge the law and failed, but obviously lobbying worked. If you don’t think that’s the way the law and government should work… well, better tell John.
If you think that letting SkyCity have 500 more, faster (credit card rather than money operated?) machines will maximise harm – as indicated by children locked in the carpark, casino gambling addicts selling P to school kids to get gambling cash, and criminals gambling to money-launder their profits – tell John.
Multiple studies have shown in the US & Australia that for each $1 of casino revenue communities / government have to spend $3 on additional social services – this isn’t a great way of raising funds. Far better to pay for a convention centre directly, than through the pockets of poor punters, and addiction services, poverty alleviation and health costs (or just not have one if it’s not economic in and of itself…). There was a much more sensible alternative if we truly needed a convention centre – extending the existing one at the Aotea Centre.
44 comments on “Show us you cards, John ”
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Further proof that the Nats really don’t give a damn about society.. Why they would allow this to happen is just appalling..
This might help – Romney inadvertently releases his proposed reforms
http://www.thenation.com/blog/167416/romneys-bad-math
“I’m going to take a lot of departments in Washington, and agencies, and combine them. Some eliminate, but I’m probably not going to lay out just exactly which ones are going to go,” Romney said. “Things like Housing and Urban Development, which my dad was head of, that might not be around later. But I’m not going to actually go through these one by one. What I can tell you is, we’ve got far too many bureaucrats. I will send a lot of what happens in Washington back to the states.”
Asked about the fate of the Department of Education in a potential Romney administration, the former governor suggested it would also face a dramatic restructuring.
“The Department of Education: I will either consolidate with another agency, or perhaps make it a heck of a lot smaller. I’m not going to get rid of it entirely,” Romney said, explaining that part of his reasoning behind preserving the agency was to maintain a federal role in pushing back against teachers’ unions. Romney added that he learned in his 1994 campaign for Senate that proposing to eliminate the agency was politically volatile.
.. sounds familiar ?
Good website, but best they decide quickly if it is Skycity as in banner headline, or Sky City in the text ?? C’mon, you can do better than this with a flagship website !!
And, while I’m here …. are you really sure it is ” John,: ” ? Really ??? Lovely idea, but sloppy execution .. please tidy it up so we can send people there with confidence !!
With no apologies for my pedantry.
When trying to do the right thing, are there not times when political parties should consider taking a step back from self promotion and the avarice for addresses. Many may choose not to send a card, despite strong and clear reservations about the topic, simply because of the terms of submission.
“I understand the Labour Party and its elected representatives may contact me about this and other issues.”
Could this not have been optional ?
Wasn’t the political goodwill of accommodating the message enough?
guess we’ll never know
That’s not the terms of using it. You can unclick it.
It wasn’t obvious to me that it was optional. It should start non-ticked and have (Optional) written at the front of it.
In fact just re-word it entirely, it says:
“I understand the Labour Party and its elected representatives may contact me about this and other issues.”
That’s written very much in the voice of “I accept these terms and conditions, now let me use your damn website”.
Agreed and that tells me that that’s the way that Labour wanted it to be read.
Yes, but that makes people think they *have* to click it, and it may make people less likely to send a message to Key because they don’t want to be spammed by Labour. Somewhat counter-productive.
if i open my gob a bit wider i may be able to fit the other foot, guess the layout fooled me.
i stand by my question though.
Wasn’t the political goodwill of accommodating the message enough?
Yes, but perhaps for validation ( if sought later) an email is required ?? Makes sense.
Well done John for figuring out how to build a world class convention centre in Auckland.
If we leave these things to the socialists New Zealand would never get anywhere on the world stage.
I am not opposed to the convention centre being built. I am opposed to creating more pokie addicts and to worsening the situation with prepaid pokie cards for current pokie addicts. If this makes me a socialist for stating the obvious (pokie addiction damages lives) I am happy to be a socialist.
The trade off, 500 pokie machines for a convention centre is too high a price for an individual, their family, the community and the health service to pay. Treatment is not cheap, a pokie addict could do crime to support their habit and domestic violence could result in their being no money in the home for even food to feed hungry children.
What’s the convention centre going to do for NZ?
We already know that the added pokies will make us worse off.
I’ve never heard of a major Auckland conference being called off for lack of quality convention centre space. This is ridiculous.
There are several international medical conferences planned if the convention centre goes ahead.
What on the neurological and hormonal cascades that are the consequence of addictive gambling?
Or better still, breakthroughs in methods to increase physiological dependence on gaming machine sensory stimulus.
Gosh what a wit.
I can’t really see how additional pokies at the casino is going to increase addictive gambling, bit like increasing the amount of alcohol at a pub, but it makes for a bit of fun to bitch about from a political perspective I s’pose.
I cannot see the problem.
Therefore there is no problem.
I cannot see the tiger.
Therefore there is no tiger.
People telling me not to go into the forest are obviously just having a bit of fun scaring the tourist.
I was against the casino ever being built in the first place however it is now there and there doesn’t look to be any government in the medium to long term that will close it down.
So c’mon Mcflock tell me how additional pokies at the casino is going to increase addictive gambling over and above what we already see in NZ.
Well, as Lukas doesn’t seem to able to answer:
PM backed over Sky City pokies deal
But me thinks he doth protest too much:-
0.5% of 8000 is 40 so around $2m for each convention. Damned expensive conventions.
That probably has more to do with the distance most of them would have to fly to get here than the lack of convention centres.
if it wasn’t for those socialists, you wouldn’t have been able to spell the words you wasted sharing your narrow world view…(free world class education anyone?) or had hospitals to go to to get your alzheimers treatment…. (free world class health anyone?), or a hell of a lot more that you take for granted that wouldn’t have existed without those “socialists” …..
would you explain to me just what the tories HAVE done to improve living standards for most new zealanders that has lasted, and worked, through the generations since introduction??
no pressure of course…. just a simple question…. i’m sure you have all the answers…
I sent John a lovely card reminding him of what happened to Fulgencio Batista, the last leader who threw his lot in with casino owners. Key of course would have no idea who he was.
Of course, doing a runner with looted cash and gold to live in a third world bolt hole is probavly Key’s exit plan anyway.
Batista even became an insurance company chairman.
That’s the trouble about fuckwits – you describe to them life in a moral vacuum, in lifelong exile from home and as a pariah in decent society, and they think you’re describing a successful lifetime outcome.
I think our lot manage to do a bit better. Recently I looked at old glossy magazine North and South or Metro and it was about Fay or Richwhite or Gibbs Swiss home. Looked a classy bolt hole to me, and these guys are still free to live here, all done above board and ship shape legally.
What a heavenly country NZ is.
Who does Key work for Sky City Casino or Parliament?
“Who does Key work for Sky City Casino or Parliament?”
He just wants his monument, the ‘John Key convention centre’ for political conferences (it’s not likely any business would spend to get that many delegates to an isolated country). Although it would be more appropriate to name a gambling machine after him.
“Although it would be more appropriate to name a gambling machine after him.”
What would the machine be called?
Suggestions welcome. But they could print on the slot-card that gets used instead of money ‘your Key to our brighter future’.
“Jerk me off”?
“Pull On My Knob”?
Escape to Aussie
A TurnKey of course.
the keyhole hokey pokey !
Poke Key (…………………………………………………………………………………………Before Key Pokes you)
Reminds me of the saying that was popular back in the 70s and 80s …
Rob Muldoon before he robs you …
Bank of America, and the Aldgate Trust on the side.
has there been any evidence, other than faith based, that Auckland needs another convention centre?
Evidence, what’s that? Key’s mates can make a buck out of it, is any other justification truly needed?
Evidence….what on earth has that got to do with it, this govt does what it’s business backers tell it.
Key doing a deal is highly unlikely, more spin to make him look like a mover and shaker, he’s gets the orders not gives them.
Akl has a recently completed a viaducts event centre, has an empty cloud and shed on an old wharf to mention a few existing underused facilities. Add the social cost of this to all that.
As tweeted by @BruceBuckman
Dear John, by all means assist the provision of a convention centre, if you think it is in the national interest, and not just Auckland’s. Re the increase in pokies, if you really think it wouldn’t be socially harmful, please show us the supporting research to ensure it’s not seen as just another government cash-grab dodgy deal.