Comments on: The slippery standards of Mr Key

By: Homo Domesticus

Homo Domesticus — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:43:43 +0000

Friends, aw shucks glove puppet donKey talks tough but will not deliver. He got tough on useless Richard Worth, although we don’t really know what Dr Worth really did wrong, but he will not do the same to a Cabinet colleague. He is not that stupid; he knows that those that pulls his strings, his crony mates the international currency speculators, Business Roundtable, Brash and Douglas etc will not like it.

Homo d.

By: BLiP

BLiP — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:53:39 +0000

Its actually more than $25,000. Disgusting, eh?

By: snoozer

snoozer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:04:21 +0000

RichardR, you obviously still haven’t read the articles. They contain interviews with Hide. There is no dispute that he spent $25,000 of taxpayer money on flights for his girlfriend.

I wonder what’s in your head. You seem desperate not to accept what everyone involved (including Hide) says is true. You’re searching for a way out of facing the truth that no-one else denies – Hide took the money.

Now, face that truth, and where does it leave you? What now do you think of Hide and Key, the man who set the stand then signed off on Hide’s spending as he breached it?

By: RichardR

RichardR — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:45:19 +0000

So everything reported in the news is accurate?
My understanding is that the $25,000 was extrapolated from the ministers expenses and does not accurately reflect the additional expenditure.

By: snoozer

snoozer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:31:47 +0000

read the news websites, richard, for god’s sake.

or try this little site I found – google.co.nz

By: RichardR

RichardR — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:12:33 +0000

I have seen no evidence that $25,000 was spent on taking his partner. Can anyone substantiate this number?

By: Tigger

Tigger — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:43:23 +0000

I have no problem with the perk. I have problems with the hypocrisy of telling the rest of us to tighten our belts. If it doesn’t go both ways then it shouldn’t go either. Either Ministers (who are the government so must lead by example) start tightening up on the extra spending or else they can shut up about the rest of us having to do the same.

By: snoozer

snoozer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:35:48 +0000

oh dear, pat.

Under your scenario, National MPs would still have travel allowance bills, just not for their spouses… and that wouldn’t necessarily make their total bills smaller than other MPs’

the money is paid by the Parliamentary Service and the statement issued every three months by the PS don’t breakdown each MP’s spending into what they spent on themselves and what they spent on their spouses – MPs would have to supply that information themselves (the PS is not subject to the OIA)

By: felix

felix — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:18:44 +0000

One would hope so – although we’ve all overestimated them before

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:51:01 +0000

“…watch all the other parties fall into line.”

I suspect that over time the quarterly release of figures is going to do this anyway, because unless you want the public blowtorch on your taxpayer funded family holiday, you are going to pay for much of it yourself.

You are smart enough to know that Hide and Douglas did nothing wrong in terms of the rules, but their refusal to “martyr” themselves gives them a major credibility issue and is going to hurt them where it matters most – the perception of voters.

Surely other parties have watched this and are saying to themselves “Let’s not go there”.

By: felix

felix — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:38:31 +0000

Yep, if his objective is purely political that’d be an idea.

If, on the other hand, he’s actually serious about the spending issue he should just say it out loud – take the high ground and watch all the other parties fall into line.

And they all would (except ACT of course, they’re entitled.)

By: Pascal's bookie

Pascal's bookie — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:35:07 +0000

Cabinet would roll him by lunchtime

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:30:51 +0000

If Key was clever enough to play a long game, he would quietly issue that directive to not only his MP’s but also all former National MP’s entitled to the perk.

Then release the figures for all current and former MP’s 3 months before the election, and Whammo! watch the public backlash against Labour.

By: felix

felix — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:19:56 +0000

Like this:

“From today, no MP from my party will spend any public money on their spouses’ travel expenses. I thought I’d made myself clear earlier but apparently a few snouts are still stuck in the trough so I’m making myself very clear now. Other parties can do as they see fit, of course, but I’m taking the lead on this issue.”

Not so hard, is it? Not if he wants to, that is.

By: snoozer

snoozer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:17:59 +0000

“I’d be interested to know how you think Key can “enforce’ an MP from using his/her MP travel perk.”

Um, he can tell them not to do it. They’re only ministers at his pleasure.

I don’t see why the fact the taxpayer money comes from one fund or another should matter.

Key set a very clear standard:

“I’ve told them if they want to take their partner, they can do it, but they pay for it’.

How is using the Ministerial allowance or the Parliamentary allowance payin for it themselves?