Another handout for bludgers?

47 comments on “Another handout for bludgers? ”

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1. ghostwhowalksnz 1

   6 December 2010 at 7:43 am

   Normally celebs get to stay free.
   Thats what happens with the so called ‘ goody bags’ given out to A listers at awards ceremonies.

   But they must have known international wheeler dealer John Key would be involved so the price went up
2. Sanctuary 2

   6 December 2010 at 7:53 am

   Why should New Zealanders even want to pay for a couple of good for nothing toffs to have a honeymoon here? Last time I looked, William Windor’s old man wasn’t exactly short of a bob or two.
3. PC Brigadier 3

   6 December 2010 at 7:58 am

   I welcome the royal couple here. I am prepared for the NZ Govt to fully pay for their visit also. Provided, that while they are here they have authority from HRH to sign away NZ as a republic – we should pay for the ceremony for that also.
   Otherwise, I’d prefer we refused any royal visits under any circumstances.
   Unless Womens Weekly pays for it???
4. just saying 4

   6 December 2010 at 8:27 am

   This message, these sorts of comparisons should be relentlessly plugged by the left in my opinion. People need to realise that they are being conned, and have been conned for some time

   I’ve been talking to a couple of right winger friends, and getting concessions like ‘the governemnt always manages to find huge sums of money for its friends at the same time as cutting “unaffordable” services’, and ‘we might have complained abour then at the time. but the workforce was a better place when there were unions’.

   Ridiculously small sample I know, but, I feel there are many who already have ‘inklings’ of grave misgivings that could be built on, even if they do keep relapsing into the stupor of “There is no alternative, This is how it is etc.
   • vto 4.1

     6 December 2010 at 8:45 am

     Agreed just saying. Anecdotals point in that direction. And this governments handout mentality is a lightning rod for it.

     Handouts for drought farmers in Marlborough. Don’t they have insurance? Many people in Chch quake without insurance miss out near completely.

     Handouts for movie makers.

     Handouts for a random collection of motley finance company investors.

     Handouts for families with kids.

     Handouts for retirees with millions.

     Handouts for students.

     Handouts for unemployed people who have lost their job.

     Handouts for farmers in Southland for the 10 yearly 100 year storm (seriously, farmers gotta sort their own industry-wide compo scheme for these regular events rather than ask the taxpayers to pay for it).

     Handouts for kiwifruit growers when a known risk eventuates. (what’s that about, o wise risk-man Key?)

     It is absolutely bloody ridiculous how many sectors and groups and people get a cheque from the gummint. What a farce. This is something I railed against re Clark and Cullen. If anything, it has got worse. The amounts going to people and sectors who already have some wealth and insurance capacity seems to have risen exponentially. Joke.
     • jcuknz 4.1.1

       6 December 2010 at 10:11 am

       Remember the cries of woe when [Sir]Roger Douglas was Minister of Finance and cut back on the farming lolly scramble? These politicians simply cannot win with the fickle public.
       • ianmac 4.1.1.1

         6 December 2010 at 10:28 am

         I think that the cutback on farming subsidies happened in Muldoon’s time didn’t it?
         • OleOlebiscuitBarrell 4.1.1.1.1

           6 December 2010 at 10:28 am

           No.
         • toad 4.1.1.1.2

           6 December 2010 at 10:34 am

           Supplementary Minimum Prices to farmers were Muldoon’s creation.

           Roger Douglas abolished them (about the only decent thing he ever did).
5. ghostwhowalksnz 5

   6 December 2010 at 9:11 am

   We can even get Jacksons Gulfstream jet to fly them here and back. Since we are paying for that anyway
6. higherstandard 6

   6 December 2010 at 9:29 am

   And yet more handouts for bludgers .

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10692326
   • vto 6.1

     6 December 2010 at 9:35 am

     Ha ha, I am sure if there happen to be any aliens hovering in space above NZ the only sound they will hear will be a sound like 4 million pigs squealing and snoughling and pushing and shoving around the trough.

     oh me oh my
     • higherstandard 6.1.1

       6 December 2010 at 9:59 am

       VTO you’ll like this ……… perhaps NZ’s new national anthem ?

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeJ2-u15Vec&feature=related
   • g_man 6.2

     6 December 2010 at 9:42 am

     Yes, I noticed that story too. Papakura District Council chief executive Theresa Stratton gets a redundancy payment of $209,730, then Len Brown gives her a job a few weeks later as a senior planning adviser in the mayor’s office.

     Lucky John Banks didn’t get in, eh?
     • Bright Red 6.2.1

       6 December 2010 at 9:50 am

       g_man. Is the problem that she is being employed by the new council or that she got a redundancy package from the old one?
     • toad 6.2.2

       6 December 2010 at 9:57 am

       She has gone from her permanent employment with Papakura District Council, which had a generous redundancy agreement) to a fixed term position where she has no job security past its expiry and no redundancy package when her position is disestablished.

       I can’t see what all the fuss is about here. It seems only fair that she is able to keep her redundancy payment.
       • jcuknz 6.2.2.1

         6 December 2010 at 10:14 am

         And no doubt the IRD will take/ have taken a good slice of it. So we all get a bit of it that way. Just money going around and around and keeping people employed.
   • Bright Red 6.3

     6 December 2010 at 9:43 am

     yup, that supercity really has been a huge expense, eh, higherstandard?

     And after Rodney Hide said the cost would be “miniscule”

     You’re not blaming Len Brown for this eh? He just hired an unemployed person. It was Papakura that paid her the redundancy – and it was the government-appointed Auckland Transition Agency that set the rules about technical redundancies.
     • higherstandard 6.3.1

       6 December 2010 at 10:01 am

       It’s just business as usual BR, whether it’s a step to the left or a jump to the right there’s still a sty full of piggies ready to trough off the tax/rate payer.
       • Bright Red 6.3.1.1

         6 December 2010 at 11:07 am

         she was sacked and now she’s got a new job. what’s she done wrong?

         the fault is with the creators of the supercity.
     • jcuknz 6.3.2

       6 December 2010 at 2:34 pm

       I saw somewhere that it came in under budget. Didn’t really pay attention because the the multi-city concept was silly and had to end, the sooner the better, and NACT bit the bullet.
       • Draco T Bastard 6.3.2.1

         6 December 2010 at 11:36 pm

         Link please because everything I’ve seen so far is that it’s a few tens of mil over budget.

         oooo, I like this bit:

         And Hide is “disgusted” with claims the reforms could bring $47 million in redundancy costs. The number has been cited by Labour as a consequence of job losses as staff from existing councils are merged into the new set up.

         Seems that Labour was correct and Rodders was distracting.
       • Colonial Viper 6.3.2.2

         6 December 2010 at 11:49 pm

         I saw in my dreams that the whole Super City was achieved for just $100M, allowing rates to be lowered, and parking wardens to become friendly and lenient. Then I woke up with my dog, called Rodney, having shat on my bed.

         I saw somewhere that it came in under budget.

         If you mean the budget of NZ, yes it did come under budget.

         Didn’t really pay attention because the the multi-city concept was silly and had to end

         Wow. Hundreds of millions up in smoke to resolve a problem that was ‘silly’ with no idea if the resulting outcome will be less ‘silly’ only different.

         Yeah. Good one.

         Actually I thought the ShuperShitty was about Rodney and John ignoring Aucklanders and corporatising the city by dictat. So how did you reckon it worked out for them and their agent, Banks?
         • felix 6.3.2.2.1

           7 December 2010 at 12:16 am

           How’d it work out for them?

           “and we would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for these meddling kids…” that’s how.
7. toad 7

   6 December 2010 at 9:52 am

   Absolutely pukemaking.

   If the Diana Moore thinks it would be good for NZ tourism to have the royal bludgers honeymoon here, then why don’t she and her mates in the tourism industry stump up the dosh themselves. Now that would be a novel idea!
   • Tigger 7.1

     6 December 2010 at 10:51 am

     Agreed Toad – not sure why they have their hands out over this one. Surely it is an investment by their business. Seems they’re using the whole ‘present’ idea to get some free promotion.

     By the way, how desperate will Key be for a photo op with the happy couple. Answer – cringingly desperate.
8. john 8

   6 December 2010 at 9:56 am

   The Irish people are being bludged of Mega Big Time. Private Investors made bets in the Irish economy which went sour when the American Ponzi scheme crashed and triggered the Ponzi scheme in Ireland to crash too. The Public sector had no problems at all until the criminally stupid scared sh.tl.ss Irish Government decided to protect their greedy money grubbing class by pledging the people’s accounts (In the black no Problem) to bail out the get rich quick club!
   Socialism for the rich Darwinian survival for the workers! It’s f.ck.ng OUTRAGEOUS.

   “Well, we got to it via the bust of the financial sector that Ireland certainly didn’t cause. It was very much a American-made crisis. But insofar as a good part of the Irish boom involved Irish Banks borrowing short in order to lend long to their property boom, and to some extent to lend to foreign investors who were creating jobs, a lot of them American companies but borrowing from Irish Banks, the result of that when the financial boom ended in the United States was that the knock-on effect meant that Irish banks were virtually bankrupt.

   JAY: But what do you make of the argument that the reason these countries are in difficulty is ’cause there’s too much entitlement programs, the pension age is too low, unemployment insurance is too high, and so on?

   PANITCH: I think it’s ludicrous. This isn’t the problem. The problem is not that Irish workers are too well off. The problem is the enormous wealth inequality, and above all inequality in power, and irrational investment that has gone on in these countries. And it will mean, if people are going to try to maintain something like the civilization that we’ve known, it’ll mean redefining what our standard of living is. It will mean that we will not be able to engage in the kind of individual consumption, and have to turn to the kind of collective services that would be so rational and so needed – much more, much more extensive public transit and freer public transit, rather than private transit through automobiles that reproduces the ecological crisis and worsens it.

   Refer link:

   http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=22263
   • john 8.1

     6 December 2010 at 10:26 am

     The Capitalist class have depressed wages for 30 plus years and pocketed huge wealth increases from productivity gains and then caused immense bubbles offering the same money as debt to workers whose depressed wage levels can’t service!

     “productive potential in the advanced economies is considerably greater today than it was during the height of the welfare state, which means it is easier to provide even higher quality public services and more generous welfare programs than in the past.

     When we look at the budget picture in the long-run, what has changed is that large corporations and the wealthy have managed to avoid paying the taxes they used to be required to pay. Not only Tories but the Labour Party has lost the political will to require them to pay their fair share of what it costs to provide adequate public services and welfare. That is what is creating long-run deficit problems in the UK, which means after the economy is up and running again the solution to any deficit problems is to force those who have benefited tremendously from capturing over 90% of productivity increases over the past thirty years toante up!

     Also the people have to pay for their bets gone wrong! Make these bludgers pay up!!!
     • bill 8.1.1

       6 December 2010 at 11:36 am

       Hasn’t anyone told you that the world is now run by and for the banking community. It is the same small elite group of people in Wall Street an the City of London, who have brought our economies to the brink of disaster, who have now turned their attention to attacking nation states. Nothing can stand in the way of protecting their interests – and wealth. But if we have reached this situation it is due to our politicians neglecting the people in favour of the bankers The removal of monetary controls, the Glass Steagall Act- thank you Mr Clinton – coupled with globalization has allowed the corporate and financial world to amass untold wealth. Governments allowd tax evasion on a massive scale by rubber stamping tax avoidance schemes – dreamed up by the financial sector – and allowed the proliferation of tax havens for them to hide all the loot. Now they are now biting the hand of the master who fed them. So blame the politicians for the mess. However all is not lost if Governments get their act together and put the monster back into its cage through legislation that will lead to an even playing field. There is no moral or economic sense in so much wealth disappearing into the hands of so few. We need a prosperous middle class with spending power to stimulate growth.

       [We have an author here called Bill. Could you adopt a slightly different handle “Bill X” or whatever? Thanks. — r0b]
9. Bill 9

   6 December 2010 at 10:05 am

   So the Lake Okareka Lodge saw an advertising opportunity, put a spin on it and the SST phoned around other resorts on the back of the Lake Okareka Lodge’s spin to put up a space filler story.

   Big deal. Or am I missing something?
10. Rex Widerstrom 10

    6 December 2010 at 6:04 pm

    This is the same thinking that’s seeing the Australians slither on their bellies to Oprah, adorning the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a huge illuminated “O” during her stay.

    Pass the bucket, nurse.

    Then there’s the taxpayer funded police escort, the road closures for her motorcade etc.

    How appropriate that it was an Australian social commentator, AA Phillips, who coined the term “cultural cringe”. It’s clearly still alive and well in New Zealand, too, if the idea of couple of chinless Sloans having their first marital bonk on our shores is enough to get anyone the least bit excited.
    • felix 10.1

      6 December 2010 at 6:37 pm

      Oprah’s a bit different though, she’s an actual deity whereas the Windsors are mere celebrities.
    • Sean Brooks 10.2

      6 December 2010 at 8:00 pm

      I just think you hate anything American.
      • Rex Widerstrom 10.2.1

        6 December 2010 at 8:06 pm

        Yeah, Sean, yeah I do. Which is why I had dinner under the golden arches on Saturday night, why I have an extensive DVD collection of mostly American TV series and movies, and why I think those damned Yankee Windsors are a waste of space. You got me.
11. Sean Brooks 11

    6 December 2010 at 6:56 pm

    Farmers are bludgers????? Never worked on a farm myself, but I think those guys probably put in a decent days work.
    • just saying 11.1

      6 December 2010 at 7:18 pm

      They seldom pay income tax (see Cactus Kate for the evidence) but are forever demanding, and often receiving, state subsidies from everyone else’s, despite sitting on real estate worth $$millions.
      • Pascal's bookie 11.1.1

        6 December 2010 at 7:34 pm

        Taxpayer’s picking up their tab for carbon credits too.
    • KJT 11.2

      6 December 2010 at 7:36 pm

      Used to think so until I worked on a rig with a whole lot of Taranaki cockies. They were in a state of shock about having to work a real 12 hour day. I thought it was a rest from my normal job.

      I have asked in many places to be shown a farmer who pays taxes only to be met with a deafening silence.

      If a drainlayer or builders asked for help for his business because prolonged rain prevented him doing anything he/she would be laughed at. Farmers expect it all the time.
    • Colonial Viper 11.3

      6 December 2010 at 7:38 pm

      To be clear, not everyone who works long hours on a farm is the farmer. In fact the farmer doesn’t have to be anywhere near the farm.
12. Gina 12

    6 December 2010 at 7:51 pm

    Maybe farmers are lazy now but I come from a dairy farm and my dad was up at 4am every morning 7 days a week for most of the year and he would usually finish at 8 pm at night after milking. Those were bad times for farmers who hardly made a profit after paying expenses. All the subsidies were dropped and the tanker driver earned a lot more money than my dad. It depends where you are farming and what your debt burden is. Then the Nats really finished him off at retirement. Farm prices were very low at the time and National introduced means tested superannuation. They couldnt have lived on a pension and the farm wasn’t worth much so bought another business with a huge mortgage attached where dad in his late 60’s was still working 7 days a week. It basically killed him off early. Mr Rockefeller would have been really pleased about that. You should see him talking on video on the net about how there are just too many people and they are living too long. The aim of austerity is in part to kill the poor off at a younger age.
    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      6 December 2010 at 8:27 pm

      The aim of austerity is in part to kill the poor off at a younger age.

      Yes, great fiscal savings there (pensions, health, housing, nursing homes). You just need to make sure that the hospital system is so clogged up and underfunded that the poorfolk expire while they are still being considered for the waiting lists and before any truly expensive medical care gets wasted on them.
13. MrSmith 13

    6 December 2010 at 8:16 pm

    The house of windor’s coming here for Free. I wouldn’t let them smell my shit for free.
14. Jeremy Harris 14

    6 December 2010 at 9:02 pm

    Yes lets get the government to pay for two boring, average, young, wealthy, white people’s honeymoon…

    Support for the monarchy bewilders me on many levels…
    • Draco T Bastard 14.1

      6 December 2010 at 11:44 pm

      Can’t understand it myself.
    • felix 14.2

      7 December 2010 at 12:13 am

      Amazing isn’t it? A week’s acom would be 70 grand.

      I’m sure the people living in garages on the HNZ waiting list can see the promotional value for NZ.
    • Colonial Viper 14.3

      7 December 2010 at 1:19 am

      Support for the monarchy bewilders me on many levels…

      Natural extension of commoners supporting rich people – because they are our betters and deserve not just our generous support today, but even more of it tomorrow.

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1. The Standard: posted on 5 December 2010 at 6:16 pm

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