Bottoms up, Bill

Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, March 1st, 2009 - 15 comments
Categories: scoundrels - Tags: ,

It’s said that, once upon a time, Bill Ralston had a social conscience. He still claims to be a leftie at heart. If ever proof were needed that he’s become just another rich, detached elitist it’s this:

“Before we all collectively slit our wrists it’s worth pointing out that unless you are a director of a finance company, a car dealer or property developer the chances are you will come through this recession without too much damage. Just don’t try to sell your house now and realise the loss.”

Yeah, tell it to working class, Bill. The working class, up to 9000 of whom have lost their jobs since National came to power, while many others endure reduced hours. Oh, you forgot the working-class existed, eh, Bill?

Oh, and Bill: “The Government’s task for the next 900 days is to look competent, appear to be trying its best to help those who do get in trouble.” Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer a government that doesn’t just “look competent” but is competent and doesn’t “appear to be trying its best” but does its best. Actually, more than that, actually does well.

Need I add that your beloved “Crusher” Collins actually overstepped her ministerial warrant in attacking Barry Matthews, failed to have him resign, and that she hasn’t even presented a policy on boy racers, let alone crushed any cars?

I guess for an old liberal turned elitist, appearances are all that matters, eh? You’ll be able to keep sipping your chardonnay in luxury no matter how bad things actually get.

“Woo-hoo” indeed.

15 comments on “Bottoms up, Bill ”

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  1. sweeetdisorder 1
    1 March 2009 at 12:22 pm

    whats that old saying. If you not a leftie in your 20’s you dont have a heart. If your not a rightie in your 30’s you dont have a brain. Well, some people develop at different speeds, just took Bill a wee bit longer thats all.

  2. Tane 2
    1 March 2009 at 12:30 pm

    It’s what ex-lefties say when they’ve accumulated a degree of wealth and power for themselves and, unsurprisingly, find the idea of social and economic equality isn’t quite as appealing as it used to be.

  3. Ianmac 3
    1 March 2009 at 12:34 pm

    Poor old Bill. Caught in an alcoholic haze wreathed in cigarette smoke, unsure of his beliefs, and now not everyone believes what he says. Shame on you Steve. Why kick a man when he is down?

  4. Steve Pierson 4
    1 March 2009 at 12:38 pm

    sweety, that’s a Churchill quote. The man had a way with words but he was also a life-long conservative, member of the English elite, and an arch-imperialist.

    More broadly, just because something sounds good or is a cliche doesn’t mean it’s correct.

  5. RedLogix 5
    1 March 2009 at 12:40 pm

    Funny I was quite right wing in my 20’s and as I accumulated some wealth in my 50’s I’ve gone all leftie.

    Maybe Redbaiter is right, and I have neither a heart nor a brain… hehe.

  6. the sprout 6
    1 March 2009 at 12:49 pm

    “If ever proof were needed that he’s become just another rich, detached elitist”

    no further proof required for some time now, ever since his displays of how to ‘manage’ at TVNZ

    “just because something sounds good or is a cliche doesn’t mean it’s correct”

    SP, you’ve just destroyed the entire right-wing Intellectual Justification Program

  7. RedLogix 7
    1 March 2009 at 1:11 pm

    Especially pernicious is Bill’s last paras.

    In these times families are looking forward to even a small amount of tax relief and it is the one promise National cannot afford to break.

    The Government can take a holiday on making contributions to the Super Fund. It can even axe the damn thing and nick the fast diminishing $12 billion to further boost the economy.

    Most people won’t mind the loss of an abstract concept involving billions of bucks.

    They will spit the dummy if they find the Government reneges on giving them that extra $20 a week.

    So Bill is willing to hack to pieces the political accord on Superannuation, and “nick” the funds (his words) just so as he can have his tax cut now. Equally disgraceful as Armstrong.

    • Pascal's bookie 7.1
      1 March 2009 at 3:04 pm

      Most people won’t mind the loss of an abstract concept involving billions of bucks.

      They will spit the dummy if they find the Government reneges on giving them that extra $20 a week.,

      What is it that gets into these cosseted ex journo’s synapses that makes them able to babble in-fucking-cessantly about what ‘they’ (meaning ‘us’, absent (or in spite of) polling data), will think, do, and want?

      Once they find themselves in possession of the journalistic real estate of a weekly column, so many of them start writing this way. I think it’s revealing that the ‘they he writes about are those that are going to actually get a $20 tax break. For those, the funding of super in the future may well be an abstract. Will most people be getting $20 a week? I forget, but I’m betting: ‘no’.

      In any case, it’s also a prime fucking example of the fate of professional political scribes privileging the game of politics over the substance. It’s all bloody horse race, what will it look like, who will ‘win’ the week. God forbid that someone with a week to write 1000 words should bother getting on the fucking google, having a read, a sit, a spliff and a ponder and actually coming up with something to say that is either, relevant, interesting, or enlightening.

      FFS, I’d settle for a column with analytical content that could not in fact have been written and published in any damn week for the last dozen dozen years.

      “Politician faces choices, some policies might be popular, here’s what that is I reckon, but who cares because it’s not important if you don’t think about it.’

      Yeah well. Fuck a doodle doo to you too, Billy-bob.

  8. jimbo 8
    1 March 2009 at 2:52 pm

    Steve – “who have lost their jobs since National came to power” is really a bit pathetic.

    Now you might not be TRYING to imply that National is the cause of the job losses, maybe it’s just your reflex reaction…?

  9. Edna 9
    1 March 2009 at 3:04 pm

    Is “Bottoms up” a big gay out day slogan? I feel rather ill Bill.

  10. deemac 10
    1 March 2009 at 11:27 pm

    another sickener was the advice from Dr Brash on RadioNZ last week, that we must all start “living within our means”. Easy to do on your money, Don, not so easy for many others.
    The rich telling the poor to tighten their belts is a disgusting spectacle.

    • Matthew Pilott 10.1
      2 March 2009 at 10:42 am

      That’s not all that bad advice actually, when you hear that people have been living on 113% of their salary/wage in the last decade or so, augmented with ever increasing amounts of credit.

      Obviously not the case when you’re talking about people buying necessities, but in defence of Brash (ye gods, what am I saying) he’s right – when you’re refinancing your house as its value increases to get the extra $50k cash in hand for a holiday, car and a tv, and pay off the credit card from the last time you refinanced, you’re doing something wrong.

      Didn’t hear the radio piece, but I’d hope that’s how said advice was intended to be interpreted.

      (Dear Don, I hereby resolve to not get consumer goods on HP in future…)

  11. Tigger 11
    2 March 2009 at 12:04 pm

    My favourite quote from the National PR piece, I mean, Ralston’s political analysis: “There appears to be an inner cabinet consisting of (Key), Bill English, Steven Joyce, Simon Power, Gerry Brownlee, Murray McCully and Tony Ryall.”

    A New Zild under the thumb of that white, middle class, (mostly) heterosexual group is truly terrifying. Thank god this government will crumble into a heap of in-fighting over the next two years…