Creeping elitism

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, April 21st, 2012 - 19 comments
Categories: class, public services - Tags:

There was a time when you expected higher standards from the senior ranks of the public service. Now, more and more, they are just like private sector CEOs. Elitists. The standards are slipping. This slap on the wrist for the Building and Housing CEO who manhandled a staffer just shows how pervasive the elitist private sector ‘one law for us, another for them’ mentality has become.

19 comments on “Creeping elitism ”

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  1. Roy 1
    21 April 2012 at 9:18 am

    It is a travesty that Bach was not fired immediately.

    • Fortran 1.1
      21 April 2012 at 1:20 pm

      Roy
      – agreed
      But she is one of the senior Public Service Sisterhood.
      A man in the same position would have been well gone by now.

      • Tom Gould 1.1.1
        22 April 2012 at 12:06 pm

        I may be wrong, but did I hear Brenda Pilott of the PSA on the radio saying others, lesser beings than CEs, have been sacked for bullying colleagues?

      • Matthew Whitehead 1.1.2
        22 April 2012 at 12:27 pm

        Yes, it’s certainly some imaginary conspiracy that’s protecting her and not her privileged position as a chief executive.

        *facepalm*

  2. Jimmie 2
    21 April 2012 at 9:37 am

    I agree to a certain extent – however I wouldn’t say it is an influence with its origins exclusively from the private sector, it is a mentality that pervades many areas of affluence and control in New Zealand.

    This is unrelated to a private vs public split more like the haves vs have nots.

    One example: Look at the Horowhenua District Council case with the over flowing effluent ponds in Shannon.

    http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/thursday-april-19-4842228

    The farmer involved is about to have his livelihood cut off as the human waste/effluent being blown on to his farm is a health hazard. The CEO of the Council waffled on that their was no need to do anything as it was a one off weather event (This on the North Is West Coast where westerly gales occur many times a year)

    The CEO didn’t want to know about the problem (never mind the same council borrowed $50 million several years ago to build themselves a lovely palace in Levin) and they want consent to discharge for another 15 years!

    If this had been some lowly farmer caught for discharging cow effluent into a drain during a rain storm the local Regional Council would be hauling them before the environment court (and fair enough) to be fined many thousands of dollars. But because this involves their colleagues at the district council – you don’t hear a peep.

    Same elitist attitude which I understand was the reason many of our ancestors left the old European Countries to escape and to make a new life abroad.

    • Craig Glen Eden 2.1
      21 April 2012 at 9:52 am

      So true Jimmie, its one law for those with money or power or both and its tough shit for anyone else.

  3. Sanctuary 3
    21 April 2012 at 10:23 am

    It is funny how New Zealanders like to tut tut about corruption in the third world without understanding that we creating exactly the same sort of societal conditions in New Zealand to be as corrupt and tinpot as any Central American dictatorship.

  4. insider 4
    21 April 2012 at 11:18 am

    I think what this is saying is that the ‘assault’ that was portrayed in the media is not as serious as it appeared and not worth a job loss. It went over the line of what is acceptable but seemed more patronising than aggressive. not sure we should sack people in those circumstances.

    And is this worse than wintringham ignoring the discrepancies in the cv of a Clark favourite or prebble’s odd behaviour over rankin, or Hugh Logan’s allowance of political interference in mundane hiring decisions? Doesn’t seem like standards have slipped one bit

    • ghostwhowalksnz 4.1
      21 April 2012 at 12:42 pm

      Ouch…. but you have quite rightly pointed out its the referee thats is the problem here

      • insider 4.1.1
        21 April 2012 at 2:04 pm

        I will say that I know some ex staff including a direct report to Bach and their view is she is very unpleasant to work. I’ve heard similar indirectly

        • RedLogix 4.1.1.1
          21 April 2012 at 2:22 pm

          I’m inclined to agree insider. The ‘incident’ as reported is too light on details and context for me to be at all comfortable saying that this has to be an ‘automatic sacking’ offense. It trivialising when some strong language and a ‘touch on the head’ gets conflated with ‘violence’.

          It seems to me that Bach might well be the wrong person for the job being more of an emotional bully than a physical one (when behaving badly each gender tends to reach for the weapon they are most proficient at using)… and this is the real issue not being addressed here.

  5. captain hook 5
    21 April 2012 at 12:06 pm

    government by the creeps for the creeps.
    its getting creepier kiddies!

  6. Jimmie 6
    21 April 2012 at 12:08 pm

    The judiciary are not immune from it either. When you read the court news in the paper every local unemployed & or poor crim is named in all their glory for convictions for DIC, assault, and other misdemeanors.

    However you have cases like the Dr in Palmy convicted for possessing many child pornography pictures on his computer and he has his name suppressed – as it may have an adverse affect on his work. I mean is this less serious than shop lifting or DIC?

    Or the comedian that is before the courts at the moment………..

    I have a sneaky suspicion that some judges look at dirty, poor, crims and think – he’s a crim -bamm!

    However you have some genteel well dressed middle aged person with a great employment history, who doesn’t look like a stinky crim, and they appear to get favourable treatment.

    Its wrong. Justice is supposed to be blind and should favour no one – doesn’t always happen.

  7. captain hook 7
    21 April 2012 at 1:11 pm

    if they dont punish these people then it is beginning to look like these positions are being bought?
    is that the case?

  8. ghostwhowalksnz 8
    21 April 2012 at 3:15 pm

    Checking the SST list of CEO’s of government departments. She is only one of two who have been in their jobs since 2004. The other being Maarten Weavers of the DPMC. No one has a 8 year contract , so it would be interesting to see what transpired at previous contract renewal time.

  9. Searching 9
    21 April 2012 at 5:39 pm

    Is is correct that Ms Bach’s partner is Rod Lingard?

    If so, would this be the same Rod Lingard?

    http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/angry-unionists-reject-unpleasant-facts-co-112901

    If so, was he giving advice to his partner?

  10. captain hook 10
    21 April 2012 at 5:57 pm

    ok… in this case we take it that she won it on merit but has been steadily slipping inot narcissistic, paranoid pwer tripping that indicates and undrlying pathology not evident at the time and now just because she can.
    she must share a folie a deux with kweewee.
    heavens to murgatroyd.
    its the crazy gang!