Cronyism

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, December 1st, 2012 - 19 comments
Categories: Ethics, Media, national, politicans - Tags: , ,

It appears that Murray McCully is up to his clique-ish Murray–knows–best ways again.

He’s appointed (on Wednesday with a quiet press release in the middle of hobbit fever) his old mate, and Sky political lobbyist Tony O’Brien to the board of Antarctic New Zealand.

What’s that you say?  Lobbying doesn’t have much to do with our interests on the white continent and its surrounding waters?  Neither does Pay TV?

Well apparently Murray feels that Tony will be able to “raise awareness”.

This government’s already appointed the other half of Mark Unsworth‘s lobby firm Barrie Saunders to the board of TVNZ, and former lobbyist Richard Griffin as chairman of Radio New Zealand, so they obviously like to keep their National-leaning lobbyists looked after.  That’s before you get onto them appointing John Key’s electorate Chair onto NZ On Air‘s board; former English/Brash chief of staff Richard Long onto TVNZ’s board; Kerry Prendergast to the Environmental Protection Agency…  So we have a history developing here, particularly among media…

Sky has had a very good ride from this government, as they’ve effectively forced TVNZ to cosy up, and deliver the likes of the Heartland channel Sky only.  Broadcast regulation (like so much with this government) is hands-off.

Now Sky will have someone – who was the network’s executive for its election coverage – working on the inside of government (while still very active lobbying).

It just all gets a bit cosy sometimes…

(Still, at least his Chief Executive got a pay rise of $40,000 in a disastrous leaky year as they cut 79 jobs – so nice as he’s “never done a job for the money”…)

19 comments on “Cronyism ”

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  1. marsman 1
    1 December 2012 at 9:05 am

    And then there is also this from Tom Frewen at SCOOP:-

    “Richard Long Gets Another Tough Job
    Friday, 30 November 2012, 12:24 pm
    Article: Tom Frewen

    Although Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully, publicly announced the appointment of his friend, SKY TV lobbyist Tony O’Brien, to the Antarctic New Zealand management board on Wednesday, he kept quiet about appointing another media friend, former Dominion editor Richard Long, as chairman of the New Zealand-France Friendship Fund in February.

    Created in 1991 during an official visit by prime minister Michel Rocard, the fund finances projects that promote “close and friendly relations between the citizens of France and New Zealand”. The latest annual report shows the fund approved projects worth $195,000 and paid out $11,000 in operating expenses in 2011.

    Projects are evaluated at a joint meeting in Paris in June. Mr Long, who does not speak French, is expected to travel to the French capital to attend his first meeting as chairman next year.”

    And what other sneaky appointments has McCully made. Sneakery seems to be the name of the game for NAct.

  2. Chalupa Batman 2
    1 December 2012 at 9:31 am

    Meh

    Happens with every party

    • OneTrack 2.1
      1 December 2012 at 10:27 am

      It is only ok when the left does it.

      • bbfloyd 2.1.1
        1 December 2012 at 11:03 am

        Chubby boy & one rut…… have you run out of ideas for making silly noises? …Both those efforts qualify as “claytons” comments….as in the comment you make when your mind is vacant of any relevant thought…..

        • Chalupa Batman 2.1.1.1
          1 December 2012 at 11:09 am

          Whatever big bitch, Labour did it, Nationals doing it and no doubt when Labour get back in they’ll do it again

          • McFlock 2.1.1.1.1
            1 December 2012 at 11:38 am

            Yeah, putting Bolger in charge of Kiwibank was Labour party communist cronyism at its worst. /sarc

            • Chalupa Batman 2.1.1.1.1.1
              1 December 2012 at 11:49 am

              Kinda like Cullen getting a job with nzpost I suppose

              • McFlock …
                1 December 2012 at 12:03 pm

                lol fair call, although I’d be intrigued to see the relative comparison between the parties. Especially as Cullen was a Simon Power appointment, not Brownlee or Tolley.

                • Chalupa Batman …
                  1 December 2012 at 12:11 pm

                  But it does reinforce my point that Labour and National are very similar in certain respects

                • Fortran …
                  1 December 2012 at 1:42 pm

                  McFlock

                  Makes no difference which Minister actually make an appointment – Cabinet has to agree first as they did for Bolger and Cullen respectively.

                  • Macro …
                    1 December 2012 at 4:19 pm

                    “Cabinet has to agree first as they did for Bolger and Cullen respectively”

                    not when it’s this crowd.

                    just have a look at the history of their shonkey appointments to see what I mean.

                    But “I’m just lovin it” is happy with that.

          • muzza 2.1.1.1.2
            1 December 2012 at 11:44 am

            CB – Its a strange thing eh, people just can’t understand that the “left/right” is a mirage…

            They’re all in it together, in case its not apparent enough yet!

            NZ is corrupted/broken so far beyond repair, and this article highlighting the appointment of T O’B to the Antarctica Board NZ, only confirms that comments I have made about ChCh, and Antarctica are now filtering out into the public will be in the ball park, not that most will make the link as usual!

          • John Drinnan 2.1.1.1.3
            1 December 2012 at 10:42 pm

            Appointing mates of course – but did Labour do it with currently active lobbyists?

            • insider 2.1.1.1.3.1
              1 December 2012 at 11:46 pm

              You don’t count union reps as lobbyists?

              • kousei …
                1 December 2012 at 11:58 pm

                Sounds a bit like the playground they did it so I can do it. You could split straws about right left apointees forever. I think the point is that corruption is wrong. Anyone who is a professional representative of corporate interest has no business in any government appointed positions whatever bloody flag they are waving. A scumbag remains a scumbag.

  3. John Drinnan 3
    1 December 2012 at 10:46 pm

    The original story was in the cruel dark pages of the allegedly tory apologist NZ herald,
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10850983

    • kousei 3.1
      1 December 2012 at 11:50 pm

      I for one am damn glad that at least one tory apologist has an eye on this sort of stuff. This reeks with the corrupt stench of weasel back room deals and flagrant abuse of power tempered by the fecund slime of flagrant greedy entitlement. What gets my goat is this type of dishonesty does not make the wider public bubble and seethe with anger. The arrogance, ignorance and naked sociopathic ambition of many appointees is open and unashamed. I don’t care where people imagine they reside on a political spectrum. If there is an abuse of power then that is indecent and in a decent society this must be addressed. Where is the outrage?

  4. kousei 4
    1 December 2012 at 11:11 pm

    If the system rewards an a/immoral unethical approach then the players probably believe themselves that they have no conflict of interests. If they ACT in their mates and their own interests then they probably think they have just been incredibly clever.

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