Cronyism
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- Date published:
8:24 am, December 1st, 2012 - 19 comments
Categories: Ethics, Media, national, politicans -
Tags: antarctica, lobbyists, murray mccully
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”…)
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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.
Meh
Happens with every party
It is only ok when the left does it.
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…..
Whatever big bitch, Labour did it, Nationals doing it and no doubt when Labour get back in they’ll do it again
Yeah, putting Bolger in charge of Kiwibank was Labour party communist cronyism at its worst. /sarc
Kinda like Cullen getting a job with nzpost I suppose
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.
But it does reinforce my point that Labour and National are very similar in certain respects
McFlock
Makes no difference which Minister actually make an appointment – Cabinet has to agree first as they did for Bolger and Cullen respectively.
“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.
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!
Appointing mates of course – but did Labour do it with currently active lobbyists?
You don’t count union reps as lobbyists?
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.
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
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?
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.