Government reneges on Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, March 13th, 2011 - 38 comments
Categories: same old national - Tags: ,

Gerry Brownlee promised the West Coast a stimulus package.  “The government” has now ruled that out.  John Key never fronts bad news (see: Christchurch’s hopes of still hosting RWC games) to keep his nice-guy persona shiny, but in this case no-one wants to front it.

Pike River Coal’s 80 contractors and suppliers – many who lost workmates and friends – are owed about $7 million and were told they’d get government help – but instead they seem to be getting government neglect.

The government may yet fund an Events Centre as a memorial to the 29 dead, and try and get as many of the out-of-pocket contractors to work on it as they can.  But the work will be a lot less than the debts the contractors face, and mine workers aren’t necessarily Events Centre builders.

The question has to be asked – if the government is willing to leave the victims of the Pike River disaster in the lurch, how much can those in Christchurch trust the government’s promises to look after them?

38 comments on “Government reneges on Pike River ”

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  1. tc 1
    13 March 2011 at 9:00 am

    You can trust brand key as much as you can trust any banker. The GFC has shown this lot to be without shame or morality

  2. vto 2
    13 March 2011 at 9:49 am

    Key is on a hiding to nothing imo. This will cement the return to the Coast’s political roots that the tragedy began.

    If fact, I wonder whether Key is now fretting and that this is one of the reasons the memorial service for Christchurch is being carried out with undue haste. Key wants rebuild etc to get underway asap lest the despair of the looming long winter cements the same return to political roots in Christchurch’s east. And southeast, always a close one.

    Has anyone adequately explained the reason for the undue haste of the memorial?? It is way too soon. Foolish to such an extent that I am left in wonder. And hence doubt.

    • IrishBill 2.1
      13 March 2011 at 10:04 am

      My suspicion is that the government wants a symbolic event because that’s what they are comfortable with – symbolism.

      I note that Key is backpedaling on the stimulus package now and claiming there may still be one (despite not having any detailed official advice on one) his use of the phrase “kicking around some ideas” is so inappropriate it would be funny if the matter wasn’t so serious. Key is fast becoming the Ricky Gervais of politics.

    • handle 2.2
      13 March 2011 at 10:10 am

      Undue haste?
      The prince was free that day? The photo opportunity rules.

    • ianmac 2.3
      13 March 2011 at 10:11 am

      The Prince was going to visit the Australian flood aftermath. Key team saw a photo-op so invited the Prince here as well, not because the timing was right, but because it fitted in with the Prince’s planned trip and to avoid clashing with the Prince’s wedding plans. Think of the opportunity to be photographed snuggling up to a Royal!

    • bbfloyd 2.4
      13 March 2011 at 11:26 am

      vto… as far as i can judge, it was to take advantage of williams visit downunder. another great photo op.

      • vto 2.4.1
        13 March 2011 at 12:53 pm

        Well if the memorial service was designed to fit around Prince William’s visit then that is appalling. Good to know where the residents of Christchurch fit into the scheme of things.

        It would be interesting to know Key’s given reason for this date.

    • James 2.5
      13 March 2011 at 3:44 pm

      It seems the timing of the memorial day & service was prompted by Prince William’s visit down under initially to pay respects to flood-ravaged Queensland. The opportunity for a photo-op with royalty was undoubtedly too good to miss. Very few people in ChCh I’ve spoken to seem to think that this is an appropriate time,

      • vto 2.5.1
        13 March 2011 at 4:04 pm

        James, I do not know of one who thinks it is right. The opinions range from “its just dumb and ignorant” to “well, its gotta be done sometime, at least it helps us move on… etc” (i.e. making excuses while knowing it is wrong).

        What a wanker Key is if he has done it to fit in with Prince William.

  3. Fisiani 3
    13 March 2011 at 10:56 am

    Remind me. How much borrowed money did Phil Goff say Labour would impose on taxpayers to splash around on the West Coast purely to try to win back the West Coast electorate and attempt to win in November.
    Was it a) $50 million
    b)$100 million
    c)$500 million
    d)$5000 million

    • Pascal's bookie 3.1
      13 March 2011 at 11:13 am

      Remind me. John Key gave a widely praised speech in Greymouth that was said to appropriately capture the mood of the Nation with regard to the west coast after the PRC disaster. Did he say:

      a) “A country where we are our all our brothers keeper.”

      b) “The cake is a lie”

      c) “The coasters are self reliant people who do not need or ask for assistance, and we will not be delivering any.”

      d) “I would like to take this opportunity to ask the people of the west coast if they would like to come up see my etchings? Now watch me fuck this cat.”

      • Lanthanide 3.1.1
        13 March 2011 at 12:29 pm

        I’m not sure if GLADoS would be a worse PM or not. She’d definitely insist on scientific rigour for all decisions made, but she’s probably a bit more psychopathic than John Key is.

      • about 3.1.2
        13 March 2011 at 5:41 pm

        it was D Now watch me fuck this cat.
        Gerry(Cat) Brownlee
        Why you up for a bit Fisicat

    • Mac1 3.2
      13 March 2011 at 11:19 am

      Fisiani, you disappoint me- no reference to your glorious leader, as you normally do.

      But then, he didn’t front on the issue of reneging either.

      As for your comment, your point (apart from diversion) relating to the post is?

      • bbfloyd 3.2.1
        13 March 2011 at 11:41 am

        mac…. you know you shouldn’t mock the afflicted… fisiani has a rare form of turettes syndrome…

        he is relatively normal untill he is challenged to think with his cerebrum rather than his rump.

      • Rob 3.2.2
        13 March 2011 at 11:42 am

        Doesn’t disppoint me. His posts serve as a regular reminder why I’ll never vote National again.

        I’d rather see money splashed around in communities suffering from disaster than splashed around on new BMW’s, providing deferred loans to media companies, bailing out finance companies or giving tax cuts to high-income earners.

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    13 March 2011 at 11:03 am

    This government will happily leave the entire country in the lurch as long as they can give themselves tax cuts…

    • bbfloyd 4.1
      13 March 2011 at 11:50 am

      but not before sorting out career options for after the shit hits the fan..(ambassador,consultant, standup comedian,etc)

      • todd 4.1.1
        13 March 2011 at 5:04 pm

        One has to wonder how much damage a lack of proper leadership and blatant lying to score cheap political points is going to cause this country. If these people are willing to lie to those most in need of help while giving their rich mates financial benefits at the taxpayers expense, I wouldn’t put anything past them. It’s no laughing matter, Shonkey would fail as a comedian just as he is failing as a leader.

    • Deadly_NZ 4.2
      14 March 2011 at 12:38 am

      And how far up shit creek in a barbed wire canoe are we going to be if Key and his Larcenous mates steal/sell our power stations????

  5. g says 5
    13 March 2011 at 12:10 pm

    the hypocricy continues because if you are to question politicians at the time as to their motives you are told ….this is not the time for politics… and yet that is exactly what they appear to be doing… photo op after photo op…
    at the time (pike river) the idea that the state would stand by these workers and contractors seemed appropriate and right (and politically expedient). now it doesnt seem to fit into the budget.

    • bbfloyd 5.1
      13 March 2011 at 12:42 pm

      G….. “the budget” is a political expediency itself. it will be used as camouflage to cover asset/income stripping whenever the public start to question the motives of the nat govts actions…

      traditional national m.o. traditional media complience helping to cheer it on.

  6. JohnDee 6
    13 March 2011 at 12:35 pm

    Whow Fisi, so of topic and so out of rhetoric.

  7. Treetop 7
    13 March 2011 at 12:56 pm

    Keys agenda is that he is not worried about small business. Only the fat cats e.g. power companies, Fletchers, Fonterra … The six week package for small business in Christchurch is to decrease the unemployment figures as this will give some people the chance to find work else where.

  8. Irascible 8
    13 March 2011 at 3:06 pm

    Key has lost the ball on Pike River, he will soon lose the ball on Christchurch as soon as he has been photographed shaking hands with a Willie in Hagley Park.
    His next game will be from the Ohio State Governor’s playbook as he works to destroy the NZ economy in the name of asset stripping in an “emergency.”

    • joe90 8.1
      13 March 2011 at 3:23 pm

      Maddow on how democracy is being dismantled state by state..

      • bbfloyd 8.1.1
        13 March 2011 at 9:26 pm

        frightening to think that decades of struggle to give workers a bit of dignity and hope for a better future for their children could be wiped out…. my heart goes out to the hero’s of wisconsin

  9. Jum 9
    13 March 2011 at 8:06 pm

    captcha: manipulation – and so it goes on – Hide, the honest face of JKeyll, tells us that we should be welcoming the open cast mining of Pike River Mine. Is there no depths that this government will not stoop to to make their money from misery?

    Hide actually got starry eyed as he rattled off the billions to be made on the grave of the workers.

    Really sick-making.

    • handle 9.1
      13 March 2011 at 8:09 pm

      Pike River is not geotechnically right for open cast mining anyway. Hide is just a blowhard.

      • Jum 9.1.1
        13 March 2011 at 8:21 pm

        Handle – the important point here is that He is Key’s voice, just as he was for the Auckland asset takeover. Key is the idiot ‘blowhard’. It’s all about money, honey.

  10. Jenny 10
    14 March 2011 at 9:00 pm

    “If blood be the price of your accursed wealth then we have bought it fair.” Banner carried by unemployed hunger marchers to parliament in the Great Depression.

    “Why should we stop mining because of a couple of accidents.” Rodney Hide

    3 News, Sunday, March 13

    The words of a callous, self centred, political thug who as part of this government reneged on the promise to give a stimulus package to West Coast. And now in obscene disrespect of the dead and in defiance of the democratic will of the majority of New Zealanders, is now calling for an open cast mine.

    This political representative of the greedy knows nothing of respect, decency democracy, or honesty.

    All this parasite can see is the profits that can be made from this dirty and dangerous 19th Century technology for the wealthy investors parasites who will never have to enter a mine themselves.

    Environmentalists and mining families should join together to say the price is to high and demand that the original promised aid should be sent to the coast to fund sustainable 21st Century sustainable industries, so that young men no longer have to risk their lives in this 19th Century industry that is also destroying our planet.

    Environmentalists and miners should unite to demand that the government honour their original commitment to the West Coast.

    Let’s tell this rat bag, “Pike River is closed for business”

  11. Maggie 11
    15 March 2011 at 3:21 am

    This is the type of mess which results from having a government stacked with Miinisters who make policy on the run and constantly tell people what they want to hear.

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