Hoist with his own petard

Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, August 26th, 2009 - 10 comments
Categories: health, Parliament - Tags: ,

Last week, Tony Ryall used his time in the big chair for, surprise, surprise, a little preening. He decided to take credit for the 12,000 more elective surgeries conducted fiscal year, a year in which Labour set the budget and Ryall was only minister for the second half (of which he took one month off)

Well, it came back to bite him yesterday:

Hon Ruth Dyson: If the Minister is happy to take the credit for the increase in elective surgery over the last 12 months, will he now be prepared to take the blame for the 12 percent increase in people waiting longer than 6 months for their first specialist assessment, which is a 12 percent increase since he became the Minister?

Hon TONY RYALL: I am not in a position to confirm or otherwise what the member has said in her question…

Hon Ruth Dyson: If the Minister is happy to take the credit for the increase in elective surgery over the last 12 months, will he now be prepared to take the blame for the 15 percent increase in the number of people who were promised treatment but did not receive it within 6 months, a 15 percent increase since he became the Minister?

Hon TONY RYALL: We would have to check those numbers from the member…

So, taking credit for elective surgeries that Labour funded and overseeing a big increase in waiting lists as minister.

Way to make a dork of yourself, Tony.

10 comments on “Hoist with his own petard ”

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  1. toad 1
    26 August 2009 at 12:04 pm

    Pansy Wong must also be pretty embarrassed by her effort in the House yesterday as Associate ACC Minister. She obviously hadn’t sought a briefing and didn’t know that ACC were going to back down on parts of their proposed clinical pathway for sex abuse survivors only a few hours later.

  2. randal 2
    26 August 2009 at 12:05 pm

    that figures.
    why I gave up watching teevee is because I could not stand his new range of suits.
    what the well dressed MP wears on teevee.
    where does he get them from?
    he has a new one everytime.

  3. vto 3
    26 August 2009 at 12:32 pm

    ha ha that makes me laugh. Its so common of course – like labour claiming credit for the recent boom and laying the bust at the feet of whoever they can find. Does that make labour equal to Tony in the dork-stakes?

    • Maynard J 3.1
      26 August 2009 at 1:07 pm

      I am sure it does in your imagination vto. In the real world, Labour is criticising National’s piss-poor response to said ‘bust’. Labour would be foolish to blame Ryall for these poor stats – but they would be well within reason to blame Tony if National’s reaction was woeful.

      Why must you always assume simple and direct equivalence? I went to work today, but on Sunday I did not. Therefore I am a hypocrite right? That, to me, seems to be your level of insight.

    • Craig Glen Eden 3.2
      26 August 2009 at 1:11 pm

      Firstly when Labour was in control of the purse strings a boom did occur, not to mention decreased Government debt, increased employment. In Ryalls case he was claiming the credit for a increase in elective surgery in a 12 month period when his opposition was in control and therefore presided over half of the time period .

      Do you get it VTO. Take a look in the mirror before you call others a Dork aye!

    • vto 3.3
      26 August 2009 at 5:48 pm

      ha ha you two are nutters. I’m ready to give up on this site – so many double standards, so much turning of blind eyes, so many hypocrites, so little cred, such a waste of time.

      MJ and Craig GE, what are the two of you on about?

      Freakin’ dorksville alright

      • felix 3.3.1
        26 August 2009 at 7:14 pm

        You might as well give up. You came here to “educate some lefties” as I recall, and so far you’ve completely failed us as a teacher.

        Not enough time on your lesson plans perhaps.

        • vto 3.3.1.1
          26 August 2009 at 7:29 pm

          felix, I didn’t come on here to “educate some lefties” as is oft quoted, I came on here to test my own brainwaves.

          Anyway, apologies for the dorksville comment above. As always, I bang something down too quickly and then regret it later. Many of you are clearly good folk with big intelligence (but not much brains hehe). And most of you show compassion and also pretty good humour – more so than other sites thats for sure.

          I will continue to hang around and be a pain no doubt, but I do notice a drop in post quality, and also more badgering of each other – even dear Lew, that most considered and careful poster has been coming in for some grief lately. Maybe it is part of the evolution of blogs.

          The thing that grates the most however is the double standard exhibited and the hypocrisy. Perhaps that is just part of “the scuttlebutt in politics”. It exasperates. Perhaps it is also because there are fewer posts on actual policy matters and more on the people side of politics. I don’t know. Feel free to ignore…

  4. Ianmac 4
    26 August 2009 at 12:35 pm

    I think Ruth had another one involving 20%. And she was not allowed to table the documentation but I guess she still made her point.

  5. Ron 5
    26 August 2009 at 6:36 pm

    The thing Labour needs to be doing is making these points in the front page rather than just in Parliament. The press release should have read: Ryall out of his depth, says Opposition. Then detailed his dorkishness. That would motivate the TV news guys to reshow the clips from parliament

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