Lies make BMW story worse

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, February 16th, 2011 - 37 comments
Categories: bill english, john key, labour - Tags: , , ,

Key says he didn’t know about the BMW purchase. Funny cause on Tuesday, English was taking responsibility: “we could go out and buy second-hand cars but one way or another cars need to be maintained”. The Nats try to blame Labour but the contract Labour signed says replacing the cars was optional without penalty.

37 comments on “Lies make BMW story worse ”

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  1. infused 1
    16 February 2011 at 8:35 pm

    This from NBR:

    A spokesman for Internal Affairs told NZPA there was no requirement to inform the Government about its decision to chose the option of buying new vehicles.

    “It’s our contract, we administer it. Our assessment was it was the best value for money to replace the vehicles now and we got a good deal in the first place and we got a good deal now,” he said.

    “This is just one of many contracts that the department administers on behalf of the Government and once the contract is in place the department simply administers it, our responsibility is to make sure we get good value for money.”

    Link: http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/bmw-contract-good-value-internal-affairs-nn-86149

    yawn.

    • Colonial Viper 1.1
      16 February 2011 at 8:40 pm

      Its a $7M buy, a Minister would still be required to sign off on the purchase order mate.

      • infused 1.1.1
        16 February 2011 at 8:41 pm

        Not if it’s a rolling contract.

        “The department did not think it had to check as it had authority from the former Labour government.”

        • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.1
          16 February 2011 at 8:44 pm

          According to Mallard the rolling contract gave the Govt the option to buy at 3, 4 or 5 years.

          Someone decided 3 years.

          The Minister would have signed that off.

          And oh yeah…English would have Budgeted for it.

          • andy (the other one) 1.1.1.1.1
            16 February 2011 at 8:52 pm

            And oh yeah…English would have Budgeted for it.

            Line by line.

            But I have it on good account that the particular line in the budget got lost down the back of Bill’s couch because he could not afford a cleaner…..

            • lprent 1.1.1.1.1.1
              16 February 2011 at 11:49 pm

              Oh man.. Don’t do that. I laughed so much that the rib pain from the CPR got through the panadol…

            • Jenny 1.1.1.1.1.2
              17 February 2011 at 6:03 am

              No, it got lost down the back of Blinglish’s couch because he wasn’t sure which house he was living in at the time.

              captcha – “spreading” (corruption)

              • ghostwhowalksnz …
                17 February 2011 at 8:06 am

                And English got Key to change the self drive ministerial cars policy, instead of the cars being kept in the ministers electorate they were kept in Wellington.
                A picture is beginning to form…. cars , housing allowance…..

    • Zetetic 1.2
      16 February 2011 at 8:50 pm

      see the bit where I point out that English was taking responsibility for the decision yesterday?

      Yeah. That’s the part that gives a lie to Key’s claims of ignorance.

    • Jim Nald 1.3
      16 February 2011 at 9:05 pm

      Quite frankly, I feel let down by Key and his team.

  2. Jim Nald 2
    16 February 2011 at 9:02 pm

    Something is rotten in the state of New Zealand.

  3. mickysavage 3
    16 February 2011 at 9:19 pm

    There is no way that a $7m contract to purchase luxury cars would not raise the antenna of any competent public servant that would cause them to tell their Minister no matter what the delegations are.

    So either the Minister(s) did not read the memo or someone is telling fibs. Either way this is appalling.

    Helen would never have missed a detail like this.

    I bet the OIAs are hitting public servants’ desks as we talk.

    And where is Timmy? He spent all day saying it was Labour’s fault and with a bit of background information this claim is shot to pieces.

    • orange whip? 3.1
      16 February 2011 at 9:49 pm

      And where is Timmy?…

      “Goodness is that the time? Really must be going”

    • g_man 3.2
      18 February 2011 at 1:46 pm

      Really? Helen Clark would never have missed a detail like this?

      Let’s go back to “Corngate”, when Helen Clark refused to appear before the select committee because “she could shed little light on the controversy”.

      As Prime Minister, she had not been involved in the detail when the controversy broke so it would be difficult for her to add much to the inquiry, she told National Radio, before going on to accuse the Greens of joining National in a smear campaign against her.

      Jeanette Fitzsimons told National Radio the Prime Minister’s appearance before the inquiry would be welcome and would “probably” help the committee’s work. But Helen Clark defended her right not to appear, saying that she had not been deeply involved in the issue. “We had a minister of biosecurity. She ran the issue.”

      “What I am saying is, as Prime Minister, I had an absolutely minimal level of involvement with this,” Helen Clark said.

      She had been informed by a minister about the corn, rang a maize scientist who happened to be her brother-in-law, and had for the following three weeks read brief memos — none of which was longer than a page — from the advisory group within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

      “That was it…. That’s why it’s very difficult for me to add any further light to the issue.”

      • Colonial Viper 3.2.1
        18 February 2011 at 1:51 pm

        I really am hoping that the NATs run with their old Opposition attacks against Helen Clark as a big part of their push in 2011. Talk about being out of bullets, guys.

      • lprent 3.2.2
        18 February 2011 at 2:07 pm

        Read your own comment. Then consider that John Key is the responsible minister in this case. Helen was saying that she was not. I am sure that if you really really try, you’ll realize that there is a difference between being directly responsible like Key as the minister in charge of a portfolio, and only being indirectly responsible as PM

        Or are you really that much of a gormless vacant space?

  4. HC 4
    17 February 2011 at 12:25 am

    Thank you Bill English and JK – you are making an immense contribution to the German economy. I will never forget your great commitment towards BMW. As that country happens to be my native country you are doing exactly the right thing. I am getting more enlightened by the day. NZ is a lost cause and Germany is steaming ahead! So maybe I should rush to the next travel agent and get my ticket back to the Fatherland? There unemployment is at its lowest for so many years. People are doing fine and have a living standard the average Kiwi cannot imagine. So what the F*** am I bothering to put faith into your government and this hopeless lot here? I should bloody well wake up and go for good. There is less to keep me here every day that passes!

  5. Colonial Viper 5
    17 February 2011 at 12:32 am

    Grant Robertson tells it like it is – Ministerial Services under John Key exercised the option for new Beemers

    In the comments on Trevor’s post there are a few things being discussed re the purchase of a new fleet of BMWs that need to be cleared up.

    First that National was “locked into” upgrading the fleet after three years. The PM said this yesterday and various cheerleaders have carried it on today. It is simply not true. Listen to the interview on Checkpoint (starts at 17.50) where a DIA spokesperson confirms that the contract had an option to renew and there was no financial penalty for not doing so.

    Second, the spin about this being an “Internal Affairs” matter. That is an important choice of words from Nats to distance John Key from what is becoming a major issue for them. The part of Internal Affairs that deals with the VIP cars is Ministerial Services. The Minister responsible for Ministerial Services is John Key. This is his patch.

    Looks like John Key is happy telling ordinary NZ’ers that they have to do it hard on his behalf while he himself orders a fleet of new Beemers because the 3 year old ones are not good enough for him.

    http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2011/02/16/obfuscation-on-the-bmws/

    • Jim Nald 5.1
      17 February 2011 at 7:37 am

      More extracts from Key’s memoirs:

      Belt-tightening is not for yourself when you’re in power.
      Belt-tightening is for others when you’re in charge.

    • Speaking Sense to Unions 5.2
      18 February 2011 at 1:59 pm

      funny how Robertson wasn’t telling it like is back last June when he was on the Labour-chaired committee that discussed all this.

      He had no problems back then with replacing the cars. If it’s such an important issue now surely it was even more important back then when he and his Labour colleagues were involved overseeing the money spent on VIP cars.

      • Colonial Viper 5.2.1
        18 February 2011 at 2:09 pm

        Hey S.S. remind me who is the Minister responsible for Ministerial Services again? Oh, its our PM, John KEY!!!

        Perhaps we should put Grant Robertson in charge for the remainder of Key’s term if Key can’t hack the responsibility eh?

      • Bright Red 5.2.2
        18 February 2011 at 2:10 pm

        committees do not write reports objecting to the contents of the Votes that they scrutinise. That’s not how the Budget process works. The Budget is written only by the government, the committees cannot edit it.

        • Speaking Sense to Unions 5.2.2.1
          18 February 2011 at 2:26 pm

          but being a part of that committee he knew the full details of the BMW replacement but made no objection at the time or since. Well, until now. In fact most of the Labour MPs must have known – they did the deal. They all had plenty of time to bring the issue up but chose not to.

  6. chris 6
    17 February 2011 at 7:29 am

    Love the spin that this was a 7 million purchase.

    firstly – thats more than the retail cost of the cars – then you have the gaurenteed buy back of the old cars.

    but keep repeating it – some fool will fall for it.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      17 February 2011 at 8:34 am

      National Ministers are quite happy to STEAL our hard earned money and then have the nerve to spend OUR MONEY on their gold plated tastes.

      And you’re defending them? What does that make you, their (un)paid apologist?

  7. Craig Glen Eden 7
    17 February 2011 at 8:10 am

    Its the perception thats the issue and that use to be Keys strong point, his managed image. Peoples perception was he is just like us bla bla bullshit. Well as the people are finding out Keys (image) is a total front to try and get access to our assets for his rich mates. Key was responsible for this contract and he dropped the ball because his media minders can only manage so much.

    There is another option however Tamaiti’s wild horses!

    Oh no thats right we paid for the wild horse to be caught and then they released them again.WILD HORSES YOU COULDNT DRAG ME AWAY, WILD HORSE…………………Sing it Mickey Sing it, WILD HORSES………….

  8. Jim Nald 8
    17 February 2011 at 8:19 am

    Oh, another extract from Key’s Memoirs:

    Try to claim good value when my Government spends up.
    Blame others, eg beneficiaries, for their “poor choices”.

  9. randal 9
    17 February 2011 at 1:44 pm

    i suppose its one way of making a neanderthal feel important.
    give it a ride in a new car.

  10. gobsmacked 10
    17 February 2011 at 5:49 pm

    Update – the truth is gradually dripping out …

    Key was wrong. The government WAS informed:

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10706971

    Guilty man – Nathan Guy.

    So, what’s the next excuse?

    • gobsmacked 10.1
      17 February 2011 at 6:10 pm

      It gets better … Key had a ride in one of the cars last year! (source: One News).

      But still he says he knew nothing. OK, you keep on digging, John!

    • the sprout 10.2
      17 February 2011 at 6:11 pm

      Indeed, Key actually took a ride in one of the new cars sent last year for a trial.

      So, the PM has been caught in a lie.

      Good work TVNZ’s Jessica Mutch.

      • Pascal's bookie 10.2.1
        17 February 2011 at 6:33 pm

        Tsmitty will be very disappointed I suspect.

        But he’ll cheer up as soon as he invents whatever premiss he needs to make it all Labour’s fault, so don’t you worry about him kids.

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