Nathan Guy a bully

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, May 25th, 2013 - 23 comments
Categories: International, public services, trade - Tags: , ,

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has been quick to try and blame his own staff for the Chinese meat fiasco:

‘Simple’ mistake has Guy disappointed in officials

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has heaped blame for a major Chinese trade block at the feet of his officials. …

“I’m very disappointed in my officials, issuing export certification is really their core business and I’m disappointed in how this issue has come to bear,” he said.

Responsibility? Leadership? Somebody lend Guy a dictionary so he can look them up. Fortunately opposition parties and the PSA have responded:
Minister ‘must take responsibility’ for meat saga
Bad form for minister to humiliate officials – PSA

The whole mess looks like yet another unintended consequence of the Nats’ war on the public service. They have cut at least 168 jobs in the Ministry for Primary Industries. If mistakes are being made it is no wonder – and the blame for this fiasco lies with National’s cuts.

23 comments on “Nathan Guy a bully ”

  1. mac1 1

    Standard ‘blame somebody else’ tactics for bullies and liars. Saw it all the time as a teacher. A tactic that has been used by this Government before, I seem to remember. Blame the Ministry officials, blame the earthquake, blame the Canterbury voters, blame the beneficiaries, blame the Opposition….

    All blame, and no responsibility.

  2. fender 2

    It’s embarrassing to live in the electorate where this Guy buffoon is the representative in parliament. It is obvious that those who voted for him were just doing so because they always vote National, as he has no talent for politics and he comes across as a rather simple fool. I’ve been here since 1990 and have had to put up with these Nat f***wits like Roger Sowry and Dumb Guy for too long. If Labour can get the non-voters motivated I’m sure the extra 5,000 votes will be forthcoming for Peter Foster or whoever gets the task.

    C’mon Otaki voters it’s time to rise up against these inept, buck-passing mono-browed Neanderthals.

    • ghostrider888 2.1

      he certainly does come across as “a rather simple fool” indeed.

    • freedom 2.2

      campaign trail 2011, main street Levin,
      Nathan Guy, his wife and a couple of others are out campaigning.
      He and his wife are wearing their “I’m a Key person” T-shirts
      He pops out of one store all smiles and hands, looks across at myself and steps forward
      I politely ask “Mr Guy, may I ask you a question about National party policy?”
      his reply? (as he pivots away and heads off down the street)

      “No”

      sums the guy up really

      • Anne 2.2.1

        “Mr Guy, may I ask you a question about National party policy?”
        his reply? (as he pivots away and heads off down the street)

        “No”

        Well of course he said “No”. He didn’t know what National’s policies were.

    • paul andersen 2.3

      yes < Im embarrassed to say guy is my m.p. as well. he has sat on his hands over the palmeston to welly train , and jumped from position to position over various different roading plans, claiming responsibilty for the levin health centre, but is mostly known here for being the simple looking person who sits behind key in parliament.

  3. David H 3

    Yep as an electorate MP he’s worse than useless. Makes me wonder why he pays rent on his main street office, he’s never there.

    • Tim 3.1

      I’m afraid the Guy was actually cut from the same cloth as Aaron Gilmore – he’s just not quite as crass. If he hadn’t joined National, he’d have gone totally feral by now. Sounds harsh and judgemental I know – (I have no problem throwing judgemental evaluations back at judgemental, bully boys that can dish it, but can’t take it) – but I suspect his getting ‘respectable’ is down to a wife that liked a bit of rough trade.
      The Nactional Party has become a bit of a strange beast really. A mixture of old money – those that ‘know’ they’re ‘classy in their own minds, AND the crass, nouveau riche – a la :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHo2pXO_XAI -as I referred to elsewhere.
      Guy is JUST as capable of displaying a sense of entitlement, crassness, holier than thou displays at certain Indian restaurants on what he regards as ‘his’ turf as was Hanmer Aaron

      • Murray Olsen 3.1.1

        I can imagine Paul Holmes and that other toxic creep Paul Henry behaving almost exactly like that.

      • xtasy 3.1.2

        Aaron Gilmore by the way went to Hanmer Springs over a decade far too late. He is a prime candidate for addiction treatment, and had Queen Mary Hospital at Hanmer Springs been allowed to continue operating, he would have been better accommodated there than at that expensive hotel, where he rubbished and intimidated an innocent waiter.

        How bizarre, how bizarre, how bizarre history plays out, on “historic” grounds and localities.

  4. ghostrider888 4

    well, He’s mates with another ‘bully”

    “Why are our rivers so polluted?
    Ask Steven Joyce”
    http://www.3news.co.nz/Campaign-blames-Joyce-for-river-pollution/tabid/1160/articleID/299039/Default.aspx

  5. ianmac 5

    Yes Anthony. Wondered about the effect of staff cuts. Probably getting one person to do what two did before. Stressful and mistake likely.

    • NattyM 5.1

      Not only getting one person to do the job of two or three but they’ve got rid of the people with detailed, specific institutional knowledge so you have people with generic knowledge and skills. All this on the sacrificial ideological altar of centralisation and consolidation. No matter how disastrous, the government won’t fess up that it’s a dog’s breakfast and there are huge hidden costs that NEVER show up in the detailed business cases because the consultants are busy sucking up to the government and only telling them what they want to hear. Fearless, objective public servants – a lost breed!

  6. fabregas4 6

    Just weeks ago Guy and Key were in China on a trade mission (holiday) and returned trumpeting how successful this relationship building was. Guy was critisised because it was in the middle of a series of drought problems you will recall. Now a problem occurs, for what ever reason, and the worth of this trip is confirmed – nil. To be fair it is unlikely that any of these jaunts are really of much worth but it is galling that Key especially talks as if his visits are the panacea to our problems and that he is the messiah.

    • freedom 6.1

      I notice the papers are reticent to mention the China visit when publishing the press statements

  7. Saarbo 7

    Nathan Guy is your classical born to rule National Party wanker.

  8. xtasy 8

    I strongly support the position by the PSA, that Guy should not have publicly laid any blame, until a proper investigation has been conducted, and until a final report with findings on that is presented.

    But we know, this government does not go by the rule books, as it is all about ministers wanting to do things the way they want, and as it pleases them. All else are wrong, but themselves.

    Nathan Guy has thus proved he lacks the skills and qualifications to be Minister for Primary Industries.

  9. BLiP 9

    Nathan is, indeed, a bully. Its a part of the National Ltd™ culture and comes straight from the top. Remember when John Key get his panties bunched about the purchase of the BMWs?

    – the decision to buy brand new BMWs was made by the Department of Internal Affairs without reference either to their minister or to me

    – I didn’t have a clue that Ministerial Services, which I am in charge of, was going to buy brand new BMWs

    – even though two of my ministers knew all about it, I didn’t have a clue that brand new BMWs were being bought.

    – even though my Chief of Staff met with officials to discuss purchase of the the brand new BMWs, I didn’t have a clue

    – even though I personally signed papers discussing the matter, I still didn’t have a clue

    – Labour forced us into buying the brand new BMWs, its their fault

    – ummm, look, sorry about that BMW thing , it was because I was so upset about the death of a New Zealand soldier, and Julia Gillard was visiting too

    . . . wasn’t his fault either. This latest National Ltd™ fuck up looks like it will eventually unravel along similar lines. I’m sure there was a statement somewhere along the line that this matter had been raised by officials but not, according to Nathan, with sufficient rigour?

    • Dv 9.1

      The OIA requests of advice to the minister would be interesting.
      Any one doing them?

  10. tc 10

    Is NACT is bully

  11. tracey 11

    If the performance is so poor that he feels he needs to publicly shame them, why has he not sacked any?

    It seems odd that a letterhead issue would take this long to sort with the Chinese? was it not a priority for them (the Chinese I mean)? Anyone else noticed how one-sided the FT agreements with some countries and us are?

    It was almost like Guy blamed the staff then said he would need to do an investigation. WTF? How can you know who is to blame before you investigate? Unless you are Judith Collins of course.

  12. Roy 12

    For a Minister to blame his officials for a screw-up seems to be a short-sighted tactic that may backfire badly.

  13. David 13

    Was the name change project contracted out?

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