National and the Kiwi aversion to arrogance

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, August 2nd, 2014 - 35 comments
Categories: election 2014, national, same old national - Tags: , ,

Let's feed the kids, Otara breakfast courtesy of Mana Party

The past week has seen a reversal in fortunes for the major political parties.  I think that National’s attacks on David Cunliffe have been too well planned and too cynical and people are now seeing through this.  They have started to realise that they are witnessing a cynical hatchet job on David Cunliffe.  More and more people that I talk to have had their sense of fair play upset and they believe that they are being manipulated.

And National has until recently been very good at making it appear to be Labour lite and to hide those traditional tory behaviours that really turn ordinary kiwis off.  But a number of recent examples have trashed this carefully crafted veneer.

If you ever needed confirmation that National is out of touch recent examples of rich largesse at our expense will provide it.

News broke earlier this week that Simon Bridges had authorised $237,000 of taxpayer funds being used to wine and dine and accommodate eleven oil company executives.  The money was spent on four nights’ luxury accommodation, a sailing trip and attending two games during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

From the Herald:

Mr Bridges said the RWC was a great marketing opportunity, and called the oil and gas promotional budget “very modest”.

“The proof is in the pudding. Here in the last couple of years we’ve had $1.3 billion in 2012, and $1.5 billion last year, spent on exploration, which will yield dividends for New Zealand.”

He said although this investment did not see job creation from oil and gas production, there were other benefits.

“You’re still talking about hotels in Dunedin being full, in Taranaki rental car companies selling out, that sort of thing.”

Greens leader Russel Norman had things in a better perspective, likening the spend as bordering on sycophancy.

“Simon Bridges seems happy to give oil executives first-class treatment while our precious environment gets third-class treatment.”

He said Mr Bridges was being disingenuous with figures in the billions across the whole sector, as only Statoil had been given a permit.

“This is a slush fund for the pollution economy. And clearly in this case, it sounds like it didn’t even work.”

The money could have provided 160,000 breakfasts for poor kids or provided 800 kids with school breakfasts for a year.  It is clear where National’s priorities are.

The impression of largesse was unfortunately reinforced by the release of Ministerial and MPs expenses on the last sitting day of Parliament.  Murray McCully’s spending is phenomenal and one of the visa card bills did confirm that he had internet access while in New York.  Tim Groser’s spend was similarly large.  You really have to wonder why Ministers on quarter of a million dollars a year each rely on us to pay their booze bill.

As Idiot Savant puts it:

This isn’t acceptable. No private business would let its staff drink on expenses like this, and we shouldn’t either. If McCully wants a piss-up, he can pay for it out of his $268,500 salary.

To top things off Claudette Hauiti somehow spent over $30,000 on travel and accommodation during the three month period covered by the return.  This is, to put it mildly, not a good look for the lowest ranked National MP.

If National really wants to win this election it needs to slip back into CT inspired Labour lite.  And cut out big spending on our tab.

35 comments on “National and the Kiwi aversion to arrogance ”

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  1. jepenseque 1
    2 August 2014 at 10:57 am

    I’m a likely national voter. Hauiti’s spending in particular is a shocker. The others not so much. If it is legitimate part entertaining people you are trying to encourage to do something then that’s fine. Its how the world always has worked.

    • David H 1.1
      2 August 2014 at 11:14 am

      What half pissed, on the Taxpayers dollar, whilst collecting a salary that’s out of most Kiwi’s wildest dreams?

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2
      2 August 2014 at 1:08 pm

      So I can go down the road and put a massive piss up on the taxpayers because I want to get my friends to do something and that’s ok because that’s how the worlds always worked?

      Yeah, see, that’s called corruption.

    • locus 1.3
      3 August 2014 at 4:04 am

      oil companies don’t get influenced in their business decisions by being wined and dined! To pay for exploration on the other side of the world they need to know that there will be tax breaks, low enough royalties and sufficiently easy regulatory conditions to make it all worthwhile.

      This wasn’t just a waste of money for the NZ taxpayer, it was a promise of future give-aways.

      The oil barons would have been laughing behind their hands at the sycophancy, delighted to be having a blast at someone else’s expense, and to be making frinds with the very people who make judgements on handing out exploration permits and who monitor regulatory compliance.

  2. veutoviper 2
    2 August 2014 at 11:22 am

    Re Hauiti, perhaps Grahame McCready should take up Bob Jones ‘ offer to fund legal action against Hauiti in this Herald ‘opinion piece’ a few days ago. (Perhaps ‘call his bluff’ would be more appropriate.)

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11300478

    Heightening the entertainment, fraudster, tax cheat and bankrupt Graham McCready, having failed with his bribery and corruption charges against the much put-upon Len Brown, lodged similar nonsensical claims against the Prime Minister, the police and some senior public servants. If he directed his attention to Claudette Hauiti, whose spending of public funds has been euphemistically described as “misuse”, why, I’d pay his costs.

    Bold is mine.

    Perhaps Penny Bright or bad12 can speak to McCready about Jones’ ‘offer’.

  3. Enough is Enough 3
    2 August 2014 at 12:21 pm

    This is venturing into ‘concern troll’ territory.

    National is doing what they will always do. Looking after their core supporters. We need to do the same and make real promises to our core supporters. Positive messages about how great we can make this country together.

  4. srylands 4
    2 August 2014 at 12:31 pm

    Chris Carter

  5. felix 5
    2 August 2014 at 12:42 pm

    And every year these bastards increase the tax on the drinks they get for free.

  6. Heather Tanguay 6
    2 August 2014 at 1:08 pm

    Speaking about arrogance and the public getting tired of it, the display by Joyce on The Nation this morning had to be the height of rude arrogance.

  7. Jrobin 7
    2 August 2014 at 1:36 pm

    Joyce displaying again why only the most desperately right wing women will be voting National. Bullying, mocking with cackles of deranged sporadic laughter. He must be feeling the pressure as this was Colin Craig territory in terms of personal charisma. Actually Craig just went up one notch for standing up against the sale of Lochinver station. Dita de Boni hit nail on head Government by Intimidation , Herald yesterday. Great illustration of the avaricious mr Key too.

  8. Jepenseque 8
    2 August 2014 at 1:47 pm

    One can just imagine trade minister Goff negotiating with the Japanese agriculture minister for access for nz goods. In a windowless room lit by a florescent tube with a pitcher of water and a dry bread crust.

  9. karol 9
    2 August 2014 at 2:39 pm

    There’s a Nat billboard at the top of Waikumete Hill, on the Great North Road in West Auckland. There’s some graffiti on it, so it reads:

    Nationaloil

    Took a photo.

    On the booze bill, interesting that John Key took the pledge on his recent holiday in Hawaii, in order to be teetotal and focused throughout the election campaign.

  10. Jimc 10
    2 August 2014 at 3:25 pm

    The thing is it’s not national that is underming Cunliffe it’s his own caucuse which many of you were saying just last week .

  11. Clemgeopin 11
    2 August 2014 at 3:42 pm

    “If McCully wants a piss-up, he can pay for it out of his $268,500 salary”
    Yes, he should and the next Labour led progressive government should review and change the perk entitlements.

    There are so many excessively wealthy individuals, millionaires and billionaires in the country exploiting resources, government help, low taxes, low ages, worker rights etc YET, they make a GREAT AMOUNT of arguments and excuses for refusing to raise the minimum wage to $16 per hour and to make moves to bring in a living wage soon!

    It should be MANDATORY for every rich prick to live on the minimum wage for one week in a year in some slum sort of a home with his/her family to understand what it takes to bring up a family.

    If a business can not afford to pay the reasonable wage, they should NOT DO business exploiting workers. Some one else will do that business. The market will adjust, won’t it? That IS the neo lib philosophy anyway. No one is asking them to unreasonably raise the hourly rate to McCully’s hourly rate.

    Having sold our perpetual income producing profitable and very essential power companies, the buggers are selling more and more of our homes and land to non resident foreigners!
    MUST stop these RWNJ greedy traitors now! I think Labour, Greens, Internet-Mana and NZF are committed to that. Not sure about the CONS actual policy on this.

    • srylands 11.1
      2 August 2014 at 4:28 pm

      I think you should calm down.

      Just to take two of your points. The rate of increase in the MW is about the same under this government as it was under 9 years of Helen’s Government. Sure some years are different but overall steady increases to take the NZ rate to the highest in the world. So a bit of perspective please. Nothing much will change under a new Government. (The only practical change would be to reduce the MW for the young but that aint happening sadly)

      http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/pay/minimumwage/previousminimum.asp

      On land sales, seeing through your xenophobic rant, the OIA that regulates these sales was designed by Michael Cullen and is largely unchanged.

      Despite your rants, we actually have a left Government in place now. Which is why they are popular and which is why you are frustrated

      I will leave it to other commentators to address your other points. However they are equally built on the false premise that we have a “right” Government in NZ. It is simply not the case. We have a left wing Government.

      • tricledrown 11.1.1
        2 August 2014 at 6:07 pm

        yeah right 5 spylands so why do we have the highest housing costs inequality child poverty child abuse declining education outcomes now since National was elected.
        cynical but pathetic propaganda spylands.

      • Draco T Bastard 11.1.2
        2 August 2014 at 6:25 pm

        On land sales, seeing through your xenophobic rant, the OIA that regulates these sales was designed by Michael Cullen and is largely unchanged.

        And is pretty much as ignored now as it was then. We should not be selling our land to anyone offshore. And, yes, I include ex-pat NZ citizens in that.

        Despite your rants, we actually have a left Government in place now.

        No we don’t. We’ve had radical right-wing governments in place since 1984. You’re just more delusional than even they have been which makes you disbelieve reality.

      • felix 11.1.3
        2 August 2014 at 6:25 pm

        I think it’s cute that S Rylands uses the 5th Labour govt as a benchmark representing the absolute peak of what it’s possible to do to improve society.

        Ain’t seen nothing yet, S.

      • McFlock 11.1.4
        2 August 2014 at 6:27 pm

        The rate of increase in the MW is about the same under this government as it was under 9 years of Helen’s Government.

        well, your first point is bullshit: according to your source, lab increased the adult minimum wage by ~6% per year on average, and the youth/newEntrantrate by ~9%.

        Compared with National increasing each by 3% each per year. ‘Half the rate’ and ‘a third of the rate’ are not “about the same rate”.

        But then you think nact are a “left” government, so it’s not surprising you’d be fucking dense in other areas, too.

      • dave 11.1.5
        11 August 2014 at 2:39 pm

        Scum lands is that all you’ve got things will be the same under labour got news for you no it won’t for one thing you bastard will be paying your fair share of tax and if you are are avoiding it watch out!

    • anker 11.2
      2 August 2014 at 4:47 pm

      1000 + Clem

    • Murray Olsen 11.3
      3 August 2014 at 2:55 am

      Only one week a year? How about 51?

      On topic: I hope it is becoming obvious to more people how arrogant they are and how little they have to back it up with. All mouth and no trousers, or something like that. In Joyce’s case, he came across as arrogant and demented. He was like the nutter at the pub that everyone tries to avoid.

  12. Tracey 12
    2 August 2014 at 4:10 pm

    MS

    you sound very optimisti, is this all because of one poll?

  13. reason 13
    2 August 2014 at 5:59 pm

    McCully must be close to being an alcoholic.

    And Nick Smith just looks like one.

    Bit of rehab for both maybe ?.

  14. Wayne 14
    2 August 2014 at 9:15 pm

    Of course no Labour Trade or Foreign Affairs Minister ever took his or her guests out to dinner.

    I know there is an election on, but it is really pathetic to suggest that only the Nats ever entertain, but by implication Labour does not.

    From my experience when hosting overseas, it is all organized by officials, or at least it was in my case (and as Min of Defence I travelled a lot). And the officials just seemed to do what they had always done.

    Unless you are suggesting that the officials have a secret set of protocols that state the when Labour is in power there will be no entertaining or any dinners, other than fish and chips, but with National Ministers in office it is all Michelin 5 star. Surely such a document is discoverable under the OIA.

    • mickysavage 14.1
      2 August 2014 at 9:20 pm

      I am happy Wayne for Phil Goff’s expense records to be compared to Murray McCully’s …

    • Murray Olsen 14.2
      3 August 2014 at 3:03 am

      Your posts are getting increasingly desperate, Wayne. You never used to resort immediately to straw man type arguments. Are you a little rattled? Maybe you should be, since this NAct regime is unwinding so fast.

  15. Adrian 15
    2 August 2014 at 9:37 pm

    Thousands on the piss-fridge in Grosers room in the Mid- east somewhere Wayne. Legless and creating a disturbance on an AirNZ flight last year. Thats only entertaining himself.