No room for Roger

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, February 2nd, 2009 - 8 comments
Categories: act, maori party, national/act government - Tags: , , , ,

Roger Kerr from the Business Roundtable is full of advice for the Government’s upcoming jobs summit in today’s Dom Post. Which is unfortunate for Rog’, because according to my sources he won’t be getting an invite. Neither will Alasdair Thompson, the mildly unhinged chief executive of EMA Northern who famously lost his rag against Trevor Mallard on Morning Report last year.

Apparently the summit’s organisers are determined to get an outcome and are afraid that unless they keep the fringe nutters out it’s going to be a talkfest and ultimately a PR disaster. There’s no question that this is a very smart move, but I do wonder how the right of National’s caucus, not to mention Rodney Hide, will react to such a public snubbing.

See, the conventional wisdom so far has been that the first split in the Government will come from the Maori Party, but we’ve all seen how quickly Pita Sharples has warmed to his new role as the pliant face of the Maori business elite.

If you’re looking for splits, look no further than the tension between the political pragmatists currently in control of National, and the ideological purists both inside the party and in ACT. The jobs summit could be an interesting first test.

UPDATE: My sources tell me the organisers of the summit have relented and decided to allow Roger Kerr to take part after all. Oh well, I guess you can’t have everything in this world.

8 comments on “No room for Roger ”

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  1. mike 1
    2 February 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Today is truely a red letter day !!

    I very rarely find myself agreeing with almost anything posted on this blog – but today I have to agree with the comments re Kerr and Thompson. These two have been a long lasting embarrasment to anyone who wants some form of professionalism in the leadership of business and employment.

  2. vibenna 2
    2 February 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Speaking of jobs, I’ve just called for a freeze in the minimum wage at vibenna.wordpress.com. If you disagree with my logic, please feel free to try to put me right.

  3. Daveski 3
    2 February 2009 at 2:04 pm

    Tane: … [W]e’ve all seen how quickly Pita Sharples has warmed to his new role as the pliant face of the Maori business elite.

    From what I’ve read, you’ve got it completely wrong.

    Who would have thought this time last year that National and the MP could walk on to Ratana Pa – the spiritual home of Labour’s Maori support base – and Labour get a flea in the ear?

    Who would have thought that a National Party PM would be warmly welcomed onto Waitangi. Clark’s archilles heel was Waitangi and I have some sympathy for what she had to deal with.

    However, to paint the achievements of National and Maori in such a negative light is paternalistic at best given the lack of genuine progress Maori perceived under Labour.

    I’m happy to admit its all buddy-buddy at present and little in the way of concrete progress – but it is early days. More importantly, the importance of relationships is vital in Maoridom and this is where Key has scored big time.

    Having said that, I do agree that Key does appear to be taking the centrist path and “risk” alienating the right but the right has nowhere else to go.

  4. rave 4
    2 February 2009 at 2:10 pm

    The so-called centrism is driven by need not ideology. The bosses need to pose as centrists so saving their profits and hides are presented as a public service. Behind the wanker smiles are the grasping hands of big business. Roger is a known grasper so he’s kept in the back office. But he’s not far away. After all underarm Aussie banks and NZ fed farmers who want to divert the Waterview tunnel money into Canterbury irrigation are all pulling for the nation arnt they? Without money were fucked, without water were fucked, so why not just get fucked and enjoy it. Anyway were all Keynesians arnt we, lets have a barbie in the middle of the road even if the road goes nowhere.

  5. Julie 5
    2 February 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Any ideas who is on the invite list from the union movement?

  6. northpaw 6
    2 February 2009 at 3:42 pm

    vibenna,

    you wanna freeze yo wages at wordpress, go ahead, they’ll love it..

    Rave,

    you’ll have to quit making me laff.. a barbie on the road to nowhere.. gee-wizz!

    re the topic, wasn’t that the roger on the radio yesterday arvo…. at first I thought it was a party political broadcast on behalf of the roundtable.. at the cultural icon Te Papa..? Then a string of forethoughts surfaced and in answer to the question of why and what the heck.. (was he and the other feller about) I had gotten an impression of they wanted Maoris with or without pita sharples and the other MPs to shore up their subliminal notion of a pacific-based Austria.. [ yeah, more than a few bright sparks know about the deliberate corporate colonization of small populations.. face it, with the internet and broadband comms upcoming just any place on earth will do for this kind of game theory app. ]

  7. vto 7
    2 February 2009 at 4:51 pm

    it’s all political charades so what is to be expected? all players mentioned in the post, whether in govt or otherwise, will recognise this and play their hand according to their own organisation’s, and their own personal, future.

    does anyone seriously expect seriousness out of this?

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