Open mike 13/09/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 13th, 2010 - 36 comments
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36 comments on “Open mike 13/09/2010 ”

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  1. Bored 1
    13 September 2010 at 8:12 am

    Just had a look at an article on Nikki Kaye, and saw her described as a business woman. What the hell is a businessman or business woman? .

    Strikes me that most “business” types I meet in the course of a “business” day are the functionaries of some corporation or company. They have been co-opted into being part of a “business community” as opposed to being actual owners (bourgeois in Marx speak). And as such they hitch their wagon to the bosses and owners and consider themselves “blue blooded” aspirants to becoming one themselves. Thats where the funny part comes in, bugger all of them ever achieve that status, and they spend their lifes trying to be something that they never become. The sad part is that they align with (and vote) for class interests that fuck them over regularly.

    • Tigger 1.1
      13 September 2010 at 9:27 am

      Can’t see anything on her CV that is particularly ‘businesswoman’ish apart from starting some networking website. The last news on networkme.com dates back to 2008.

      Honestly, the Nats all think they are leaders of industry – instead they’re game show hosts and woodwork teachers. Nothing wrong with that but they seem ashamed of themselves.

  2. The Chairman 2
    13 September 2010 at 8:29 am

    The first concrete step towards holding politicians accountable for leading the nation into financial turmoil?

    Icelandic lawmakers are expected to decide whether to charge the ex-premier and three other former ministers with negligence for their role in the 2008 banking crisis after a parliamentary committee recommended criminal action.

    Punishment for criminal negligence could include fines or up to two years in prison.

    Additionly, a criminal investigation is also under way into the failed banks. Several former bankers have been questioned and some held in custody, however no charges have yet been brought.

    More here: http://tinyurl.com/2euxt6t

    • prism 2.1
      13 September 2010 at 8:52 am

      Yes how can politicians be held accountable for the laws and their effects, that they give birth to?

    • The Chairman 2.2
      13 September 2010 at 9:06 am

      Perhaps even more worryingly: “Several times we had to alert bank chief executives who seemed to be unaware of technical problems in their own systems,” Bollard recalls.

      The book is the governor’s inside story of the financial crisis from the New Zealand perspective, telling just how close the country came to a run on the banks.

      In previous years, Bollard said, he had struggled with the Australian bank boards’ apparent ignorance of New Zealand.

      “Australian board members who had never visited this country sometimes – unhelpfully – formed their views on us based on what they heard in the Australian media. We had therefore encouraged the parent banks to hold occasional board meetings in New Zealand.”

      During the crisis Bollard was also keenly aware that the New Zealand chief executives were all foreign (mainly Australian), “untested in the role, some with little acquaintance with the New Zealand market”. The banks also felt a little at sea politically.

      Revealing more about how his fears of a crisis grew in 2007, Bollard recalls a press conference on the country’s financial stability, in which he held back information he feared would cause panic.

      Earlier in the year, even the big banks were getting nervous when tackled on their part in helping Kiwi families load up on debt, Bollard writes.

      “To my surprise, several bankers agreed that things had got too loose. We obtained assurances that those responsible for the most aggressive promotion of loans – who were most in danger from the falling quality standards – would reform their practices.”

      He shows backbone in facing down the “vigorous protests and table-thumping” of self-interested Australian bank chief executives and also, in 2005, Australia’s treasurer Peter Costello, to defeat what amounted to a back-room attempt to take over New Zealand’s financial regulation.

      Paraphrasing, Bollard recalls Costello saying: “Remember, you sold your banks to us: you don’t own your financial system any more. Leave the regulation to us.”

      Full article here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/business/4117066/Bollard-Arrogant-banks-humbled

  3. joe90 3
    13 September 2010 at 8:49 am

    Bomber nails it.

    Momentum, recruiters for the super shitty executive positions and employers of national party has-beens have shown just how piss poor their recruitment practises are.

    • prism 3.1
      13 September 2010 at 9:31 am

      That answers my questions about the defence appointment!

      I have in memory the figure of $70,000? as the amount paid to some professional appointment agency who obtained a dung-beetle for some job years back. For that amount of money it would be expected that the agency would have spent a fortnight’s solid work searching and then checking their horses (or beetleboms) for handicaps before presenting at the starter gate. Sounds like a sweet deal, great dosh, no responsibility or integrity worries. Nice offices, smart power dressing, wine, coffee, nice luncheons. Yum!

      There is a pattern here. The leaky homes builders followed the same process didn’t they? The NZ body politic is being preyed upon and undermined by borer beetles, then there’s the dung beetles. We’re insect-infested it seems.

      • Bored 3.1.1
        13 September 2010 at 11:53 am

        The Defense scientist appointment required that the appointee had to have top level security clearance from the SIS….they really should be hauled over the coals for this.

    • ABC 3.2
      13 September 2010 at 11:56 am

      Oh come on you can’t blame the system that suports the greed! Without the system, well, people will have to face reality!

      The SIS too, what were they up to? Either didn\’t look (which seems impossible) or didn’t care (more probable). Better a wing nut uncontrollably talking rubbish in public about things that don’t matter than him talking about real secrets. Which turns the whole idea of screening back on itself to what it’s supposed to be: finding out if the person can do the job, not if they fit the personal likeness of the interviewer.

  4. Carol 4
    13 September 2010 at 9:01 am

    Listening to the supercity mayoral debate on Nat Rad. Banks keeps reeling off his CV of political positions in the past. My comment on tha:
    “John, you’ve clearly been around too long, mate. When are we going to see the back of you? Time to move on!”

  5. prism 5
    13 September 2010 at 9:09 am

    DON’T miss out on the three tenors? from Auckland on National Radio with Geoff Robinson and Todd Nile – John Banks, Len Brown, Andrew Williams. Finished now but debate will be on replay.

    A chance to hear and get the feel for level of bombast. John – tourism and infrastructure and trickle down to the poor, Andrew Williams has been overseas with trade and wants to improve Auckland’s trading level, Len Brown involved with everything and sounds stable (unlike John and perhaps Andrew) and like someone who can navigate the difficulties.

    John quoted recent rankings with Vancouver and Auckland equal at 4th for livability but Auckland far below on levels of business and industry. (We of course go into the export section as a three-legged race, after tying ourselves awkwardly into free market policies to protect agriculture, which we then allow to be colonised by overseas investors.)

    One of the good outcomes from this Auckland supercity? There will be a fresh, new view from a powerful business and town lobby that will balance and diverge from the farmers strong, single focus one.

    • Carol 5.1
      13 September 2010 at 9:30 am

      Agree that Brown came across looking good. And Banks seemed a little ratttled, IMO, by the amount of supporting claps Brown’s proposals were getting. Then Banks seemed to try to incorporate a lot of Brown’s popular lines, albeit with a twist towards how business would be the first consideration over responsibility towards the community and their wishes/needs.

      • prism 5.1.1
        13 September 2010 at 9:43 am

        Yes I noted Banks making that commitment of limiting rate rises to inflation that is so appealing to the unthinking. It of course means that nothing new can be done even maintenance would be limited, as it effectively holds the rates to a historical base level. And the CPI is calculated with significant factors left out so it is useful as a comparison of annual price sampling.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1
          13 September 2010 at 11:17 am

          Banks promise to “keep rates rises to the level of inflation” come with a sting in the tail.

          “Private-public partnerships and infrastructure bonds mean increased rates or additional borrowing or a combination of both,” said the Auckland City Mayor, who has kept rates below inflation this term but increased debt by 169 per cent from $322 million to $867 million.

          Your children and grandchildren get to pay for your spending.

    • comedy 5.2
      13 September 2010 at 11:42 am

      “DON’T miss out on the three tenors?”

      shouldn’t that be the three stooges ?

  6. Adrian 6
    13 September 2010 at 10:41 am

    A complete lack of irony from a manic sounding Banks claiming As drop in various world rankings, except livability, which might have something to do with A being the most sparsely populated city in the world. But wasn’t Banks mayor for a lot of those years?

  7. hurr 7
    13 September 2010 at 12:14 pm

    it’s interesting that Banks mentioned Auckland vs Vancouver in livibility. Jarbury did a post on Auckland vs Vancouver in public transport earlier this year. Maybe if our public transport was on par with vancouver we could become the best livible city in the world

    http://transportblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/auck-van.jpg – just look at the difference in trips. Astonishing

    the entire post can be read here http://transportblog.co.nz/2010/04/26/auckland-vs-vancouver/

  8. ianmac 8
    13 September 2010 at 12:29 pm

    Today Matthew Hooten said that Brownlie was well suited to being Minister of Earthquakes because he was a “builder”. I thought Brownlie had been a Woodwork teacher????

  9. mickysavage 9
    13 September 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Banks dropped a clanger today during the Mayoral debate. When confronted on the refusal to fund a swimming pool for Otahuhu and instead paying for the sanding of Judges Bay he said that South Aucklanders used Judges Bay as well. Talk about let them eat cake. This was a Melissa Lee sized clanger,

    • ABC 9.1
      13 September 2010 at 2:40 pm

      LOL the times I’ve been to Judges bay in the summer, no one was using it. I’m sure I would have noticed several bus loads of polynesian fun-lovers BBqing, throwing balls around, singing, dancing and generally lolling about in the water aka Long Bay style. If JB really wants to attract the otahu massive, he’ll need a bigger carpark.

  10. joe90 10
    13 September 2010 at 2:44 pm

    An insurance company nightmare.

    from

    • ianmac 10.1
      13 September 2010 at 5:15 pm

      Spectacular Spain. Pretty weird. In NZ there would be RULES about building here!

      “from” :Wasn’t it John Key who claimed to be just like Obama? Must check his website.

  11. rosy 11
    13 September 2010 at 3:31 pm

    That’s awesome! 🙂

  12. Reality Check 12
    13 September 2010 at 3:41 pm

    watched two great doco’s over the last few days. One called Revolution,

    http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/revolution-1996/series

    and the other called Someone elses Country
    .
    http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/someone-elses-country-1996

    Well worth watching, both deal with the 1984-1990 Labour Government and the 1990-1993 Nats Government and the whole Rogernomics episode.

  13. Jum 13
    13 September 2010 at 5:10 pm

    Captcha SAVING

    The Chairman, 9.06 am – perhaps we could tell more NZers than just this blog about the Australian banks not even visiting New Zealand; that cuts right across the foreign investment strategy of this government – little knowledge of Kiwis’ hopes and dreams and more importantly, little care!

  14. bobo 14
    13 September 2010 at 6:15 pm

    “Key orders investigation into SIS vetting after CV claims”…

    yeah we get an investigation into some obscure public servants cv but nothing on 1.8 billion SCF swifty.. Anyone else read this and thinking how ironic..

  15. ABC 15
    14 September 2010 at 9:37 am

    Far as I know, Key cannot order an investigation. The SIS is governed by legislation that makes it a law unto the law and the comonwealth, not the government of the day.

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