Posts Tagged ‘expenses’

Limos for me, job cuts for youse

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 pm, February 15th, 2011 - 135 comments

Last week, Key says Kiwis “have to tighten their belts, we have to do the same”. More job cuts for public servants. This week, buying 34 $200,000 limos for him and his mates to replace 3 year old ones. How many teachers would that employ?Not the cars that need replacing after 3 years. It’s this government. Good on Goff for giving up the limos.

I/S on Wong

Written By: - Date published: 5:20 pm, December 3rd, 2010 - 45 comments

Steal $1,500 as a public servant, and you should never work again. Steal $500 by the same method as an MP, and you simply have to repay the money and expect to be back in Cabinet. The message is clear: its one rule for politicians, and one for everyone else.

Labour and Greens lead on transparency

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 3rd, 2010 - 12 comments

Last week Speaker Lockwood Smith rolled back transparency on MPs expenses, by making travel spending secret again.  John Key came out “against” the move.  Yesterday Labour and the Greens called his bluff by releasing their details.  Over to you John, once again you’re too late to lead, but you can still follow…

Rolling back transparency

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, October 30th, 2010 - 43 comments

Last year MPs’ spending was opened up to public scrutiny, and many hailed a “new era” of openness. Well it didn’t last long.  Now MPs’ travel costs are to become secret again.  We won’t get to know about cases like Rodney Hide and Chris Carter.  This will prevent incidents like the Carter witch-hunt. But on balance I have to come down on the side of transparency.  This move to start rolling it back is a mistake.

Banks joins the spenders’ club

Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, June 29th, 2010 - 41 comments

I have very mixed feelings about all this scrutiny of the spending of public figures. However, for the record, Supercity mayoral hopeful John Banks now joins the spending club.

English, Guy, Groser, McCully, & Smith to follow Jones, Carter & Ririnui?

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 pm, June 13th, 2010 - 142 comments

Phil Goff is back in the country and, as predicted, his first move is going to be to take their portfolios off Shane Jones, Chris Carter, and, probably, Mita Ririnui for their misuse of their credit cards. The attention will now turn to the abuses of those who haven’t been punished for their wasteful and greedy use of public money – Tim Groser, Murray McCully, Nathan Guy, Nick Smith, and Bill English. Updated

Labour concedes 2011 election

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, June 13th, 2010 - 56 comments

In a short statement outside the Beehive today Labour leader Phil Goff conceded the 2011 election to National.

Change of tune

Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, June 25th, 2009 - 30 comments

A couple of weeks ago, David Farrar was all for investigating MPs’ expenses here. He was covering the UK scandal in depth. He tired to make a mountain out of a molehill when the Greens released their expenses. Now his tune has suddenly changed. Now he’s going to great lengths to explain the system isn’t […]

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