Too much stupid; too little time

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, November 15th, 2012 - 38 comments
Categories: accountability, education, Hekia parata, im/migration - Tags: , , ,

I don’t really have time to write something, but there’s just too much stupid this morning to let it pass.

Nathan Guy apparently thinks being in Chinese Southern’s Frequent Flier program is enough kudos to decide you can enter our country.  I’ve just got Silver status with an airline – it’s really not that hard.  And China’s a big country – a few trips from Shanghai to Xinjiang and you’ll be there – no other country’s visa required.  And this deal’s with an airline they’ve just had to fine for non-compliance over giving security information to be able to assess flights as immigration high-risk or not.  You can see why they’ve kept this deal secret (and it starts next week).  The only Kudos should go to the whistle-blowing immigration official.  I wonder if I’ll get easy entry to China with my fly-buys soon?

Craig Foss and his Novopay system.  We had a system for paying teachers and it worked.  Now 3 months into the fabulous new system National have brought in we have a system that is randomly demoting people, not paying them at all, or having people being paid for teaching in schools in Auckland and Upper Hutt at the same time…  They’ve managed to get the backlog of priority problems down from 8000 a month ago to under 500 now – but no mention of the non-priority problems, those teachers who aren’t complaining hard enough.  There’ll be no compensation for the many, many hours our school staff are having to put into chasing up their pay – and our children’s learning will be suffering while those stressed staff aren’t focussed on them.  Noticeably the Education Ministry isn’t using Novopay for their payroll…

Tariana Turia and unaccountable Whanau Ora.  Apparently the fact that they can’t keep track of outcomes from the millions they’ve spent is an operational issue so she doesn’t need to appear on Radio NZ.  No Tariana: it’s an accountability issue – exactly the sort that should have a minister facing scrutiny (that her and others of this government keep dodging).

Bill English and his Economy.  At least he appeared on Morning Report (only he and Steven Joyce are regularly willing to be held to account, so some credit there).  But he still has no doubt that he’s on the Right Track, even as Westpac and Deutsche Bank say we’re likely heading back into contraction and we have record unemployment.

For more amusing stupid, see Danyl on Hekia Parata.

38 comments on “Too much stupid; too little time ”

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  1. Dv 1
    15 November 2012 at 8:51 am

    Craig Foss Incredible statement that the ability of a school to access another school pay roll info was a simple HUMAN error.
    Does the Nova Pay system not have any security based on pass words etc?

    Langstone on TV3 said that schools needed to ensure accuracy of their data entry.
    I predict that soon the ministry will start blaming the schools for inaccurate data entry.

  2. Darien Fenton 2
    15 November 2012 at 8:53 am

    How about Christopher Finlayson who as new Minister of Labour is changing the criteria for minimum wage setting, so that the only things that matter are inflation and employment. Forget fairness, forget protection, forget income distribution, forget vulnerable workers.

    • King Kong 2.1
      15 November 2012 at 8:57 am

      Forget that the money to pay these increased rates doesn’t grow on trees.

      • Colonial Viper 2.1.1
        15 November 2012 at 9:06 am

        Of course not: employers hate giving up those dollars from their own bank accounts.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.1.2
        15 November 2012 at 8:00 pm

        Na, it gets printed by the banks so that they can then charge interest on it. It’s the true money for nothing scam at the centre of capitalism.

    • Bunji 2.2
      15 November 2012 at 9:01 am

      Sorry, I missed that one Darien. As I said: too much stupid!

    • Rogue Trooper 2.3
      15 November 2012 at 10:45 am

      listened to a Darien Fenton on Rhema last night; comprehensively admirable 🙂

      • Darien Fenton 2.3.1
        15 November 2012 at 12:13 pm

        Thank you – keeping at them.

        • Colonial Viper 2.3.1.1
          15 November 2012 at 12:14 pm

          And thank you very much for giving us feedback on The Standard, its much appreciated.

        • Rogue Trooper 2.3.1.2
          15 November 2012 at 3:50 pm

          you were very patient with the persistant “individualising” of the work availability / minimum wage issues by the interviewer; there is a persistant “Calvinistic” streak in the backbone of many contemporary Christian commentators, part of the problem.

          speaking of which, to broaden my mind and educate myself further in the matters of sociology, political philosophy and theology, at no expense to the “taxpayer” other than legislated income support, I requested 3 interloans through the local city library; a textbook offers contemplation that I find the screen does not, easily accessed notes and references as well. Anyway, $20 each, that’s $60 to read 3 books from a tertiary institute library without registering and associated costs; $60. Wow.
          (the librarian, like most librarians I have met, was understanding and discounted the portion of the fees that were added by the city library) Man! No regular, consistent internet access and associated technological devices and it’s $60.

          I examine this experience within the frame of people who may not have acccess to read texts online; the information technology divide.

          (just imagine how much “knowledge” is squirreled away by the elite/s)
          (like the “entanglement” of sub-atomic particles; absolutely amazing)

  3. Dave Rowe 3
    15 November 2012 at 9:30 am

    Yet this government still leads in the Polls, when well Kiwis get it? This government is divisive, callous and cruel that only the wealthy have benefited from yet so called middle New Zealand still support this government and its loathsome insouciant leader.
    I guess we are a nation that is happy to languish in the doldrums as we seem content to believe Key, English and Joyce and their unfailing faith in the lunacy that is Neo-liberalism.

    • Colonial Viper 3.1
      15 November 2012 at 9:36 am

      Labour must provide clear, credible, real alternative.

    • Dr Terry 3.2
      15 November 2012 at 10:44 am

      Dave – your assessment of this government is quite right. Regrettably, it appears that the “so-called middle New Zealand” is not feeling the bite of terrible decisions and policies – as yet. A lot of people are still feeling comfortable enough in Key’s kingdom, and they believe that given enough time he will “save” them from any possible harm. How much time? Just enough to ensure that they do not feel the pinch that is hurting their fellow beings.

    • Wayne 3.3
      15 November 2012 at 12:12 pm

      Obviously the majority of voters do not see their Govt as “divisive, callous and cruel”. As I noted yesterday if the Left keeps talking like this they are on the way to another defeat.

      It is the mirror image of how many Republicans described Barak Obama, and it blinds you to why the Govt has the appeal that it does. The Republicans simply could not understand why the majority of Americans thought Obama was better, because they had got so used to describing him in extreme terms.

      • One Tāne Huna 3.3.1
        15 November 2012 at 4:18 pm

        “Obviously the majority…” Says who?

        Reality check time:

        The New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows National down 2 percentage points at 41.5 per cent – its lowest level of support in the poll since National took power in 2008.

        Labour was up marginally at 33.5 per cent but the big movers were the Greens on 13.5 per cent (up 2), and NZ First on 6.5 per cent (up 1.5).

        The combined Labour-Green-NZ First vote was 53.5 per cent, the highest combined vote for the three since 2006, giving them a clear majority if an election mirrored those numbers.

        Are reality-based arguments too much to ask?

        We need better wingnuts.

    • Foreign Waka 3.4
      15 November 2012 at 8:16 pm

      I fear the majority won’t cotton on. Not enough time to lift the head from work, work, work. And once the day is over too tired to think, let alone to read etc. Thus an illiterate, real and in political thought, population is created and the status quo maintained without the ruling party having to do anything. Just keep it rolling. Government services are being cut, so the most vocal community is being silenced by fear. Unfortunately, history tells us that under such predicament it will have to be adjunct poverty for all that may provoke any voice of resistance. There are examples of this collective behavior of fear and lethargy in past and present political settings.

      • Colonial Viper 3.4.1
        15 November 2012 at 8:34 pm

        Secret: social revolutions frequently have to be driven by the well resourced middle class and the conscientious, enlightened upper class.

        Check out the family backgrounds of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong for instance.

        • PlanetOrphan 3.4.1.1
          15 November 2012 at 8:38 pm

          Engineered choices bud.

        • Foreign Waka 3.4.1.2
          16 November 2012 at 7:07 pm

          But the reaction of those who a common NZlander would call “bleeding heart” would never have come without having such situation right in front of them. Mind you, both of your examples have lead to abhorrent atrocities and in Mao Zedong case very much beyond any human comprehension. On a par with WWII atrocities – at least. Marx’s ideas have never been fully lived, so we have no real measure on success. However, the envy of the common folk and the military saw to it that structures were just kept as they are – minus royals of cause.

  4. Mark Fletcher 4
    15 November 2012 at 10:33 am

    Re “Now 3 months into the fabulous new system National have brought in ”
    It may have gone live under National but;
    The contract with Novopay was approved in September 2008 by then Education Minister Chris Carter!
    A little disingenuous I think. This is not a party, left-right thing just typical public service bureaucracy.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1
      15 November 2012 at 10:40 am

      Link or reference please.

    • lprent 4.2
      15 November 2012 at 3:25 pm

      Most of the effort with any contract isn’t with the signing – what 2 months before the change of government? It is with making sure that the terms of the contract are complied with.

      So who was looking at that? Tolley and Parata?

      • One Tāne Huna 4.2.1
        15 November 2012 at 4:58 pm

        Tolley and Parata.

        One of them with previous experience in tepid baked beans and the other with previous experience of being a wingnut.

        No wonder the ongoing debacle is such a perfect expression of everything the National Party represents.

  5. Rogue Trooper 5
    15 November 2012 at 10:55 am

    and this assertion that Finlayson possesses “high emotional intelligence”?; if so, which is debateble, manipulatively exercised?

  6. Mark Fletcher 6
    15 November 2012 at 11:04 am

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/7951431/Novopay-problems-Teachers-underpaid-overpaid-not-paid

    “The figure is far larger than the $29.4m capital cost of the system or the figure of $62.4m originally attributed to the contract in 2007, which included seven years’ running costs.”

    2007 Who’s watch?

    http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/novopay-to-cost-taxpayers-over-100m

    “The original contract was signed in September 2008, but the project was delayed for two years while additional testing was done.”

    2008??

    There, two references showing it was under Labour’s watch. But I reiterate “This is not a party, left-right thing just typical public service bureaucracy.”

    I am not trying putting a left/right spin on this just trying to be non-partisan!

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      15 November 2012 at 11:11 am

      These fuck ups are what happens when you layoff the public servants who are supposed to be managing and monitoring the project.

      • BLiP 6.1.1
        15 November 2012 at 12:33 pm

        .

        . . . next thing you know, some wideboy consultants patch up a major computer deal with a company owned by mates of mates who, once the contract has been awared, start the cash grab, divest their interest in the supplier, throw some loose change at the computer fire-power, then scarper. Bit like the “integrated ticketing scam”, really. Still, you gotta admit selling dodgy computer systems to the taxpayer is a basic RWNJ human right. Even when the public service was heaving with staff, there was INCIS. What was the eventual finding, again:

        An independent ministerial inquiry into INCIS, conducted by Dr Francis Small for the Minister of Justice, was completed in November 2000. It was commissioned by the government so that experience gained from the project could be published and used for the benefit of government agencies to successfully manage information technology projects in the future.

        . . . ooops.

    • McFlock 6.2
      15 November 2012 at 2:01 pm

      lol
             
      Continuing the publicservice=incompetent meme is hardly non-partisan.
                   
      To be equally “non-partisan”, the issue is that the private sector provided the public sector with a payroll system that can’t handle new staff, leaving staff, paysheets or leave.
             
      And the public sector has be so decimated that nobody noticed until the last minute.
         
      A handy question to ask would be “how many Ministry of Education staff members were primary contact or liaison personnel with Talent2 between September 2008 and the system going live?”   
         
      I know in the regular occasions my workplace has to contact Wellington public sector offices over the past few years, the culling is so high we almost never get the same contact member twice. 

    • Draco T Bastard 6.3
      15 November 2012 at 8:07 pm

      So, Labour signed the contract and then National fucked it up. Thanks for that clarification.

  7. Mark Fletcher 7
    15 November 2012 at 3:22 pm

    McFlock
    That sounds like an own goal.

    “Continuing the publicservice=incompetent meme is hardly non-partisan”

    In logic using De Morgans Transfomation or even a mathematical double negative:-

    If PublicService = Incompetent = NOT non partisan; then it says that the following must be true

    PublicService = Partisan.

    Maybe that is what you are trying to say after all!

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      15 November 2012 at 3:25 pm

      point to the actual problem: the Tories have cut muscle out of the public service so that it can no longer monitor and control these stupid incompetent overcharging private sector contractors and consultants.

    • McFlock 7.2
      15 November 2012 at 3:35 pm

      Go have a cup of coffee.
          
      If you want to split hairs, there are two other meanings reasonably inferred based on context:
         
      public service = competent = non-partisan; i.e. “in-competent” is a negative assertion of “not competent”, so the entire statement is a triple negative, or
           
      any general claim as to the level of competence of the public service is a partisan statement. 
                    
      But blaming the novopay debacle on “typical public service” is a pretty lazy way of approaching things, anyway. Especially given that the bulk of design and implementation was in the private sector, and under National (and its evisceration of public sector staff). 
             
       

      • Foreign Waka 7.2.1
        15 November 2012 at 8:30 pm

        McFlock, by what I see it would not matter who the culprit is. If I don’t get paid I ask what the problem is for one week. A repeat will make me upset and by the third time I walk out under the proviso that I am not getting paid for the time I spend there. May I also add, that I would take the BEST lawyer I can get to sue the pants of that company. There is an OBLIGATION to remunerate for services rendered. If this is nil and void, NZ just signed up to a new configuration of its political set up. Take your pick what this may be, it wont be a democratic, law and human rights abiding entity.