Turia on ACC

Written By: - Date published: 3:50 pm, October 21st, 2009 - 8 comments
Categories: ACC, maori party - Tags:

Here’s Tariana Turia on Q&A last Sunday, responding to a question from Guyon Espiner about National’s plans for ACC:

I’m very concerned and one of the reasons why I’m really concerned is that there’s been a lot of talk about privatising the work account. Now the face of it is that’s the only account that actually earns money, brings money in into ACC, if you cut that and you give that out to private enterprise, the fact is the costs in ACC will go up exorbitantly to be able to break even. I’m very concerned about that.

Three days later, she’s changed her position completely:

The Maori Party will not rule out supporting moves to open accident compensation to competition, saying it could benefit Maori providers and have a flow-on effect to Maori workers.

Unprincipled? Easily led? Cynical? Stupid? It’s hard to know what to think about this train wreck of a political party.

[Oh, and if you want some substance go read Marty’s piece. That’s more his thing.]

8 comments on “Turia on ACC ”

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  1. Andrew 1
    21 October 2009 at 4:40 pm

    Good to see the Greens have been slamming the Maori Party on this issue. The MP are completely selling out their constituents just so corporate Iwi groups can get in on the Insurance game it seems. Sue Bradford has made some excellent comments – “Tariana Turia seems to be actually saying privatisation may be a good thing for Maori and I don’t think there’s a shred of evidence for that, and if she looked into what even began to happen back when it was part…ially privatised under National before, she would see the outcomes were really poor particularly for workers with the least bargaining power.”… I just can’t believe that the Maori party would support this legislation.”

    join Save ACC on facebook – link in my name.

  2. Patrick 2
    21 October 2009 at 4:54 pm

    I think this just simply shows what a waste of time identity politics is.

    Turia’s position suggests what is good for rich Maori is good for all Maori but this is just bollocks.

    However, what is good for working class Maori is defintely good for working class Pakeha, working class Pacific people, working class Asians and everyone else apart from the mega rich capitalists.

    • Bill 2.1
      21 October 2009 at 5:26 pm

      Not quite Patrick. What is good for the working class is analysis and policy based on economics/class.

      Race based or gender based policy is no good for white working class males. A link from a post this morning went to a good piece on this. The comment I made this morning with regards to that fact ( somewhat glossed over in the article) bears repeating.

      Race and gender based policies that exclude white working class males open the doors for racist shit stirrers to gain a foothold on the public conciousness.

      edit here’s the link again. http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n16/mich02_.html

  3. Jim McDonald 3
    21 October 2009 at 5:57 pm

    My father used to observe that some people would end up saying anything for the trappings of political office.

  4. Doug 4
    21 October 2009 at 7:54 pm

    Unprincipled? Easily led? Cynical? Stupid? It’s hard to know what to think about this train wreck of a political party. And you forgot to mention “Last Cab of the Rank’. Labour doing themselves no favours for future coalition building, Just keep it up Guys and Girls.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    21 October 2009 at 10:00 pm

    It’s hard to know what to think about this train wreck of a political party.

    It’s a train wreck and the sooner people realise that the better.

    Labour doing themselves no favours for future coalition building,

    This site isn’t Labour – it’s Left which, as can be seen through their actions, the Maori Party definitely isn’t.

  6. Clint Heine 6
    22 October 2009 at 12:50 am

    The very same “train wreck party” that Labour wanted so badly to be partners with. Sour grapes lads?

    • felix 6.1
      22 October 2009 at 1:32 am

      So you have a different interpretation of the two conflicting statements from Turia?

      No, didn’t think so.

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