What a balls-up

Written By: - Date published: 12:38 am, October 15th, 2009 - 22 comments
Categories: maori party, national/act government - Tags:

Competent government’s a bit like oil in your car’s engine. It’s easy to take it for granted – until it’s not there.

Look at the mess this bunch have made of a simple broadcasting rights deal.

We’re going to have the six major games live on four channels, three of them free-to-air. Isn’t that just a little nuts? And what’s all this going to cost?

fiscal prudence, Tory-style

fiscal prudence, Tory-style

According to Colin Espiner, the original TVNZ/Tv3/Sky bid was $3 million. With the money Sharples nicked from TPK, Maori TV bid $5 million. If the IRB rejected the $3 million bid, and $5 million was what Maori TV thought it had to pay to get rights for broadcast on one channel, what are we, the taxpayers, going to end up paying the IRB to put it on three channels at once? You don’t think they’ll just give away the additional rights do you?

Honestly, the Nats couldn’t have made a bigger cock up of this if they tried.

It’s not Sharples fault. He’s just the scapegoat. It’s the useless Nats. Te Heuheu had delegated responsibility but didn’t think to follow up about it with other ministers. Coleman and Key learned about the offer over a month ago and let it go ahead while English and McCully tried to scuttle it. Key suddenly back-flipped when he feared losing the racists. Then he back-flipped again to avoid the Maori Party walking away from the coalition. That Key dude should be an Olympic diver, he’s so quick with the back flips.

Now we’re left with this silly deal that’s going to cost the taxpayer a packet.

It would just be nice if the Tories could just get their act together enough to govern without tying themselves in knots. Is that so much to ask?

22 comments on “What a balls-up ”

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  1. infused 1
    15 October 2009 at 7:16 am

    To be honest, it shouldn’t be tax payer funded at all. Want to watch it? Get Sky. You have to pay to go see the game, why should you get it free on TV?

    Like on talkback yesterday. I think people overestimate how much we really like rugby anymore. It’s our national sport you say? Give me a break.

    • lprent 1.1
      15 October 2009 at 7:18 am

      My god – something that we agree on…

      • toad 1.1.1
        15 October 2009 at 7:34 am

        And me.

        If the taxpayer is to be funding any rugby at all, it should be kids’ rugby to encourage higher levels of fitness among our youngsters. Lots of kids don’t play any sport because their parents can’t afford the equipment and club fees.

        Rugby World Cup is big business. Why the hell should the taxpayer be subsidising it. And for those who don’t have pay TV but want to watch the RWC games, the local Cossie Club or RSA will be screening all of them.

        • Herodotus 1.1.1.1
          15 October 2009 at 8:53 am

          Rugby on TV 1,3 Maori & sky. It will feel like an election again, when you cannot miss a party political broardcast no matter how hard you try !!
          Yes Toad agree we should spend the $$ at base roots level. Of line but the same applies to Education spend the $$ at the front end not tertiary, but that will be another days discussion.

        • outofbed 1.1.1.2
          15 October 2009 at 9:18 am

          I am fed up with hearing about the Rugby world cup already with 2 years to go.
          I dread 2011 when it actually happens and the consequent angst when NZ are knocked over by a bad ref decision and the fact that didn’t have enough pacific islanders playing for them.

          For the duration I am going to go one off to one of the 170 countries in the world who have never heard of the game

          • BLiP 1.1.1.2.1
            15 October 2009 at 9:30 am

            Yeah me too. I wonder if there will be a “house-swap” website where those stupid enough and rich enough to come all the way here for a game of footie can make contact with locals? Could be a good wee earner – say $100 for checking out the digs and putting the parties in contact with each other.

            Wouldn’t mind a month in London with free accommodation. Otherwise, I’m off to Samoa for a holiday when the Cup’s on.

            • outofbed 1.1.1.2.1.1
              15 October 2009 at 9:39 am

              Yes I was walking in Christchurch yesterday and In Cathedral Square is a huge electronic billboard counting down the days hours minutes and seconds
              WTF

            • Rob 1.1.1.2.1.2
              15 October 2009 at 11:28 am

              I think the people of Samoa will be pretty interested in their teams performance in the World Cup.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2
      15 October 2009 at 12:52 pm

      Yep, if you want to watch professional rugby – pay for it yourselves.

  2. lprent 2
    15 October 2009 at 7:16 am

    Frigging hell. I don’t care much about the rugby, but throwing taxpayer money around for something as ephemeral as a game during a recession strikes me as stupidity of the highest order.

    On top of the dosh spent on Eden park, that white elephant for the game party at the wharf, and the various public transport upgrades (if Joyce gets off his acre and finds the replacement money that he promised and never delivered after dumping the regional fuel tax)….

    The transport upgrades are useful long term. The rest is just stupid. But this whole exercise has been rather futile.

  3. mike 3
    15 October 2009 at 7:33 am

    The whole thing was just a set up to show off JK’s immence deal breaking talents.
    As Audrey states this morning

    “Prime Minister John Key has just shown why he is Prime Minister.His intervention yesterday in the debacle over the Rugby World Cup was perfectly timed.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10603273

    Labour must be spewing..

    • mickysavage 3.1
      15 October 2009 at 7:56 am

      You really think so?

      All I see is a coalition agreement with a number of cracks in it, some rascism bubbling to the surface and considerable cabinet tension.

      It is an issue where National will no matter what annoy its two main support groups, the rednecks and the fiscal conservatives.

      Key’s efforts are to apply a band aid and keep his fingers crossed.

    • Ron 3.2
      15 October 2009 at 7:58 am

      She’s kidding, right?
      The only leadership Key has shown on this issue is to bang a couple of heads together at the last minute to try and avoid looking like a complete fool.
      Where on earth has he been for the last four months?! Oh, that’s right, making a fool of himself on Letterman.
      This debacle makes NZ look stupid, is going to cost the country more that the $5mill MTV bid.
      Coleman, Key, English and McCully are now telling lies about their involvement and knowledge about the various bids. Key might think he looked like the deal breaker on telly yesterday. He actually looked like a fool.

      • Tigger 3.2.1
        15 October 2009 at 8:32 am

        Audrey Young are you on crack?! Key’s poor leadership and relationship management skills caused this mess. Perfect timing for what – so the public can see him as a great unifier? I threw up when I read that piece. It is so thinly disguised as a love letter to Key – and full of inaccuracies and spin. She needs to burn her press credentials – they’re meaningless.

        What are we left with here – as others point out the taxpayer is paying for games, some of which are going on TV3 – owned by a foreign company – a huge amount of racial discord has been encouraged and our government has been worrying about a damn rugby tournament instead of things it should be focussing on. You know, like the economy, the environment – just stuff like that…

    • BLiP 3.3
      15 October 2009 at 8:39 am

      Yeah – saw that. Audrey is not really being very consistent. Given John Key’s lie in the House yesterday, you’d think she might be just a little angry but I guess Key’s fundamental dishonesty is only important when its her being lied to and not Parliament.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.4
      15 October 2009 at 12:56 pm

      He (Jonkey) might not be able to smell trouble in advance but he knows when to start running.

      I think that is far more accurate.

  4. travellerev 4
    15 October 2009 at 8:03 am

    You know it really is the old give them bread and games really isn’t it.
    They gave us the old divide and conquer yesterday when they announced that rape victims (they asked for it) needed to be evaluated for Mental problems and Criminals (lockem up and throw away the key) and people attempting to commit suicide (harden up) should not be able to count on ACC so why are we surprised.

    He who gives the games and bread wins. Can’t have the Maori’s be seen to do that now can we?
    A bit of a drop there for Cosby and Textor in the PR department.

  5. Scribe 5
    15 October 2009 at 9:17 am

    It has been fiasco, but I was glad to hear John Key admitting that ministers could have done things better. Not something that we saw much of in the previous nine years.

    • Craig Glen Eden 5.1
      15 October 2009 at 10:36 am

      This lot are so incompetent sorry does not quite cut it.

      They spend more time plotting how they can take our coin and put it in their own bank accounts and paying back their mates than doing their jobs.

      Sorry is fine when a genuine error has occurred, sorry does not cover for corruption or incompetence.

      So many mistakes in such little time!

  6. Ianmac 6
    15 October 2009 at 11:37 am

    “They say” that the spinoff is worth millions to the NZ economy to have the RWC. I can never get my head around just what the spin-off is? I know that hotels and transport and cafes win but how about the general population? During the Americas Cup the business near the Viaduct made heaps but those in the suburbs dropped in income.
    And Toad good idea about funding junior sport though I am staggered at the cost of sports trips far and wide! Kids need to go to Australia to play Junior grade sport? If you can afford it!

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      15 October 2009 at 1:04 pm

      I know that hotels and transport and cafes win but how about the general population?

      In theory it brings more money into the system increasing the multiplier effect due to those people who directly benefit have to spend the money elsewhere. Considering that the neo-liberal theory has very little connection to reality and even that seems to be more by chance than anything…

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