November 2010

I was living in Melbourne in 1999 when Jeff Kennett got the arse and Steve Bracks tipped out the Liberal led coalition. It was a close run thing then and hung on the independents. I had actually met Jeff Kennett a couple of months before he lost. This year is also a close run thing, but the lefts vote has collapsed and there has been a significant swing to the Coalition.

One of those who enabled Labor to control Victoria for 11 years was Craig Ingram and he has just been tipped out himself as the collapse of the left is being analysed.

HE WAS the abalone diver from Mallacoota who became a kingmaker in 1999 when, as one of the three independents holding the balance of power in Spring Street, Craig Ingram rejected Jeff Kennett and gave the nod to Steve Bracks and the ALP.

After the 2006 poll he was the lone independent remaining at Spring Street. Last night, Mr Ingram, only the sixth member to represent Gippsland East since its establishment in 1889, lost his seat to the Nationals’ Tim Bull.

Expressing disappointment with the result, he said it had been a privilege to represent the electorate for 11 years, and he slammed the campaigning of the Nationals.

”The National Party were dishonest, but that’s fine, politics is a full-contact blood sport. I’m not bitter, I accept that it’s the nature of politics,” he said.

I love that last line. It shows the true nature of a politician, and one who fights hard in Australian politics.

One thing about this campaign in Victoria though that has shown through is that negative campaigning does work. The thing about negative campaigning is that it is the most honest because it has to be true. The coalition attrited Labor by telling the truth about them.

Still, Labor never quite believed that Victorians, in a good economy, would bring themselves to choose Ted Baillieu, a man they derided as a sook and a cry-baby.

In the end, with the government’s sheer longevity weighing it down, Baillieu did not have to convince voters to vote for him, he simply had to encourage them to vote against the government. Labor strategists knew this, and they watched nervously as the Coalition successfully articulated the government’s failures in a relentlessly negative campaign.

Long serving governments always come a gutser eventually as voters weary of them. The incumbents also become arrogant and self centred. Labour, here in New Zealand was the same. After nine years of believing that they had made a difference they were aghast to be shown the door. Some ins labour still can’t believe it and sincerely believe that the voters simply erred. Until they can show some contrition then they aren’t going to be back in power anytime soon. the fact that they remain silent on Philip Field speaks volumes.

Back to Australia though and the Victorian result. What is also stunning is the slaughter of the green vote.

THE GREENS’ bid to make history by winning their first ever seat in State Parliament’s lower house appeared to be in tatters last night, with Labor retaining its stronghold across the inner city on the back of Liberal Party preferences.

While the Greens were last night refusing to concede defeat – pointing out that many pre-poll votes remained uncounted – party leaders admitted it was unlikely they would defeat Labor in the prized seats of Melbourne, Richmond, Brunswick and Northcote.

With only half the votes counted by 10pm last night, Labor’s Education Minister Bronwyn Pike was well ahead of Greens candidate Brian Walters in the seat of Melbourne. Housing Minister Richard Wynne was also on track to retain Richmond ahead of Greens candidate Kathleen Maltzahn, while Labor candidate Jane Garrett, the mayor of Yarra, looked set for her first tilt in State Parliament after pushing ahead of Greens candidate Cyndi Dawes. Further north, in the notionally safe Labor seat of Northcote, Brumby government parliamentary secretary Fiona Richardson was easily ahead of Greens candidate Anne Martinelli. Federal Greens leader Bob Brown blamed the Liberals’ decision to preference the Greens last on their how to vote cards as the reason they were outpolled.

I love the preference system, though it takes forever to count it really can be effective,especially when voters want to keep nutters at bay. In this instance in Victoria Liberals consistently ranked Green candidates last, destroying any hope that they would hold the balance of power and in fact shattering them utterly in Victoria. What makes the result for the greens particularly galling is the fact that many Labor politicians only retained their seats off of the back of Green preferences. Victoria has comprehensively rejected Green politics, a significant factor was probably the blame for the many deaths in the Victorian bushfires because of green policies and tomfoolery that ultimately cost lives.

The counting continues in Victoria but Labor can’t form a government, they don’t have enough seats.

Almost 24 hours after polls closed, the result has yet to be declared, but is likely to hinge on counting of early votes in the suburban seat of Bentleigh, where the coalition is close to claiming the 45th seat it needs for majority government.

A defiant Premier John Brumby was refusing to concede defeat on Sunday and will wait until a record 550,000 early votes have been counted.

But the Liberal-Nationals are growing in confidence that the election is theirs and are poised to end Labor’s 11-year reign.

With three quarters of the vote counted, the coalition has won as many as 44 of the 88 upper house seats. At best Labor has 43.

A downcast Mr Brumby admitted it was ”extremely unlikely” Labor would achieve majority government, but said he won’t concede defeat until all pre-poll votes are counted, which will not happen until Monday at the earliest.

Hopefully the Coalition has helped embattled Victorians cast aside the shackles of 11 years of Labor rule.

Phil Goff has had a brilliant idea.

The Labour Leader tells the former National party leader to stop whinging and do something about his opinions on the Government

Labour leader Phil Goff believes former National party leader Don Brash should stop complaining about the economy and try and do something proactive about it.

Doctor Brash took a swipe at the Government at a speech in Orewa last night, saying the economic decline and worsening race relations are putting the country at risk.

But Phil Goff told Newstalk ZB that if Doctor Brash thinks his party has sold out on its values and principles, he should have the courage and conviction to set up his own party, “put forward what he believes in to the public, and test out how much support he has for his ideas.” He says that would be a better approach than just whinging.

Of course Phil Goff neglects to mention that the last time Don Brash was leading a party with fresh economic ideas he was vilified by Goff’s party and then lader Helen Clark a “cancerous and corrosive”.

Labour is all about playing the man and not the ball. However Phil Goff does, for once, have a good idea. If Don Brash did re-enter New Zealand politics then presumably he would feature again in the preferred PM stakes. Then we would see who is whinging. Phil might finish fourth behind the PM, Helen Clark and Don Brash.

That might be a bit hard to explain to the media Phil, but hey I’m sure Don Brash would love to kick your ass too.

It looks like John Key is going to have to have a cabinet re-shuffle.

I have already blogged on this and note I have already called for David Carter’s useless carcass to be flayed.

It should now be booted out the back door after an appalling lack of judgement on his part in ignoring the religious beliefs of one people over the trade interests of another group, ironically with similar religious beliefs around the killing of animals. Not only that he was horribly conflicted in making the decision.

A farming company part-owned by a Cabinet minister was able to give him a briefing about how the Government could protect its lucrative trade with Muslim countries by banning Jewish slaughtering. (shechita)

Agriculture Minister David Carter supported the recommended law change but had to back down days before he was to be taken to court to justify it.

It is the second time this year Crown lawyers have had to leap to the defence of one of Parliament’s wealthiest MPs – and this time in a case in which he was forced to admit getting basic facts wrong.

Carter was being sued by the Auckland Hebrew Congregation for changing the law in May to make traditional Jewish slaughter of animals illegal. The case was set to begin in the High Court at Wellington tomorrow – until an embarrassing backdown by Carter who on Friday overturned the ban he asked Cabinet to support.

Clearly Carter hasn’t passed around the blank envelope, his usual method of hushing up people, because people are squawking.

He has had far too many close shaves and this must surely be the final straw.

Questions surely must be being asked too about the ongoing management inside the Key ministry. These types of woeful decisions-making were nipped in the bud by the over-arching control of chief of staff heather Simpson in the Clark ministry. There appears no such controls from the 9th floor under National.

It would seem that ministers under Key are operating in silos, with little or no co-operation with each other. This may well be fine in the corporate sector where talent is spectacularly rewarded and incompetence punished swiftly. It isn’t the same in politics, where the talent pool is car park puddle shallow and getting rid of the idiots and fools not as simple as handing them a rubbish bag and showing them the door.

With Wong, and Simon Power and now Carter seemingly operating willy-nilly with no controls it would point out clearly that something isn’t right in the Beehive. Hell, Simon Power even went and did a deal with Labour to rob us of our freedoms and didn’t even put it to caucus first, at least Labour’s caucus got a say in the deal.

National needs to seriously start looking at its leadership and finding some strength otherwise its jelly like spine may well collapse under the strain. Maybe John Key needs to perform his own shechita on some of his more inept and foolish ministers. I’d cut Simon Power‘s throat sooner rather than later before he costs National the election.

With less than a month to go it is timely to consider Christmas shopping and presents for politicians.

I was prompted by an email from a loyal reader who spotted this at  Surprises in Sylvia Park for $13…they suggested it might be something to send Simon Power.

I wonder if the National caucus does a secret santa thingy?

Christmas present for Simon Power

Leigh Auton is set to get his pay off for his obfuscation and delaying tactics over the still secret Volare dinner.

The boss of Auckland mayor Len Brown’s former council looks set to get a top position in the new Super City council.

Leigh Auton, who received a $171,700 redundancy cheque when he left Manukau City Council in October as chief executive, decided not to apply for a job at the Auckland Council, saying he would instead setup a consultancy business.

In December last year he formed Auton and Associates Ltd which he runs from his Manukau home.

But now Fairfax can reveal Auton could be appointed director of the Property Council Controlled Organisation (CCO).

At the CCO appointments committee next Thursday the $35,000 appointment will be debated and voted on. It is understood Brown wants Auton in the job.

Auckland Council insiders have said the agenda item will be held behind closed doors during a confidential segment of the meeting.

This man has no place on a CCO. Like Len Brown he has truth issues. He ran interference and was still running interference for Len Brown right up until the polls closed by refusing to answer questions put to him by the Ombudsmen’s Office over the still secret Volare dinner. Leigh Auton and Len Brown were prepared to die in a ditch over Volare and now the pay off for Auton’s tricky behaviour seems to be a cushy board placement to augment his 6 figure pay out for finishing his contract.

There is no way he should be in consideration and there is no way that the decision to appoint him should be behind closed doors. What has happened to Len’s promises of open-ness and transparency that he campaigned on?

Len’s other pal in line for CCO jobs, Gary Troup, is also one of those enjoyed a joint birthday lunch paid for by Manukau City ratepayers to the tune of $244. Oh what a nice cosy coincidence.

Len Brown campaigned on opening the books, yet he stills maintains his silence over the last set of books he maintained along with Leigh Auton.

This came in via the tipline:

Not sure of when or where but mildly amusing that the Police manage to spike their own car.

This guy  isn’t.

The editor of the NBR has launched into Simon Power and National over his/their egregious betrayal of New Zealanders by stitching up a back-room deal with Labour to suppress our right to freedom of speech.

The worst fears that MMP has had a dampening effect on decision-making have been realised in the “consensus” on new electoral funding laws and the reported back bill on next year’s referendum.

On the former, the government has made a deal with Labour that retains some of the worst features of the notorious legislation that National successfully campaigned against.

This includes a $300,000 limit on campaign spending by so-called “promoters” or third parties. This is a little more than double that Labour’s law had imposed ($120,000).

National originally proposed no limit but this has been traded off for a higher level before party donations have to revealed. Disclosure would instead now apply only to donations above $15,000 (previously $10,000).

Other changes are equally mean-spirited and inhibiting of public debate, which suggests the writing of electoral legislation remains largely to further the self-serving needs of politicians rather than what’s in the public interest.

Most lobbyists from the Left, and their parties, see danger in any form of political funding (ecxept their own). Despite a lack of hard evidence, they associate large donations with political paybacks (for their wealthier opponents).

The public has never accepted this and it is disappointing to see the revamped law is only marginally better than the one that was a major contributor to Labour’s demise in the 2008 election.

Nevil Gibson blames the MMP environment for this, I think that is overly harsh. The real problem is liberal, wet, panty-waists like Simon Power who stand for nothing and fall for everything.

However one overlooked aspect is the spiking of any attempt to mount a campaign against MMP by Simon Power. He is of course a big proponent of the system that has ham-strung New Zealand ever since it was foisted upon us. The very system that was supposed to protect us from the excesses of politicians has been masterfully manipulated by them, both sides of the house to maintain their arrogant hegemony. Now because of Simon Power‘s treachery we can’t even mount a campaign against the system that so cripples our nation.

The money question also undermines the final form of the MMP referendum bill. The same $300,000 “third party” cap has been imposed, presumably to limit any campaign against MMP.

It is assumed, of course, that this would be mounted by a well-funded business-backed lobby, though signs of one are not yet apparent.

A review of MMP is said to be high on the agenda for some in the event it is retained in the first referendum. This review would attempt to reduce some of MMP’s worst features, such as weak electoral candidates still getting into Parliament through the list, and a party having more electoral seats than its proportional vote.

Also, it is likely some would favour a change in the threshold, which at the last election allowed Act to get four seats because it had an electoral seat, even though it polled below the 5% mark, while New Zealand First got no seats but received more votes.

Excluded from the review are other issues where public feeling runs counter to the political establishment – the future of the Maori seats, which effectively double the vote of those on that roll compared with the general roll, and the overall number of MPs.

Pro-MMP campaigners will be keen to highlight this review in defence of a system they say should be “improved” rather than discarded.

We are being systematically shut down and controlled by politicians who wish that people like me would just STFU. All Simon Power has now done is provide a mechanism for labour or any other anti-democratic politician in his mold to easily lower the threshold from the arbitrary $300,000 limit he has booby-trapped into the legislation.

Good job. The man that Michael Cullen said was guilty of nothing more than being helpful to his constituents and the man that Labour only sacked from the party when he hinted he might go independent has had his appeal chucked out.

Disgraced former politician Phillip Field has failed to overturn his conviction on fraud charges or have his six-year jail sentence reduced.

Field was jailed in October last year after being convicted by a jury in the High Court in Auckland of 11 charges of bribery and corruption as a Member of Parliament and 15 charges of perverting the course of justice.

Labour still hasn’t apologoised for his actions as a minister and as an MP that lead to his corruption charges.

All they have ever done is acknowledge the verdict.

At the time of the incredibly rigged Ingram Report Michael Cullen had this to say about the situation;

If that is what he is guilty of, then I am sure he is happy to plead guilty to working hard on behalf of his constituents.

Michael Cullen, of course, went on to obstruct the Privileges Committee to help out Winston Raymond Peters, 65, unemployed of Herne Bay. He certainly knows his corruption.

Movember is nearly over, there are just 4 days to go.

The month has been dominated by tragic news on the West Coast. Nevertheless I said I would support Movember and so continue onwards.

This is a cause I feel strongly about and I’m asking you to support my efforts by making a donation to me.  To help, you can either:

•    Click this link http://nz.movember.com/donate/your-details/member_id/17568/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account
•    Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation,’ referencing my Registration Number 17568 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 12708, Wellington, 6144

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Movember - Day 26