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Deluded Greens

by Whaleoil on December 22, 2011

The Greens and other whingers are thinking they can try and stop asset sales via a Citizens Initiated Referendum.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said talks were under way to try to force a citizens’ referendum on asset sales.

“We are prepared to be part of such a coalition. We have already spoken to some organisations about this idea and there is preliminary interest,” Dr Norman said. “The people of New Zealand want to keep our assets in public ownership. Working together, we can mount a campaign to do just that.

“It is time for the voice of the people to override the voice of the Government on this issue.”

The Greens should give Bob McCroskie a call to find out just how tough it is to get a successful CIR through. Quite apart from the fact that government routinely ignore such referenda. Both Labour and National ignored the people with regard to the smacking referendum.

What makes Russel Norman think that this government will be any different. In a ny case it will take months and months to organise the signatures, another month or so to verify the signatures and then the referendum needs to scheduled some months later. Once the referendum is held, and several million doallrs later the government will still ignore them because they campaigned on asset sales and they won the election, end of story.

If the Greens and Labour want to die in a ditch over this then they should go right ahead. At least it is an arguably better cause than opposing VSM.

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  • Anonymous

    Agreed. It’s nothing more than grandstanding and points-scoring.

    • Troy

      And Winston scored a bruiser on the Greens, and correctly so, when throughout Norman’s reply he talked about Christ, FFS, the Greens are really fucked up and his co-leader, she’s just a fucking twit.  i wonder how much of her salary she donates to the poor, hypocritical bitch.

  • Pete George

    This is farcical. Party post election hissy fits via referendum?

    What happened to the three big Green election issues? They won’t join government to try and progress any of those, so they start to champion Labour’s one and only big failure.

    You couldn’t get a much more mild asset privatisation programme.

    • Mully

      Yeah – the Greens have yet to realise it’s better to be inside the tent pissing out, than “morally” outside the tent trying to piss in. It’s all very well to have these “goals” for Outer Roa, but not if you’re not in parliament.

  • Biggles

    They’d do far better if they organised a binding referendum to make CIRs binding.

  • Paddles83

    I think the GREENS forgot who WON the Election  

  • Gazzaw

    Nothing less than political posturing BUT you can bet your bottom dollar that TV One, TV3 and the Pravda will give it their best biassed attention. I can hear the breathless TV One headline now:

    “PM ignores the wishes of the people. Russel Norman said today ……………….”

     

  • Anonymous

    It is perhaps true that many people don’t want to sell our assets, dispite that they still returned JK and the NP to governement indicating that they accept the necessity.

    • Mully

      Dead right. That was my thinking.

  • MrV

    I’m all for direct democracy, provided we drasticallly reduce the size of central govt, devolve the power of taxation and many govt services to the regions (ala the Swiss model). All legislation can can be challenged by referendum with sufficient signatures, having up to 4 such referendum per year.
     
    Bet you won’t see the Greens dying in a ditch for such a style of democracy though they wouldn’t be able to get any of their kooky ideas through ever.

  • middleagedwhiteguy

    The voice of the people was expressed last month.   Deal with it, Russell.  If Shane Jones can, then so should you.

  • Bo Jangles

    PEAK GP        only downhill from here

    • Mully

      Yep – they’ll struggle to hold their ex-Labour voters when Labour rebuild.

  • Gravedodger

    Poor old onel thinks doubling the green vote by savaging Labours vote is winning an election.

  • Angela

    Surely the point is to show that in spite of their decision to elect
    National, the people have NOT given a mandate for these partial asset
    sales. Perhaps the moves to start selling would not stick in the craw
    quite so badly if Mr Key did not smugly insist that he has a mandate
    when he knows very well he does not.

    • Groans

      Something I’ve learned from the evil socialists is that you don’t need a mandate just the power.  Suck it up babe!

    • Markm

      So Angela , you don’t think being elected is a mandate to enact the policies that you stood on.
      What do you consider a mandate Angela.
      Do you think a party should even tell the public what they stand for , if they have no mandate for any thing they stand on.

      No doubt if your left wing loonies get elected next time with Labour leading on 30% of the vote , you will be happy for them to bring in their policies , because they have a mandate.

      Get over it, the public have voted.
      They don’t want left wing policies.
      The whole world has woken up to the lies of the left

    • Gazzaw

      I can’t remember ever remember being asked about doing away with the Privy Council or emasculating the defence forces Angela. I rather think abandoning the Privy Council was a direct attack on my constitutional rights so spare me your moaning about not having a mandate.

      And FFS stop describing the PM as smug. It’s all getting a tad passe & your leader has specifically requested that you desist from the personal attacks.

  • http://bwwebblog.blogspot.com/ Bawaugh

    It will achieve little in stopping the policy but it will not do the greens any harm at all. They get their name out there in the community for a year or so and outshine Labour. It keeps their members busy and active rather than having nothing to do for the next three years 

    If I were them I would do it there is too much free advertising to say no.

  • bruno32

    FFS get on with it . A divident of 5 % with the chance of a bit of tax free capital gain will eat bank deposits  with a blindfold on. Partial asset sale opposition   need to go back to school and brush up on their financial literacy.They all seem to be tarred with the loser brush from my observations.

  • Anonymous

    Hmm maybe someone should tell Wessell that Citizens Initiated Referendum are supposed to be Initiated by the citizens not for losing political parties to have a cry when the policies the people voted for are enacted.

  • Peter Wilson

    I guess that will be the ultimate test for asset sales. If the CIR succeeds then perhaps it is worth looking at moderating the sales process. Maybe just a 40% float.

    If the CIR doesn’t get off the ground, that would be a clear mandate for the governent to proceed with it’s plan for asset sales.

    • Dutyfree

      The proposal is for a maximum 49% sale which will mean 40% to 45′% due to dilution effects, so your point is what?

    • frosty

      How about the ‘ultimate test for asset sales’ being a general election – where National campaigns on it, and remains in power.  The opposition campaigns specifically against proposed asset sales and loses – that would be a clear mandate for the government to proceed with it’s plan for asset sales.  Oh hang on…

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