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Let the games commence?

by Whaleoil on July 13, 2012

The unfolding V8 fiasco really confirms that Len Brown really is like a Roman Emperor.

In classical times the Roman elite would trick the poor and impoverished by declaring a month of feast and games.

Ludi were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people (populus Romanus). Ludi were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also presented as part of the cult of state.

That same technique now applies at Auckland Council … cash-strapped Franklin business ratepayers are being told to forget about the massive rate increase and focus on a V8 race instead.

Not only that the poor and impoverished bogans are being hoodwinked that this is a good deal for Aucklamd.

The only wonder now is when Len Brown will announce the issuance of the Grain Dole for all citizens of Auckland

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  • Michael

    Has no one learnt from the bullshit that we had to put up with in Hamilton? What a crock of shit this continues. 

  • le sphincter

     You forget John Banks   spent $750K on trying  ( and  failing) to get resource consents for a street race in Auckland.
    Franklin  business rate increases ?You have to ask Rodney Hide about that. As he wrote the law giving one rating system and  one business rate across Auckland.

    • gazzaw

      Sphink, No one is denying that Banks’ V8 scheme was a bigger crock of shit than Len’s. That’s all in the past and totally irrelevant. Don’t know, don’t care about the pros and cons of Franklin’s rate increases, that’s for the locals to sort out if they have a problem.

      What I do care about is the $10 mill that Auckland ratepayers are being asked to cough for an ill-researched & very risky financial enterprise.

  • http://voakl.net/ Ben Ross

    This 
    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=village%20idiot would seem rather appropriate for the moment….
    All Hail the Village Idiot…
    Village Idiot328 up, 50 downThe stupidest or most idiotic person in a particular village, as elected by the local populace. The kind who would steal all the sugar from an overturned lorry and go door-to-door trying to sell it.

  • REAPER CREW

    i love the V8s so fuck the lot of ya

    • excuse me

      So pay for your own entertainment – or are you just one of the lefties who expects to be supported using somebody else’s money?.

      Meanwhile, thank you for your highly intelligent contribution to the discussion.

      • REAPER CREW

        actually quite to the right side on the field my friend. i pay tax and have paid plenty of it – i like motor racing. thats all

  • thor42

    I like synchronised swimming and I insist that Auckland coughs up $20-odd million for the World Synchronised Swimming Championships.
    ( Just kidding – you get my point. The petrolheads will insist that all Auckland ratepayers get fleeced in order to pay for their dose of petrol fumes. )

  • Petrol Heads

    Why not sell tickets @ $300 a piece (like concert goers pay) and then see how popular V8 racing is and take it from there?!

    • Spiker

       Our tickets cost $250 each last year, no worries to pay another $50. As much as I like the races I don’t see why non race goers have to pay for it.

  • beanyboy

    I’ve had some time to think and reflect, yes I became hotheaded initially on here, but I have had the time to look, read and find out a bit more. Same facts that are important,

    1. This is not new money being spent, it comes out of ATEEDs budget, if it’s not spent on V8′s it will be spent on another event.

    2. Unlike Hamilton who for some unknown reason agreed to underwrite the event with the inital (now bankrupt) promotor (Not V8 Supercars Australia), Auckland is a sponsor only, the issues were between the bankrupt promotor and the council not V8 Supercars.

    3. Part of the councils role is to PROMOTE Auckland as a desitination, that involves sponsorship from time to time, this event will be telecast into homes around the world, obviously in Australia but also into the USA, were V8 Supercars is heading to next year. This will promote ”brand” Auckland overseas.

    4. As part of 3 above Auckland councils role is to encourage tourists to Auckland from either overseas or domestically.

    Granted I accept that the process appears to be a bit off, with a number of councillors not being present to vote, however, why were they not there? why if it is so important did they not attend the very well flagged meeting?  I mean I am not in the council and I knew it was on and what would be voted on. Why did they also not attend workshops paid for by the ratepayer to go through information, talk through issues etc? Why did George Wood and Cameron Brewer decline to be part of the working group? Why is George Wood promoting Auckland Rate payers spend money sending the event to a venue in the Waikato? Why are the Hamilton council now wanting to run the event at the same venue if it was so bad?

    This is not about the event, it’s about politics, events are run successfully throughout Australia year in year out with V8 Supercars, granted there are 3 failures which Mr Brewer has chosen to leap on, however, those events differ massively from what is proposed here. They were all Street Race events, on public roads, with massive costs to set up EVERY year. It is going back to a permanant circuit. 

    I have asked some councillors who werent there why they werent there and what they would have voted had they been there, none responsed. Granted I am not media, but I am a ratepayer, and they should respond.

    I can see how some would view this as a “minority sport” but that is just overly simplistic, I can also see that it’s not for some people, however, I am accepting of other things that I will never benefit from in the city that are funded by my rates, like public pools, don’t use em, but hey can accept a minority of people do. Public Transport, don’t use it, but hey can accept paying for it as a minority do. Hero Parade…….RWC…….Pasifika Festival…….Yacht Races…….Rugby……Art Festivals…Theatres….shall I go on?

    At the end of the day I think there is something else going on and it has nothing to do with a car race.

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