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Nashy on Socialism in Hawkes Bay

by Whaleoil on November 13, 2012

Stu Nash is the man who got away from the Labour Party. They wanted more poofters, maoris and unionists so they looked less like modern New Zealand, and Nashy isn’t any part of this, even if he does appeal to middle New Zealand.

Nashy also struggles in Labour because he isn’t a total socialist. This also means he wouldn’t fit in National who believe in socialised farming, and subsidising the bludgers who want free water and a free right to pollute.

He’s written a good article on why Hawkes Bay shouldn’t be pissing away $600m on an irrigation dam.

The Ruataniwha Water Storage scheme is being promoted by the HB Regional Council as the single biggest economic development project for decades. In terms of total spend, this is undoubtedly true. The question is, however, if given a choice as to how to spend $600 million driving economic development, is a dam the best use of scarce funds?

Nashy just lost the bludging farmer vote, who want the taxpayer to kick in for a big dam so they can get a big capital gain and make bigger profits. And by the sounds of things it won’t bring more work for the unemployed in Hawkes Bay, it will just bring in lots of cheap foreign labour.

The Ruataniwha dam project will create employment, but it will largely be the type of jobs that are currently taken by seasonal labourers on the RSE scheme who come in to pick our fruit. As many will know, we have an immigrant workforce that comes into the Bay around November and leaves once the picking season is over. They are very efficient and the fruit growers love them due to their work ethic and reliability. While I don’t doubt their efficiency, the problem is that nearly every dollar these workers earn is sent back to the homeland. Very little is spent in the local economy.

The Minister of Immigration says it is wonderful for our foreign aid programme. That may be the case, but it is dreadful for our local economy and struggling communities.

The jobs created by the development of the dam may well be the same. Many of the agricultural labouring jobs across the country these days are taken by Filipino workers. Again, because their work ethic is tremendous and they are prepared to work long hours for very little.

Socialism and foreign aid. Sounds like exactly what National pretends to stand for.

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  • Pissedoffyouth

    Oh dear, i hope he didn’t do a Romney and call the fine people of his electorate inefficient, lazy and unreliable?

    Oh wait, that’s exactly what hes saying. I like this guy already.

  • maninblack

    That maybe the case with foreign workers, but how do you stop them from working through legislation.
    Also they work harder and for less.. so how do you tell producers like fruit growers you cannot use them.. ie: Please pay lazy locals more, and get less done..

    • Mr_Blobby

      How about pay the benefit to the producers that require staff and tell the beneficiaries to go to work and tell the employer to pay them only when they have earned it.

      No. That would not work they would eat more than they picked and the fruit would rot on the ground.

  • unitedtribes

    So, if gay people get involved in politics their “poofters” but if they get married their real people!

    • PM of NZ

      “Married” or not, they’re still poofters.

      • unitedtribes

        Politics or not they’re still gay

        • Dumbass

          Gay or not they are still politicians

  • Jimmie

    Didn’t hear too many grumbles from 1 eyed jaffas when the government kicked in big bucks to build power schemes to supply Auckland’s ever growing demand back in the 60′s & 70′s.

    Perhaps a PP partnership is the wya to go in the HB as it is fair enough that cockies pay if they want to benefit – maybe like a toll road. The council set up the scheme and recoup the cost via user pay water usage over say 20-30 years.
    But wait that’s what they will do anyway but I suppose WO will call that bludging too.

    And when unproductive marginal grazing land is turned into a green oasis in the HB and the resulting dairy farms increase employment by several thousand (via staff & service industries) you won’t hear any good reports from WO – no then he’ll be grizzling about effluent processing.

    Perhaps you should be utilizing the Greens online membership form WO – seems to be that you are inclining that way with your irrational posts on farming

  • cows4me

    Oh dear Whale you just don’t get it. Now we are bludgers because we hire cheap labour ? The jobs are open to all, including Kiwis. Seems hard work is beneath most people these days, our society is quite frankly totally fucked up, I honestly hope these pricks are the first to strave. These immigrants pay tax that goes into the welfare slush fund that pays for thousands to sit on their lazy fat arse’s. And what the immigrants do with what they have left is their business , there seems to be hint of latent socialism in your genes . Bloody hell your attitude is way off here . Why should I as a bludger have my tax pay for your motorways in Auckland ? I’m sure these motorways contribute to the countries GDP, why should a dam that makes land more productive not do the same?

    • stinkeye

      Ah, the old chestnut “We pay for your motorways”.

      Per square meter per person people in Auckland get much less.

      Who the hell do you think pays for your road to fucking nowhere which is well maintained? The 2 people who live down it?

  • http://brennanmcdonald.com/blog/ Brennan McDonald

    If the primary beneficiaries of the dam are farmers then they should be paying for it!
    Shunting $600 million onto Hawke’s Bay regional ratepayers is cynical cost-shifting at its best.
    Try telling a “capital gain” farmer they’re not salt of the earth.

    This is essentially a transfer of wealth from everyone else in Hawke’s Bay to the wealthy farm and vineyard owners.

    • Apolonia

      The major regional ratepayers are farmers and other land owners.

      • http://brennanmcdonald.com/blog/ Brennan McDonald

        Doesn’t matter. Their rate bills will not increase to the extent that other ratepayers are harmed by less capital going towards projects that would benefit all ratepayers.

        • Apolonia

          Investing in the productive sector with money that is generated by farmers makes more sense than building sports stadiums like the Wellington regional council did.

          • http://brennanmcdonald.com/blog/ Brennan McDonald

            If the farming sector is so productive and profitable, or would be made so by this dam, why do they need to get every other ratepayer to chip in?
            If they really needed it, and weren’t just looking for a handout they’d write the cheque themselves.
            The farming sector’s return on assets is dismal. If it wasn’t for capital gains and the tens of billions of dollars banks can’t afford to write down on agricultural debt the loans would have been called in years ago.
            Interest cover ratios are abysmal in agriculture.
            As for sports stadiums, the economic literature and real world experience is clear they are a waste of money.
            There is no difference between saddling Hawke’s Bay ratepayers with a $600 million “productivity enhancing” boondoggle and Dunedin ratepayers $200 million stadium for a rugby union that traded while insolvent.
            Both force higher rates in the long term for something they might not even benefit from.
            Just look at the Mangawhai sewerage system stuff up!

          • kehua

            Who said it was profitable fool?

          • http://www.whaleoil.co.nz Whaleoil

            If it was such a bang up commercially good idea then why not form a company and list it?

    • kehua

      It is what they produce fool, export produce that bring in “real“ $`s from overseas trade. They get Rated for crap they never use and on top of that are forced to pay for just about every semi-Government parisite whist trying to keep costs down so that pricks like you can afford to buy NZ made produce.

      • http://brennanmcdonald.com/blog/ Brennan McDonald

        Look at Statistics NZ and the percentage of our entire economy that agriculture accounts for.
        Primary industries contribution to GDP has declined significantly over the past 20 years in spite of a commodity boom and the amazing super-hero abilities of our farmers to a measly 7.6% of GDP.
        Yes, farming generates export revenue. But that’s like saying clocking in at work generates wages. Exports are the price we pay for the things we actually want.
        The dollars that come in from manufacturing and service exports are just as “real”.

  • Anonymouse Coward

    This is a public expense – private gain wealth transfer from the general ratepayers to a priviledged few.
    I see little evidence of rigorous cost benefit analysis whether tax payers or rate payers are geting a good bang for their buck.

    Socialise the risks, privatise the gains, just like Wall Street bankers.

  • kehua

    The whole East Coast of the North Island is `our` rural hinterland`, no big industry, no major populated cities,, the roads.rail and other amenities were paid for with meat, wool,and produce . 600 Million will further droughtproof productive land and the water used will be metored and paid for by the usersin the Central HB catchment. When compared to the Len Brown railway there is no comparison on return for $`s spent and as for the imported workers , lay the cause on successive Governments of all colours that insist upon paying people to sit on their fat arses all day. Nash is just another left wing slightly liberal fuckwit trading on poor old Walters reputation. As an aside Nash`s article in Truth repeated what we have all read previously, he is just another repeater just like the vaunted Shelley Bridgeman.

  • Mediaan

    I can’t believe they were so stupid as to leave him way down the list. Nash is/was a sound and strong candidate. They appear short of those.

    Evidence of Labour hierarchy’s utter incompetence as managers? Or leaving the deck clear for their less competent people to be given top positions in the party?

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