Greedy Little Piggies

Now Lockwood is going to be list only, I am considering rejoining National so I can rank him last at regional list ranking next year.

His dumb approach to trying to put the genie back in the bottle on the travel perk has bought him the distain of the editorial pages.

The Press says:

All of what MPs receive is public money and as such should be subject to the greatest transparency possible. Instead of a murky mish-mash that may or may not be subject to misuse, it should be clear what MPs are being paid without resort to trade-offs or any other such potentially mystifying devices.

The Herald also kicks him square in the nuts

Parliament has done a disservice to itself and to the public interest with a decision to conceal the costs of each member’s subsidised holidays overseas. The new rules announced by the Speaker, Lockwood Smith, can only lessen Parliament’s standing in public estimation and feed the suspicions of those ever ready to believe the worst of politicians.

The Dominion points out the obvious to all those that don’t live in the parallel universe Lockwood lives in;

The ongoing furore over MPs’ travel expenses is the price MPs pay for refusing to surrender control of their pay and perks. It is a price successive Speakers have been happy to pay, but it is not one the public should tolerate.

MPs’ pay and perks should be set by an independent body that takes account of comparable pay rates here and overseas, the state of the economy and workloads.

Someone needs to take Lockwood out the back and hit him hard with a bit of four by two until he sees sense.

The Herald have tracked down the trougher who scammed an extra $9000 of travel that he wasn’t entitled to. It is Alec Neill.

Like all troughers he is squealing, like the greedy little piggy he is, over rule changes.

Mr Neill said Parliamentary Service decided in 2002 his two part-terms were the equivalent of a full term so he qualified for the 60 per cent rebate. But this May he was told there was a review of all travel concessions and he did not qualify.

“They’re now taking the high-handed approach that I wasn’t there for three full terms. From my point of view Parliamentary Service made a correct, commonsense decision and now some new broom has chosen to make his mark and change the rules.

“I’m somewhat frustrated by that but I can’t see what I can do about it.”

He said he rarely used the rebates, spending $9000 over eight years mainly on trips to Australia to see his grandchildren. He said Parliamentary Service had not asked for the money back and he did not believe it should.

“What piddles me off is you can’t just go and start a new career or international job because you’re next on the list. That happened to me twice. To find out eight years later that some smart alec has changed the rules and stopped my concessions is somewhat disappointing.”

Oh how pathetic. All woe is me and crying a river. The entitle-itis is quite advanced in this specimen. He should be paying it back, even though it was a mistake he had it in the first place.

Gee wouldn’t it be nice if every grandparent was subsidised to go see the grand-kids. What a fuckwit! He should have just STFU and paid it back and stayed on the down low.

I think he might find out that the “smart alec” he is so upset with is The Speaker.

Here is the list of possible suspects in the case of the rorting ex-MP. I think it is unlikely it is a one termer. Possibly a two termer but likely to be one, either with form, or a confusing set of services. Therefore I have eliminated the one termers (except those with form) from the list.

I encourage the innocent to use the tip line to eliminate themselves.

John Blincoe (Labour – two terms 1990-1996)

Bruce Cliffe (National/United Future two terms – 1990-1996)

Michael Laws (National/Winston First – two terms – 1990-1996)

John Robertson (National/United Future  - two terms -1990-1996)

Trevor Rogers (National/Independent - two terms – 1990-1996)

Arthur Anae (National – one and bit terms – 1996-1999, 2000-2002)

Tuariki John Delamare (Winston First – one term – 1996-1999)

Grant Gillon (Alliance – two terms – 1996-2002)

Frank Grover (Alliance/Christian Heritage – one term 1996-1999)

Joe Hawke (Labour – two terms – 1996-2002)

Gavan Herlihy (National – two terms -1996-2002)

Owen Jennings (Act – two terms – 1996-2002)

Neil Kirton (Winston First – one term – 1996-1999)

Murray McLean (National – one term – 1996-1999)

Tuku Morgan (Winston First/Mauri Pacific – one term – 1996-1999)

Bob Simcock (National – two terms – 1996-2002)

Rana Waitai (Winston First/Mauri Pacific – one term – 1996 -1999)

John Wright (Alliance – two terms – 1996-2002)

Tu Wyllie (Winston First – one term – 1996-1999)

John Armstrong (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Jeff Grant (National – two terms – 1987-1993)

Hamish Hancock (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Wayne Kimber (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Hamish McIntyre (National/Alliance – one term – 1990-1993)

Rob Munro (National – two terms 1987-1990)

Gilbert Myles (National/Winston First – one and a bit terms – 1990-1993, 1999)

Ian Peters (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Graeme Reeves (National – one term 1990-1993)

Grant Thomas (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Grahame Thorne (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Jeff Whitaker (National – one term – 1990-1993)

Bill Dillon (Labour – two terms – 1984-1990) UPDATED: Deceased, via comments, someone should update his Wikipedia page.

David Robinson (Labour – one term – 1987-1990)

Noel Scott (Labour – two terms – 1984-1990)

Peter Simpson (Labour – one term – 1987 -1990)

Bill Sutton (Labour – two terms – 1984-1990)

Allan Wallbank (Labour – two terms – 1984-1990)

Gary Knapp (Social Credit – two and bit terms – 1980-1987) UPDATED – Eliminated via tip line

Pat Hunt (National – two terms – 1978-1984)

Alec Neill (National – two full terms and two partial terms – 1990-1996, 1999, 2001-2002)

A former MP has taken $9000 in travel perks he was not entitled to after a blunder by the Parliamentary Service.

The service’s annual report has revealed it incorrectly advised an ex-MP he was entitled to the perk. He claimed $9000 in domestic and international travel for himself and his spouse before the service belatedly realised he had not served the minimum time in Parliament to qualify.

MPs must have served more than three terms, and only those elected before the 1999 election qualify for it.

The Parliamentary Service funds the running costs of MPs, including their offices, travel, salaries and other allowances.

It is unclear who the ex-politician is – the service is not open to public scrutiny because it is exempt from the Official Information Act.

A spokesman said the service would not release the name of the former MP or the circumstances under which its error was made. It does not appear the politician was asked to repay the money.

And why haven’t they been asked to repay the money? Try arguing the error argument with the bank when they make a mistake.

This guy is just a trougher trying it on, name him and shame him into paying back the taxpayers money.

People in Wellington…you know how to whisper quietly to the Whale…whisper away. For the ex-MP it would just be better to out himself before I find out who he is. Write the cheque and pay us back before I find out.

Better still let’s remove the perks altogether.

Len Brown’s patsy CEO, Leigh Auton, the man who helped cover up Len’s expense scandal, the man who billed his own private expenses to the council credit card too, and who still refuses to release information requested under the LGOIMA, and the man rumoured to be paid a rather large golden parachute (a six figure sum) also gets a park named after him.

Manukau City Council’s chief executive will get a top honour – having a park named after him – despite losing his job to the Super City.

Leigh Auton has worked in various roles for the council, including as a town planner and in management, for 32 years.

For the past four years he has been the chief executive, but will lose that role with the advent of the Super City.

The Leigh Auton Reserve will be at the headland at Spinnaker Bay, in Beachlands.

He got a park named after him for doing his job! A job he received more than $400,000 per annum for! A park!

This is an outrage. He gets a park named after him for doing his bloody job, a job he was exceedingly well paid for.

One wonders just what his fat farewell cheque is written out for? Auckland City has released the details of the exit package of their CEO, will Len Brown be so transparent?

Both Len Brown and Andrew Williams are campaigning with council resources. Andrew Williams continues to send emails from his mayoral email address in direct contravention of his own councils rules, and he also uses his council provided car to get himself around to all the campagin meetings.

So too is Len Brown.

Here is a photo of him at the end of the North Harbour Mayoral debate, together with Labour helper Conor Roberts and his council driver about to get in and leave. This is a council provided car, paid for by the ratepayers, fuelled byt he rate payer for official council business and Len Brown is using it for campaigning. This is a clear breach of not only Manukau City rules and regulations but also those of the Auditor-General.

Len Brown, campaigning with a council driver and Labour staffer

There is little point in asking Leigh Auton to hold his mayor to account, he failed dismally to do that over the credit card scandal, so there is little else concerned citizens can do except complain to the Electoral Office and the Auditor-General.

As an aside, I think it is ironic that the grayest man in NZ politics, with the pallor of a corpse has a numberplate that starts with DUL. Perhaps he should get a personalised plate more suitable than his LEN10 branding.

DULL10 - Len Brown's campaign plate?

Can Winston Raymond Peters, 65, Pensioner win Helensville?

http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2008/electorate-15.html

Especially if the Whaleoil party puts a candidate up demanding honesty and integrity from candidates.

Where’s our $158,000 Winston?

Just in case you all missed it all in the rush to denigrate a former National minister there is this case of a former Labour minister troughing it up fraudulently. Turns out that it isn’t only National/NZ First MPs that are dodgy.

Former Labour cabinet minister David Butcher has lost an appeal against his convictions for fraudulently claiming air fares under a scheme for former MPs.

Butcher, aged 51, an economist of Hataitai, Wellington, was found guilty of three charges late last year. He was fined $10,000 and ordered to pay reparation of $9219 for trips to Washington, Los Angeles and Beijing.

Former MPs qualify for a rebate on international air travel.

Because of Butcher’s length of service in Parliament, from 1978 to 1990, he was entitled to claim 75 per cent of the price of a business class return fare from New Zealand to London each year.

The rebate did not apply if Butcher was travelling on business or if some source other than Butcher was paying the rest of the fare.

The Crown said Butcher was disqualified from getting cheap fares for the three trips on both counts.

If this was the private sector being caught out you can just bet Pedobear Power or someone similar would be screaming for legislative changes to remove the temptation of rorting taxpayers, but since it is ex-MP perks we are talking about here there is fat chance of that happening.

Why is I that the first thing pinkos do when caught with their hand in the rate/tax-payers till is to blame the staff. Here was me thinking that they were for the the workers not agin them.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee has had to pay back more than $400 after it was found he double-dipped on hotel and lunch expenses.

The double-dipping, blamed on a staff error, was discovered only after the Herald on Sunday requested Lee’s council expenses and credit card spending.

It revealed that Lee paid a $358.70 bill from the Greymouth Kingsgate hotel in February 2008, and $65.50 for lunch at Ponsonby GPK in September last year, using his ratepayer-funded credit card.

He also signed off an expense form for reimbursement for the Kingsgate and GPK bills. The money was paid into his bank account.

Lee told the Herald on Sunday it was an administration error made by a council staff member.

Yeah I just bet it was an administrative error by staff. For a start, how come he had the receipts to submit again, where did the personal statement come from to suppport the receipts? Why do pinkos die i the ditch for such tedious amounts?

Last I heard Clark had beggared the party so much they still had $600k debt. The selfish bitch tried to save her own skin by breaking the bank.

At least we can thank Kevin Brady for making them pay off the eight hundy they stole to win the 2005 election. that and the contributors to this video at the time.

It is time for a remake. those interested in a remake/new song and contributing please contact me via e-mail.

Meanwhile Labour hasn’t learned and done it again. This time, not a pledge card but a brochure that is largely fact free. We should demand out money back. One commenter on this blog stated when I ran the story a week before NZPA (they should pay, shouldn’t they?)

The correct figures are that the current tax is $10.03, and that the new tax amount will be $12.03 giving a total of $92.25, so an increase of $2.00. Where their figure of $13.54 comes from I can only guess, but it looks fairly simple.

They calculated the current GST as 12.5% of $90.25, which equals $11.28 (where your figure comes from I am assuming), then they are adding 2.5% to the $90.25, which equals $2.25. $11.28 + $2.25 = $13.53.

When working out the amount of GST in a price you cannot just subtract 12.5%, as the 12.5% is calculated on the amount excluding tax. The full calculation would be (90.25/112.5)*100 = 80.22. So the current GST is $10.03. A simpler method is to divide the price by 9. 90.25/9 = 10.03.

So not only do we have suspect people on brochures, we have the Labour party not able to perform correct calculations. Of course that is never a surprise.

Last night on Larry Williams NewstalkZB show The Nightwatchman said that it fitted the rules. That surely means the rules are as crooked as the politicians who made and monitor the rules.

Parliamentary Services needs to be opened up to the OIA process, and it needs to be have the rules established by people who do not directly benefit from the rules and their construct. We don’t allow conflicts of interest in other professions, so why do why do we insist upon it in politics.

Pay it back Labour, pay it back. Go tap Owen Glenn if you have to, like you did last time. Or sell some of that multi-million dollar property portfolio you have. Pay it back.