…National’s true agenda was on Agenda
National’s prince of private enterprise, Maurice Williamson, a man who calls it like he sees it, has left no doubt about where his party is heading after the election. Back to the future of the 90s!
Although the spin merchants have been spinning like tops since the Agenda TV programme last weekend it is clear that Maurice believes New Zealanders will gladly pay an extra $50 per week in road tolls to avoid traffic congestion. Maurice said that a toll of $3 - $5 on one road (twice a day), was “nothing”.
So where does this leave the tax cuts National will borrow to pay for? Some of it at the toll gates of course. More of your money will go right out again in user pays. After $50 a week for the roads, how much for the schools? How much for hospitals?
Think about this. Jim McClay, a previous National leader, has been proudly touted as John Key’s mentor. Jim McClay’s day job is being the New Zealand boss of Macquarie bank, a very big Australian merchant bank and guess what. Macquarie Bank just happens to be an enthusiastic participant in PPPs. In other words, joint ventures between private money, big contractors and the government.
Why? Because this is very big, very safe, very profitable business for merchant banks.
Why? Because as Maurice has said, in the Australian experience the government, or more correctly the citizens, have taken the risks and paid while the private enterprise side has taken the profits.Why would New Zealand’s experience be any different? The answer is, it won’t be.
New Zealand First has warned all day and all night that the agenda at this election is power and money for big business. Luring voters by unaffordable tax cuts, National seeks to come to power and to deliver the goods to its mates across the Tasman and other places with an eye on a fast buck.
Now you can see why some vested interests are keen to see the back of New Zealand First. We stand in the way of the plunderers and looters. We protect New Zealanders – not big foreign interests.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Bill English stuffs up, Maurice Williamson stuffs up, someone else stuffs up on proposals for ACC. National seem to be in a permanent state of damage control. If they were all singing from the same songbook it just wouldn’t happen. Hopefully it won’t happen when NZ First releases it’s policy document. Just plain old commonsense policies, looking after our seniors, nuclear power, rewrite of the Reserve Bank Act, the death penalty, repeal of the smacking bill, more prisons and hard labour. Just plain old middle of the road policies that will appeal to the voting public who have had enough of the left leaning liberal mentality that for forty years has failed miserably. Time to get back to reality before we breed out the backbone and revert to jellyfish.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:37 am
So, isn’t it time to let the public know about NZ First’s alternative -low interest infrastructure finance from our own already saved wealth, a safe proportion of our NZ Super Fund?
By all means, let us have some debate about it, if thought of as “dubious, not sound” economics.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
The tolling discussions have been all over the place today from both National and Labour giving their perspective on what should be, or what has been. I can’t even remember who started it!
My opinion is that Aucklanders are beginning to realise now, that public transport is the answer. I personally have noticed a considerable amount of people, friends, family and colleagues beginning to leave their cars at home.
Rising fuel prices are behind a 30% annual increase in train usage in Auckland in the last two months compared with the same time last year. The passenger figures have tripled since 2003. The Auckland Regional Transport Authority acknowledges the increase and is doing something about it by bringing in more trains to cope, which is a good idea and great news for Auckland. We’re moving in the right step at last. But now this.
Expecting to fund a major ($2 billion dollar +) Auckland motorway project through the road tolls and a public/private partnership is rather silly, because either way we’re paying for the project. And the PPP doesn’t really give us security as contributors. PPP is it the best way?
National’s first response to claims of privatisation and evidence of a secret agenda would be to deny everything, but the questions I’d ask is why they found the need for backtracking on the road toll policies in the first place? Maurice Williamson’s $5 figures would simply be ridiculous, and why is he making changes to party policies when John Key’s the National party leader? It’s almost as if when Labour do something that impact the country for the better or for worse, National pounce on the issue, add their 10c on the matter and retract any bad comments they say later on. Retracting comments have been a frequent occurrence, almost a trade mark of the National party of late and to be quite frank I’m sick of it.
On a final note; NO to tolling. YES to improved public transport. Who’s with me?
Lets see how this one plays out. I’m sure Winston will have a verdict on this as well - are we all watching the news tonight?
August 26th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Aaron, improved public transport sounds good to me, but from what source would it be subsidised,
if costing much more to run than revenue collected? Would it eliminate the projected, costly roading needs? And if not, what is your opinion on low interest infrastructure finance (up to a point) from the NZSF?
August 27th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
PPP will only work if the contract agreement and arrangements of all risks associated with it have been checked thoroughly.
There will always be bureaucracy in these kind of deals, and often the tax payers end up paying for the mistakes made by those who will benefit from them.
I am yet to see any evidence that will prove how PPP can work out for NZ successfully.
I wonder if the people of Pakuranga and Howick will be happy to pay the road tolls of $50 a week.
August 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
National’s bucket of hidden agenda is spinging more leaks!
August 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I heard someone on talk back say that they saw Rodney Hide as John Key’s sacrificial lamb. I see Rodney more of a sacrificial goat. During their forty years in the wilderness the Jewish priests would lay hands on a male goat to transfer their sins to it and drive it out of camp in to the wilderness, they would then be free to carry on sinning for another year.
What has Rodney Hide actually achieved? What in fact has ACT and National actually achieved for New Zealand over the last Parliamentary term? By their works we will know them!
New Zealand First’s works are self evident, in spite of all the time wasted by those who put self interest before the people they are supposed to represent
National and ACT are saying that a vote for New Zealand First is a vote for Labour. I believe that a vote for ACT is a vote for National, Rodger Douglas,Richard Prebble and the whole Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Remember a leopard can’t change it’s spots, the hidden agenda bucket is leaking all over the place, who knows what else is yet to slip out?When will Bill English make his move, Where is Murray McCully hiding? Will Tony Ryall cut the ceiling on doctor’s fees? What will Maurice Williams do about Tauranga’s tollfree bridges? Will Gerry Brownlee selfdestruct?
If a vote for New Zealand First is a vote for Labour and stable government and progress for our people, I say bring it on. My respect for John Key went down the drain when I saw a desperate wanna be prime minister shoot himself in the foot on TV
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:56 am
I listened to Bob Jones on tv this morning “important people” seemed to be his major focus… then a comment on how Australia doesn’t have ACC. I dare say, if he’s been lounging in Australia, he’s probably bought a load of shares in private medical insurance companies. Taking donations from such people must equate to doing deals with the devil. better luck with better donor support