Russel Norman reveals the National Party as corrupt

Greens skewer Key on asset-sale wastage

National has cost taxpayers over $440m so far with its asset sales policy, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.


The Crown Financial Statements to the end of November 2013, released today, show that the sale of Meridian and Air New Zealand added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the asset sales programme. When the cost of those sales is combined with the cost of the Mighty River Power sale and ancillary costs such as the Rio Tinto payout, the total cost of the asset sales now stands at $440m.

“John Key has mishandled the asset sales so badly that it has cost taxpayers nearly half a billion dollars,” said Dr Norman.

“National told us they would make hundreds of millions of dollars by selling the assets for more than their book value. Instead, they’ve lost over $200m by hocking the assets off cheaply.

“On top of that, there’s been the hand-out to Rio Tinto, Waitangi claim costs, and tens of millions of dollars to the brokers, ad-men, and lawyers.

“A decent government would be spending its time and money on creating well-paying, sustainable jobs for New Zealanders. National’s wasted its time and the public’s money on an asset sales agenda that New Zealanders didn’t want.

“New Zealanders voted by a margin of more than 2 to 1 against National’s asset sales in the referendum held in December. It’s time National listened and abandoned the sale of Genesis,” said Dr Norman.

Stifling and disrespecting members of the public.

No one likes to be stifled and or disrespected. The teachers and parents, principals and students who found themselves subject to that sort of treatment turned around en masse to face their tormentor and faced them down over the education cuts, and succeeded in forcing a capitulation from the National Government. It's time for a second rout, this time over asset sales. Presently, a select committee is hearing submissions, the vast majority of which are highly critical, on the proposed energy asset sales but because of the behaviour of the predominantly National MP committee, those of other parties are describing the process as foul.
Green co-leader Russel Norman says that the process is being rushed in order to beat the upwelling of public opposition to the sales. His opinion is supported by other MPs on the committee. He said" the committee was likely to report back to Parliament on the Bill next week even through it didn't have to report back until July 16, he said.
"There has been virtually no consideration of the Bill, the evidence or the submissions. It's a sham. It's just being rammed through.
"It is totally anti-democratic. They are treating Parliament as a little room down the end of the hall which they use to make laws, just like Muldoon did."
Norman said the behaviour of National MPs on the committee was "down-right impolite" and embarrassing.
"They were doing their emails, they were playing games on their iPads, it was very disrespectful"

Shonkey, undemocratic behaviour from an arrogant National Government. The public was able to overturn the ill-conceived education cuts. Let's see if they can do the same for the very foolish asset sale plans.

In which Trotter pins English and lauds the Green man

Chris Trotter casts Budget author, Bill English as a leech, most graphically:

" Mr English must be cast as an Eighteenth Century quack, whose only answer to his patient’s declining health is to “bleed him, bleed him, bleed him and then bleed him some more”. The same leech-craft that is killing Europe, is being touted by Mr English and the Prime Minister as our own unfortunate country’s sovereign cure."

He then turns on a limelight beneath Russel Norman's feet, to illuminate the figure who may be the only one on the stage with any idea of whose line it is anyway:

" Only the Green’s Russel Norman shows the slightest sign of possessing the Nietzsche/Douglas spirit. He, unlike Mr Parker, will not bow down to the deficit idol. The Greens co-leader simply refuses to go on heaping sacrificial victims (beneficiaries, public servants, the sick, students) upon the corpse-strewn altar of “Returning the Government’s Books to Surplus by 2014/15”.

Given the chance, I believe Dr Norman would cast back the curtains and throw open the windows of New Zealand’s economic sick-room. With the highest expectations of his fellow New Zealanders’ recuperative powers, he shows them a vista of blue skies and green fields, and invites them to get out of bed."

Asset sales - a game for fools

"The Green Party today released the detailed findings of a new report that shows the Government and the economy will be permanently worse off if asset sales go ahead."

Russel tripped-up and drove Bill English's rugged mug into the paddock with a question in the House earlier this week, around asset sales.


This report commissioned by the Greens shows how unsound National's asset plans are and how right those who oppose the sales, are. BERL chief economist Dr Ganesh Nana says,

"Even Bill English accepts that our high levels of indebtedness to overseas lenders is our number one economic vulnerability.

"His programme of asset sales would make that worse."

Dr Ganesh Nana's report concluded that, "It would be unwise from an economic perspective to embark on a policy that risked increasing external payment obligations."

Russel adds,


"The National Government has dug itself into a hole with poor economic management and poor choices; asset sales would only make it worse."

Green whips Blue

Russel Norman handed Nick Smith his *rse on Q&A this weekend. It was a joy to watch Smith struggle and fail to defend the indefensible - freeing agriculture from its obligations to manage greenhouse emissions - and Russel did it in a manner that would have delighted every National Party devotee, had their man Smith shown the same adroit grasp of economic matters.
Over on the Dim-Post, this comment summed-up the debate nicely and Danyl posts well on the Paul Holmes mediated demolition of the Minister.

Matt Nolan +1.
Dr Norman is becoming a formidable opponent as he speaks with knowledge and practical common sense on many economic issues. It is becoming untenable for opposition parties and the media to dismiss him as a “loony green who doesn’t understand how business works”. Probably not going to stop most of them though…."

Russel's Waituna report

"One of the principles that I try to follow in my job is that I don’t change the message depending on the audience; maybe change the emphasis or they way I tell it, but I aim not to change the fundamentals. With this in mind I found myself recently sitting in a small community hall in the middle of the farmland that forms the catchment of the Waituna Lagoon, to the east of Invercargill."

That's right, he tells it as he sees it. Russel's report posted on Frogblog and open for comments, is thorough and interesting. Eric. You'd benefit from having a good read of what Russel has written :-)

The Tui girls

These alluring Tui girls are frollicking in the clean and sparkling waters of the Mangatainoka River that flows beside the Tui brewery, right?

Yeah ... well, you know the rest!
Read the truth about the river and it's suitability for frollicking (you'd want more than a bikini to protect your interests in there!)

Fun and games (more letters re: Russel)

Some hard-bitten citified Nat flunky said this in today's Times:


Photo opportunity?

Why are we commenting on another politician who doesn't know what he's talking about; taking a 'photo-opportunity' which then gave rise to asking where Eric Roy was.
  What really matters is did Russel Norman actually come up with any solid means to combat the degradation to the Waituna Lagoon?
  Or is it just that he wanted his pikkie in the local rag, just to show us poor Southland cousins that Wellington-based Greenies do actually know where we are, and that they do recognise that there is a problem.
  They don't actually have any good ideas, but lets pontificate a bit in the public eye.
  Now let me ask all who are interested, was this just a photo-opportunity? Methinks so.

PETE SAYERS
Invercargill

Naturally, I replied:

Dr. Russel Norman of the Greens doesn't lead his party from the comfortable seat of a ministerial BMW. His great concern, and that of the Greens, is with the state of the environment in New Zealand, so he gets out onto the rivers up and down the country to see up-close what's happening to them. His day at Waituna Lagoon, which Mr Roy and his cohorts would like to paint as a photo-opportunity, was spent meeting with concerned scientists, farmers, iwi, Land Care members, councillors and Environment Southland and Department of Conservation staff, hearing their concerns and views about the lagoon. Dr. Norman has a science background and was quick to understand the challenges presented to him. He was also forthright in giving his own views on what needed to be done to stop the damage being done to Waituna. What he didn't mention was the huge contribution the Green Party has already made to wetland protection throughout New Zealand – an $8.8 million contribution in fact. The reaction from those who weren't there at the meetings and out on the lagoon, who claim that the Green leader was merely looking for a 'photo-op' looks, smells and tastes to me like sour grapes, or in the case of Waituna lagoon, sour mud.

Saving lagoon is up to us: Norman

 An excellent report in today's Southland Times (page  - reproduced here in full) on Russel's visit to the Waituna wetland on Saturday. The only thing the Times left out was the photo credit to Dave Kennedy.

 Saving lagoon is up to us: Norman

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman donned a wetsuit, jumped in his kayak and paddled the Waituna Lagoon at the weekend as part of his dirty-and-threatened-rivers tour.
Dr Norman had planned to visit the Oreti River but the crisis at Waituna was more important, he said.
He had visited the lagoon before, and said the changes that had occurred since were not visible to the eye.
"I think a lot of the changes that are happening require a closer look rather than a cursory once-over. It is still a beautiful place to go and hang out. It is a great asset we want to hang on to."
Dr Norman said the area was "obviously in great distress", and this was essentially because of too much nitrogen and phosphorous sediment getting into the lagoon.
"The impact of that is you are getting a buildup of algae and the die-back of fresh water plants that live on the bottom of the lagoon."
The danger was that the lagoon could "flip", becoming a muddy, non-aerated environment that would not support what lived there.
Currently the lagoon supported a lot of invertebrates, fish and birds, Dr Norman said.
"We have to dramatically cut the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous sediment and primarily that goes back to agricultural practices in the catchment where it is all coming from," he said.
Dr Norman said it was possible to turn the situation around and prevent the lagoon from flipping.
He compared it to patients in the emergency department of a hospital – they can either live or die.
"And it really depends on us which way it goes. It is in our hands to save the lagoon."
Dr Norman had met Department of Conservation and Environment Southland staff on Saturday, and had also met some of the local farmers and the landcare group.
"They feel very passionately about protecting the lagoon. There are some really tough changes that need to be made and they recognise the size of the challenge they face."
The next step was to take emergency measures during winter and get an idea of the size of the cut in nitrogen needed. He estimated about 50 per cent, and "strong rules" would be needed to achieve that.
Dr Norman said the National Policy Statement on Freshwater needed to be signed off by the Government and the rules must not be weakened.
kimberley.crayton-brown@stl.co.nz

Is this your Leader?

Action man Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman, suited-up and not afraid of the world outside of the House. Could your MPs match his chutzpah and pizzaz?
Can you imagine Gerry Brownlee in one of these skins? (two of them maybe :-)
Russel slipped into a kayak as well and paddled out into the Waituna Lagoon today, seemingly unafraid of the choppy conditions and brisk winds. Even riskier for a Green Party MP was the meeting with all-comers he attended in the heart of Eric Roy country and his openness in discussing farming's role in the degradation of the Waituna lagoon. He was very well received because he was alert and well researched, engaging with dairy farmers and scientists alike with the same open manner and willingness to learn and state his beliefs frankly.
His visit to the lagoon has raised the Greens standing in the South by a significant degree, in my opinion. To see his Cue TV interview, and the one I did following Russel's piece, you'll need to tune in on Monday night. I'm not sure if Russel said the controversial things I did but I'll find out when it goes to air.
Dave Kennedy does a brilliant write-up of the day's events here.

Why I like the Greens

 

GOLLUM AT RISK OF EXTINCTION IN THE NEVIS RIVER

(Press release)

While everyone is worrying about The Hobbit, a unique, rare, and threatened native fish species called Gollum is at risk of extinction in the Nevis River in Central Otago, the Green Party said today.

"A unique species of Gollum galaxiid - named because of its resemblance to J.R.R Tolkein's famous character - lives in the Nevis River and is found nowhere else in the world," Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said.

"A Special Tribunal ruled in August that the Nevis River should be protected from ever being dammed inorder to save the Nevis Gollum from extinction, but Pioneer Energy has appealed this decision and wants to dam the River."The Special Tribunal report is very clear that damming the Nevis River would
put Gollum at risk of permanent extinction.
"While everyone is trying to save The Hobbit, the Minister of Conservation has the opportunity to step in and help save Gollum," Dr Norman said.Dr Norman said that the Department of Conservation had a legal responsibility to preserve all indigenous freshwater fisheries and freshwater fish habitats, and should be obliged to act to protect Gollum.
"When I questioned the Minister of Conservation in the House today, she said DOC was yet to decide whether to join the appeal to protect the Nevis River.
"The optimum time for DOC to make a submission is in the next few weeks, and the Department has a clear responsibility to act to protect this threatened native fish species.
"The particular Gollum that lives in the Nevis is found nowhere else in the world, has outstanding natural value, and would not survive if the river was dammed.
"DOC's own Chief Executive Al Morrison said in a recent speech 'when ecosystems are degraded and species destroyed, the country's prosperity is imperilled'.
"It is our unique and precious natural environment that makes New Zealand such an attractive destination for filmmakers. In the long run, protecting native fish like Gollum and rivers like the Nevis from destruction is as vital to our economy as retaining The Hobbit," Dr Norman said.

South Canterbury Finance

"South Canterbury Finance owns a significant chunk of prime South Island farmland. John Key’s Government can now offer the public a guarantee that none of this land will fall into foreign ownership."

One of our politicians at least has our interests at heart.