What does Guyon Espiner think about the National Government's management of the Rubber Wool Cup so far?
"Very sloppy, very untidy".
And their move to take control of Auckland's water front?
"An element of panic."
Seems about right.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
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17 comments:
We need a Labour Mayor in Auckland, that would fix all the problems.
Guyon Espiner, that towering intellect of the New Zealand media. we should hang on his every word.
Anon@6:55
A Green PM would do that, for sure.
Anon@7:43
We do when he praises National and Key.
Now that he's questioning the Tories, we'll stick with him, eh.
A poor post, Rg, and so far off the mark in terms of being useful I am surprised at my rush to comment.
You are at times oh so predictable, yet in a perverted way that makes it a bit of light relief.
The sniping at the various players in this unfortunate fiasco is so 'Kiwi', and IMHO the Govt has got it right.
The Super city council has got it wrong - where was the leadership in all this. Found wanting. Not surprising.
Fred - I'm just having fun. I believe an event of this impot out to have had the full co-operation of all parties, from the get-go. That the Government allowed the 'party central' situation to become what it did, shows very poor management. Brown should have been given all the support he needed to ensure that the country didn't get shamed. If you ran the country, would you let a 'deputy' hold responsibility for something as major as that without supporting him as needed to ensure success for all? To now step in and claim dictatorial control is very poor indeed. The Government should have pre-empted trouble, not done a patch-up, as McCully now intends.
bad management of a very important issue.
I'm not just being provocative here Fred and would appreciate your thoughts.
The structure for local government in Auckland, including the creation of a separate organisation, is very much the responsibility of this National government.
Having created TA to run the train, bus and ferry services, National need to accept responsibility for its ability to act effectively, or not, in this case. Obviously once something that actually works can be brought into being by whoever is the mayor, National will be relieved of this responsibility. Until then....
Len Brown was working with what National set up.
I'm with AC. His is a perceptive summation.
Fred?
If the Govt. made a mistake it was to over estimate LB's ability to lead the "show". After all the good folk in Auckland backed his ability by electing him. I will accept they possibly could have stepped in earlier, but one commenter I read somewhere today said most people he talked to in Auckland had also expressed surprise at the size of the crowds at Party Central, and that The Bledisloe Experiment was just that - an experiment.
Enough of this - I have rugby to prepare for tomorrow.
Have thoroughly enjoyed the games I managed to watch so far.
P....s.d off I wasn't with you in the deep south, Rg - a dram or three sounds rather pleasant - especially if it was a good single malt.
90% of our low land rivers stuffed, 25% of our children in poverty, Christchurch people still in crisis, highest suicide rate amongst our youth and the government pulls out all stops for a party?
"A" Green PM?
Green Co-PMs surely?
Can't drop principles just to appear normal.
If the Govt. made a mistake it was to over estimate LB's ability to lead the "show".
Rubbish FITG. Auckland Transport is a separate body, with a board that reports to council. And to be clear, that is "reports to the council", not "reports to the mayor".
National designed the council structure, and legislated it into existence. National deliberately made Auckland Transport stand alone, whereas every other council has had the choice on how they manage their transport infrastructure (and most choose to manage them in-house, as much as they can). National appointed the board. Recruitment consultants with National party links selected the senior managers. Auckland Transport is very much National's creation.
The "show" at the waterfront is National's too. Who do you associate ideas like "the cloud" and "party central" with? That'll be John Key and the National party. This is their SNAFU.
After all the good folk in Auckland backed his ability by electing him.
Not really. What Len Brown had going for him was simply that he wasn't John Banks. He was also lucky that none of National's dirt could be made to stick to him.
Len Brown is stuck with Auckland Transport, in its current form, until it proves itself to be totally dysfunctional. In local government, "totally dysfunctional" is a very high threshold. The current fiasco is only a small part of what AT do, and without a doubt it does not meet the standard required to change the structure to something that will work better. In any case, IIRC, changing the structure significantly would require changes to legislation, so Auckland are stuck with this for the next ten or more years.
bsprout is on to it - circuses are the last resort of the desperate ruler seeking to divert the masses from the desperation of their circumstances.
We have a government that wouldn't dream of "subsidising: the productive economy but happy to subsidise consumption
read this for a commentary on the foolishness of our leadership
http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/46073/why-future-doesn039t-need-stadiums
And bread Darkhorse.
Those rivers of Southland!
Some of us have been calling that for years!
Good summation bsprout and Armchair Critics description @ 10:33 is excellent, clearing away, I would hope, your confusion Fred :-)
Green PMs it is then Anonymous!
Good call.
Thank you A C for the info - points noted. You appear to be saying Auckland has a lame duck Mayor, who is lumbered with a dysfunctional transport authority. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, and a good place to stay away from for a bit.
As our largest, and gateway, city this is not a good look.
What do you see Govt. could be doing to correct the current fiasco?
Pushed a wrong button - "f" said is "fredinthegrass"
Fred - Whoever won was fated, to some extent, to be a lame duck mayor.
Auckland Transport does a lot of excellent work, the train fiasco will have been caused by a combination of factors and a number of parties.
I won't even start on what the government should do.
Auckland is a disgrace. It couldn't arrange a V8 race (unlike Hamilton) or a waterfront stadium (as Wellington did). The reorganisation of local govt there has not helped. Yet. I'm staying away.
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