Really!?
According to the chair of Environment Southland and coming as a big surprise to this councillors, we are about to "relinquish some of our powers to the collective power of the community to make final and binding decisions."
First I'd heard of it.
Today's Opinion column in The Southland Times highlighted the claim in bold text underneath the postage-stamp-sized photo of the author of the piece, so presumably they too felt it was worthy of having attention drawn to it.
I wish our chair had let us know this claim was coming. It's usual practice for a chair to speak on behalf of council, not independent of them. Still, I may have missed something. Perhaps the council has decided to change the details of the declaration each councillor signed only 2 weeks ago at the Inaugural Meeting of Council that we would faithfully and impartially etc, with regards the Local Government Act 2002, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 or any other act. Seems this has changed, in just two weeks and without discussion.
It's not that I object to collaboration, far from it. It's just that we've not even come close to defining what we mean by it, what is understood by it. The council and the stakeholders would surely have to have a thorough and clear understanding of the process and its application, I'd have thought, but we don't. That work has not been done, so it's all the more puzzling that the chair would broadcast her assertion that the council was about to relinquish some of its powers.
Perhaps she was misquoted.
I've lodged my intention to ask these questions at our next meeting and that'll doubtless clear up any confusion.
I'll report back then.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
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10 comments:
Robert I must say that I voted for you so that you would say yes to everything. I never thought you would think for yourself, ask questions or use you own mind or thoughts. We are now entering a whole new era where people seem to think they can do any of the above and I am worried. When is it all going to stop. We have seen the same around the table at the ICC and everyone jumped in unison to stop the "antics". I am afraid of something and its in the back of my mind just what it is. Aahh just come to me its "progress". Free thinking can lead to that and we must stamp such things out. Southland has been a great place for years and just because the colour of our rivers has changed it doesnt mean we do surely.
I think you should spend some time in front of a mirror rehearsing the one word speech. "yes yes yes yes"
So I wonder how the community is to collectively make these final and binding decisions? Maybe there could be a system where anyone who was interested could put their name forward and the community could collectively select some of those people to represent them. Those representatives could meet to discuss issues that affect the community and the local area and get extra information from experts and then the representatives could make decisions and if they didn't all agree they could vote on the issues. That might work eh?
Philip - firstly, thank you very much for voting for me, I value your support immensely. Now I have to apologise to you. Clearly I mislead you into thinking I'd be a line-toer. I only wish I'd been more outspoken during my first term, instead of toadying. I thought my champing at the democratic-bit was at least faintly apparent but my recent outbursts have left me exposed as a 'hang-on-a-minute-here' sort of guy and that's disturbed you, I can tell. Yes, I see this emerging too at the ICC, where several new councillors are rocking the dingy, however I expect that might not last long as dingy gunwales are not far above the waterline at the best of times. Is it too late for me to become a 'yes, mam-er? I hope I haven't blown my chances of getting my usual Fed Farmers Christmas card!
Corokia green - wash your mouth out with soap! The very suggestion. Why, that sounds like democracy!
Where's the opportunity for the big lobby groups to seize control in that?
Our chair appears to be offering up some of the powers vested in us by various acts of Parliament to those lobbiests and who are we to quibble with that kindly offer?
Speaking of Christmas, perhaps you'll have a plague of these little bug-gers popping by? You'll hear their dirty claws clicking and clamping across the roof, but no reindeer are these! Neigh sleigh, these are crap eating cockroaches my friend!
http://i.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/9380789/ES-allays-fears-over-dung-beetles
Perhaps it's a nonstory, if they do indeed "cut down the fly infestations" etc. They've certainly introduced another vector to go askew, and I would say we should leave the species where they belong - the heck out of my neighbourhood!
Who will get to the cow shit first, scarabs or flies?
My money is on the fly. They're lightning-fast at the job of being at the job.
So you are right, Jordan, there's a new muck-spreader in town (soon).
I note the report in today's paper that describes the very high incidence of 'tummy bugs' in Southland over this past month.
More to come on this, I expect.
I dont know Robert. This could lead to democracy if everyone speaks their minds and thinks for themselves.We need to be careful of those C words
consultation
community
caring
collective
contribution
Are we really ready for that in today's age. Is it safe to have our younger citizens thinking for themselves and wanting to contribute. It could cause us all to think about some good old fashioned debate and you know where that could lead. perhaps some of the things we have done have actually been wrong. Having to admit you are wrong is hard. If we all continue to say yes yes we can always blame someone else. One of today's underpinning values it sometimes seems
Its bloody hard to swim against the current as we all seem precious about what others think so better add the following
"good on you mate"
My favourite southern man saying apart from
"That man deserves a DB" Would have said that but you need a clear head
Sorry guvnor, speaking my mind, what was I thinking. Imagine the outcome if we ordinary people did that, that would be so unfair to those wealthy lobby groups who need to pollute our land, air and water so they can make profits that will trickle down and float all our boats on the nitrate rich waters.
Swimming against the current builds big muscles, Philip. We must be big-muscled men.
I like your suggestion of some good old-fashioned debate. It's been some time since I've sampled that robust brew. I like mine with a good head of rationality. Often, we get served up a pale, sickly mix of ideology and illogic which is quite unsatisfying.
Speaking your mind, corokia?
Like you, I'm for the lobbiests.
I donate everytime I meet their people on the street.
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