How to get around election restrictions
June 30th, 2005 at 7:04 am by David Farrar1) Amend the law so it is illegal for any employees to be part of a collective contract unless they join a union
2) As Ministers, approve public service pay settlements which pay staff more if they join the union (one of my friends has said she would gain $1500 if she joined the PSA)
3) Unions gain hundreds of thousands of dolars of extra funding indirectly from the taxpayer
4) Unions spend this taxpayer money on an advertising campaign to get Labour re-elected
It is so obvious and blatant, that even the NZ Herald Editorial registers its unease at it.
No tag for this post.
June 30th, 2005 at 7:26 am
That all tells me that the Labour Party is having great trouble raising money. The corporate cheque book must be closed this time. This reinforces the view that the Clark Government is just a media illusion and the Labour Party organisationally is little more than a bare franchising arrangement.
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 9:16 am
Tim -
Sorry, I think Labour is doing a great job raising money – as long as they keep The Cullenator away from business donors until Mike Williams has been through.
But I had to laugh at the press release from the CTU headed ‘Nationald declares war on workers’, in which Ross Wilson intones “we’re not telling anyone how to vote.” Is that the stench of bullshit, because if you’re not doing exactly that you’re wasting a lot of time and effort.
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 9:43 am
Its called bribery and corruption and the big joke is the Socialists bang on about how terrible it is in other third world countries.Well it happens here in good ole NZ only its dressed up in fancy clothes
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 11:17 am
What about big business shovelling money into Act/National’s slush funds?
Vote:Who’s behind this “Forest Owner’s” outfit that’s sprung up, purely by coincidence, a few weeks out from the election. It wouldn’t have anything to do with Mr Nicolle would it?
June 30th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
Michael –
Pay attention, because I’ll say this again in very small words. I don’t give a crap if the CTU does campaign on behalf of the Labour Party. If Mike Williams is doing his job – i.e. hoovering up enough lolly to keep the party solvent, and does so legally, all well and good.
But could Ross Wilson please not insult my intelligence by pretending he’s “not telling anyone how to vote”? Of course he bloody is. And given that Labour has been the largest recipient of the largesse of Mr./Ms. A. Nonymous over the last two electoral cycles, perhaps you should be consiracy mongering a little closer to home.
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
Tim, once again you have missed the entirity of the argument, and jumped to conclusions: The labour party campaign coffers is full to overflowing. They recently got a very large donation from an ex pat Kiwi based in Aus. But like anyone with a bit of cash, theyu realise that the old saying a bit is good, more is better, and whilst sitting on a huge surplus, have been busy figuring out ways to get their hands on it.
Vote:their solutions have been those raised by DPF, namely increase the size of the dependant pool (civil servants in number and remuneration), pay them more if they belong to a union, increase the number of beneficiaries.
There has always been an expectation form the union flunkies that Labour will reward their support, so the coerced unionism meets 2 objectives. A bigger union means moer membership fees, so the union can dole out support by way of party contributions. To make a long story short, the union acts as a conduit for tax payer cash.
June 30th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
Do not think so pundito, why plunder the state in some dubious advertisments advertising solo motherhood paid for by the parliamentary service (the bus stop camaign). Looks like various groups have had a gutsfull. The cricket board have told Goff to stuff off and now the forest owners. There will be more. Maori TV will be next – cannot wait for that. Newspapers at editorial level are certainly against you, just got to sort out those junior journo’s and bring back the tory press. Can’t wait, can’t wait, there will be more.
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 1:59 pm
I don’t condone these actions, but the moral bancruptcy that is the Labour party thinks that this sort of behaviour is a OK.
Joe Business should have pissed at this last election, but National were too inept to point the problems out. I guess, it took another 3 years for Labour showing their true colours and the innate arrogance of we know what better for you and your money, to rub the punters the wrong way, leading to the position we have today.
Maori TV are already the opposition for the Labour party, and effeectively act a propaganda machine for The MP (begs the question of how good is the machine if no one is watching?)
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 8:36 pm
Another way to get round election restrictions it to turn http://www.beehive.govt.nz into a Labour Party campaign site.
I don’t go there often; went there tonight looking for the Corrections Minister’s email address. I couldn’t believe it. Article headlines:
Labour shatters transport spending record again
Brash promise unwise and ill thought-out
(re paying fines for cricket team)
Tax, Lies and Redtape
- Cullen debunks the myths of big government and big tax.
etc.
Where are the journos who’ll report this story?
Vote:June 30th, 2005 at 10:39 pm
Why on earth is everyone on this site so worried about some great left wing conspiracy to harass the forces of unfettered capitalism? Go out buy yourseleves a copy of the Dominion-Post, have a cuppa and enjoy Garrick Tremain (99 year old reactionary cartoonist) any editorial and 90% of the articles – there now – isn’t everything a little bit better already!
Vote: