Cullen to swap sides
February 27th, 2009 at 9:00 am by David FarrarMichael Cullen is set to swap sides. No, not from Labour to National, but from representing the Crown in Treaty negotiations to representing Tuwharetoa in Treaty negotiations.
This is almost the opposite to National’s Chris Finlayson. Chris used to be Ngai Tahu’s lawyer, and now of course is the current Treaty Negotiations Minister.
It is possible Cullen could end up negotiating with Finlayson on behalf of Tuwharetoa. For their sake I hope Chris has forgiven Cullen for personally vetoeing Chris getting the QC in 2005!
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February 27th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Cullens winning personality will ensure huge payouts lol
We saw what an animal Cullen is when negotiating for the train set… the government should be very afraid.
Id start by knocking 3 inches off the chair legs.. so all ya see at the table is his angry little head.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Oh great, Dr Caustic Kullen buys the over priced train set on the tax payers loot and now the useless cretin jumps on board the treaty gravy train. FFS!
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Is this the best Kullen can get?
Ex Ministers of finance and usually snapped up by business they are seen as a huge asset, I guess the business world can see what so many lefties cannot.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:20 am
So the little prick is determined to bleed kiwis tax money anyway he can.
What a shock.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:21 am
..as if any more evidence was needed to show what a country splitting race destructive farce this Treaty of Waitangi bullshit really is, now this destroyer of our society, this envy driven little no hoper, jumps on the bandwagon. No doubt for a hefty fee.
National needs to close down the Waitiangi Tribunal. It is destructive to NZ’s social fabric and with so many non-productive bludgers within it, (Kullen is a prime example) and with its atrociously costly payouts to weakly proven “grievances” a serious threat to our fragile economy.
Sure there will be a few squeals from the gravy train riders, but the majority of the people I suggest this course of action to are always enthusiastically in support.
As usual, all it needs is for someone to speak out and break down the wall of political correctness surrounding such issues.
Then, ordinary people who were once cowed by the sneering arrogance of academics, “journalists”, politicians and racists who profess to be superior thinkers, will rush to express their real and much more sensible views.
The Waitangi Tribunal has to go. That Kullen is a part of it shows how useless it really is. Since when has he ever been a part of anything positive?
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:22 am
The Government should get the bloke from Toll in to do the negotiations for them, he did Cullen up like a kipper last time…
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Give the train set to Tuwharetoa. Say that it is worth a billion bucks, or whatever Cullen paid for it. And that this meant that all Tuwharetoa claims were now settled. This has many benefits:
1. Settles the claim.
2. Gets rid of an albatross around the neck of the NZ Government.
3. Cullen either claims it is a great deal that confirms his negotiating skills, while Tuwharetoa are pissed off with him for being a clueless idiot twice on the same issue. Or Tuwharetoa actually do think that they have obtained a great deal… suckers!
4. Greens will be confused because they won’t want to call for indigenous partners of Te Tiriti to stump up billions of dollars in new investment on a money-losing train set. Or will they? Turei’s head will likely explode thinking about it, guaranteeing the leadership role to Bradford.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:32 am
No matter what Cullen does he’s wasting tax payer money, somehow someway.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Chris is not a small spiteful man but Dr Cullen is. I am sure Chris will deal with Dr Cullen as he finds him and to be fair Cullen can be quite constructive, but then he slips and makes a whole lot of remarks about “Tories” and such like. It just goes to show that a toxic personality is not overcome by age or high intelligence.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I guess a National government wont recognise the huge value Dr Cullen would bring as a director to SOE and other QUANGO boards in the same way a Labour government would have.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am
KiwGreg – Ya gotta be dreamin’ mate!
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am
We recognise Doc Sullens skills greg, its called a decade if deficit.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
That’s the best Cullen can do? Successful finance ministers around the world usually get picked up to do exciting and important roles and all Cullen can scrape together is a role once again living off the teats of others….
Oh right, he wasn’t successful so gets what he deserves. Mediocrity suits him.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
“its called a decade of deficit.”
..or a decade of economic feces.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Tuwharetoa…prepare to have your opportunities and pockets drained!
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 11:31 am
In 1840 Tuwharetoa had a chief by the name of Te Heu Heu. Apparently he was a big, smart, strong man (unlike so many Maori leaders today who are just big) with a fearsome reputation. He refused to sign the Treaty and other local iwi who were scared of him, like Te Arawa in Rotorua, also declined.
Vote:I am confident that old Te Heu Heu would find it amusing that his tribe have employed a weasely little Pom to ” negotiate” a settlement, that has already been decided on, for a Treaty that they are not a party to.
Trust Cullen to get his nose in a good sized trough.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:36 am
3 years of English will show you what real mediocrity is. he was Finance minister before during the Sipley -Alamein Kopu government and the minor asian credit crunch had him getting his hair on fire over nothing
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Looks like a payoff for stealing Kaiangaroa off the taxpayer and giving it away to a group who had no colour of right to it.(latest Investigate}
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
nice try jvh, big hook, juicy bait but i don’t think anyone is going to bite.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
DPF: “It is possible Cullen could end up negotiating with Finlayson on behalf of Tuwharetoa. For their sake I hope Chris has forgiven Cullen for personally vetoeing Chris getting the QC in 2005!”
Surely a good blue-eyed National boy like Chris Finlayson would be professional enough to stick to the matters in hand?
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I’m sure Te Heu Heu would have sized up Culen and thought, yeah a milk fed white boy who never had to exercise… he’d go good with some puha and spuds.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Redbaiter: “..as if any more evidence was needed to show what a country splitting race destructive farce this Treaty of Waitangi bullshit really is”
Noooooo no no no.
The Treaty of Waitangi really, really is a binding legal contract. That is not up for serious debate anywhere, except amongst angry ignorant people who haven’t bothered learning their own country’s history…
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Which particular version?
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
“For their sake I hope Chris has forgiven Cullen for personally vetoeing Chris getting the QC in 2005!”
That would be “no”.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
What is it with Cullen and trains? And now the Treaty Industry gravy train. FFS! I don’t want this arrogant, pompus little commie feeding off the public purse ever again. I suggest he goes stick his little red snout somewhere else…Preferably a salt mine located somewhere in Central Siberia.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Murray – Contra proferentum applies, so the Maori version presented to the chiefs for signing would have to be the one.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
” For their sake I hope Chris has forgiven Cullen for personally vetoeing Chris getting the QC in 2005!”
Are you suggesting a National party minister is so petty that he would put his own personal feelings ahead of the interests of the country?
Tsk, tsk.
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
“National party minister is so petty that he would put his own personal feelings ahead of the interests of the country”
You know Sonic – I would just welcome you to list what you have ever done for your country…actually what you have ever done anyone else?
go on – list what you have ever done – maybe start with charitable work you’ve done????
representations you have achieved????
Voluntary social work you’ve undertaken?
- in fact give us anything you have ever done for anyone other than yourself….?
c’mon sonic – if you wont list them – at least give us an indication?
Vote:February 27th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Alledgedly Sonic is out on the town, and about to pay for sex with a Thai lady Boy.
Sad life really.
[DPF: And that is approaching demerits]
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 4:27 am
Without prejudice BigArse….
Farrar, that must be demerits surely, you whacked me with 50 for suggesting that Trevor Mallard was a [deleted, thats 100 demits right there] and did it with [200 more] while reading the HoS [and thats a bonus of 50 demerits for bringing the HoS into disrepute].
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Cullen just can’t keep his hands out of the till.
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I have to admit to being totally stunned by this announcement. Can you imagine the uproar if an ex defence minister went to work for a defence industry company? To be heavily involved in Treaty negotiations for the government and then to go and work for the other party to the negotiations sounds a bit whiffy to me.
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Ahh I think you’ll find no lady boy of any nationality will want to sleep with Sonic – he’ll be going home with Palmala Handerson instead
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
“he’ll be going home with Palmala Handerson instead ”
Been faithful to her all his life too.
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Actually Cullen is currently married to the ex wife of an old neighbour of mine. Whether he was shagging her before they split up, I don’t know.
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Shit, you guys were talking about Sonic not Cullen. I have been working 70 hours this week, I better get some sleep. Apologies for going off track.
Vote:February 28th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Just worked out my PAYE on 70 hours work. $822 for the week. That should keep a couple of beneficiaries in piss, pot and pokies for a week.
Vote:March 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
You could ahbe built two large catapults for that sort of money.
And covered the fuel of getting them to parliament as an aside.
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