The nervous wait
The Herald reports:
Government staff are not yet halfway through the “mammoth task” of compiling the previous Government’s credit card records for release to the media and public, an exercise which is expected to cost about $50,000 and take a further two months.
The Department of Internal Affairs is compiling about 7000 documents detailing spending by Helen Clark’s ministers on their taxpayer-funded credit cards after receiving more than a dozen requests from media for the information under the Official Information Act.
Oh this will be interesting.
Former ministers, including those who are no longer MPs, will get to see the information before it is released to the media, but they have no ability to have content removed. “There’s no get-out clause.”
I suspect we will see some voluntary disclosures once that happens, to try and lessen the impact of the official disclosures.
A spokesman for Labour leader Phil Goff said he “has made it clear that if there are any cases of inappropriate spending he expects it to be repaid”.
Hey, this might even help reduce the $240 million a week we are borrowing 
March 20th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Chris Carters credit card account will be interesting. I can HARDLY wait.
March 20th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
The voluntary disclosures started three weeks ago DPF – with Shane Jones
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2010/02/embarassment-coming-for-labour.html
I suspect that the trickle will become a flood by May. This could become an acid test of Goff’s leadership.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Is that all? – just that it’s repaid?
No heads will roll, Phil?
March 20th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
The going rate for resignation is two bottles of wine ie 70 dollars.
Could be a complete clean out of the Labour front bench.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I’m not so sure that all ex-Labour ministers that have misused ministerial money will be forced to pay the money back by leader Phil Goff. Although it is true that Goff always says that the Labour ex-ministers will have to pay back any spending that is discovered, he usually adds in a caveat to give some wiggle room.
For example, when interviewed for RNZ’s Focus on Politics, he agreed that misspent money would be paid back, but he conveniently used the case of Gerry Brownlee’s misuse of spending to argue that there are grey areas that don’t require retrospective action. He said: ‘Look there are marginal cases – Gerry Brownlee was able to say, “Look I made a mistake, I shouldn’t have done it” and the public can be quite forgiving. But where it is blatantly used for purposes that are not appropriate that that money has to be paid back.’
So I wouldn’t be too sure that there is going to be a lot of money paid by Labour. Much of it will be fudged.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
yes I2 .. there have already been some small acknowledgement that there maybe a few example of misunderstanding of spending rules .. this is going to be great.
Heatley has set a standard of responsibility and is doing time .. what will our Labour friends do with Helen to divert attention.
Labour will hope for a major local or even international disaster to help.
I believe that Goff’s sudden anti troops in Afghanistan is some morbid hope 1 of our people gets hurt so he can TRY and take some sort of moral high ground.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Helens credit card account will be even more interesting than Chris’s.
Will she be able to claim immunity from paying it back using her UN diplomatic status?
If so will the publicity wear through her teflon coating.
O the excitement of it all!!!
March 20th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
Regretfully I think that jaba is correct as to the reasons for the Fill-Ins Afghanistan push.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Well, Goff could start with winston Peters and his $158k.. After all, he WAS Labour’s foreign minister.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Indeed Adolf, indeed. WRP may be subject to audit as well. Doubtless, if anything adverse is found, it will be either:
* a conspiracy by big business, or,
* lies made up by the media
WRP is, of course, as honest as the day is long
March 20th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I see the latest poll still has NZ1st at 2% .. what a frightening thought .. loved the comment someone said about hearing the screws on Winston’s coffin unwinding
March 20th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
“If so will the publicity wear through her teflon coating.”
Going from the last election results, I’d say her at least part of her teflon coating wore out already. Although yeah, now she’s a sister doing it for herself in the UN, she’s probably had a bit of a resurface. After all, we can’t knock “high achievers”, regardless of our perception of their actual performance (rather than the roles they have attained), or else we’ll fit that syndrome she suggested New Zealanders have.
March 20th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Big deal. A few pollies will be found to have “forgotten” about some receipts, “overlooked” a rule here and there or just been
palinplain dumb.Meanwhile National continues its attack on local democracy by eliminating ratepayer control over virtually ever aspect of Auckland Council’s responsibilities and depriving Cantarians of the right to elct their own regional council.
Just why do National hate democracy so much? Is it because a local vote is the one thing that stands between the people’s assetts and the rapacious backers of National?
The true nervous wait is which part of our democracy will National attack next?
March 20th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Proof positive that Labour has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar – the trolls come out to change the subject, deflect attention etc etc
March 20th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Inventory2, it’s not proof, but yes, it does show an attempt to deflect attention elsewhere by complaining about something unrelated. I will be very interested to see what is revealed here, irrespective of National’s “hate” for democracy. Some of us can give attention to more than one political issue, strangely enough, LeftRightOut. And it’s probably worth noting that political transparency is an important part of democracy. That the credit card records are to be compiled and revealed, and the revelations if there are any, will be good for democracy on the whole.
March 20th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Oh left right out are you a bit sore that your greenie mates can’t stuff up Canterbury farmers anymore like they have been?
As for rate payer control – hmmm is that why water rates and general rates go up year after year ahead of inflationary percentages? THis goes on year after year no matter how much ratepayers bitch and moan – thats great democracy that is
March 20th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Could explain Chucky Chauvels juvenile behaviour, he might be under some pressure.
March 20th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Jim, perhaps we should move this to general debate. Keep in mind, though, I have greenie friends, but I am not a greenie, and I don’t know about you, but I live in Canterbury and rely on the water for life and prosperity. Do you? So, come over to GD, tell me how Ecan has “stuff(ed) up Canterbury farmers” and how an attack on democracy is the cure.
See you there.
March 20th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
General or specific inflationary percentages?
March 20th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
This will no doubt a big news story and will build over the next few months. In particular the expenses of Winston Peters, Judith Tizard, That fat Slob from the East Coast, and of course the troughers such as Koru Club Carter.
Just for good luck I will also be very interested in Trevor’s expenses, although I guess he is a bit smarter than the others. What is interesting is the 7000 receipts – wow – there must be a host of great info in that lot.
March 20th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
I’d be looking immediately for french champagne on any released info, a sure sign of troughing.
March 20th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Information to be released in May. The start of duck shooting season. Is the gummit trying to give us a huge hint.
Get the shotguns ready guys and get in a big supply of ammo.
OB can probably help.
Love the timing
March 20th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Blue Coast: Don’t mention guns (or the use of) it gets you in the shit round here.
March 20th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I agree that Daffy won’t be found out, not because he is responsible but because he is aware that he is not liked and a obvious target .. trips to Taupo (2 poo) will be interesting.
Maybe someone can help me over the Heatley thing .. to me, Food and Beverage can mean food and/or beverage??
March 20th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
jaba – I think Heatley felt that people would believe he was trying to lump the “beverage” component in with the food.
March 20th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Lets just have it all totally tranparent, all expenses must be published in a website for all to see.
that will quick smart take care of any problems before they occur.
March 21st, 2010 at 8:04 am
I bet there will be scandals. After labours supreme arrogance in government, I’m sure that same arrogance will show in their expenses. After all, the law can simply be changed, right? Oops, not when you’re out of govt. He he.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:30 am
Politicians ripping off the public. What a shock.
That anyone trys to pretend that thieving from the public is somehow aligned to one end of the political spectrum more than the other is really very sad.
You back polticians, you back the fundementally deceptive. Frankly I’m sick of the entire useless bunch who are a drain on our recouces and have delusions of being “leaders”. they are not leaders, they are administrators who work for us.
I’m a bit more fussy about who I follow than most people by the look of it.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:47 am
http://www.fas.org/sgp/library/moynihan/index.html (VI: Appendices: A. Secrecy: A Brief Account of the American Experience: A Culture of Secrecy)
The above report contains this choice quote which I quite like:
“Secrecy—the first refuge of incompetents—must be at a bare minimum in a democratic society, for a fully informed public is the basis of self-government. Those elected or appointed to positions of executive authority must recognize that government, in a democracy, cannot be wiser than the people.”
Measures in place around transparency will probably change the statistics depending upon differences are between what each “side” (National-led/Labour-led) has implemented, but I agree, Murray, political alignment will not be a determining factor in who thieves from the public.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:59 pm
looks like our Labour friends will be back on the BBQ’s and cake stalls soon.