Tamihere on SOE part-sales
January 30th, 2011 at 8:26 am by David FarrarFormer Labour MP John Tamihere writes:
I support the partial sale of these assets regardless.
Majority ownership will be held by the New Zealand Government. New Zealand money, which is flooding offshore to invest in foreign economies, will have blue chip assets to invest in at home, whether they are Kiwi Saver or New Zealand superannuation dollars or dollars that would normally have flowed to the failed finance sector. All require a safe investment haven and this policy provides that.
Further, it lessens our need to borrow and this will also lessen the amount of interest we need to pay.
No surprise that John Tamihere supports part-sales – he can say what he thinks now he is out of Parliament. I’d say it is almost a certainity that Phil Goff deep down supports it also, considering he was such an enthusiastic supporter of full sales previously. Of course he could never say so publicly.
January 30th, 2011 at 8:40 am
This is one of the drawbacks of our party system. Politicians must support the party line instead of what they think personally. To agree with the opposition is some sort of treason.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 8:41 am
One of Goff’s major problems – he looks like he’s acting an imposed part, not leading with his convictions. He doesn’t look on top of things, seems to be more of a nominal figurehead of a band of others.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 8:50 am
A balanced opinion piece, however, I do take issue with Tamihere’s claim that we *had* to buy back NZ rail and we *had* to create Kiwibank. These were both discretionary decisions, and the NZ rail buyback was as poorly executed as some of the full sales.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 8:53 am
selling off the asstes to pay for spending.
100% capital spending of course, with a better, guaranteed return than from the sold companies??
not…
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 8:55 am
John Tamihere was in a wrong Party. His political & economic views are more National than Labour. Anyway, he’s a a good dude and a friendly bloke. He always, says hello to me or stops for a brief chat every time I see him on Ponsonby road. He knows some few Tongan blokes that he went to school with in Auckland and he thought I know them, but I only know those blokes’ families but not them personally.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 8:55 am
Also I thought it was a little weak for Tamihere’s to say that Labour is now working for the battlers and not handing out bribes to the middle classes. A $5000 tax free threshold is still trying to lure someone on $50-60k.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 9:05 am
There is a lot of nonsense being talked about the asset sales.
The government should not sell assets to reduce debt. The problem with debt is the repayments and asset sales will reduce the government’s ability to pay due to reduced dividends. It’s neutral as regards debt, possibly slightly minus if the return on the assets exceeds the interest on the loans.
Nor should the government sell assets ‘so kiwis have something to invest in’. It’s better that we use our capital to create new businesses or grow existing ones, and have the proper incentives (or remove the disincentives) to do that. Tamihere is complaining about money ‘flooding offshore’ but selling the assets to kiwis and using the proceeds to retire foreign debt is exactly that.
By far the best reason to sell the assets is that the private sector will manage them much better than the government. A second reason is that the government has a conflict of interest when it is the regulator and a player in the same market. Most other claimed reasons are spin or ignorance.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Soooo, what does one think of long time sneerer Finlay Macdonald’s article continuing the attack on Rogernomics and this latest proposal to partially float some Govt assets?
In you go, boots and all, seeing Finlay does the same …. so is Finlay right or wrong
Does he need fisking (DPF?)?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/opinion/4597406/Core-National-thinking-at-last-flog-it-all-off
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 9:56 am
“Soooo, what does one think of long time sneerer Finlay Macdonald’s article continuing the attack on Rogernomics and this latest proposal to partially float some Govt assets?”
Par for the course for those stinking left wing propagandists who pass themselves off as journalists today. The National Party has to identify these people as part of the Labour party and remove the false veneer of objectivity they claim. An “article” by any journalist is the same as printing a press release from Labour.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 10:12 am
MacDonald is a professional contrarian, who editorship was responsible for the rapid decline of the Listener into a left wing rag.
Some how he still keeps popping up on TV doing patsy interviews. Who really cares what he thinks?
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 10:17 am
“Par for the course for those stinking left wing propagandists who pass themselves off as journalists today.”
So….anybody who is not a fully fledged Tea party Bigot, a gun lover or a bible basher is actually a secret agent for the left?
I take it that in a “tea party” world anybody who supports left wing politics would be arrested and imprisoned?
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 11:07 am
ideological-spectrum-reality-check….
tamihire has always been a rightwinger…
..so where is the news in him supporting a rightwing agenda…?
…meh…!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Whatever John Tamihere says or accomplishes in the future we should always remember him fondly for getting up the noses of the sisterhood. Out of the 120 odd parasites representing us at the time he was the only one with the guts to call it as he saw it.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
I just hope John Key has a strategy on how to sell this. He just might have but it does need to be a whole lot better than the mining proposal. Anyhow the Labour Party have come out fighting. This is good. John needs to win this one and it is winnable. Tranches of shares can be made available to mum and Dad Investors on attractive terms – say to kiwi savers for long term ownership, to the general public, to people on welfare benefits (on a drip feed basis and on good terms), to corporate investors. Spread the ownership far and wide and build the constituency for private ownership for blue chip assets. The Government should have a VERY innovative policy to get everyone involved even though the costs will be higher than much simpler trade sales. The Trade Sale method destroyed the constituency for privitisation and thinking back it makes me so angry the Government got sucked into such a flawed policy pressed on to them by politically stupid treasury officials.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Niggly – who is Finlay ?
I cancelled SST a long time ago, because there was an intemperent writer among other rotten apples, called Finlay.
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Hi ‘Redbaiter’!
If Findlay McDonald’s article jammed your apoplectic button on FULL – how about this?
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/help-to-wipe-the-shonky-smile-off-john-keys-face-vote-penny-bright-mp-for-botany/
I look forward to your customary ad hominum response.
(The more virulent and vitriolic the better – it just confirms that I’m on the right track
‘You don’t cop the flak unless you’re over the target’!
‘Redbaiter – baiter’
Penny Bright
Media Spokesperson
Water Pressure Group
Judicially recognised Public Watchdog on Metrowater, water and Auckland regional governance matters.
“Anti-corruption campaigner”
Attendee: Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2009
Attendee: Transparency International 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference 2010
Auckland Mayoral candidate 2010
Independent candidate Botany by-election 2011
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
‘Seeking truth from facts’ – some of you folk may be interested in this Official Information Act reply – flicked over from
‘Teflon John’ to the Minister of Trade – Tim Groser.
“26 January 2011
Dear Ms Bright
Thank you for your email of 8 December 2010, requesting information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the “OIA”) as detailed below. As you know, your requests have been transferred to me as Minister for Trade.
1) Copies of all/any ‘cost-benefit analyses’, since the introduction of the ‘neo-liberal / free market reforms introduced in New Zealand by the 1984 -87 Labour Governments, (and continued by National Governments) which provide the facts and evidence that prove that the private procurement of public services once provided ‘in-house’ by central and local government, is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of public monies for the NZ public majority.
(ANSWER) I am not aware of any overarching piece of work that provides this type of cost-benefit analysis.
The provision of public services touches on many aspects of government, and the relative merits of different procurement models will depend on the specifics of the services in question.
Cost benefit analysis is, however, a common tool to support government decision-making. Along with competitive tendering and other analytical tools, it may be used through the procurement process when making choices on programme design, regulation or investments.
………………………………..
Hon Tim Groser
Minister of Trade ”
___________________________________________________________________________________________
So – no EVIDENCE is available which proves that the private procurement of public services once provided ‘in-house’ by central and local government, is a more ‘cost-effective’ use of public monies for the NZ public majority.
No FACTS to match the MANTRA?
WHAT a surprise!
(not
Slithered back under your rocks to silently sulk, all you ‘anonymous’ PR hacks?
How pathetic is THAT?
(Meant of course in a caring, constructive way
‘Redbaiter – baiter’
Penny Bright
Media Spokesperson
Water Pressure Group
Judicially recognised Public Watchdog on Metrowater, water and Auckland regional governance matters.
“Anti-corruption campaigner”
Attendee: Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2009
Attendee: Transparency International 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference 2010
Auckland Mayoral candidate 2010
Independent candidate Botany by-election 2011
http://waterpressure.wordpress.com
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Slow day in Auckland again (sigh)
Vote:January 30th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Agree with Fala, it was a little mystifying why Tamihere went with Labour, possibly the lure of actually being in government was too great a carrot. By most measures, he was a natural fit for National and could have been rather high up the pecking order if he had run with them.
philu probably said it best….[gasp!]
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