Richard Long on Grey Power
March 13th, 2012 at 10:00 am by David FarrarRichard Long writes in the Dom Post:
Just what on earth does Grey Power think it is up to? I’d always thought the organisation existed to campaign for pensioners, to ensure superannuation was inflation proofed and that privileges such as the gold card were maintained and extended.
But now the pensioners’ organisation is out there with the Council of Trade Unions, the Labour Party and assorted lefties, leading the charge against the selldown of state assets by means of a citizens-initiated referendum.
What’s next? Can we expect Lucy Lawless-type acts by the oldies to stop mineral exploration, mining and anything else that might bring economic benefit? This highly politicised new role by the oldies’ lobby group is batty, for a host of reasons.
It is a new level of partisan activity for Grey Power. The more partisan they become, the less influence they have on parties they campaign against.
For a start, with the electorate balanced practically evenly between Left and Right, our half a million pensioners, and the half million approaching retirement, are also likely to be split fairly evenly down the middle in terms of political allegiance. So why has Grey Power opted for the Left-wing route? If those on the Right cancel their subscriptions in protest, Grey Power would be emasculated as a lobby group.
Richard could lead the way by resigning his membership 
If I were John Key I’d be inclined to drop the mild-mannered courtesies for a bit and fire a warning shot across the bows of the activists who have clearly captured Grey Power.
For example, if Grey Power is not interested in reducing debt, through these sales, perhaps he should warn it a logical result would not only be an increase in the pension age and limits on inflation-proofing, but other changes as well, such as gold card restrictions, or even the dreaded means-testing. That would put the cat among the retirement pigeons.
Mr Key could also put the boot in by noting Grey Power, which is supposed to have the interests of retirees at heart, has absolutely no sympathy for the thousands of pensioners who tragically lost their retirement savings in the post-2008 collapse of the finance houses.
If Grey Power was genuinely concerned, Mr Key could note, it would welcome the addition of such safe investment havens as the partly privatised state assets, so pensioners in future can invest with confidence and safeguard their funds.
As Richard notes, I suspect that Grey Power members will be some of the biggest investors in the SOEs.
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- Grey Power hypocrites
- A brave Grey Power member
- Grey Power on power prices
- Grey Power against Asians
March 13th, 2012 at 10:04 am
For a start, with the electorate balanced practically evenly between Left and Right, our half a million pensioners, and the half million approaching retirement, are also likely to be split fairly evenly down the middle in terms of political allegiance. So why has Grey Power opted for the Left-wing route? If those on the Right cancel their subscriptions in protest, Grey Power would be emasculated as a lobby group.
My guess is that asset sales aren’t a left/right issue – they resemble the anti-smacking debate, in which the majority of the country is overwhelmingly on one side of the issue and the government of the day is on the other, so non-partisan organisations like Grey Power know they have the mandate to take a stand.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 10:20 am
” … reducing debt, through these sales”
Well that bit of logic from Richard Long is wrong for a start – perhaps Grey Power recognise the folly in selling of the family silver to pay for non-revenue generating assets.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 10:30 am
MikeG (223) that money will be used for things such as education, health. Investing in these areas is of critical importance to the future of this country. How else do you plan to fund it? Borrow the money entirely from overseas? At least the money generated from the sale will come mostly from kiwis. And for FFS it is not ‘selling off the family silver’. It is partially privatising the asset while still keeping majority control. I am sick so of people harping on about this. National campaigned on it for a year and gave Labour a bath in the election. They ABSOLUTELY have a mandate to do it so time for the left to get over it!
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 10:44 am
“in which the majority of the country is overwhelmingly on one side of the issue and the government of the day is on the other”
So much for the election win eh Danyl
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 10:49 am
My guess is that asset sales aren’t a left/right issue – they resemble the anti-smacking debate, in which the majority of the country is overwhelmingly on one side of the issue and the government of the day is on the other
I think it’s quite different to the smacking scenario.
The anti anti-smacking bill support was significantly higher and must have been across the spectrum, and was people versus politicans of most parties in consensus. It was a fundamental anti parent feeling.
Anti asset sales is far more politically driven from left wing parties. And I suspect most of the opposition to asset sales is a few vocal opponents with quite a bit of fairly soft opposition.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Didn’t Labour frame the debate as partial privitization versus capital gains tax
Vote:Are Grey Power going to also campaign for their members to get fucked over big time with a CGT?
March 13th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Didn’t Labour frame the debate as partial privitization versus capital gains tax
No, Labour tried to frame it as selling all our assets to foreigners would ruin the country. Goff stressed that in the last week of the campaign. He’d either forgotten about CGT or it wasn’t a negative enough message.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 11:30 am
“At least the money generated from the sale will come mostly from kiwis. ”
Really? That might be what John Key says, but the legislation doesn’t.
“And for FFS it is not ‘selling off the family silver’. It is partially privatising the asset while still keeping majority control.”
partially privatising = selling
Keeping majority control – until the time comes when the Government doesn’t want to put in any more capital.
It is well documented (since the election) that the returns from the sell-off are probably way less than what Bill English put into his last budget, and that the economics of the cash flow don’t make sense to do it.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 11:31 am
One can only wonder at the dumbarses at Grey Power advocating against the best interests of their member as other have illustrated.
Yes betcha lots of oldies will put what they have left in savings into the SOEs. Many lost in the 87 share crash so wont touch the NZX they also lost in the finance companies disaster and they are getting peanuts for their term deposits.
Methinks those governing Grey Power would have sought the opinions of their members before shooting themselves in both feet.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 11:48 am
MikeG (224) do you honestly believe that kiwis won’t be up for this? I cannot wait to put money into these SOE’s just like I did Contact. BTW I still have those shares despite the fact that all the left say we will sell them the first chance we get. The dividends just keep re-investing and I have done well out of them. People buying them are not as dumb as the left like to portray. I am only mid thirties and I will definitely be keeping them long term. And who really gives a shit if there is some foreign ownership. Labour are absolutely hysterical about foreigners investing despite the fact that kiwi companies invest overseas. Is that evil as well??
The beauty of this model is that the government doesn’t have to be the one to stump up with all the capital so your argument is a load of bullocks. Actually having private capital might actually allow these companies to grow even more.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 11:50 am
There should be an eponymous law along the lines of, “Unless a pressure group is explicitly of the Right, it will eventually be captured by the Left.”
Kimble’s Law?
Can I get a second?
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Cunningham – ” The dividends just keep re-investing and I have done well out of them”
I think that you’ve just ruined your own argument – why shouldn’t the Govt keep the shares and keep getting the dividends?
I haven’t heard anyone portray that the people buying the shares are dumb – as you’ve indicated they are making a return that is better than just putting the money in the bank. Under the NACT’s scheme much of the dividend stream will flow off-shore very quickly.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Richard Long doesn’t seem to know many elderly people.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
MikeG (225) I don’t have schools to build, a health system to upkeep, massive debt to pay down etc. That is why people like me can take some of the financial burden off the government by buying up these shares. The money earned from the sale could transform the education sector for example which would directly benefit all kiwi parents.
Yes I will make money off them in the form of dividends but I am a kiwi and the money will stay in NZ and eventually be spent in NZ so what is the big deal? If it is such a big thing to keep them Mike then why doesn’t Labour advocate nationalising more and more assets. Hell why not buy the whole NZX!
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
The politics of Grey Power is conservative, not activist as Richard Long states and frankly no politician can afford to pay lip service to or ignore this important and growing part of the electorate.
Vote:Grey Power have little confidence in governments that sell assets to repay debt because New Zealand has been down that path already yet the debt remains and has got larger.
The Grey Power baby boomer generation were the generation that built many of these state assets and at the time , circa 1945-1960, the thinking behind investment in these assets was egalitarian, and it is a shame that now they are to be sold off.
March 13th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
As a supporter of Grey Power I am appalled at this move into politics. Silly old buggers now captured by militants.
Vote:Been creeping over the last two years.
Grey Power was created as a non politically aligned movement.
Simple, I have resigned my membership.
March 13th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
So the Nats have lost the farmers and now they are flipping the elderly…whose next?
Vote:I find the tone of this article offensive..talking about putting the boot into elderly people..I would say it is time Long moved over and let a younger person have his job.
March 13th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
yes grey power members should restict their activities to failed finance companys.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
Safe?
You are being asked to invest in a political football with half of the political spectrum wanting the experiment to fail and that lot are going to be controlling 51% of the board in 3 or 6 years time. Whoever is in government the state will inevitably demand a high dividend and condone very large borrowing. Political cronies will festoon the boardroom and unions the shop floor. In the highly likely event of an over-leveraged semi-state asset falling over the last people in the queue for their money will be the private (non-institutional) investors, who will lose everything when it is re-nationalised.
Its about as safe as Hanover Finance was.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
As I said when this referenda story first broke last week, the move has Winston’s paws all over it. Of course he would deny it but there are far too many grey power people who can’t stand Liarbore, for the whole movement to be influenced by them acting alone.
Vote:March 13th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Aaah Richard Long. What memories that brings back……..
Of course, having worked for The Dominion for 15 years, I know Richard very, very well.The stories about RL I could tell…..
When I first arrived at the Dom as regional editor, Richard was in the Press Gallery, And, to be fair, he did a pretty reasonable job. He incurred the wrath of Rob Muldoon with a series challenging the mad Think Big economic strategy. Mulders got so pissed (perhaps literally) that he threatened to bar Dom journalists from his press conferences.
Dick also attended NZ Journalist Union meetings and more than once took the union line (don’t expect to find that in his CV). As an ex-NZJU Nat Pres, my view of Richard then was that he was pretty rightwing, a perfectly dressed pompous peacock very full of himself, but someone who did have some pro-union views and had the guts to express them openly at meetings.
Richard also never made any secret that he wanted to sit in the editor’s chair. Finally he made it.
Then something changed in Richard. He suddenly moved, seamlessly, to the right – a long way to the right. The Dom, once a courageous, even slightly left, fearless journal, turned to a National Party toady. You may have heard the description of the Anglican Church as the Tory party at prayer, well, the Dom became the National Party in print.
For that, I can never forgive Richard Long. He took a decent paper that journalists were proud to say they worked for and turned into a rightwing rag.
Then, with the merger of the Dom and the Evening Post, Richard left and went bush for a while, Then, after a respectable absence, he reappeared as spin doctor for the National Party under English and Brash. Some said his role at the Dom was just practice for this position, but I would never be that unkind.
So Richard Long’s columns need to be seen in their context. He is a National Party man through and through and writes mainly “I love National” pieces which show neither political judgment nor any evidence of independent thought. There are Nats who cannot stand him and couldn’t even when he worked for the Party.
The final straw for some came last year when he got an ONZM for “services to journalism”. No prize for guessing who was in power when that award was made.
To sum up, read Richard’s work by all means. He writes well, is sometimes funny and makes his points with a touch of style.
Just never forget what you are seeing is essentially an unpaid ad for the Nats. Keep that in mind and you won’t go wrong.
Vote:March 14th, 2012 at 12:16 am
Grey Power = the ongoing rule of the philosophy of Rob Muldoon. Conservative socialism and mindless rent-seeking.
Vote:March 15th, 2012 at 12:31 am
Grey Power is a sick joke. If you have ever seen the movie “Grumpy Old Men” and liked it, watch the sequel “The Grumpiest Of All”, filmed at a Grey Power conference.
GP has made an artform of being miserable. The sad thing is that most young people believe ALL old people are just whingers and are never grateful for anything….
Take the concession card, for example. Instead of being grateful for what WAS covered by the card, GPers grizzled because it didn’t cover power, regular brothel trips and free funeral expenses.
Why didn’t they just say to Winnie: “We are very grateful for what you are doing for us, no-one else seems to care. But we have some ideas which would make your good card EVEN BETTER”
Vote:March 15th, 2012 at 12:36 am
Anyway, the cavalry is coming. I have it from an unimpeachable source that Richard Long will be invited to join Grey Power. Then GP will become the Grey Nats to balance the Young Nats.
The GN parties will of course look nothing like those of the YNs. I mean who wants to see a hall full of naked heaving old arses?
Vote: