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March 23, 2012 3:50pm by David Farrar

The rise and fall of Nick Smith

In my final blog post at Stuff I chronicle the rise and fall of Nick Smith.

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Comment14

NZ Politics
By the numbers
Stuff

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Comments (14)

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iMP

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~ US President Theodore Roosevelt.

NUFF SAID.
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March 23, 2012 5:00pm
toad

Lots of typos in that Stuff post, DPF. Is that your revenge on Fairfax for not offering you a new contract?

[DPF: No. I made the mistake of typing it straight into their interface, rather than in word and spell checking it. I’m horrified by how many there are]
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March 23, 2012 5:22pm
gazzmaniac

The refusal to kill the ETS is what he will (rightfully) be remembered for.
He may well have been a competent minister but the ETS is lousy policy. It’s a shame it’s outlived Mr Smith as a minister.
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March 23, 2012 5:49pm
krazykiwi

iMP – Fabulous words aren’t they? Sadly after the ETS atrocity I don’t believe any of those statements relate to Smith. I will remember his flip-flopping treachery forever.
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March 23, 2012 6:27pm
iMP

Well krazy, feeling a little timid and cold right now? Teddy has you nailed methinks.
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March 23, 2012 6:53pm
Viking2

And don’t forget leaky homes which thousands are stuck with and ACC which is still a great fucking mess.

Got into politics before his brain developed any common sense. remained that way, so time he went and earned a real living.

Time out will be good for him, 20 years without a real life job.

Not saying he is not hard working or a nice guy. Just time he changed his vocation so he can recognise the extent of the stuff ups he has created.
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March 23, 2012 7:16pm
UpandComer

Why are you finishing on stuff DPF?

[DPF: As they were no longer going to pay me after this week :-)]
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March 23, 2012 7:52pm
BeaB

NZ politics has got pretty silly when letters written openly on ministerial letterhead in support of a friend is enough to get you sacked. It’s a pity Nick didn’t just have a word on the quiet that couldn’t be traced back to him.
At this rate Parliament will be full of egos like Mallard and Peters or nonentities like Shearer while good people run a mile.
He said sorry. That should have been the end of it.
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March 23, 2012 8:26pm
cows4me

I’m sorry for the deluded doctor but I for one shall not be reaching for the tissues. So when are the Nats going to wheel out their next patsy, oh sorry, climate change bullshiter. If I was a Nat minister I would refuse all offers for said job as this amounts to treachery. But I bet as I speak these weak kneed pussies are lining up to carry on with the lie that is AGW. Fuck it must suck to be a National minister, power corrupts power, corrupts absolutely.
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March 23, 2012 8:47pm
peterwn

There was a 2/10 scandal involving the Speaker in 1972 or so. He wanted a colour TV set for the Speaker’s flat (colour transmissions had just started and colour TV’s then costed $20k or so in today’s money and were as scarce as hen’s teeth). They had been installed in the Ministerial houses (in those days each Minister had the use of a fully equipped Ministerial house). He phoned up the Broadcasting Corporation and they sent one round and installed it on their budget (there must have been some ‘motivation’ on their part). There was a bit of a to-do over it cumulating in Parliamentary Services reimbursing Broadcasting Corporation for it.
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March 23, 2012 8:59pm
southtop

Nick will stand for Mayor of Nelson. And given his track record with flip flops i wouldn’t be holding my breath to have rates fall or even stagnate at a reasonable level.
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March 24, 2012 8:54am
GJM

As a motorcyclist, shafted by his ACC tax grab, I celebrated his demise. Good riddance and not before time.
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March 24, 2012 9:11am
backster

I agree with BEA….While I dis-agree with his climate policies his general performance in coming to grips with the ACC reform and his present Local Body Reform are high quality and I doubt that they can be sustained without him at the helm.
He lost his job for not complying with the rules but nonetheless doing what he thought was right by a friend.
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March 24, 2012 9:19am
Paulus

Nick is a good Nelson MP. “He who is without fault can caste the first stone.”
Not for what he looks like, but for his zeal, compassion, and the will to help his constituancies. He is a good friend to many.
He would get elected substantially again if an election were to take place.
I hope this will not occur as it would be a waste of time and money.
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March 24, 2012 11:36am

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