Wednesday, September 05, 2012

THE WIND THE WATER AND THE SUN AND WHATEVER ELSE IS OUT THERE....

The Maori King has called for a hui on the water even though the PM has ruled out a national hui.

It is clear that Maori are on a roll and they can see a pay day not far away.

The lunacy continued yesterday with the claim on the wind.

The argument that these claims to the water and anything else that goes will simply disappear if the SOE sales are off the table is simply nonsense.

Maori have been going after the water since before the SOE sales were even on the table.

If it was all about customary rights to rivers and streams in iwi and hapu areas based on historical evidence, that could be lived with, but its not just about that.

The commercial gains are first and foremost in all of this.

The spiritual relationship with the water is just a sideshow. 

SOE

The government needs to come up with a back up plan for the SOE's.

There is no way all of these assets will be floated before the next election, indeed, they all might hit the rocks.

Therefore, the government needs to act to reduce borrowing.

The proceeds were going to be used for other infrastructure like schools and hospitals.

There is this cute idea that you can just keep borrowing for all this stuff for ever and ever.

No we can't.

The government now needs to actually take some bold decisions to fund on- going expenditure.

That could involve axing entitlement programmes and further reducing the state sector. Deep cuts will have to be made.

Tax increases could be a possibility for everyone. User pays for some costs that has been previously funded by the taxpayer.

This government needs to make the calls now and challenge the opposition to unwind it all.

If the opposition parties can convince the electorate that borrowing even more money is all good, then we deserve what we get.

Its time to make some calls. The free lunch is surely over.

PHILIP FIELD

Philip Field has been ordered to pay $28k for unpaid work which Thai tradespeople undertook on his various properties in exchange for helping them with immigration problems. 

Field now claims a gay and lesbian cabal in the Labour Party contrived to get him removed from the party because of his uncompromising stand on moral issues.

"I think this became intolerable for them and when this thing blew up with the Thais and immigration issues I believe some political figures saw an opportunity to get rid of me.“

“Helen Clark made it clear what she wanted by the allegation of me being unethical and immoral even before the police had finished their investigation.

“It was an invitation to her puppets and those in powerful positions who were in her pocket that she wanted a particular outcome.

Field was convicted on bribery and corruption charges.

It seems to me that the guilt was pretty much obvious from the get go and that is why Labour and Clark wanted Field out. It was patently clear that Labour had a bad egg in there.

However what Field is saying is contrary to what Clark was saying at the time. Clark said all Field was guilty of was being helpful to his constituents. 

GRAHAM HENRY

There is no question that Graham Henry feels a tad embarrassed about siding with Argentina. You can see it in his body language.

It is a strange thing to see. Henry cruising around at training with that steely look is what we are so used to when he was guiding the All Blacks. It all just doesn't seem right.

However, there is nothing wrong with it.

Henry is a free agent. He's a professional coach. He plies his trade wherever the money is coming from.

Forget the line about helping out a struggling nation with their rugby, Henry will be getting paid very well and so he should.

Henry says it would be different if it was South Africa or England or Australia but I doubt it. Why should it be ?

We just have to get used to the fact that in the professional era, coaches will move and it doesn't mean they are a traitor or disloyal.
It means they are following employment. Its their job. That's life. Get used to it.