whanganui.org

A dearth of decency

Michael Laws and offensive people I have known

I recently gave the Red Eye Café a swerve because some inconsiderate idiot had parked precisely dead centre between two car parks leaving no space for my little Freelander. I headed for Oggie’s Café instead. On the way I spotted a man pushing a beat up van in the opposite direction to mine. I stopped 100 yards up the road and walked back to lend a hand.

By the time I got to him he’d stopped pushing, but the van was still in the middle of the road. “May I help?” Said I.

He looked at me dead-faced and said “No.”

Nothing more. No thank you, it’s OK, or kiss my backside. Just a flat expressionless “No.”

“You’re welcome.” I said, and walked back up the road to my car. I was not pleased. Perhaps for the first time in human history, the Good Old Days really did have something going for them.

What’s this got to do with Michael Laws?

I’m sure that Michael is not an inconsiderate parker.

Well, I’m almost sure.

But his crusade to sort out the Whanganui DHB may have more chance of working if he gave some thought to the feelings of the other folk who’re trying to do the same. He and Clive Solomon appear to be lacking in the basic skills necessary to make a team work.

His recent confrontational behaviour at board meetings can do nothing to further the aims he espoused which persuaded folk like myself to give him their vote. Whether his views are correct or not, a more reasoned approach to people and problems would be more likely to produce results than the confrontational and aggressive behaviour exhibited recently at board meetings.

See for yourself in this Wanganui Chronicle report.

Makes me wonder whether or not Clive Solomon’s community support is standing on shaky foundations too.

A couple of weeks ago, in his River City Press column Rana Reckons, Rana Waitai reckoned that the appointment of Hamish McDoull as Labour candidate for Whanganui was done and dusted.

Right on Rana. Your column is always full of solid common sense and that’s a refreshing change – the only thing common about common sense is how uncommon it is.

Who had a say in this? The local Labour Party membership? The beloved leader and her minders? I suspect a divine decree from the Czarina herself but I’m willing to be persuaded otherwise.

Did Jill Pettis stand down or was she pushed? Did she “voluntarily” stand down before she was given the old heave-ho?

Good luck Hamish. But keep your powder dry. There’s no internal democracy in your party of choice.

Published this morning in New Zealand Matters

Mallard Reducks

I live in hope, but I forgot the rules.

Nobody ever got rich underestimating a politician’s capacity for cynical disregard of the electorate or that electorate’s ability to forget the politicians’ abuse of their trust.

I’m not a Labour supporter, mainly because I can’t abide the Czarina’s demeanor of superiority, her status as minister for everything and her hijacking of every kindergarten fence painting for a photo op. I respect her intellectual ability and her political skills but the person who sneeringly talks down to me from the evening news will (probably) never get my vote.

However, I believe that in many ways they’ve been a good government, ably abetted in retaining the reins by National’s continual ability to shoot itself in both feet at any given opportunity.

Trevor Mallard has been an effective minister, albeit occasionally erratic. Our government would be the poorer without him. And he seems a nice bloke.

Nevertheless, what he did was not acceptable. He should have walked the plank and awaited redemption (à la Ruth Dyson) until the next government or opposition is formed.

He still has his $250,000 salary (my guess), the ministerial car and the perks. He’s been demoted 3 places to the second bench but with a wink, wink, nudge, nudge has been given a virtual promotion with the redistribution of portfolios.

It’s not right.

I spent 20 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy. For the last 5 of those years I was a commissioned officer. If, while holding that commision or the Queen’s Warrant which preceded it, I had done what Trevor did, I’d have been court-martialled, lost my commission and been discharged from the navy.

Not so those who would have been my employers.

What sort of an outfit is this?

Oh dear Trevor, what have you done this time?

Now in theory, there’s no argument. Our great and glorious leaders foisted the family violence legislation on us so that people would stop bashing their babies to death.

That worked, didn’t it?

Yeah, right.

You and I are paying big bikkies for ads on the box telling us that violence isn’t alright. Not ever.

So what do you think folks?

Is Is Rocky Mallard out for the count?

It’s a toughie for the Czarina. How many seasoned campaigners does she have on the front bench? How many lurking on the back benches who have the talents necessary to foot it in debate as well as Trevor?

Not a lot.

Dear me, what a quandary. Honour or expediency?

Helen’s admirable management skills and ruthless leadership will be sorely tested. If she lets him off with the wet bus ticket treatment will enough voters forget?

Probably.

So what next?

My guess is a stern talking to, demotion to twentyish in the cabinet rankings, and full redemption after the next election. Which, as Helen well knows, is far from lost.

But let’s not lose sight of what happened here. A senior cabinet minister indulged in a premeditated brawl. He didn’t invite the far from blameless Tau Henare outside to show him his stamp collection.

A person with the standards of integrity we should expect from our elected representatives should have had his resignation on Helen’s desk the nest morning.

A resignation tendered with bags packed, not a Clayton’s resignation offered tongue-in-cheek with a wink and a nudge.

Originally posted in new zealand matters. Seems relevant to us in Wanganui too.

The only thing that’s common about common sense is just how uncommon it is. Time for more introspection and less tantrums.

Stick a wedge in the guillotine

When the All Blacks were sent packing in the Rugby World Cup semifinals there was, as usual and as expected, much wailing and gnashing of teeth in New Zealand. The Third World War would have been heralded with less despondency and harping criticism.

Again, it was predictable that heads would be called upon to fall into the tumbrels. The madding crowd howled for the blood of the coach, the captain, the administration, Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all.

No surprise if you’re a Kiwi.

Well hang on a minute mate! There’s a story, maybe apocryphal, maybe not, which goes something like this (stop me if you’ve heard it):

The hotshot Wall Street trader stuck his neck out too far and lost his company megabucks.

Sometime later when, much to his surprise and wonderment, he still had his job, his boss was asked, “Why didn’t you fire the idiot?”.

“Gimme a break,” says the boss, “the lesson he learned that day cost us 200 million bucks, why on earth would I fire him?”

Exactly.

We did it with John Hart, who said something along the lines of “You can’t get on the field and play the blessed game for them.” We did it with John Mitchell, whose main crime was being given the job too soon.

Enough’s enough. Don’t fire anybody. Graham Henry is a great coach. He’s built up a great team. Things didn’t pan out as the supporters would have liked. Swallow hard and get a grip.

Beg him to keep the job. He’s probably the best rugby coach in the world and he’ll only improve.

I do hope he strikes those words rotation and resting from his lexicon.

Just kidding Graham – you’re the boss.

30 odd young men will return from the Rugby World Cup far more devastated than any of us who watched their demise at the hands of Les Bleus.

Support them. Hidden amongst that group is the best rugby team in the world.

Remember:

• The players didn’t select the team which played against the French.
• The players didn’t decide not to play in most of the Super 14.
• The All Blacks didn’t set up a pathetic opposition in the playoffs.
• The players didn’t decide that player rotation was a great idea.
• The cup is not ours by right.
• In knock-out competitions the race doesn’t always go to the swift.

And.

Get over it. Welcome these young men home. One less bad decision by match officials or one more successful penalty kick and you’d be cheering for them next week.

Cheer for them now.

There’s been a lot of kerfuffle recently about the absence of railings on our splendid new boardwalk.

Many people whose opinions I respect and usually agree with - Ross Mitchell-Anyon for instance - have criticized the perceived danger of this ommission.

Sorry folks, I have to disagree.

Vehemently.

The world is full of danger. Some of those dangers should be controlled, others should not. They should be part of the learning curve of life. If we are not exposed to danger, how do we learn to cope with it?

In the former category we must surely include handrails on stairs and high balconies. Inaccessible poisons and bars on the tiger’s cage.

In the latter category lie wharves, riverbanks and lakesides. Children need supervision in such areas, the younger they are the more closely they need to be watched or restrained. That’s what parents are for.

Otherwise, where does it end?

Sorry kids, you can’t climb trees or dive into a swimming pool. You can’t ride your bike on the road or play in the mud.

This obsession with cutting ourselves off from the real world may already have caused huge real and potential health hazards. There’s evidence that the armory of disinfectants we use to sterilize our lives is resulting in children not building up the immunity systems that untold generations acquired by crawling in the muck and eating flies.

Some authorities believe that this is a major factor in the dreadful growth of asthma rates.

Sorry people. You need to let your children live life. Protect them, but don’t smother them.

I know, children will be hurt. Sadly, a few will die. If they’re over-protected, eventually the overall outcome will be worse. More children will be sick, obese, or dead. More of them will reach adulthood unprepared for life and its hazards.

Our beloved Mayor Michael is nothing if not a polarizer. People love him or hate him.

Like many voters in the last election, I felt it was time for new blood. The prospect of a Vision council with a majority seemed to be a “good thing”. The mayor and his team would be able to get things done.

The Hibiscus Coast council imploded — divisions caused gridlock. Chaos ensued and central goverment intervened. Look at what’s happened in Auckland in the past when the mayor has been outnumbered and monstered by a bickering council.

Well, Michael and Vision got things done. They kept their promises – more effectively than 99% of politicians but not as closely as they’d like us to believe. To my chequebook, project surcharges and parking fee increases are rates increases by another name.

You can call your cat Fido, but he’s still a moggie.

Nevertheless, they’ve accomplished a lot. The boardwalk is an outstanding example. The Splash Centre extensions too – although I hope we can expect user pays on that hydroslide.

So, they’ve done good. What next?

Many feel that Michael has done God’s work but that it’s time for a rest from the politics of aggression and intimidation. and for a bit of co-operation.

The Vision team bear an uncanny resemblance to Czarina Helen’s ministers: what the head prefect says goes. There’s one person making the decisions and we all know who it is.

Supporters of Rob Muldoon and Maggie Thatcher will be suffering severe déjà vu.

I’m open to persuasion, but my feeling is that Wanganui folk are ready for some decorum and unity.

But will they get it?

John Martin is the only realistic alternative. Would he be able to generate consensus? How will he handle hostile Vision councillors, bereft of their beloved leader – assuming that there are some?

What about Randhir Dahya? Alleges that he was Chas Poynter’s great mate. Didn’t stop him from trying to pull off a coup evey time an election cam along. Will he cooperate with a political virgin?

Will long serving toilers like Barbara Bullock and Rangi Wills take kindly to an new mayor with no local body experience.

It’s a worry

I can’t make up my mind. Help me out Wanganui.