This at least explains my slam(ed) poetry.

Yep. That's why I stopped reaqding Craig's comments. It gets too stomach churning after a while.

Thanks, Don — that of course is your choice. I personally find my gag relfex twitches when the Prime Minister — and someone who's been an electorate MP for three decades — draws a…

DAFT on the EFA

Well, the original question was who are civil servants likely to vote for this year to be the government of the next three years. So I don't think they're saying history changes, just that unless you're either 1. still bitter at the 4th labour government, or 2. don't believe…

The difference being that Labour has publicly disavowed the actions of the Fourth Labour Government and did so a while ago.

Yep. That doesn't change the fact that those cuts of the 80s still took place. History doesn't change just because someone promises not to do it again.

Well, the…

Eeewww.

Yep. That's why I stopped reaqding Craig's comments. It gets too stomach churning after a while.

Sorry, Russell, perhaps I should play nice in this apparent moment of media conversion but frankly I thought the story was essentially trivial and Audrey's elaboration/clarification does nothing to convince me otherwise...…

All in all, we probably have the checks and balances about right

That's about my sense of it, albeit several years removed.

The thing that troubled me about NZ's policy-making process was the risk of a small, and potentially transient, consensus running unchecked – pick whichever example you…

With 60 or so government MPs (some of whom are bound to be incompetent or criminal) plus a budget for maybe the same number of party advisers, that isn't very many people to supervise and make the decisions.

Don't forget an Audit Office full of auditors, a Crown Law Office…

Maybe we need to bite the bullet and have a temporary civil service of a few hundred people on 3-year contracts, to *complement* the permanent staff?

You mean like in the US? A risk is a significant diminution of institutional memory and entrenchment of hackey. Besides, CEs are largely sackable…

With 60 or so government MPs (some of whom are bound to be incompetent or criminal) plus a budget…

The difference being that Labour has publicly disavowed the actions of the Fourth Labour Government and did so a while ago.

Yep. That doesn't change the fact that those cuts of the 80s still took place. History doesn't change just because someone promises not to do it again.

And do…

That's not gonna make a public servant feel loved.

Probably not, but as I said at considerable length on another thread I can think of at least one employee of the Inland Revenue Department who did sweet bugger all to make himself lovable. And honesty forces me to admit I'd…

I didn't think you'd be quite that disingenuous. Turkeys don't vote for Chirstmas, but they don't run the farm either. Still, if Labour wants to go on the campaign trail pledging that not one job will be lost from the civil service on their watch — good luck.

I've been…

Perhaps the public service ethos has eroded over time....

Perhaps the events of 1984-99 had something to do with that as well.

The point about managerialism in the public sector is a good one. The proliferation of managerial layers is what you get when you decree that the public sector's…

Personally, I think some folks really need to make up their mind: Is National's problem that there's some horrible far-right secret agenda in the offing, or that it's just 'Labour lite' and not extremist enough?

On what basis should we do this though Craig? Unless they're forced into stating a…

I don't think national even get into the same ball park as labour's cuts to the public sector in the 80's. Both ends of the spectrum are guilty of shafting the public service, lets not forget that.

The difference being that Labour has publicly disavowed the actions of the Fourth…

Turkeys don't vote for Chirstmas, but they don't run the farm either.

No, they don't. But you yourself admit that they get to vote for the people who do, and that means they're entitled to have a view about how the farm ought to be run and vote accordingly.

This…

By way of example. Take a large agency and count how…

That's all very nice in theory, but if it came down to a choice between eating/paying rent and serving the public good, you could hardly blame anyone for trying to hold on to employment.

To play devil's advocate for a moment, Danielle, one would hope anyone who has been the…

For public servants self-interest doesn't (read shouldn't) come into the equation.

That's all very nice in theory, but if it came down to a choice between eating/paying rent and serving the public good, you could hardly blame anyone for trying to hold on to employment. And I don't think it…

The matter of public-sector politicization is a complex one, in this context. A lot of public sector employees will be naturally leery of a National administration, for the very good reason that they think their jobs will be at stake.

Sadly, the days of total job security in the public…

The memory of National's wholesale disembowelment of the state sector is still fresh, and there's no reason to think they won't try it on again.

I also think 'we won't sell any SOEs in our *first* term' is the kind of statement which should – hopefully – raise the suspicion…

I didn't think that would be so difficult to…

A lot of public sector employees will be naturally leery of a National administration, for the very good reason that they think their jobs will be at stake.

As we still have this tiresome thing called a secret ballot and AFAIK civil servants are not barred from voting, they're welcome…

The matter of public-sector politicization is a complex one, in this context. A lot of public sector…

It's a winning strategy either way

I think a chap by the name of John Winston Howard might beg to differ. You couldn't fault the Coalition for dishing out the promises of new spending – and a lot of shameless pork – with the psychotic shamelessness that makes Australian politics…

You can't make up your mind about this statement when you don't have evidence either…

Labour will campaign on WFF, Kiwibank/saver etc but I've still got no idea what National will do beyond cut taxes (in line with Labour too)!

National is going to say as little as possible until the last 90 days.

EFA spending limitations are in place for the entire year and…

That's not scary. It's scary that it will be enough :P

I almost gave up on the voting public when John Banks got elected Mayor of Auckland.

Then he got re-elected ...

Not forever, but certainly until after the Budget so we're not seeing National making big promises it can't pay for.

Which really suggests that Labour should be making sure they can't pay for anything without having to borrow, or cut social spending and so take money directly out of people's…

I'm far from convinced that the NZ public service is particularly political. I agree there's been a few stupid mistakes and interventions, however overall I see no evidence of public sector independence being structurally compromised.

Hence my suggestion of talking to a few longer term public servants. Ask them whether…

What's scary is that they think that's enough.

That's not scary. It's scary that it will be enough :P

Labour will campaign on WFF, Kiwibank/saver etc but I've still got no idea what National will do beyond cut taxes (in line with Labour too)!

Well, as Lila Harre pointed out on National (bias!) Radio this morning, anyone really sure where Labour stands on privatisation — or are public/private partnerships,…

I agree with the earlier comments about National's clever avoidance of policy itself. Labour will campaign on WFF, Kiwibank/saver etc but I've still got no idea what National will do beyond cut taxes (in line with Labour too)!

Not be Labour.

What's scary is that they think that's enough.

The public service is supposed to be apolitical, so that it can fulfil its purpose of faithfully serving whatever government the public…

They can't even release something uncontentious as say, their Art & Culture policy.

Which is weird, because they have the most convincing spokesman I can recall them having in that portfolio, in Chris Finlayson. He certainly seemed to have plenty of ideas when he got the job a year ago.

We might agree more than you might think, considering one of my favourite movies is David Cronenber's adaptation of Naked Lunch which contains this enchanting and definitely NSFW monologue.

It's Bill Burroughs' world, people. We're just living in it.

What is National now? "Vote National cos, ummm, its time for a change…

and why vulnerable constituents need a party political broadcast like like a spare arsehole in the middle of their foreheads

I'm going to happily interpret 'spare arsehole' as meaning that some people have already got one arsehole in their head. Which seems appropriate when discussing politics, we just probably wouldn't…

and why vulnerable constituents need a party political broadcast like like a spare arsehole in the middle of their foreheads

Eeewww.

They were scandalous, and I think it took Amanda Millar a while to recover from the impact on her credibility from appearing in them. I might be wrong, but I can't recall Labour doing anything quite that bad.

No, not that bad. But they're still quite happy to head down…

but I clearly remember National's empty operating theatre TV adverts

They were scandalous, and I think it took Amanda Millar a while to recover from the impact on her credibility from appearing in them. I might be wrong, but I can't recall Labour doing anything quite that bad.

The use of the phrase "not unlawful" pisses me off. Why doesn't the Herald say, "Is perfectly legal"? Loaded language from Audrey Young designed to implant the impression of illegality. Why am I not surprised?

I don't particularly like double negatives either — they're an inelegant and confusing construction. But…

The use of the phrase "not unlawful" pisses me off. Why doesn't the Herald say, "Is perfectly legal"? Loaded language from Audrey Young designed to implant the impression of illegality. Why am I not surprised?

To be fair, the door to interpretation has been left open by the EFA's lack…

This is not unlawful in itself, and the material is not political, but if information pamphlets were to be used as core campaign material it would not look good.

I really hate the way political parties use our money through government departments to basically advertise themselves. I can't remember if…

Meanwhile, in some real news that we should be celebrating, child poverty is FINALLY falling…

Clark on Breakfast this morning says these department-generated pamphlets, explaining Kiwisaver, WFF or whatever, should be held by all electorate offices and given to anybody who wants one. Is it really electioneering when activists hand these pamphlets out?

I've just updated the post to reflect that and comments on Newstalk…

Surely National activists will also want to hand them out and explain why Kiwisaver is bad and they want to scrap it. Same for the extra week's holiday, Working for Families, interest-free student loans, etc.

Clark on Breakfast this morning says these department-generated pamphlets, explaining Kiwisaver, WFF or whatever, should be held by all electorate offices and given to anybody who wants one.

John, I saw that and Clark was being too cute for words. (And, as usual, Paul Henry was too wrapped up in…

This is not unlawful in itself, and the material is not political, but if information pamphlets were to be used as core campaign material it would not look good.

I'm not so sure that "The material is not political" — though to get all Bill Clinton for a moment, it…