Hard News: Rodney's Folly
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What happened to Hard News
Look at the title of this page on your browser - you're in it maaaaannn...
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Rik,
ps - how come The Chills Montechristo gig is still being advertised all over PAS even though it is sold out?!
Having said that - I never would have known it was on if it wasn't for the PAS advert so thanks for that, let's hope MP is in better form than the last time I saw him a couple of years back.
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Rik,
Look at the title of this page on your browser - you're in it maaaaannn...
Yeah, yeah, I know that.
But I really liked the verbal version.
I suppose the answer is Media 7.
But I don't have Freeview :(
But I think the Freeview-only channels are coming to Sky in less than a month so maybe then I will feel more plugged in to the system...
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Dare I say it, but I think opening up the question of what actually constitutes a Council's core business is a good thing. Let's get it settled once and for all, define it and move on.
Nothing is ever "settled once and for all" in a democracy. And I for one think this is a Good Thing.
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One Rink to bind them...
Here in Christchurch of course the Council is developer, banker, and an anticompetitive business operator.
Latest CCC undermining of local business:
The council has allowed The Arts Festival to put an Ice Rink, the TV One Ice Dome using the City Council's newly purchased inflato-Dome, in the Square - undermining a perfectly good local Ice Rink in Brougham street - nice one!
Would've been nice to consult and or include them - but no... Cold-hearted Chch indeed...and just what is an arts festival doing running an ice rink any way - no ice follies, dance or productions of the Snow Queen or anything that I can see listed - they allude to demonstrations and performances but nothing definite ... WTF?
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Hans Brinkermanship
fingering the dichotomy -
The council has allowed The Arts Festival to put an Ice Rink, the TV One Ice Dome using the City Council's newly purchased inflato-Dome, in the Square - undermining a perfectly good local Ice Rink in Brougham street - nice one!
Would've been nice to consult and or include them - but no... Cold-hearted Chch indeed...Christchuch is what could be termed 'under-iced'. The current rink is privately owned, and while a reasonable facility, there isn't enough time in the day to meet the demand for it. Hundreds of people play their senior ice hockey competition during the summer because it's impossible to get ice time before midnight during winter.
Demand is at present capable of supporting a second rink - either in the same facility as the current rink, which is what Dunedin has, or in a separate facility. High capital costs will prevent most private businesses doing that.
Bringing ice into the city is a fantastic idea. Shame they couldn't do without the dome and just have an outdoor rink. Skating outdoors - like Alexandra, Tekapo, Naseby - is a wonderful experience.
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James: I understand the issue around non-responders - but I think that checking the responders against established demographic data surely gives you more confidence in your numbers - in this case it told us that in fact the pro-stadium demographics were overrepresented in the results.
Mostly though I think the important thing here is that there's a simple way to solve this sort of issue - any of these surveys should have been be useful to a council in that they told them they didn't have a clear mandate - and the simple solution would be to get one by having a referendum. And getting back to my original point that if the council wont have a referendum there ought to be a way for the citizens to demand one (since huge public meetings and marching in the streets obviously doesn't work - I've never seen downtown so empty on a Sat after that last march went through, everyone seemed to join it)
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Paul: I'm wearing my academic hat when I'm saying this. Adjusting for demographics is a small step in the right direction, but the research pretty clearly argues that it is nowhere near enough. It could still be easily out by 20-30% (in either direction, although the tail toward the middle is slightly longer).This is why pretty much nobody uses mail surveys.
And this still doesn't counter the fact that students were out of town.I'm still very mixed on the use of referendums, but for a project of this size, I can see some sense. I would love to see a more definitive answer though, whether it be a referendum or even a more reliable survey.
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I agree that having the students out of town would be an issue - but to be fair they were polling ratepayers (as were the council's surveys) and few ratepayers are also students and those who are, well, live here and don't go back home for the holidays.
Really though this is a side show as I said any these surveys should have told the council they didn't have a mandate - even after spending a whole bunch of council money funneled through the CST to try and change public opinion (we paid for all that advertising trying to change our own minds, it didn't work and was a waste of our money)
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Completely off tack..I have a spare entry for the Great Blend on Thursday as I am now going solo (I have a ticket for two)
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I agree that having the students out of town would be an issue - but to be fair they were polling ratepayers (as were the council's surveys) and few ratepayers are also students and those who are, well, live here and don't go back home for the holidays.
Ahem. I'm a tenant. I don't pay rates - although I'd be surprised if my landlord did not factor them into my rent. I do get a vote in local-body elections. Does this mean that I shouldn't have a say in how rates are spent by the council? Are we living in a feudal society where only the landed gentry get an opinion in these matters?
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I have to laugh. Hide says he will strip spending back to core services. But Rodney, tell us do, what has Central Government been loading on Local Government for the past two decades? Social, environmental, cultural responsibilities the central gnomes would rather not deal with.
Helps balance Govt's books, and makes the icky huggy touchy feely stuff invisible except when the self styled "Minister for Ratepayers" needs an easy target to divert attention from the Supercity rort, which is looking a tad shaky right now.
Give me a break!
Has he read the Local Government Act recently? There are these things called the four wellbeings: social, environmental, cultural and economic. They are part of the legislation - so unless he wants to buy a huge fight in redrafting the Act, he should probably zip his flappy lip.
If he's taking aim at the Act then he buys a fight with the Maori Party among others - and we all know how much he loves getting down with the brothers, don't we!
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Only the mail surveys were concerned with ratepayers. The phone survey used random digit dialling. And I think indirectly, students pay a lot of rates, as both tenants and consumers.
I don't think these surveys in aggregate do clearly imply that the council doesn't have a mandate; but it is enough that it should have prompted them to care.
I do wonder how many of our councillors see people like Calvin Oaten write a letter in opposition, and then think it must be a good idea. -
I just read the Herald story on Rodney's plans to revise (not review) the Local Govt Act 2002.
I've started a game called Right Wing Buzzword Bingo:"targeted consultation" - we'll talk to our mates
"transparency" - making sure our mates only do what we want them to
"greater private-sector role" - making sure jobs go to our mates
"hard thinking" - working out how our mates can make maximum dollars out of the Supercity and local government stuff
"tradeoffs between services" - making sure nobody does any stuff for people
"no free ride" - none of that icky social stuff mate!
"an engagement in debate" - John, it's my way or the highway. Decide.BINGO!
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Completely off tack..I have a spare entry for the Great Blend on Thursday as I am now going solo (I have a ticket for two)
Jackie Clark take note.:)
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That takes me back to the dark days of the mid nineties - Hard News kept me sane as the Roger-gnomes ran amok with their wide eyed pea brained Year Zero zealotry.
Oh. For. Fucks. Sake. Maze. Yes, Rodney's secret agenda is to empty out the cities and them move on to the genocidal extermination of all enemies of the state. Good spotting.
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BINGO!
I like . What about umm, er, ummm (attributed to John key)- I know nuthing. I'm waiting on Texasases
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Craig: you know that isn't true, that would be big government, it's ACT policy that all that stuff will be outsourced to the private sector -
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Craig: you know that isn't true, that would be big government, it's ACT policy that all that stuff will be outsourced to the private sector -
It's not without precedent. The Pinkerton Agency immediately comes to mind.
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Rodney, tell us do, what has Central Government been loading on Local Government for the past two decades? Social, environmental, cultural responsibilities the central gnomes would rather not deal with.
I'm pretty sure that's exactly what Rodney Hide and ACT would tell you. They've been complaining about it for years.
Give me a break!
Has he read the Local Government Act recently? There are these things called the four wellbeings: social, environmental, cultural and economic. They are part of the legislation - so unless he wants to buy a huge fight in redrafting the Act, he should probably zip his flappy lip.
And I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he wants here. He doesn't want the current law to be the law. He voted against it when it was introduced. ACT wants to re-draft local government legislation - which is a major reason why Rodney wanted to be minister of Local Government, and why he's started a process of review.
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Paul: Just as a courtesy, could you stop telling me what I do and don't know. Meanwhile, I'm all for the cheap snark but perhaps folks could avoid mindless allusions to mass murder for cheap points? Because if I wanted a WhaleOil facial (and I don't) Cameron Slater really does it better.
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I'm pretty sure that's exactly what Rodney Hide and ACT would tell you. They've been complaining about it for years.
And I'm sure Rodney will be ecstatic to hear that Labour and the Greens are now as staunchly opposed to regulatory mission creep from central to local government as they are to "stealing" private property for public works (at least until the Mount Albert polls close on Saturday). I hear Ayn Rand spinning in her grave fast enough to make cotton candy.
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No, that was the nineties when the centre of public debate was way out in right-field, such as the example I gave of the shoe manufacturer and as detailed in RBs excellent posts from the era linked above. Times have changed, the world, and the country has moved on. As for Hide he has grown up a lot politically, especially since he became an electorate MP.
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ACT wants to re-draft local government legislation - which is a major reason why Rodney wanted to be minister of Local Government
So if that was the deal done, Minister for local govt. for confidence and supply, then it would seem a high price, unless...
Are Key et al using Rodders to play the axeman whilst keeping our blood off their clean white shirts?. -
Right Wing Buzzword Bingo addenda:
"um...duh...er...I did not see that woman's sextes textes..." = John Key channels George Dubbya. Next thing he'll be reading to kids from an upside down book. Or looking through the wrong end of a pair of binocs..
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