Posts by Sacha
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Patrick Gower suggests the quake may give the Nats an outright majority in this year's election.
Could John Key and the National Government now get over 50% of the vote - the MMP "Holy Grail" that would allow them to govern alone?
Previously the answer was "No". But the Christchurch quake changes everything.
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Key was extraordinarily popular to start with. The quake is a national crisis that brings about the effects of "war-time"-style stable leadership - and the platform for Key to do it. Add to the mix that the Opposition leaders and parties are weak in comparison and will not be viewed by the public as having the strength and stability required.
And if Key and National get it right the ultimate reward of unbridled power could be theirs.
It won't be easy. Getting over 50 percent hasn't happened since 1951.
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Key is now a crisis-Prime Minister.
That's how he'll be judged.
And, as the year wears on, if New Zealanders are looking for stability - at this stage only "National outright" can provide that.
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to Matthew Poole,
If the council looks like it might start getting uppity, expect appeals to the government to blunt the charge
Expect it to be replaced, you mean
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to giovanni tiso,
Someone said here recently that the official Welli process had already been underway (like the Christchurch one we discussed after September), and that the timeframe for corrective action on sub-standard existing buildings had been extended after developers lobbied for that.
snap
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OnPoint: On Price Gouging, in reply to Bart Janssen,
I'm really over having our economy managed by folks whose first assumption is people won't be honest, decent and fair.
The whole disabilty support system is based on spending huge amounts to ration and monitor spending; funds that could be better used actually providing support services and opportunities for decent people and families (who have never done anything to give reason to distrust them).
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to Jolisa,
Is it naive to hope that a pause button has been pressed on that proposal by the horrible coincidence of nature randomly kicking these people in the crotch? And not just a pause button, but a rewind. Indeed, an eject. Taking us back to first principles: inasmuch as we do to the least of our brethren, etc.
Without strong and concerted political action to push that position home, yes it's naive. If anything, disasters can reinforce a desire for strong authoritarian leadership rather than collectivist consensus.
The cheerleaders of the right have wasted no time in piling their ideological agendas on the reconstruction table, even if they also contain some reasonable components. For example, here's Fran O'Sullivan proposing cuts to welfare programmes and assuming a zero-sum game that forces another part of the country to sell off public assets (sound familiar) - now the left need to propose alternatives, forcefully and coherently.
Key should do the same. This is the opportune time for him to review the extent of his Government's tax-cuts, which are being funded through borrowing and not healthy surpluses, and the extent of the interest-free student loans and Working for Families tax credits bequeathed by the previous Government.
But it goes further than sacrifices Key might be able to exact at national level through a snap financial package to help the traumatised people of Christchurch.
This tragic event should also be the spur for Auckland's leadership to get on to its own feet and stop being a drain on the nation's finances. And for businesses to show the way by committing to reinvest in the city.
Put frankly, Auckland can no longer be the priority for the national infrastructure spend. It has had lots of Government cash spent there for the Rugby World Cup.
It's now time for Len Brown to flick a few of the Auckland Council's gold-plated assets to fund his pet infrastructure project instead of asking for tax funds.
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Fortunately the better aspects of human nature seem to be at the fore.
Mr Heap said the shop had not tried to take advantage of the demand for essential goods.
"There's certainly been no tampering of prices in terms of putting it up knowing that people are going to buy it anyway. None of that will happen at Bunnings, they just wouldn't allow it and I wouldn't work for them if they did to be honest," he said.
The store had been discounting large orders and selling at cost to emergency services and groups of volunteers.
"We're helping where we can," Mr Heap said.
Scott Stephen, who manages the Bivouac Outdoor store in Riccarton, said they were contacting suppliers to get more goods like portable toilets, sleeping bags and gas canisters.
"Business here is going to pick up as an unfortunate result of what's happened," he said. We've actually taken 30 percent off all of this stuff that wasn't already on sale to try and help people out a little bit more.''
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to Bart Janssen,
It seems that unless something really stupid happens (always possible) that what is built anew will be safe.
Here's hoping that recent proposals to 'streamline' NZ's building standards are re-considered in light of this disaster - for example, to make sure sure they address liquefaction.
Executive officer of the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering, Win Clark, said the problem started with the first clause of the New Zealand Building Code, which worked on the basis that modern one-storey houses needed to be built on good ground. But there was nothing about liquefaction in the code, Clark said. He described those omissions as "oversights".
"There certainly needs to be a review to identify and highlight these issues."
Of course there may be an element of
how one's favourite policy prescriptions are now utterly and exactly what's called for
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to Emma Hart,
how about preferentially hiring someone in Chch?
Seen that suggestion making the rounds already. It's a good one.
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Hard News: What Now?, in reply to BenWilson,
Doesn't have to be a fleet of buses - I've heard nothing to suggest there is any service at all linking suburbs like Brighton with centres away outside the CBD.
They don't store all the buses in the CBD terminal - and there are the ones already out on runs.
Roads are buggered. Smaller 4WD vehicles might be better for now, just something people can rely on. Maybe someone's onto that and the news just hasn't reached us?
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OnPoint: On Price Gouging, in reply to Emma Hart,
And I don't think anyone here is pushing that 'everything is nails' point of view.
Not here, but elsewhere