Island Life: The Art of the Deal
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I saw Goff on Lambton Quay (outside Farmers) about an hour ago.
Courting the rural vote already huh?
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I saw Goff on Lambton Quay (outside Farmers) about an hour ago. He was sporting a splendid royal blue silk tie.
It's the suit that could do with a colour change. Dear Mr Goff, How are you today? Could I suggest (having a grey haired man myself) that charcoal or black or royal blue suit would be fine colours to compliment your image at the oppositon benches. Snappy rather than grey will do wonders.
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When the details are made public, let's play Deal WordWatch - a fun game for all the family:
Score 1 point for:
have a look at
review
consult
Score 1000 points for:
change the law
I underestimated the size of their thesaurus. The deal with ACT, just announced, includes an "advisory group" and a "task force". Top work, wordsmiths.
A feasibility study can't be far away. Possibly even a Commission.
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And ACT get the outside cabinet positions of... local government, and consumer affairs.
Certainly not the worst that was feared.
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Wow.
Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples is to become Maori Affairs Minister under his party's deal to support a National government.
Dr Sharples and fellow co-leader Tariana Turia will also get a number of other portfolios.
Mrs Turia will be Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Associate Health Minister and Associate Social Development Minister.
Dr Sharples will also be Associate Education Minister and Associate Corrections Minister.
All posts are outside of Cabinet with the right to dissent on other policy issues outside portfolio areas.
So, they have the right to dissent, except on issues relating to Maori, and health, and education, and prisons, and so on. They're not just in the tent, they're in the sleeping bag.
A couple of hours after National/ACT talk up "three strikes and you're out", Pita Sharples gets Corrections (albeit associate). That is one very elastic coalition.
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So, they have the right to dissent, except on issues relating to Maori, and health, and education, and prisons, and so on. They're not just in the tent, they're in the sleeping bag.
Yeah, it makes a bit of a mockery of the term "outside cabinent" when they're getting some of the key portfolios- I mean, how can you possibly be outside cabinent with Corrections and Education, Health and Social Development? The very idea is unprecedented.
I'm not saying it couldn't work, but potentially this is fraught with contradiction.
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I underestimated the size of their thesaurus. The deal with ACT, just announced, includes an "advisory group" and a "task force". Top work, wordsmiths.
A feasibility study can't be far away. Possibly even a Commission.Yes. It appears that we are reducing bureaucracy by creating an unprecedented number of advisory groups, task forces etc.
I await with baited breath the announcement that they will be increasing levies so that was can have tax cuts. -
National have helpfully included, along with the signed agreement between the 2 parties, a reminder of the 'First 100 days' promises that John Key has made. These include:
FIRST ACTIONS ON LAW AND ORDER • Introduce legislation to remove the right of the worst repeat violent offenders to be released on parole. • Introduce legislation to clamp down on criminal gangs and their drug trade. • Introduce legislation to toughen the bail laws to make it harder for criminals awaiting trial to get bail. • Introduce legislation to tackle increasing violent youth crime by bolstering the Youth Court with a range of new interventions and sentences. • Introduce legislation to require DNA testing for every person arrested for an imprisonable offence.
(See Stuff.co.nz website, PDF)
Presumably this is mostly Justice rather than Corrections, but they are clearly related. Is the new Associate Minister of Corrections, Pita Sharples, going to vote for this?
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Is the new Associate Minister of Corrections, Pita Sharples, going to vote for this?
I think they agreed to give confidence and supply on "The first 100 days" or anything National campaigned on to get elected which was why they put that reminder at the bottom of the PDF. Now that National need more bureaucrats they decide they may have got their numbers wrong on that one also.
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"... to make it harder for criminals awaiting trial to get bail"
So, is this measure designed only to make it harder for people already convicted of something to get bail while waiting for trial of something else...
Or have they just thrown away the whole "presumption of innocence" thing? Your not actually a criminal until you're found guilty right?
Maybe thy wrote it, knowing that it sounds good to Laura Nauder types but doesnt actually apply in most situations?
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So I presume if MP members are associate ministers then there will also be a principle minister inside cabinet from the National party?
It's kind of an interesting structure. Doesn't it mean that essentially the minister gets to make most of the decisions? And also that MP can't dissent (in public?) on those portfolios or am I reading that incorrectly.
What is really interesting is the roles given to MP vs ACT. It almost looks like the MP have more responsibility and involvement in the major portfolios than ACT.
That would imply a National party that is much further from the Right than some of my friends were hoping would be the case. But it's very early still.
cheers
Bart
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