Posts by Jim Cathcart
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: The Mayor's marginal enemies, in reply to Sacha,
But not in the way you probably think. Our planning rules make basic urban intensification all but impossible
I'm not sure what you think about what I think. However, your point about intensification is directly related to urban planning in NZ, which shares direct similarities with Australia. The financial distortions only exist because central and local government know their ass is on the line should the magical property bubble burst, which is why the banks are implicitly guaranteed by the taxpayer in Australia and NZ and also why local governments create the framework to keep costs high. The politicians know that too many futures are invested in housing and they understand the narratives surrounding why house prices are correlated with incomes. To let it all crumble for the sake of the future would be too much for most people.
And how exactly does Len Brown address this? He doesn't and he can't.
-
So, yes, among the PA readership, I may be on the outer in how I think of Len Brown. Nevertheless, even though my views are more Glenfield than Ponsonby, I am still rather surprised that anyone is surprised that LB is disliked. It seems more a case that if you assign to either a red or blue tribe, you have a natural support base, regardless of your efficacy or substance.
o, the unaffordable housing and gridlock is a new thing? Didn’t exist under John Banks, or Hubbard, Or Banks again before him or Tizzard?
Well yeah...it is. Unaffordable housing never as issue until the credit bubble in the 2000s. The only reason that it became worse in NZ and Australia is because of the relatively benign fiscal positions of the central governments and some of the most restrictive urban planning regimes in the world. Does it require a slash and burn approach? For future generations, yes. Is Len Brown leading that charge?
-
The whole idea that there is "moral outrage" from Joe Average about LB's behavior is a crock. People don't really care. However, wasn't Brown the promoter of family values and Christian ideals? The charge of hypocrisy is best suited to him. I think that's why people find the guy to be a sleazeball and not worthy of any trust. He takes risks that others perhaps wouldn't because he thinks he can get away with it or he doesn't consider the potential outcomes. If that's what the public wants, that's fine. Len is the one who is made himself the laughing stock and object of mockery.
It was Len who came up with the geisha moniker. I'm sure he was trying to be "sexy", but I am surprised if anyone can't see how that it is potentially demeaning and culturally insensitive. And in terms of his achievements, Auckland has some of the most unaffordable residential property in the world; weak and expensive public transport (even thought it has improved to some degree); and gridlock. Shouldn't these be the core issues that Brown and the council need to work on? Can anyone sincerely say the situation is getting better?
-
I’ll be turning up with a placard supporting LB :-)
Is Len Brown really worth the effort? FFS, if you put yourself in a public position and screw up, would you expect anything different? If LB were the sales rep for DB and receiving upgrades and was having it off with a geisha (Len's words, not mine), this would all be rather irrelevant. It's a cop out to suggest that politicians and people in positions of power should not be called out on their behavior as the opportunity to grasp the spoils is beyond the reach of most. Anyway, why is the guy so revered? Because he says the right things? What has he actually achieved?
-
I would have though Len Brown had the perfect opportunity to take the bull by the horns and deflect attention with the release of the Demographia Housing Affordability Survey, which casts a sad state of affairs for those who wish to claim in a stake in the future of Auckland. Of course, these are the real issues that could help the guy hammer home a unified vision of what can/cannot, will/won't be done. And at least you have something that might be relevant to a significant sub-set of Aucklanders.
-
Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to BenWilson,
<q>I really do struggle to see much of a parallel between the countries.
</q>
It's simple really. Sense of entitlement. It appears to be on the rise in NZ, but on the decline in Japan. And that sense of entitlement seems to rise and fall based on economic fortune.
-
What makes the Panasonic case surprising is there’s not many “hotels” per se for under USD100 [=currently JPY10,000] in central Tokyo. There are budget chains as cheap as JPY6000/night, but not in central locations, and breakfast would not be included, and the tariff tends to include “per hour” rates, i.e. it’s not somewhere a respectable businessman should be spending the night. Unless you really want practical demonstrations of how well your company’s batteries work.
Any lower than that, and, either it’s a capsule outfit, or you’re in hostel territory.
(Backpackers start from JPY2000/night for a shared room.)Well yeah, ...if you're a tourist. However, Japanese corporations don't work like that and typically block book hotels at much lower rates than your average punter can do via the internet.
But that is quite relevant of where NZ's at now and where Japan was at back in the 80s-90s. In Japan, that sense of entitlement has been bashed out of the public and private sectors due to economic austerity and more public disapproval of how Japanese power brokers liked to roll.
-
If the ACC is broken, shouldn't someone take responsibility? Who should it be? it seems like this whole episode, whether it fits your political agenda or not, should promote constructive change. And that has to be a good thing.
-
Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to BenWilson,
ReportReply
Actually the gap between CEO remuneration and average salaries is far lower in Japan than in Western countries. The CEO of Panasonic does not earn millions and only 300 CEOs earned in excess of USD1,000,000 in 2009. Those earning more than 1 million are publically known as their salaries are disclosed under securities regulations.
But the point is astray. If the CEO of Panasonic can pull his horns in, why should it be any different for the mayor of Auckland, MPs, etc?
-
Can Lenny reinvent himself as Jose Mujica? I very much doubt the mayor of Whangarei could do that.