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from: Frank Macskasy <fmacskasy@gmail.com>
to: Northern Advocate <editor@northernadvocate.co.nz>
date: Thu, Mar 19, 2015
subject: Letter to the editor.
The editor
Northern Advocate
.As National’s candidate struggles to gain traction in the Northland by-election, various government ministers would have us believe that the promised up-grade to ten single-lane bridges; a suggested roll-out of fast-broadband in the North; and bringing forward the Puhoi to Wellsford motorway are not bribes.
On 10 March, our esteemed Prime Minister said he “unashamedly” wanted to win the by-election.
Northland voters should be wary of whatever promises Key makes.
He has a steady track record of fudging, back-flipping, and out-right breaking promises when he suits him politically.
Many of National’s recent promises have hundred-million dollar price tags, and will impact negatively on the government’s books.
Bill English will not be pleased as he tries to balance government accounts back to surplus as well as find hundreds of millions for election bribes.
Remember that it was Finance Minister Bill English who firmly squashed any suggestion of tax-payers footing a $130 million subsidy toward the Skycity convention centre on 11 February when he said,
“There’s no contingency for that. If the less preferred option ended up being the option then that money would be part of the Budget process.”
Northlanders should brace themselves that if the National candidate wins, many of the promises will most likely be delayed, wound back, or dumped altogether for fiscal reasons.
Key’s track record on keeping promises is not reassuring. Voters have been warned.
.-Frank Macskasy
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[address and phone number supplied]
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References
Radio NZ: Government pulls out the stops for Northland
NZ Herald: John Key unapologetic about Northland byelection promises
Fairfax media: Government rolls out more ultrafast broadband
Interest.co.nz: Finance Minister prefers not to spend taxpayer cash to avoid Sky City ‘eyesore’; no money in Budget 2015 for it
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Good letter Frank.
Northlanders will be considering their options very seriously this week and the letter will be taken onboard.
I’m sure most Northland folk are aware of the desperate Natsy tactics by now and will be in no doubt they are being taken for fools by Key and Co, with fork tongued promises. And fools they are definitely not!
If Winston had not decided to run and created so much positive attention in doing so, along with the poll in his favour, Key and Natsy MPs wouldn’t have bothered to visit the Northland region. Osborne would have been left to his own devices to to the job of retaining the seat.
But Winston changed all that didn’t he, by throwing his hat into the ring? He dared to rock the safe Natsy boat! Great stuff. Brought out the worst in Key and his Natsy mob of crooks. We have seen what disgusting and vile creatures they actually are, thanks to Winston.
Then there’s the bullying tactics being used by Natsy Whangarei MP Shane Reti, threatening a roading lobby group at Pipiwai to pull back their protests during the lead up to the Northland byelection, otherwise there will be “consequences” of their actions!
The Natsies know no bounds do they, when it comes to threats, bullying and intimidation? Seems to run thick and fast through government MPs! Anything to keep power. Obviously Key has plenty to lose if Winston wins the seat.
Go get that seat Winston and give Key a nasty kick in the you-know-whats 🙂
Only one thing other than Winston could possibly upset Key this week. That will be if someone is prepared to speak out about the charges against the “prominent NZer”!
A recently elected MP suddenly resigns, and the public need to know why and whether he is the person charged and why there is total suppression of the case. If that person is not Mike Sabin then the suppression is not being fair to him as most consider he is the person. If he has done someting so bad that spurred the total suppression then it is time this govt syopped playing us for fools, and came clean on why he resigned.
Never mind the bridges or broadband or roading – Given the results of the votes for Feed The Kids, and the healthy rental homes bills, not to mention removing welfare for 11,000 disabled children… If that doesn’t motivate Northland voters to act against Key’s government, nothing will. This is a golden opportunity for a region who has very little voice to use what they have and be heard, and in no insignificant manner – Let’s hope they do.
Too true Frank. National are scared. They are throwing their very considerable all into the electorate. All because the one man capable of keeping of John Key honest is leading the polls in the electorate.
Why has everyone forgotten about Simon Bridges telling Northlanders, who recently (b4 this by election was announced) asked about the upgrades to Northlands roads promised by Brownlee b4 the last election, to ‘go ask Brownlee’.
i.e. Bug off, I didn’t promise it, so I don’t and won’t do what Brownlee offered.
How bloody convenient, and rather appropriate given the recent promises (neigh carrot and stick’ offer).
People are FOOLS to believe Natz will do what they say. Recent history is the PROOF of that.
Never the mind…..a wee bit of Winstonchester sauce to go with that lamb pie will do just nicely as a seasoning to this ignominious defeat for National.
Planet Key just got hit by the asteroid belt.
We could use our experience in Canterbury to illustrate the emptiness of John Key’s promises. Remember he promised he would quickly reinstate democracy in ECAN, the regional council here. That was eight years ago but now Nick Smith is saying that democracy is too dangerous to allow the people of Canterbury to play with.
Remember he also said that he would do everything necessary for the recovery of Christchurch after our series of earthquakes. But instead he, with Brownlie heading CERA, has pushed through a cost sharing agreement against the will of Chch people which loads the City with debt. He then uses that debt to generate an hysteria of TINA to justify robbing the people of the City of profitable assets. Meanwhile the increeased spend in Chch has resulted in more money going to the central government through GST than they are prepared to spend on fixing it. Not to mention CERA and the CCDU taking on decisions that should be taken by the council. And that old Rogerphile Lianne Daziel commissioning the very man who in treasury help orchestrate the Telecom sell down, Cameron, to make an “independent’ report on selling assets.
But getting their dirty hands on Christchurch assets like the port and airport is part of their dastardly plan.
After the Natsies lose the Northland seat to Winston, we will witness Key’s winter of discontent!
Dear Editor, Northern Advocate
Letter from the remote East Coast community to Northland in support of Winston.
21st March 2015. – On this day two years ago our HB/Gisborne community held a rail forum with our regional council and rail operators and began the plan to lease the mothballed Napier Gisborne Rail for our safety and economic security.
This article may give Northland folks another reason to vote Winston back up there as he has pledged to reinstate all regional rail services and lower the truck gridlock causing deaths and mayhem on single lane roads all over the Country and in Northland.
We have a chance of saving what we can of all the regional rail system and in Northland with Winston it is a surety, but not with National.
For example when our East coast community lost our Napier Gisborne rail, only due to the Government underfunding regular gang maintenance of the track and drains, a large weather bomb storm of March 24th 2012 washed some sections of rail out causing $3.2 million dollars damage.
Ever since Government has been deliberately avoiding meeting with community groups, and now stonewalling our HB Regional Council who offered to lease the rail line for the regional economic security and offering land transport competition of adding rail along with road freight to promote competition and drive down freight costs through that increased competition. (This is National Government policy of course and has been given to most Government agencies and SOE’s as the economic model to follow. (Electricity Authority has adopted this approach already is one example).
Our security of avoiding the monopoly of a truck gridlocked monopolistic cartel transport policy, has now led to increased transportation costs for our exporters and all us consumers alike, damaging our competitive advantage we may have had and further damaging our regional economic stagnation.
Government responsibility to fix their damage they caused, instead used tax payers money to put up a fudged $ 500 000 dollar report (without our input or relevant Government Ministry of Transport NZTA rail documents proving rail was required for future regional development,) to support their decision to close the line, even after we were proving a year before that our freight had increased 100% after we scouted for more rail patronage and there was plenty more to come.
Most incredibly the PM John Key was quoted in the Wairoa Star when he visited the region to open a restored health clinic there, eight months after the washout he promised “I don’t want to see road freight be the only option between Napier & Gisborne”.
This was during a speech in Wairoa on 25th August 2012.
Now however the PM has walked away not interested in helping our HB Regional Council offer to lease the rail line.
We on the east coast and you in Northland would benefit if we get Winston back into king maker to stop National Party plans to turn our regional railways into the John Key cycle around NZ trail plans.
To the people of Northland from us in yet another forgotten regional area, please don’t vote for National as they break promises we can prove this, and best option is to vote for Winston who came to Gisborne last year with a NZ First manifesto on Transport and it is on NZ First’s website and it confirms to reinstating regional freight rail services, so Northland will be served fully if Winston is elected.
Excellent, Cleangreen.
If small communities around the country spoke in unison, it would give this government a major fit.
Our MSM generally fail to be the voice of forgotten communities, but those same communities can share their experiences, their frustrations, and speak with one voice of anger.
As more and more are speaking out, I am picking up a similar trend of discontent that I saw in the late 1990s, under the Bolger/Shipley-led National governments.
If National loses this by-election, and the next, then it is game over for Key.
“If National loses this by-election, and the next, then it is game over for Key.”
Yes it will be Frank. And it could be game over for Key, much sooner than later hopefully. Throw in the release of the details of the “prominent NZer” and the accompanying charges against him/her, combined with Key’s cover up, all being exposed, Johnny’s knighthood will be but only a dream for him!
I really think a few more eyes are starting to open and public opinion will start turning against Key. Hopefully it wont be too little too late.
[…] blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 20 March […]
Good letter Frank.
Every little bit helps.
Cheers.
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