MAYOR ANDY FOSTER’S surprise attack on local democracy in Wellington left half his Council feeling dazed and confused – as intended. The authoritarian flourish of getting all those around the council table to indicate their support for his “review”, by rising to their feet, was creepy in the extreme. Nothing could have demonstrated more clearly the cult-like quality of neoliberalism’s faith in “governance”.
This latest example of the quite conscious delegitimization, and sinister re-framing, of spirited political opposition and debate as irresponsible, immature and “dysfunctional” shows how very far from the processes of freedom and democracy New Zealand’s neoliberal political class, and their bureaucratic enablers, are determined to take us.
The governance virus is not confined to Wellington. While Foster was springing his surprise in the capital, the Invercargill City Council was being enjoined to endorse a code of conduct vis-à-vis the news media which would have reduced the representatives of Invercargill’s 56,000 residents to a bunch of happy-clappy good-news-dispensers, with nary a harsh word for anyone or anything associated with the running of New Zealand’s southern-most city.
Councillors were warned off saying anything that might damage Invercargill’s “brand” in the eyes of its customers (otherwise known as citizens). Those wishing to say anything in public were encouraged to first run it past the Council’s (unelected) communications team. It was very clear, however, that the Council bureaucracy viewed councillors as naughty little children who should be seen as infrequently as possible – and heard from not at all.
We can all take solace from the fact that once the elected representatives of the people had recovered from these gratuitous assaults on their rights and duties, and recovered the power of speech, a goodly number of them told the governance cultists to stand back and stand down.
Invercargill’s Mayor, the redoubtable Tim Shadbolt, made it clear that the proposed code-of-conduct was both ultra vires (i.e. beyond the legal authority of its proponents to either impose or enforce) and an unconscionable attempt to prevent councillors from fulfilling their democratic duties to the electors. Many of his fellow councillors indicated their strong agreement. They would not be bound by this thoroughly undemocratic attempt to limit their freedom of speech.
In Wellington, the left-wing Labour and Green councillors who had been kept “out of the loop” by the Mayor and his cronies, soon bounced back into action. They pointed to the fact that the Mayor had informed some councillors of his intention to launch a review of the city’s governance – but not others – as symptomatic of his decision-making-by-surprise political style.
Rather than leading his fellow councillors towards consensus by means of genuine consultation and open debate, Foster appears to see his role as doing everything within his power to give effect to policies favoured by Council staff. Even if introducing proposals, unseen by councillors deemed uncooperative, at the very last moment of the decision-making process, is hardly conducive to the maintenance of political civility around the Council Table!
It is, however, emblematic of the whole governance ethos. Perhaps the best way to understand the difference between ‘governance’ and ‘government’ is to recognise governance as a noun and government as a verb.
Governance is the name given to the entire suite of neoliberal decision-making processes: the whole professional, credentialed, expert hierarchy of policy-advisers; people who consider themselves “best qualified” to “know” what must be done.
Government is what those whose duty it is to make decisions actually do. And that is determined not only by their personal judgement, but also by their understanding of what the people who made them decision-makers need and want.
Bringing those needs and wants into some sort of rough harmony is what democratic politics is all about. It cannot happen without spirited and open debate, and spirited and open debate cannot happen unless the people’s elected representatives are free to speak their minds.
But this is precisely what neoliberalism fears the most: the intrusion of popular needs and wants into a capitalist system which depends for its proper functioning on human needs and wants manifesting themselves exclusively in the purchases of consumers. When politicians allow the decisions of an elected body to over-ride market signals, then the proper functioning of the free-market capitalism must inevitably be deranged. One collection of interests will find itself in a position to dominate another – to the ultimate disadvantage of all interests. As far as the neoliberals are concerned, democracy and capitalism are incompatible.
This explains why words like “dysfunctional” and “irresponsible” get thrown about the moment the political noise rises above the low murmur of dignified agreement. When a councillor stands up and defies the comfortable owners of Victorian villas on behalf of rack-rented citizens in need of large-scale social housing developments. Or, when a veteran of the sixties youth rebellion openly manoeuvres for his city’s largest employer to be kept going – regardless of all the market signals flashing red.
In the ears of the neoliberals, passionate policy debates register as little more than the whooping and chest-beating of Chimpanzees: mindless status displays; idiotic battles for recognition and dominance. Uncontrolled democracy drowns out the signals of the marketplace, making it impossible for the advice of those with the expertise needed to decode its messages to be heard.
That is why, for the past 35 years, neoliberals have been moving as much of the machinery of government as far out of the reach of all these posturing political apes as possible. It’s why the Local Government Act is no longer about making sure that the interests of residents and ratepayers are faithfully represented, but about reducing the opportunities for those same residents and ratepayers to defend themselves from the decisions of “The Council”. It’s why councillors are paid so much money. Why departments called “Democracy Services” are there to tell them what they can and cannot do. Why Codes-of-Conduct are drawn up to make sure that they behave with all the strict decorum of timorous maiden aunts.
The scariest aspect of this whole shift from ‘government’ to ‘governance’ is that it’s working. “Politicians” – especially local government politicians – are derided and despised. Their “antics” are reported unfavourably in the news media. When questioned by reporters in the street, people dutifully urge their representatives to stop behaving like little children and get on with running the city properly. Newspaper editors write condescendingly about the need to get some adults in the room. In short, of the need to keep politics out of politics.
I will, therefore, be very surprised if Mayor Andy Foster’s “review” doesn’t uncover an urgent need to do all these things. I would, therefore, ask you to forgive me if, at some point in the future, when Wellingtonians are complaining loudly about their much beloved library being sold to Amazon, I give in to temptation – and tell them to stop behaving like little children.
Actually, Wellington Councils have given the residents and ratepayers exactly what they wanted – low rates and lots of art festivals and street art.
The ratepayers haven’t cared or known much about the crumbling water infrastructure the experts tell the Councillors about, so the Councillors have not bothered about the water pipes too much either. Fixing the pipes will be expensive, which means increased rates which is in turn is unpopular and they might lose their seats, so let some other muggins be the one to deal with that in the future.
Democracy in action.
Actually, Wellington Councils have given the residents and ratepayers exactly what they wanted – low rates and lots of art festivals and street art.
The ratepayers haven’t cared or known much about the crumbling water infrastructure the experts tell the Councillors about, so the Councillors have not bothered about the water pipes too much either. Fixing the pipes will be expensive, which means increased rates which is in turn is unpopular and they might lose their seats, so let some other muggins be the one to deal with that in the future.
Democracy in action.
Apologies for the double posting!
Don’t apologise. Just fuck off.
Still winning friends and persuading people with your charm and sound arguments?
Ada: “Still winning friends and persuading people with your charm and sound arguments?”
Heh! You beat me to it. I was about to ask Countryboy to respond to your comment with countervailing argument, not with invective.
Lefties complain about righties insulting commenters, then they do it themselves. It reflects very poorly on them.
As it happens, in my view there’s a grain of truth in what you say. Which, no doubt, is why it annoys people.
Wasn’t that something Dale Carnegie made a fortune from?
Not sure what his net worth is/was, but possibly more than Billy Graham.
But as me old mum used to say, “If ya can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. That might be the first known case on Kensul Kulcha.
I’m thinking of becoming an Entrepreneur, and buying the rights to Dale’s “How to Win Frenz and Influence People”, or whatever the fuck it was called. I could climb the ranks and become an “Influencer” if I’m lucky. But whatever, if I get in now, I could own the ‘Brand’, which would set me up for clipping the ticket on every transaction the masses might go for, at least in the short term.
But you’ve just given me an idea for Jacinda’s post-political career. If it’s not going to be the U.N, I reckon she could make a decent earn setting up a Charm School – probably with that control freak – oops, that woman auditioning to become the next Mother of the Nation’. Hiraly someone or other.
Yes actually and thanks for asking.
Wrong. They flogged off the lines company to the richest man in Hong Kong, 23rd richest fella in the world, with ratepayers unaware of what they were up to, so that many ratepayers, and non-ratepayers, and poor taxi-drivers, and cold oldies on NZ Super, ie humans with four walls and a roof overhead, freeze in winter if unable to hike down to the library to keep themselves warm, or to ride around for hours on free buses, or sit in shopping malls assaulted by utterly dreadful piped music, just to dispel the chill in their chests – or stiffening digits – or runny noses. Think that was ratepayers’ choice, Aggie ?
But- but- but- they also gifted the city its lungs, by joining the continuous battles to save the Wellington Town Belt from developers and other greedies, and now protected by entrenched legislation – at least for a while, anyway. Cheers for that, Andy. Street art is just another plus…
It is very easy for you to knock rate payers for what they don’t know about, and for you to deride arts festivals, as if these aesthetic pleasures have been either/or situations, but this has been a failure of process by the WCC. If routine maintenance systems were in place – like WOF’s – the current situation would not have come about.
Fixing and maintaining water and sewage problems, has nothing to do with being a “ muggins “, it’s their job.
“Fixing and maintaining water and sewage problems” – but wait under neoliberalism it seems like it’s someone else’s job aka a COO or an outsourced contract … hence the focus of councils on their own brain farting executives being paid big $$$$ – to do less than what councils used to do for a fraction of the price, without the busywork and with much better outcomes!
In Auckland many were surprised that the ex CEO of water care earned $775,000 and had been in the role for yonks (helped to the role by the ‘supercity’ re-org)… while water care had failed to provision water for the increased population and climate change and apparently it came as a surprise to water care when Aucklander’s started to run out of water last year.
A plumber told me that the ongoing problems with Wellington Hospital’s leaking interior piping are due to them using various contractors, sub- contractors, etc lacking the continuity of maintenance history, which did not occur when such bodies employed their own permanent workforces of highly skilled tradespersons, responsible for upkeep, repairs etc. Presumably they were dispensed with when the bean counters took over the running of hospitals.
Having had at least two water leaks in my street, I filled the bath with water when a utility truck pulled up yesterday at dawn – but have kept a small store of water at hand since the last big earthquakes.
You might well have better information SW but wasn’t it the main contractor (Fletchers?) specifying inferior copper piping that was the cause of the problem? (Addition): https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/324068/five-new-leaks-a-week-at-wellington-hospital
Perhaps both. The plumber working for a neighbour, asked if I knew why a section of shared driveway had been previously dug up. It was apropos of that he then spoke of the lack of institutional knowledge at Wellington Hospital, and the problems caused by the disbanding of their own maintenance work force, and having ad hoc piecemeal approaches to sorting problems.
And he’d be correct too. Our local and central gummint officials have become such worshippers of the neo-liberal mantras of efficiency and effectiveness and their belief system in minimal gummint with its desire to out-sauce, supposedly on the pretext that it’s more value and less cost to Tex Payer, they’ve forgotten their duty.
Chris T has just reminded me what’s different between the era of the comedic ‘Yes Minister’ and the Snr and Upper Muddle Management of the public servant of today. Both of course are and were primarily concerned with self survival, and both versed in the art of bullshit and spin. ONE thing is though that you’d be able to come across some member in the political class that was prepared to challenge the bullshit and stand their ground. Now however, the ability to do so is not as easy.
I mean – in Wellington we always had a “Town Clerk” that was intent on feathering his nest until he was brought down. (Can’t really remember whether of not that was because he karked it or whether he just succumbed to The Malvina Major Home for the Bewildered, or whether he saw the game was up).
Now we have an entire cabal of masters-of-Universe feeding at the trough. That’s what’s trickled down. Most think they know what’s best for us, and they’re prepared to go that little bit extra in their bid to maintain their lifestyles and position: by way of being vindictive and as punitive as the mandate given them allows. And sometimes beyond their mandate. (In wellington’s case for example, some seem to think their expertise is better than geologists, or engineers and they bullshit for all they’re worth in an attempt to prove it). They’ve made the Order of the Rabbit a reality – some of them possibly without even realising it.
Really, they’re to be pitied, if only because it’s not sustainable.
The we-know what’s-best-for-you attitude is now a requirement for their survival, and unfortunately over the past 3 or 4 decades, the politicians they’ve managed to capture have given the legislative ability to do that. The natives are getting restless and the demographics are changing..
Actually – I find Andrew Coster’s approach quite refreshing. He not only draws on experience (which of course is a dirty word these days because it’s probably the greatest threat to the neo-liberal religion), but he’s also equipped with the ability for a bit of critical thought, even if and when it might challenge whatever prejudices he might have. A vast improvement on the previous muppett. And then their are some good signs elsewhere – like a Resbank Guvna that’s a damn site better than his muppett predecessor.
Interesting times. I know here I’m going to put my money
Not good in the age of Covid!
Christchurch’s brand new hospital is having to pull out and replace almost 700 faulty hot water valves.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/437310/hundreds-of-hot-water-valves-to-be-repaired-at-new-christchurch-hospital?fbclid=IwAR0VkhCegqk3iWP0Uh-hCJJ3FdUmWsvkgKJjpQCJAIkZIsSpfC-xAZYKJuA
NZ 100% pure neoliberal suppliers and businesses controlling everything through hundreds of subcontractors all trying to maximise profits and money to be made setting up more and more companies supplying cheap products or labour (or existing companies like Fletchers supplying expensive contracts but making more profit by bringing in cheaper labour and products)…
Auckland Council is as dysfunctional as it is corrupt. The spinning off of COO’s such as Panuku etc has achieved little or nothing other than to give the mayor and councillors the ability to blame other people when things go wrong.
+1 Spectator, don’t forget higher salaries to cronies who don’t have to be accountable. https://www.ratepayers.nz/rich_list
It’s worth noting that Wellington’s Mayor Andy Foster, was almost certainly elected on one issue, and that is
preventing the desecration of one of the loveliest little bays in the world, by a property developer; Foster did have widespread support just on this single issue, when who knows how many persons from Johnsonville supported the ugly-looking intensive commercialisation of idyllic Shelly Bay.
The same Mayor, Foster, as a fairly fledgling councillor, was also unequivocally committed to the preservation of the Wellington Town Belt for future generations, and this was at a time when at least one Wellington City Councillor, was pro-active in the movements to commercially develop this land for which all Wellingtonians are the trustees.
With Wilde and Helene Ritchie gone from the council, the future for environmental issues could be looking murky without Foster – as far as I know, he’s had a consistent big-picture viewpoint.
Council bureaucrats have all sort of tricks up their sleeves to prevent public debate of crucial issues of the times, and to ensure that their ‘little empires’ get bigger. Collusion between mayors and senior council staff ensures that democratic processes are sabotaged or by-passed altogether. Indeed, the situation has become so bad the majority of councils do not even comply with the Local Government Act 2012.
The worst aspect of the whole caboodle is that bureaucrats can (and do) use OUR money to generate self-praising propaganda: “We are wonderful and everyone loves us”. “Satisfaction levels have never been higher” And other such bullshit.
‘Nobody’ knows. ‘Nobody’ cares. And there is no accountability. That’s why we will witness an ‘implosion’ over the coming years, as all the failure to plan for the REAL future manifest via collapse of fiat currencies, energy depletion and abrupt climate change and the collapse of much of the infrastructure.
The problem appears to be that every three years, we can shuffle the deck of Councillors and Mayors but no-one seems to be able to change the over-riding power of the neoliberalist administrations.
Who cares about having good water and sewage pipes when you can have rainbow crossings, endless road repairs and intersections, OTT signage, funky street art, playgrounds and cycleways.
There’s no point in replacing the crumbling shitter network until after the next big earthquake anyway, we’ll fix it all up then.
Great article!!!! Excellent insights!
‘The authoritarian flourish of getting all those around the council table to indicate their support for his “review”, by rising to their feet, was creepy in the extreme.’
In my view all our councils need a major shakeup they have no money, they have ageing infrastructure and peoples mostly white, they have bickering and budget blow outs. Many of our council have been dumping their waste into our waterways breaching our TOW. And they need to be held accountable for this particularly if someone can go to jail for a few months for taking too many Paua or diving in a marine reserve. So why are the council getting away with all of this? and yet others who do environmental damage get a slap on the hand. Our system allows for those in authority to do what they like and get away with it. Councils need to be reined in, they are literally giving our water away to foreign corporates while talking about metering us for our water use. This is the water that nobody owns.
The problems is those that have previously been in councils have not done their job (lack of future planning) and now the problem is so bad it has to be addressed and they don’t have the money.
Look at our councils makeup , who has had the power, not Maori so you cant blame us for the fucken mess councils are in and the damage they have done to their local environments is starting to raise its ugly head.
Who will fix the mess our government?
Excellent Post @ CT.
andy foster’s stretched face skin barely covers his lizard skull. Is that why his eyes pop out like a ferret’s having spotted the rabbit?
I’ve visited Wellington several times recently and why is it that when I see a beautifully renovated villa I yearn for the dilapidated ones even more ??
Invercargill has also been on my most visited towns travels recently and what a glorious old place it is but even as I write, I see insipid gentrification creeping in like that fungus that finds the toes.
roger douglas destroyed Invercargill and Tim Shadbolt saved it. It’s as simple as that. I’ve been a little dismayed at Tim’s sidling up to the abhorrent neoliberals of recent but I’m going to assume he’s keeping his enemy’s closer.
Invercargill is also, so I read, the largest city in, or is it on, the most productive region in ( Or on ) AO/NZ. Southland is one enormous market garden and surely 90% of what’s produced must be exported. ( To make $1400 nz winter jerseys in London from less than a $1’ers worth of AO/NZ wool)
Tell me? Does anyone else have ‘feelings’ about things in general? Intuitions about unknowable events roaring at us like a herd of P addict elephants with trunk cannons and armour plating while towing wagons full of rich arse holes secretly praying for a medical procedure to stretch their diddles?
I get this ‘feeling’ as I write as I look out my windows at a most beautiful, green, sun drenched countryside that we’re at an extremely dangerous cross roads.
We can either do nothing, as we’re doing currently and pray to Christ that ‘things’ will be ok as if by magic… or we can come together to use an unsavoury phrase and defend ourselves from the arseholes who would sell us out faster than jonky could whip that fiver up off the pub floor.
The only way I can see that happening, and by that I mean we all take responsibility for each other because that’s they best way we can take care of ourselves, is to make voting compulsory.
We’re forced to adhere to the speed limit, we’re forced to enrol, we must wear trousers in public, women must wear coverings over their breasts while men can wander about with their tits out and yet we can please ourselves whether we vote or not?
What the fuck is that about?
It’s about we AO/NZ’ers losing the sovereignty over our country, that’s what that’s about.
Personally I think we already have. We’re no longer able to make decisions about what, where, when, why, who and for how much we’re worth we are. ‘Private enterprise’ assures us that it does that for us and makes good coin in the process while, of course, homelessness, child poverty, the disenfranchisement of rural workers, towns and farmers who grow our export commodities suffer depression, loneliness and harbour those terrible feelings of not belonging.
The right wing are doing this to us. The right wing ARE the neoliberals. Neoliberals are not some strange shadowy cultist entity that lurks about waiting for financial chaos to enlarge their fortunes. I say again; Neoliberals ARE the national party and it’s members, followers and fans. The humourless right wing nutters who come here are welcome by me and no doubt others because it’s fun to rip them new arse holes. Their POV’s and their opinions are not dissimilar to Trump followers in their simplistic and unapologetically dumb assurances that somehow the ‘free market will prevail. Which it won’t, of course and it never has nor will never. Ever. Just look at the USA? The place if fucked. The people are fucked. Their lands are fucked, their cities are fucked. It only took a virus and a nutter to bring the whole place down to a stand still. And it can’t be ignored that the only salvation of the place, and equally that of AO/NZ is constant governmental bale outs of the ‘private sector’ who fucked things up in the first place. I love irony but that’s ridiculous.
We AO/NZ’ers must vote! We must be aware, we must be forever learning and experiencing our politics based on humanity and our needs and vulnerabilities and NOT on worthless fucking money. Remember? Money’s meant to be transient. NOT holed up in some lazy rich fuckers bankster buddy’s vaults.
Privatisation of public assets is what is wrong. Socialism and state ownership of public assets is the solution.
Auckland is in the same position as regards water. All of us must save water but daily millions of litres are wasted from supply lines that have not been repaired for years.
The reason this water suppy is in such poor condition is when a private company, Watercare, bought it they had to make the cost of water higher so they could pay enormous salaries to their CEO and pay dividends to their shareholders.
When they use up profits doing this there is nothing left over for maintainence and repair work.
Watercare does not give a rat’s arse because it knows after it has completely fucked the supply network the government will throw money to it to make some sort of fix.
What Auckland City council ought to do is assemble Watercare’s executives and shareholders, give them tools, transport them to work sites and use them as forced labour to upgrade the cracked and corroded waterpipes. Wellington might like to do this too.
What Watercare needs to do is borrow money at close-to-zero interest to buy up all the privately-held shares, send the share price to the stratosphere, and then sell all the shares to mugs who think the price will go to the Moon. Shift all the money to secure bank accounts overseas, and then declare the company bankrupt, leaving the government to pick up the tab.
A little later, recover the money from the secure overseas bank accounts and set up a new company in a field the insiders have no experience in but think there is a niche for, and get saboteurs in councils and government to direct contract their way.
That’s how ‘capitalism’ works best for insiders in the loot-and-pollute club..
Agree 100% Stevie apart from the forced labour bit aka a bit Cultural Revolution… ha ha in addition it could take till 2050 and beyond using the executives and shareholders as labour as I’m sure they have never done a hard days labour in their lives.
Also neoliberal monetorising of assets like water disincentivises the council from putting in water saving building/resource consents and policies aka all new builds should be using their grey water for toilets, gardens etc and taking water off their roofs, just like a standard of insulation is required.
Auckland Council have been doing the opposite, allowing constant breaches of their own requirements for permeable surfaces aka too much concrete and building surface, beyond what they are allowed in the district plan, so all this additional water is going into the wastewater…. they stupidly think a detention system will stop it, nope it just minimises flooding, not the amount of additional water that is being produced that used to go on gardens and be absorbed naturally.
WCC used to do all infrastructure repair and replacement with its own engineers, staff and equipment.
The neoliberal rot set in with CCOs and contractors with charge out rates for idle equipment sitting nearby to work being done, and complete with drivers.
The WCC ran a tight ship but various neoliberal gangs got into elected office and partially privatised council services.
john key regulated so that councils now cannot dismantle CCOs and take the work back in house.
Wellington lost its cheap and efficient Council owned Electricity distribution and supply through a process of careful mis-management to deliberately put it in debt. TINA sell shares in it.
Even the Mayor Blumsky (shoe salesman) lobbied for its privatisation and missed with public scorn for his suggestion.
But the a situation that can only be described as covert corruption, completed the “reform” by running it into deeper debt and financial collapse, no effective management by Council who deliberately ignored solutions and effected the sell off along with some water rights. Sold for 200 million and a few years later onsold for a billion. Capital gains with no tax.
Prices for the consumers rose steadily after sell off by a treacherous Citizens group in the Council.
Councillor Nichols and his gang tried desperately to privatise building consents with no regard given to the institutional knowledge of loyal council employees and the massive archive of city records.
Andy Foster’s plug for privatising public space is alarming. Who is he in bed with behind the scenes.
The library is a liability and product of Ian Athfield chosen as the architect contrary to council staff recommendation.
Athfield, a darling of the rich set.
The bridge he designed between the library and the council civic offices was earlier declare dangerous and demolished, and now more of Athfield’s shoddy work is revealed with the relatively young Library building being dangerous and off limits.
Who ever gave these buildings consent and what pressure was put on the Council in house engineer to pass that consent.
Rex Nicholls, WCC councillor , was part of groups trying to run gondolas , luges etc up the Town Belt via Oriental Bay, and up the middle of a busy residential street, Majoribanks St, in Mt Victoria. Attempts were made in 1987, under Mayor Bellich, and in 1994, when Fran Wilde was Mayor. Back then, Wellingtonians were well served by journalist Simon Collins attending every public meeting and reporting assiduously in ‘City Voice’, and Wellington lost a very much needed voice when Simon Collins left. I think he specialised in WCC goings-on. His reporting probably played a crucial role in getting the facts out – much more than talkback radio, or the ‘Dominion.’
There were plans suggested for various things like a revolving restaurants on the Wellington green belt – like Battersea fun fair gone terribly terribly wrong – and everything presented as needed to capture the mighty tourist dollar . Lure them with a gondola, for heaven’s sake.
At a meeting in the band rotunda, Oriental Bay, a resident told Nicholls, “we elect you to
protect us from people like yourself.” A later WCC committee meeting I remember speaking at was ironically chaired by Kerry Prendegast, who subsequently became the next Mrs Rex Nicholls, and another Wellington Mayor. Fran Wilde was ok when approached en masse with residents armed with long long petitions gathered by door-knocking, night after night, after work ; I remember nothing about Belich.
The subsequent establishing of The Friends of The Wellington Town Belt in partnership with the WCC, was a seismic shift, when back in 1987, the WCC itself looked like the enemy to Wellington residents fighting to protect the green belt from the developers. And once again it looks as if city councillors have been involved in the ugly plans to desecrate Shelley Bay, and as usual, they toss out their sanctimonious platitudes perhaps thinking that they appear morally superior, when that is not necessarily so at all.
Mayor Foster has commissioned the current review of the council, and rightly so.
“Andy Foster’s plug for privatising public space is alarming. Who is he in bed with behind the scenes.”
Given his right wing ideals, he’s probably sleeping with multiple people.
Oh and BTW Chris,… geneticists cant tell wolves and dogs apart… so there ARE wolves in Ponsonby.
Anyway’s,…
…’The governance virus is not confined to Wellington. While Foster was springing his surprise in the capital, the Invercargill City Council was being enjoined to endorse a code of conduct vis-à-vis the news media which would have reduced the representatives of Invercargill’s 56,000 residents to a bunch of happy-clappy good-news-dispensers, with nary a harsh word for anyone or anything associated with the running of New Zealand’s southern-most city’…
And this :
…’Councillors were warned off saying anything that might damage Invercargill’s “brand” in the eyes of its customers (otherwise known as citizens). Those wishing to say anything in public were encouraged to first run it past the Council’s (unelected) communications team. It was very clear, however, that the Council bureaucracy viewed councillors as naughty little children who should be seen as infrequently as possible – and heard from not at all’…
Then this ;
…’ We can all take solace from the fact that once the elected representatives of the people had recovered from these gratuitous assaults on their rights and duties, and recovered the power of speech, a goodly number of them told the governance cultists to stand back and stand down’…
I would have told them to fuck off. But thats just me.
NEO LIBERALS’,…
THE SCUM AND MODERN DAY FASCISTS OF THE EARTH.
Why are we so surprised???!!?
Really?
NB : FUCK THEM.
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