Daddy State gags ACC by gatecrashing select committee

Gatecrasher Smith puts meeting in spin
A gatecrashing by ACC Minister Nick Smith yesterday quickly turned an otherwise routine meeting into another scene in the ongoing political imbroglio over the scheme. Dr Smith turned up unannounced at a select committee hearing on ACC and then talked over its chief executive, leading to accusations of "bizarre behaviour", "bullying" and "gagging" from Labour. The transport and industrial relations select committee was meeting for ACC's financial review and was to be addressed by its chief executive, Jan White, and new chairman John Judge, appointed only on Monday after Dr Smith sacked Ross Wilson. Mr Judge could not make the meeting but instead of being replaced by another of the board's members, Dr Smith decided to stand in, even though he was not minister during the 2007-08 year in question. Dr Smith has already been accused of gagging the board, but he went further at yesterday's meeting by interrupting Dr White as Labour MPs tried to question her about ACC's financial position. Its financial position is contentious. Dr Smith's National Government says cost blow-outs mean cuts are required. Labour says Dr Smith is manufacturing a crisis in order to bring about the changes.
He stood in on the committee so he could continue to "spin" his version of its financial position. Labour's standpoint was backed yesterday by Herald economics editor Brian Fallow, who said National's "shrill scaremongering" was irresponsible, and actuary Jonathan Eriksen, who called it complete nonsense.

Un-fucking believable – are you kidding me? When National pack raped the select committee process (a process some on the right will try and tell you isn’t ‘vital’ for democracy, so don’t worry about zero oversight) in their first 100 days by ramming through legislation under urgency effectively gagging any debate, I thought that would have been it, that they would have on reflection been embarrassed by their undemocratic behaviour and have grown up a little – but apparently National are focused on shutting down ANY debate that may challenge their mad privatization desires. Whatever part of the political spectrum you come from, yesterdays extraordinary gatecrashing by Nick Smith was jaw dropping. As the mainstream media start to wake up from their honeymoon with National, they are starting to ask actual questions of policy and the answers just don’t add up. National say that ACC is near collapse and needs urgent reform, yet many commentators point out that’s an absolute lie and falsehood, the select committee was a chance to put those questions directly to ACC, but Nick Smith shut that process down by simply gatecrashing the meeting, bullying the ACC representative and answering questions to inject his lies rather than hear what Jan White had to say.

It was an astonishing display of direct interference to promote a bare faced lie which simply doesn’t stand up to real scrutiny, regardless of who you voted for, such action is grossly undemocratic and an abuse of power and is totally unacceptable. Nick Smith has to stand down as ACC Minister.