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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Carter can go too

Fran O'Sullivan in the NZ Herald. Would she describe Pakeha business politics as a 'gravy train'? Or is that term just a lazy cliché reserved for Maori?
Beyer was never a minister. Just wrong - and there's no reason to get it wrong. Factually wrong and lazy clichéd writing from O'Sullivan. The prejudiced, conservative, dykocracy bullshit to one side - she's factually wrong and the writing, by any standard, is poor. If a sub-editor of some description has been through this then they should be fired. If O'Sullivan has written this piece directly, without any sub-editing, then she should be fired and the editor that let her do it without an edit should also be fired.

But getting past the lazy clichéd writing and the totally inaccurate facts, she missed out the real fact that Shane Jones was also a double-dipper when he entered parliament on the Labour list and then refused to give up his Fisheries Commission seat. So his private splurging on the Crown credit card is just par for the course - he had the symptoms of entitlement syndrome the day he became an MP.

What offended me most in this avalanche of hotel bills and miscellaneous ministerial receipts wasn't Shane Jones' hotel proclivities, it was Chris Carter's disgusting attitude, especially to the massive limousine bill from the Aussie government. On National radio he told an exasperated Kathryn Ryan that the Aussie government charge us and we don't charge them. She asked why we don't then - given it is so expensive. In a patronising tone he told her that if she wanted to complain she could. He blew all that money and he reckons it's the questioner's problem to fix!? He has to go.

That greasy, grinning, oaf couldn't care less and he has to go.

He demonstrates he absolutely could not care less about how much he cost the taxpayers or what exactly he was spending their money on. He didn't care that NZ should at least reciprocate - he's obviously never thought about it and doesn't care to. His job, as he must see it, is to spend the money; go around the world - with his partner - and spend the money. The amount isn't important - as long as they're all having a first class time on their junkets/holidays it's all good.

Have a dinner with your mates in London and bill it all to the Crown. It only cost $600 or so. He told Ryan - almost apoplectic at this stage - that they were all connected with the government in some way and that the British member of their party was "briefing us about the change in the British cabinet" as I think he tried to put it by way of a reason the bill should be covered by Ministerial Services. Ryan - and anyone listening to his justifications - would have considered them unconvincing and spurious.

His stance was quite clear: some squalid little peasant on the state radio wants to quibble about some policy that sees tens of thousands - maybe hundreds of thousands - wasted on being dicked over by the Aussies - that's her own affair - me and my partner have another conference in Europe to attend, so ciao.

And you won't see any apology at all on his Red Alert blog post either - apparently there's nothing to be sorry for according to him. He lists only the very few things he considers beyond the pale (from a much longer list of extravagances identified by the media) and then blames his staff for it:That's right - he's not sorry - it's the staff that should be sorry because it's their fault. It's their fault and he's not prepared to excuse them.

This gobsmacking insolence must be punished hard. It is an entitlement attitude and it is coming from someone representing Te Atatu FFS. He's appalling.

He's a smarmy operator that Chris Carter - I can see why so few people like him and why Phil Goff will hopefully take this opportunity to send him to the back of the class. If anywhere is open for the seat-less Phil Twyford in 2011 it should be Te Atatu.

UPDATE | Sunday 8PM: David Shearer might have to fill in for Carter in the reshuffle. The stuff on his card expenses in the Orient are more likely to be for refugees for relief in an emergency than rub-downs for the relief of the entourage.

10 Comments:

At 13/6/10 7:44 am, Blogger Barnsley Bill said...

A breathtaking sense of entitlement, when kerre woodham calls someone a serial trougher you know the end is near. He will not resign though. Not until uncle helen has lined him up with a replacement credit card somewhere else.

 
At 13/6/10 12:50 pm, Anonymous Tim2 said...

@ rhirhi: I think you can probably be excused for sounding a bit like whaleoil.
But this "entitlement syndrome" is afflicting a number of MPs regardless of politcal flavour, (and others such as some in the Public Service). It's high time they started questioning themselves about why they entered politics (and what public service is all about). Many seem to lose sight of the fact that they are servants of the public. While they are entitled to be adequately rewarded, have their privacy respected, supported by the bureaucracy and all the rest of it - they're not entitled to rort, disrespect the electorate or play the system as though it were their right (and apparently sometimes their obligation) to do so. This "entitlement syndrome" is particularly ugly when it comes with "Prima Donna syndrome". Some of them are even beginning to come across as though they deserve SYMPATHY for fucks sake! Sympathy might be deserved for all the negative aspects of being a politician (long irregular hours, having to deal with fuckwits, etc., etc.), but that doesn't mean its deserved for knowingly pulling rorts or behaving like a total fuckwit themselves. Goff and co should also understand that its especially disappointing when Labour MPs are involved considering just what it is the party is supposed to stand for.
At first I wondered whether that smiling smugness from Carter could be put down to a kind of nervous embarassement. Unfortunately not.
I think something a little more substantial and genuine needs to be forthcoming from Carter now by way of an apology. Otherwise - give him the flik! and give any others that are thinking along the same lines as Carter and Jones.

 
At 13/6/10 1:59 pm, Anonymous bc said...

Wow this is scary - well actually I suppose it's all to predictable - straight after typing my comment on this site, I went to the herald site. And there was Chris Carter confirming everything I said.In an interview Chris says that he is considering quitting parliament because he is sick of being portrayed as a(quote) "luxury loving gay-boy".
He goes on (quote) "I have lots of faults ... but arrogance, pride and love of luxury are not among them."
Hmmm, exactly what I said Chris - a complete lack of understanding of why it is unacceptable to keep troughing from the taxpayer and the gay card played yeat again. It's so predictable.
He goes on (quote) "You know, I love being an MP. But there might well be a point soon where I think this is just not worth it."
Can you believe the arrogance of it! We are priviledged to have him as a MP! Don't do us any favours Chris - quit now!

 
At 13/6/10 6:58 pm, Blogger Tim Selwyn said...

Smug - I should have used that too. It's a very good descriptor.

 
At 13/6/10 8:48 pm, Blogger Barnsley Bill said...

Sexuality should be irrelevant. Sadly for the rest of us Carter keeps making it an issue.
A thief is a thief is a thief.

 
At 14/6/10 10:27 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here is a quote from Adolf Hitler* at No Minister:

They need two men who think that bums are for pooing and sheilas are for screwing. Men from the true heartland of New Zealand.

What was that about sexuality should be irrelevant BB?

Tell your co-bloggers to own their own shit too.

*I meant Adolf Finklestien, but their ideologies are so similar I always get them confused.

 
At 14/6/10 11:50 am, Blogger Barnsley Bill said...

No Minister is pretty much a pro tory blog with the exception of PM and sometimes me (I tend to be more issues driven than party driven) Suggesting that I have some influence on Adolf is assuming that we operate under some weird Borg mind construct like the Standard.

Do you think we would be any less critical of carter if he was straight? I don't. The fact he keeps whining about it without ever actually standing back and saying to himself "hang on a minute Chris, maybe I am ripping the piss" ensures that he will continue to be the recipient of much abuse.
But keep blaming the messenger and following the labour playbook when caught pissing in the taxpayers pocket. It seems to be working a treat.

 
At 14/6/10 2:30 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Suggesting that I have some influence on Adolf is assuming that we operate under some weird Borg mind construct like the Standard.

So I guess this statement of yours:

Sexuality should be irrelevant. Sadly for the rest of us Carter keeps making it an issue.

Was just bullshit then.

Do you think we would be any less critical of carter if he was straight? I don't.

Did you type that with a straight face BB?

But keep blaming the messenger and following the labour playbook

Err.. I think you mean that you and the rest of the no minister trolls should stop acting like homophobic 14 year old boys.

 
At 14/6/10 3:10 pm, Blogger Cactus Kate said...

Generally the racial opposite of the treaty trough or gravy train is what you would term the old boy's network/club. You will find commentators who bring up the treaty trough or train, will also deride silly old white men who were born to rule with silver spoons in their mouths as well.

 
At 16/6/10 3:36 pm, Blogger Transparency in New Zealand, Kiwileaks. said...

Check out http://kate-raue.blogspot.com for indisputable evidence of why Beyer resigned from parliament months out from collecting lifetime perks, because of the fraud and gross misfeasance at the carterton Community Centre. There are three or four posts on this site about Beyer, including lawyer Michael Appleby's complaints to the PCA about politically motivated police corruption involving Beyer, and letters from several other lawyers to the police confirming Kate Raue's allegations - supported by at least two community petitions. Beyer had the same arrogant attitude and threatened to go to Australia because nobody appreciated "her" here. Beyer has now had her termination brought forward at Michael Hill jeweller in Masterton - couldn't keep a proper job for five minutes!

 

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