by frog
From what I saw on my morning hoparound, Green MPs are absolutely gutted by news in the NZ Herald about trucking industry donations to politicians. The Road Transport Forum spent nearly $100K greasing the wheels ahead of the election:
Those who declared donations of $5000 from the Road Transport Forum were National’s Tau Henare, Eric Roy, Nick Smith, Anne Tolley, and Chris Tremain, and Labour MPs Shane Jones, Trevor Mallard, Damien O’Connor and David Parker.
There’s not a Green MP in sight. (Shock. Horror. Dismay.) Where is the love Tony Friedlander? Tony is quoted thus:
“It’s getting one in each of the different parts of the country so that our members in that area can go and talk to them about issues that affect our industry. It’s simply assisting the democratic process.”
Whoever said ‘talk is cheap,’ hasn’t told Tony.
Mr Friedlander, to assist you in assisting democracy, and to help those disconsolate Green MPs, I’d like to offer a convenient pricing plan to encourage discussion on issues like why trucks don’t pay their fair share of Road User Charges.
This price list might also encourage some creative thinking from the Green caucus. Have a brainstorm, people, set a formal price structure and, in the interests of transparency, post it on the website.
Meeting with an MP: $1250 exc GST. (Undercut the other parties – it’s a competitive market.)
Morning tea with a Co-leader: $4000 (include organic scones and jam plus Fair Trade tea)
Dinner with Caucus: $10,000 (include entertainment – offer to sing for your supper).
Oh, and whatever else you do Russel, Jeanette et al, stop all this nonsense about a robust and effective Electoral Finance Reform Act. We don’t need the public to know how all this works. Just let the money talk.
Back up the truck fellas, back up the truck.
Published in Justice & Democracy by frog on Thu, April 16th, 2009
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
If you want money to campaign with then raise it yourself, there is no way that the people of NZ will accept politicians and fringe parties such as the Greens getting any more of our money to peddle their lies.
Individuals and companies should be allowed to give their own money to who ever they wish.
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Hmmmm… it is interesting how electoral fundning works. One could say there’s a good argument for making all funding anonymous so the parties themselves have no idea where the money comes from, and therefore who might be wanting a favour.
Interesting that no money went to Maurice Williamson or Steven Joyce, but did go to climate change minister/spokespeople from both National and Labour. Maybe that shows what the truckies are truly worried about?
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Hardly surprising when the Green party has shown almost total economic illiteracy on freight transport issues. RUC is far from perfect, but at least trucks pay their share of state highway maintenance costs- the same can’t be said for rail freight paying to maintain the tracks.
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Advice from the pond scum to ‘optimise’ Green party thinking, $1,000 a pop.
We are such cheap consultants…
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Umm libertyscott not sure were you got your info but as far as I am aware there is some uncertainty as to whether heavy vehicles are paying their fair share.
With respect to rail assuming that Kiwirail is still expected to to provide a return on the value of the network asset then over the longer term we would expect rail freight to have to pay its way. Which is something that road freight doesn’t have to do. Under the current Pay as you go system of road funding there is no requirement to have a rate of return on the roading asset. This favours road transport over rail.
If you want more information on the subsidies given to road transport I suggest you dig up the “Land transport ricing study” from the 1990s (last Nat govt no less)
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Stu and Bri appear to have paid in advance…
Greens – Stuart Bramhall – $57,276
Greens – Christopher Marshall – $44,571
100K, in fact.
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How else the Oil Companies gonna keep wreckin our roads?
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>Individuals and companies should be allowed to give their own money to who ever they wish.
Yeah, fuck democracy!
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Do the Greens believe that only groups they like should be represented in the democratic process?
What if Greenpeace had donated a similar amount?
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“Under the current Pay as you go system of road funding there is no requirement to have a rate of return on the roading asset. This favours road transport over rail”
I don’t see how Rail has been charged with breaking even as yet, never mind making a return. However, let us do this stuff equitably. Let all road user charges, as well as the petrol and vehicle licence levies go to a fund specifically for creating and maintaining state roads, (Urban roads can continue to be created by the sub-dividers and maintained from rates), and let the fares and charges from rail be put into a fund specifically for creating, maintaining and operating the rail system. Allow no subsidies from local or central government for either, and ensure they are managed with a requirement for cash-reserves to offset depreciation. Allow the two networks to borrow from the open credit market to fund growth, and force income to match expense on a year-behind basis (i.e. this year’s income can be no less than last years costs). Then we will have viable networks, and people will be able to see the benefits of rail over road – as they will not have to invest their capital in rolling stock!
As for democracy being wrecked if individuals and companies, within the constraints of their shareholders,) being allowed to give their own money to who ever they wish, let’s put that one into limbo and insist that there can be no expenditure on elections other than by the electoral commission to run the process. People who want to be elected will have to go out and meet the voters and convince them, without any marketing, that they are the best candidate. In this way, candidates who are not affiliated with parties that had seats in the dissolved parliament will have the same opportunity to be elected as incumbents, rather than the incumbent having undemocratic access to public funds.
ON that basis I can accept a total ban on all donations to political parties, including those currently made by the public purse.
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“What if Greenpeace had donated a similar amount?”
Maybe the govt wouldn’t be considering live export…
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=live_transport3&Player=wm
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Doug Clover argued that “Pay as you go system of road funding there is no requirement to have a rate of return on the roading asset. This favours road transport over rail.”
The MoT’s 2005 Surface Transportation Costs and Charges study included a requirement to have a commercial rate of return on the roading and rail assets.
Their conclusion, from the STCC Q&A sheet:
4. Who is overpaying and who is underpaying for land transport?
The total cost analysis shows that no one is overpaying and that all land transport users
are underpaying to varying degrees. For example:
• cars directly pay 64% of their costs
• trucks directly pay 56% of their costs
• buses directly pay 68% of their costs
• rail users directly pay 77% of their costs
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I can’t find a link to the full STCC report but the summary findings is here:
http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Images/NewFolder-2/Overview-for-pdf.pdf
and the Q&A is here:
http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/_PDFAttachment/surface-transport-costs-and-charges.pdf
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I have got less of a problem with people donating to whom they wish than I do having people and corporations donate anonymously. It’s when it is all hidden that democracy is most at threat. Some limits would be nice too, but IMHO, it is an end to anonymity and hiding behind trusts that would make me happiest. Open politics is way healthier politics.
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