by frog
As I noted last week, Granny Herald has finally woken up to the dangers of Rodney Hide and Steven Joyce’s plans for local government in Auckland. They’ve been running a useful series of articles about the proposed council controlled organizations.
In particular, the Herald (and mayors) are concerned that all responsibility for transport issues, will be placed in the hands of Council Controlled Organization governed by unelected, unaccountable directors appointed by Hide and Joyce.
In response Joyce and Hide have published an article trying (unsuccessfully to date) to reassure us about their vision for Auckland. (Question: Will Joyce soon become the Associate Minister of Local Government too as National tries to fix up Hide’s mess?).
In this article they assert that CCOs are nothing new – after all Auckland already has plenty of them. That’s true, we do, and some of our current CCOs, like ARTA and Watercare, are quite powerful.
But none of our CCOs currently wield anything like the extraordinary powers that the new Auckland Transport and Water agencies will hold.
It’s a little disingenous for Hide & Joyce to compare some of our CCOs like the not so mighty Edge theatre to a transport agency that will have an estimated budget of $630 million/year and be responsible for every local road and public transport service in Auckland. Even ARTA has scarcely a third of the power the new Auckland Transport agency will hold.
And here’s the $630 million question: Is Auckland getting a transport CCO (whose directors will be handpicked by Steven Joyce) because it will really be the best thing for Auckland as he claims?
Or is it because last year almost all the possible mayors of Auckland publicly declared that their priority projects for Auckland are public transport projects, rather than the motorways so beloved by our Minister for Trucking Transport?
Published in Environment & Resource Management | Justice & Democracy by frog on Mon, March 15th, 2010
Tags: Auckland, David Clendon
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
“If the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office,
the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded.”:
Noah Webster- (1758-1843) American
patriot and scholar, author of the 1806 edition of the dictionary that bears
his name, the first dictionary of American English usage.
Doesn’t sound like anyone I’ve heard of – they must have been rough times hey?
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Such a rhetorical question Frog.
Whilst the Minister of Transport, and the AA, are in the pocket of the Road Transport lobby groups, of course we are pro-truck.
Of course Joyce is a Minister in a Govt that believes the solution to Global Warming is to dig more coal out of the ground and build more motorways.
Interestingly enough our local council has had it’s central funding reduced 80% to pay for big dollar roading. Guess that means our gravel roads will get graded twice a year now and not once per 6 weeks. Guess I will need the Merrivale tractor to get out to the Main Road…Not!
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Webster eh!
Words fail me.
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What’s the problem.
Most government MP’s live in Auckland.
So, Auckland controls the government.
Government controls Auckland.
Therefore, by deduction – Auckland controls Auckland – indirectly.
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Words Dear Fly – have not failed you yet!
Yer Webster – I’m just a common Harlot when it comes to Quotations – love ‘em!
However; I feel we may all learn Heaps from the ‘Great Auckland Experiment’ – hopefully common sense will replace some of our Urban Visionary ideas.
The smaller the Government, the better it meets the needs of individuals in their unique domain
shirley.
Scott is right of course – though what the AA has to do with it I’m not sure (foreigner,me)
Alcoholics should keep right out of it (and,of course,they do!)
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Well Frog, it’s all in keeping with Joyce’s push for PM-Hood. He’s had such a great start as PR spinner for Brash and then Key. He has been shoulder-tapped by Key (English and the other emailers won’t like that!).
Did you spot the Sideswipe lookalike pictures of Hide and the Hood, the spy criminal in The Thunderbirds? Very amusing.
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The AA (Automobile Association) can’t help themselves. They don’t understand that less roads and more public transport will allow people who have to be on the road a better drive and make life easier for those who wish to do the occasional fun excursion.
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As I understand it, the AA’s mission statement requires them to advocate for motorists, which means people using cars, in their capacity as people using cars. So if you drive a car and ride a bike and catch a train, they can only advocate for you in your capacity as someone who drives a car, even if that means arguing against your interests as someone who rides a bike and your interests as someone who catches a train.
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This whole transport CCO thing is surely a way for Joyce to get revenge on those annoying local and regional politicians who don’t share his motorways fetishism.
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