Last night I heard Rodney Hide say to TV3 News, "I am not a martyr".
The reason Hide's tax-payer funded spending on his girlfriend's travel consumed talkback on all channels yesterday is because that is exactly what people thought he was - a martyr.
He used to rail against perks. He cast a lone vote against increased perks. He made himself very unpopular in Parliament. A martyr "accepts discomfit in order to be more highly thought of."
Also last night, a friend rang me. She and her partner voted ACT last year because I convinced them to. That Rodney was the best thing in parliament. A cut above.
She asked, do you still have that painting of Rodney Hide? To which I responded, yes. Well get it out. I wanna throw darts at it.
She's a full-time cleaner with kids to support. Life isn't flash in material terms.
Rodney, you earn 10 times what she does. Nobody is disputing that level of recompense (not yet anyway).
But why couldn't you have paid for your partner's airfares and travel expenses?
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14 comments:
Sigh....this beat up is getting silly.So Rodney took his girlfriend along (at far less than the Heralds claiming...see Cactus Kates breakdown)but not a word is said about the millions hes saved the taxapaying Kiwi by stopping things like the parlimentary palace,putting the brakes on a blood thirsty IRD,Outing a corrupt Donna Awetere Huata,Outing a corrupt Winston Peters,creating a taxpayers bill of rights,regulatory responsibility act and many other things to boot including self driving a smart car for years now saving a bomb there.I say hes still massivly in credit with INFORMED Kiwis who do know the value of the man and his deeds.
Hes already paid the price of one relationship....must he sacfifice another to salve the sad souls of the bleating masses?
Because it's easy to talk but NOT follow up with decisive action.
Hide's attitude highlights his lack of principles (beyond mere words), and his increasing weakness due to his association with the spineless National Party.
Time to wake up and return to the correct path, that is paying for his own expenses.
"Hide's attitude highlights his lack of principles (beyond mere words), and his increasing weakness due to his association with the spineless National Party."
Oh really?And what do you call his promise to resign rather than approve of Maori seats on the Supercity council....a rush of blood?
Fact is Rodney deserved to take his girlfriend along,he's earned that perk due to his efforts on behalf of the rest of us over the years in his battle with the leviathan State and he cleared it twice with Key.
This is one taxpayer happy to contribute a few bucks to allow this hero a bit of happiness....Rodney,you earned it mate!
Rodney Hide is a plain and simple idiot for not being able to see precisely what would happen if he used his 'entitlements', regardless of the sum involved. The fact that he himself has always been ready to point the finger at others for their 'entitlement' attitude, also makes him a hypocrite. Going on television to claim that he works hard and has a right to work-life balance etc is just silly, he comes across as an oaf doing that, a schoolboy in love, and the more he says that he's a hard-working minister in that context, the sillier and pathetic it looks. I always thought Hide was a principled and tough operator. After his backing down on the LGA, the silly breakfast scenario, and these honeymoon chicanes, he looks like a silly trougher, in it for the baubles, just like the whole rest of them. Goodbye Rodneye, you wasted in 10 minutes what took you years to build, and for what? A few grand, that's all.
He took careful aim, THEN fired the elephant gun at his foot...
So if Rodneys/ACT's a gonna you are all going to vote for....?
Thought so....
He's the least of a long list of evils'....and least is the best option you have currently got.
Unless you want to vote Libz...ppphhh!
"Unless you want to vote Libz...ppphhh!"
Further proof of the sheeple mentality, always inclined to vote for the so-called "winners".
I don't have a major problem with ACT, but I'd like to see the party deliver on the promises made during the campaign and pushing harder for it, instead of trading principles for perks and sinecures.
You may call that politics, I do not. The correct name is cowardice.
"I don't have a major problem with ACT, but I'd like to see the party deliver on the promises made during the campaign and pushing harder for it, instead of trading principles for perks and sinecures."
No argument...they have slipped re the gang patch ban etc...
"You may call that politics, I do not. The correct name is cowardice."
Actually it's pragmatism.ACT got all of 3.bugger all of the vote remember as the leftys are inclined to remind us.Rodney as perkbuster didn't raise the partys profile...indeed it remained stagnant.Fact is Kiwis want to be the States bitch and take it good and hard up the rear end.They are sad,gutless little bludgers who wimper and moan about all the wrong things until something like the smaking bill comes along and penetrates the dull fug of their small minds enough to make them lurch into action.
Personally I would not blame Rodney if he told them all to get fucked and left to earn and enjoy a lifestyle none of them could aspire to or deserve.
So....who ya gonna vote for Manolo sans ACT?
"Rodney as perkbuster didn't raise the partys profile "
Of course it did. It just didn't raise the vote. Opposing parliamentary privilege was an idea before its time - like many of ACT's ideas. Now it is a sentiment widely shared and he goes and abandons it.
James, I appreciate your loyalty to Rodney. I hope he does. There have been many past actions worthy of respect but I am not going to bat for him on this one. And not mentioning something that has been the talking point of the past couple of days conveys tacit approval.
Sad fact of the matter is this. He is a politician. If you voted for him to tell the truth, not abuse his power, perform the tasks he promised he would and do it all with an honest face.......sorry but WHAT!?!?
Politics doesn't fail due to policy and procedures......it fails due to the fact that its based on people. To Err is human after all.
"Of course it did. It just didn't raise the vote."
Which is what I really meant Lindsay. ;-0
But its seems Rodney DID pay for her travel after all.
From No Minister..
http://nominister.blogspot.com/
..."Here's the part everybody has conveniently ignored.
He has already paid for the perk through a lower salary. The Remuneration Authority deducts 100% of the average value of the international travel perk (around $6,900 per MP) from their salary. The Authority also deducts around $4,000 from MPs salary to cover the 45% of spouses domestic travel deemed of personal benefit.
Make no mistake about it. The tax payer did not pay one penny toward Ms Come's expenses. Mr Hide paid the lot. The trip cost no more than $6,000 - a far cry from $25 k of the sloppy and mischievous Caramel Mung-Goo from the Herald.
Worst of all has been the outrage expressed by the fundamentalists from the right. One of them even had the gall to say that Rodney Hide had not paid for it because there was no salary sacrifice agreement between him and the Remuneration Authority. You'd think the least their hero could expect from these creatures is a bit of support when he has been lied about in the media.
It seems the left's default position on every issue is lies while that of the right is hysteria."
Amen to that!Supposed allies were quick to slip their knives in to his back alongside those of the left without at least doing some fact checking first...
the last time I tripped the light fantastic with a lady younger than my daughter I was called a 'lecherous old man."
Dirk
Certainly got everyones attention which will no doubt piss the Nats. off. There are more than a few in that lot that have made use of the same arrangements. This is just payback for English and co getting outed over their particular rorts. Johnkey didn't have the fortitude to tell English to piss of and install someone with some balls into the finance job. Collin s is gonna crush the gangs and a few old cars and the westy is going to beat up the beneficiaries with Bills help, just like those other two National witches, Shipley and Richardson.
Its a South Island thing. Born to rule rich pricks with hay up their nostrils.
two National witches, Shipley and Richardson
Richardson - not Roger - but Ruth was the greatest finance minister and indeed greatest politician NZ ever had. It took Labour 10 years to undo what she did in one year.
If Ruth had been allowed to continue along the lines she started - NZ wouldn't have any of the problems it does have - crazily high taxes, unsustainable hospital costs, unsustainable public education, Dole. DPB, super etc.
Ruth was the only politician who ever made a real difference to the Dole or anything else. We need Ruth, we need to finish the job as soon as we possibly can!
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