This debate has gone on and on during the campaign. I would argue because most journalists are financially illiterate, and can’t argue why the basic premise is nonsense. The Press has a dated article by Mike Yardley on its website which has been there for weeks. During the week the Press … [Read more...]
What I expect to hear from Mayoral, Council and Ecan candidates over the next three weeks:
Now that people will be receiving their voting papers it is important that we hear what the candidates standing for office want to achieve if they are elected. It’s time to hear their dreams and what they think they could achieve as a Mayor, or CCC or Ecan Councillor, or Community board … [Read more...]
What $100m of CCC expenditure decrease, and a zero-rates promise, would mean:
Last week I said that I would try to show what zero rates over the next three years would mean. Firstly, a lesson on what makes up rates. A City Council spends money with operating costs and capital expenditure. Operating costs include mowing lawns, running libraries, swimming pools etc. … [Read more...]
It’s not every week I agree with Mike Yardley:
I have put aside a small portion of Tuesday mornings, prior to the Local Body elections, to read Mike Yardley’s current focus the Mayoral election campaign. This paragraph caught my attention last week: There is unquestionably a whiff of Trump-style disruption to Park's campaign platform, with … [Read more...]
Garry Writes…
I have been viewing the Mayoral election campaign with great interest. I know Darryl Park. It mystified me why he was standing for Mayor. He has shown little interest in local politics in the past. I served on the Board of Canterbury Tourism and he was the CEO. That’s the closest I have seen him to … [Read more...]
John Tamihere is continuing the nonsense numbers about Christchurch:
Cam Preston wrote to me with this message which ties in with our recent coverage of successive Governments spreading mis-information on how much was spent in Christchurch after the earthquakes. Here is what he wrote: This week I have been listening to debate and comments from the mayoral hopefuls … [Read more...]
Chamber of Commerce “Directive”
The Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce has produced a document and required Mayoral candidates to respond to it. It’s called a “directive”. Here it is: https://cecc.org.nz/CECC_Public/About/Local_Government Directive.aspx Before I analyse the document on the Mayoral election, I want to … [Read more...]
Our Mayoral debate was sponsored by a lobby group:
I didn’t go to the Mayoral debate this year. I felt that it was a set-up. They way it was run, as reported to me, confirmed my fears. I was informed by people before the event that they had applied for tickets, and had been declined. Yet some of their friends who applied at the same time received … [Read more...]
Some candidates for CCC are misleading us and the media is letting them get away with it:
I love Bernard Hickey’s writing. He writes financial articles which are readable and amazingly sensible. This week he wrote this column https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/08/27/775725/glimmers-of-hope-amid-the-usual-magical-thinking I especially like this paragraph:It's the stuff of politicians … [Read more...]
Garry’s thoughts 27 August 2019
I love election campaigns. It’s a time when ideas can be tried out and all of us get a chance to think about them. It’s a time when the lights of transparency are shone on our elected reps; and we deliberate on whether or not they justify us putting a tick beside their name in the … [Read more...]