Posted by Blogger Name. Category:
Barry Soper
,
NZ First
,
Taxpayer funding
,
The Godfather
,
The Greens
,
Winston Peters
Barry Soper's columns on the Newstalk ZB website are usually pretty irreverent, even if the hide a more serious message. And his effort yesterday was not particularly flattering to Parliament's third and fourth most populous parties, or in one case, the cult of personality behind one of them; Soper opines:
On the face of it, it does sound a bit dodgy. Politicians soliciting cash for access, or in the Tory's case it's the Cabinet Club where at fund raising knees ups they get dosh from the punters who want to get into a Minister's ear.
It's got The Kermits croaking. They reckon it reeks of punters paying for favours, buying political friends and influencing their decisions.
But before jumping off their lily pads they'd do well to reflect on how the business of politics stays afloat.
In effect they're talking about donations, The Tories have their election war chest topped up by corporate donations, the unions kick in for Labour and even The Greens admits to getting money from like minded, sandal wearing, celery munchers.
How they go about getting the money varies but if donations are a dirty word, what's the alternative? The answer's obvious, the taxpayer would once again have to dig even deeper into their pockets, which is what they do already in the run up to the election as the advertising dosh is doled out.
Perhaps this is a case of the politics of envy from The Kermits, given they more than the others find it difficult to find cash flush followers.
Soper is dead right; this is all about the Left's push for taxpayer funding of political parties. The Greens initially, but Labour as well now that the money has stopped flowing seem to resent the fact that New Zealanders can vote with their wallets, and donate legally and openly to the political party of their choice.
The Left believes that the solution is taxpayer funding, and quite by coincidence, there are similar pushes going on in Australia and the UK from the Left. Quite frankly, we are totally opposed to our taxes being spent on funding any political parties, beyond their MPs' direct costs in Parliament and within electorates.
Barry Soper then turns his attention to his old sparring mate:
But cash is at the heart of a constitutional change being considered by the political Godfather Luigi Peters. He more than other political leaders knows what it's like to get coattail politicians into Parliament, only to see them skiving off after a fallout with The Don.
So he's planning to do something about, forcing a defecting MP to bugger off within three days of getting the boot or face a fine of, wait for it, three hundred thousand bucks, the equivalent or a couple of years wages for them.
It would of course make The Don all powerful. If he has a falling out with one of his hangers on he'd be able to effectively give them the boot. It'd mean the likes of the brazen Brendon Horan would no longer be picking up his Parliamentary pay and perks, and Luigi must know there'd be a lot who'd find favour with that.
And besides, the colossal cash penalty if a bad smell MP decides to stick around wouldn't do the party's coffers any harm.
Forget the Cabinet Club, this has the potential to become tetchy Don's cash cow!
The thought of Winston "Luigi" Peters as Parliament's Godfather is an interesting one, on many levels. Given Peters' link to the racing industry, a certain scene from the original Godfather movie springs to mind, but we should probably park that for now.
But something went wrong when Peters tried to equip Brendan Horan with political "concrete galoshes", and the Winston First leader seems intent on making sure there is no repeat.
Of course, the New Zealand public could do him a huge favour and spare him from future blushes due to his unenforceable contract by simply making him an offer he can't refuse on September 20, and, as happens with horses, putting him out to pasture.
