Goodness; MP's are headed off overseas on a junket; the Herald reports:
Delegates on the annual Speaker's Tour have left on a two-week, $158,000 business class trip to Europe to learn about the challenges facing the global economy.
So we can't help but wonder; will the Greens be calling for an independant inquiry into this wasteful expenditure? Will they be calling for a moratorium on such "tours"? And will Darien Fenton boycott those MP's who are "sucking up" to the tories by accepting their largesse? Probably not; read on:
Speaker Lockwood Smith, his wife, and four MPs - National's Melissa Lee, Labour junior whip Darien Fenton, Gareth Hughes from the Green Party and New Zealand First's Denis O'Rourke - will tour Britain, Croatia and Brussels for 14 days.Parliamentary Relations told APNZ the estimated budget is $158,000, of which $110,000 will be spent on business class airfares.
21 comments:
Yep, these trips are an utter waste of money. Of course the Nats, being in government, could stop them overnight as part of the effort to balance the books. Why haven't they?
That's a very good question Judge, and one with which I do not disagree. The politicians are calling for restraint from us, so let them lead, right across the Parliament, by example.
That said, I doubt that any of the four, including one who has only been an MP since November hesitated for one moment before signing on the this Speaker's Tour. I just hope they all have carbon offsets to mitigate the carbon footprint they will create!
"So we can't help but wonder; will the Greens be calling for an independant(sic) inquiry(sic) into this wasteful expenditure?"
Good to see the Judge wondering if National will "be calling for an independant(sic) inquiry(sic) into this wasteful expenditure?"
That said, you can be sure that the Green MP doesl "have carbon offsets to mitigate the carbon footprint they will create!" All Green MPs cover their flying with offsets and have for some time.
Do you suppose those fat-cat National party MPs have even thought of it?
(Answer: a big Winston Peters' NO)
Actually Damocles; Judge didn't wonder that at all.
But it's nice to see another Robert Guyton impersonator in our midst, even though this isn't the blogging equivalent of Stars in Their Eyes!
They're/we're everywhere.
The old green hogwash about planting a tree for every flight taken huh?
If greens were genuine instead of reds-in-hiding they simply wouldn't make unnecessary travel (such as this junket) in the first place, they'd spend their time usefully - planting bloody trees.
"All Green MPs cover their flying with offsets"
No.... the TAXPAYER covers their flying with offsets.
these tours are farcical .. Why is Smith taking his wife for goodness sake. Gee, Fenton gets her share of overseas trips .. Is she the new Chris Carter. As for Gareth (air points) Hughes, I mean, he spends a
huge amount of time in the air, maybe he still thinks he is a super hero.
And Moist vL is 100% correct. Carbon offsets phtttttt
Wha always amazes me is that MPs always have to make trips to London, Paris, Sydney and Cardiff EXACTLY when the All Blacks are playing
Yes, the Green MPs pay toward off-setting their carbon 'flying footprint' from their own salaries and it irks you righties to pieces!s
TAXPAYER MONEY you shriek! fancy righties criticise what someone does with their own salary! When you get all bitter and twisted like this, righties, you sound shrill and pinched, like your undies are two sizes too small.
The Greens have the high-ground here and you writhe in the knowledge of that.
Please grow up.
Tinman deserves some credit though, recognising that planting trees is time usefully spent - perhaps he might encourage Gerry Brownlee or paula bennet to spend their time better than they do. There are fringe benefit to them as well, if only they would pick up a spade and get digging.
I'm quite happy with the large amount of useful work Mr Brownlie and Ms Bennett do now Damocles but there is no doubt the (you) green nutters would be far better employed on the end of an idiot stick.
Idiot stick - a stick with a shovel at one end and an idiot at the other
so while Gween MP's fly all over the country and indeed the world causing their own carbon footprint to go through the roof, it's ok if they pay someone a little extra .. wow, what warped thinking. Why no stay at home with a National Geographic magazine and use Skype/Telephone/email?
AND, the righties think our MP's are just as bad so where is the problem bOb, I mean Damocless (sic)
Everyone knows these trips are unjustifiable. Only partisan hacks would try and make political capital out of it. They should be stopped. I mean this one's over the European summer when anyone they want to meet with be on holiday. Bet the weather will be good in Croatia though.
Tinman - seems you can't even get the basics right - a shovel consists a shovel head and a shovel handle. That is, two parts make the whole. Your
"a stick with a shovel at one end"
is nonsense, like the rest of your comment. As you see, I'm a stickler for facts, not so interested in your illogical fiction.
A stick with a shovel attached, good grief!
It appears to me the pollies are exercising restraint in the current economic climate. In days gone past there would at least have been a bakers dozen in on this junket.
Paranormal
PS: Nice sledge Tinman - even better that it's lost on some.
"In days gone past there would at least have been a bakers dozen in on this junket."
Would there? Any evidence that any previous Speaker's tour has had 13 participants? Thought not. Paranormal doesn't do that.
http://wstoollibrary.org/files/2011/09/Shovel-pic.jpg
Discuss.
What's a "carbon offset"? (serious question). Yes I know "carbon" is shorthand/greenspeak for "carbon dioxide", but how do you offset it? Breathe in maybe?
jonno1...Think of a "carbon offset" as a "pollution penance", favoured by celebrities and idiots to assuage their "carbon guilt".
Quite how they haven't worked out that buying an “offset” doesn’t mean you aren’t polluting the environment, it just means you don't have to feel guilty about it.
A rational person, if one was concerned that their air travel was harming the planet, just wouldn't travel by air.
Further help in understanding this fad can be gained by looking at the history of the Catholic Church. They had a system called "indulgences", whereby, in exchange for cash, one could opt out, without penance, for breaking church laws.
Even in those early times, people called bullshit when they saw through the scam.
Still having sleepless nights caused by your neurotic eco-guilt. Buy your certificate
Here.
Ciaron
http://oregonianphoto.com/2008/07/07/discus-finals/
Discus
Ah! Thanks MvL. But I'm a bit worried about receiving my certificate free, although I see I can make a volunatary contribution which would make me feel better.
The indulgences analogy is helpful, I've heard of those. In fact I recall the young lady who confessed to 3 episodes of sinning against the flesh and was required to say 3 Hail Marys and pay 2/6. [Well it is an old one...]. A second young lady suffered the same fate. A third admitted to 2 sinful episodes and was instructed to go out and do it a third time as it's 3 for 2/6.
With apologies to my Catholic friends...
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