LABOUR - WILL THEY BORE US TO DEATH FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS?

Lamb Cut found Labour party prez Andrew Little a bit on the dull side at the Press Club today - sounds like he has had a charisma bypass. Funny isn't it how all the new unionists are so bloody earnest these days. We remember the days of Roger Middlemass for the Meatworkers, Ray Bianci - Boiler makers, Calvin fisher, Almalgamated workers, Angela Faulkes .
They hogged the headlines, railed against the employers , drank like fish, shagged like rabbits, had fun were loud and always had a pithy comment. For journalists looking for a front page lead you only had to ring them, needle them and you had a mind sticking headline.

They are still around but they have none of the fire and brimstone of the old days. And watching the House in action today we were struck with how boring and tired Labour looked as well.

Key roared and rumbled as did English - even the gentlemanly Chris Finlayson was steely but Labour looked - well boring as boring things.

Stevie Chadwick tried very hard to look pissed off and Darrin ( my uncle is Davey ) Hughes just seemed startled and it was clear he didn't believe Goff as he stammered through a justification for keeping secret the steaming pile of fiscal faeces that is ACC.

Goff looks as out of place as Lisa Lewis in a nunnery.

They have no answers, they look listless and we know at least four are looking for jobs. It is hard to watch them and not laugh out loud as they squirm.

DISHONEST POLITICS

It appears that the true deviousness and dishonesty of Labour politics has never been clearer than their decision to cover up the ACC blowout. As always Rob Hosking of NBR says it best.

Nothing else to say really, apart from the fact that Cullen is a devious wanker and that Treasury needs to get hard. Free and Frank guys, Free and Frank. You can never get sacked for being free and frank.

JOB SUMMIT AND FRIDAY ROUND UP.

We have been involved , one way or another in enough talk fests to sink a Cook Strait Ferry.

So despite staying positive we did harbour a few niggling doubts about the Job summit.
However we think some really good stuff has come out of it-
Bollard and English made it clear how bad things are. The problem is 390 time the size of the NZ economy.

And there was some very cool off the wall stuff. Weirdly we like the bike track idea. Creating a Bike track from one end of the country to the other But then with ma and pa resting up in Alexandra, we have first hand knowledge of the micro economy that surround the Rail Trail bike way.

We reckon little communities along the way can replicate the Central Otago Rail Trail. And we wonder if it can be linked to any projects increasing the reach of broadband.

So we quite like that idea - despite the fact that bike seats are swallowed whole by BB's ample derriere and are never seen again, biking is a good thing.

And we have already blogged extensively on four day working weeks. So the nine day fortnight gets a tick.

But the best part of the summit is that the economic crisis is a bit of a slow moving Tsunami and we have a bit of time ( not a lot but a wee bit ,) so the Summit has been a good starting point to get our economic shit together.
Everyone needs to play their part and the public service is no exception.
We think that the best thing the bureaucray can do is unravel all the regs and rules that stifle business and everyday life and quick smart. However we had heard that work is well underway on such stuff. We will report when we know more.

And for the round up.

• We have heard that four Labour backbenchers would have bailed from Parliament but the tight job market is holding them back.
• Should the poultry and seafood industries be grumpy that only beef sammies were served at the Job Summit?
  
• Will Dockside get a full house for the annual Bluff Oyster Lunch next week?
  
• What is the exciting new fishery the Seafood industry is exploring that will have foodies in ecstacy?
  
• Is there really a big problem with the Marlborough Blue Cod fishery?
  
• And Twits and Tweeters (Forest and Bird) is is sealing their reputation by carrying out a weird protest next week. We hear they will get a chilly reception.
  

ACC SICK NEEDS REMOVAL OF LIMBS

This is absolutely shocking - just in from PM John Key.

The previous Labour government underfunded ACC to the tune of about $1 billion over the next three years, Prime Minister John Key has revealed.

“This is a significant and serious hole in the Government accounts, so today I am signalling the Government’s intention to conduct a Ministerial Inquiry to determine how this happened, and why the information was not included in the pre-election opening of the books.”

Mr Key says the terms for the Ministerial Inquiry will be firmed up over the coming days.

“But my top priority is to offer an assurance to those who rely on ACC that their services will be maintained, despite warnings that the Non-Earners Account will run out of money by March.

The National-led Government has been told by officials that ACC is seeking $297 million in extra funding for the Non Earners’ Account in the 2007/08 year and a similar increase for out years.

“The previous Government knew of the seriousness of the situation, but did not disclose this information prior to the election.

“Officials have told the Government that they became aware of the serious funding issues in the Non-Earner account as early as May, and previous Ministers were also made aware of the problem. However, the funding shortfall was not mentioned in the pre-election opening of the books.

“There are serious questions to be answered about this very large ticking time-bomb. In light of this, I have determined that a Ministerial Inquiry needs to run alongside any internal ACC review.”

Mr Key says the Government signalled in the election campaign that ACC would be subject to a full review, so the shape of the accounts can be properly and publicly assessed.

The National Government was elected on a platform that includes, a full stock-take of the various components of the ACC scheme, an evaluation of progress to full funding, identifying areas of cross-subsidy or cost-shifting and underfunding of newly-legislated entitlements.

The Government has sought further information from ACC, and expects to have another paper in front of Cabinet before Christmas.

National supports a comprehensive, 24/7, no-fault accident insurance scheme that delivers certainty of coverage for all New Zealanders.

We were involved in a 6 month process looking at how to sort out ACC so it better delivered to New Zealanders nearly two decades ago. Its a no brainer and this offers the government a real chance to develop an enduring solution for the future.

Hat tip: Whale Oil