PARLIAMENTARIANS NEED TO GET REAL

We have spent most of the weekend planting bulbs, digging and pruning fruit trees. It was good for the soul and the shape.

We had a wee korero with Cactus yesterday ( love that skype and the new XT. ) and as both of us have been in and around business we both share the same outrage at the $14,000 MP incidental allowance. Now we agree that its a good idea that this allowance exists but just like everyone else in the real world it should be for "actual and reasonable expenses and that should be backed up with reciepts. "

Now Kiwiblog is a fan of the allowance which has been set by the Renumeration authority based on historical evidence.

We watched the undoing of many Brit MP's after the media lifted the lid on what MP's did with their allowances. It was all mole catchers and moat cleaning.

So we disagree with Kiwiblog , disagree vehemently.

We have every right to know what the buggers are spending our taxpayers dollars on. They are not special citizens - merely men and women elected to do a job and they get paid well for it.So just like all of us in business or the public service they should be fully accountable for every dam cent we give them. It is no more odious for them as it is for us to have to furnish receipts for every bit of spending. It is just part of the business of doing business.

If John Key wants to head this off at the pass then he should stop this silliness and put in place better accountability. We don't need to know who has spent what in the past but under his government we should know what all MP's are up to from this day on.

OUR JOHN AND NZ INC

We have been pondering the speech John Key gave to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this morning. We have been thinking about John Key the man and John Key, the Prime Minister. Thing is there is no difference – what you see is what you get. Perhaps we noticed it first when the Chamber's CEO Charles Finny said “So now John it’s your turn” after Finny had warmed up the audience.

Yip that’s right, no “Prime Minister” just John. Our John.

You see more than anything we think that Key’s style means that we may actually achieve what is often talked about but never delivered - NZ Inc.

New Zealand Inc. means we all work together for a common purpose. So despite being told by our John that we should be well positioned to weather storm ahead he also said it was going to be tough. There was no need for a call to arms, it was implicit.

You knew that he meant we were all in it together, part of a big team.

Now we often listened to Clark speak and we never felt that inclusiveness - that we were working with the government. Instead we felt like someone was making the decisions for us and woe be tide if we didn’t do as we were told. There was a pecking order and look out if respect wasn’t paid. It was Them and Us.

Sure we know that John's government wont get everything right but we are confident that we will be told the truth, that there will be more transparency, that they will listen and they think we are all grown up enough to make decisions – witness Tony Ryall's decision to let nurses decide who will lead their national body today rather than leaving it up to him to impose his views on the lynch pins of the health sector.

It is a new age and while there maybe financial rocks in the sea of commerce in the months to come we reckon we picked the right leader to chart our course.

Rob Hosking has also been pondering some similar issues – at NBR.

BROAD APPROVAL FOR DAMES AND KNIGHTS

Another promise kept. Key is bringing back titles. We think this is good as the lack of a title has meant that some of our great New Zealanders have lacked any meaningful profile. The titles should be aspirational to New Zealand's young people as well.
However, we dont want them to be handed out willy nilly. We want real heros for our children not just some long in the tooth, deep pocketed, political party sycophant.

HOW HIGH CAN JOHN KEY GO.?

We are not surprised, but John Key is shaping up to be New Zealands most popular Prime Minister in history.
This from TV3

At 60 percent in tonight's poll, National's rating is the highest ever recorded by 3News.

So we asked voters what they thought of Key and National's performance over the first three months in Government.

64 percent say it has been strong or very strong.

Just 4 percent say has been weak.

In the crucial leadership traits, 85 percent consider Key a capable leader - that has rocketed up.

75 percent say he would be good in a crisis, up significantly.

And 77 percent back his judgement.

And then there was Laila Harres comments on RNZ yesterday as canvassed by KiwiBlog.

So even those on the hard left see the strength of John Key.

So heres the deal.

What do you think will be the National Party's next TV3 poll rating.

There will be 2 doz Bluff oysters for the person who gets it right.

Leave your guesses in the comments section. Or email at bustedblonde@gmail.com

SWAZI CONTRACT LOSS

We were listening as we always do, to the dulcet tones of Sean Plunket on Morning report when he previewed a story on clothing manufacturer Davey Hughes of Swazi this morning. BB's son wears a bit of Swazi. Helicopter pilots, hunters, weekend warriors fishermen and farmers and muttonbirders swear by its sturdiness and fit. Hughes is one person we would like to meet one day. He has long long blond locks and a Grizzly Adams beard. He often appears incongruous as he dines with his wife Maggie in some of Wellington's better restaurants or as he pours over papers in the Koru Lounge. He is the thinking women's crumpet.

We digress......

Anyway his firm is a New Zealand success story and he has just lost nearly $2million in contracts he has had with Defence. That's about 15 - 20% percent of his business so its fair to assume that there will be layoffs.

There are trade issues and third party supply agreements here at play.

Anyway Hughes admits that the issue is not a simple one. But he is rocked by the irony that on the eve of the Job Summit the government delivers on one hand while on the other hand it taketh away.

Anyway this case, because it is an iconic company in this part of the world, will undoubtedly be a talking point at the Summit tomorrow.

RAHUI KATENE

This is the woman who beat Mahara Okeroa for Te Tai Tonga - she will be one to watch. Her whakapapa is a good strong one and she is a doer not just a talker. That the Maori party has chosen someone who likes mahi will be good for Te Tai Tonga - they have been severely underrepresented by Okaroa for an long time.