Thursday 9 July 2009

How does it feel? [updated]

So to all those people claiming that Auckland’s new super-bureaucracy is a ruse to permanently remove leftists from political power in Auckland, how do you feel now that former Alliance leader and unrepentant Stalinist Laila Harre has been appointed to “help” in the transition from eight intrusive bureaucracies to one unchallengeable megalith?

  • You think with her on board ensuring a “smooth transition” we’ll see the unleashing of a “hidden privatisation agenda,” as some have hopefully claimed will happen?
  • You think with her “appointed to oversee the transition of staff into the new Auckland super-city council” we’re going to see to “savage” job cuts, as most of you have vainly hoped for?
  • You think with her finger in the management pie, you’re going to see your rates bill go down, as so many of you desperately need?

Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated.  Again.

UPDATE: Owen McShane comments at Farrar’s (who, all too predictably for His Wetness, thinks this is a “very smart appointment” – sheesh!).  Says Owen:

    Wendell Cox, a colleague of mine in the US who has made a reputation for his studies of mega mergers of Local Government, tells me that while mega-mergers are often driven by an alliance between business and the left, the end result of the-mega merger is to move the politics of the whole area to the left. Think of Red Ken in London.
    The mergers create great hostility at the local level which the left is more able to exploit. So while many seem to think that John Banks will wear the crown of the Super City, it is more likely to be Mike Lee of the ARC, or someone else from the left. . .
    The appointment of Laila Harre is entirely predictable from Wendell’s studies and we see the standard drama unfolding. Mike Lee will be the Mayor, Craig Shearer [a promoter of the Orwellianly named Smart Growth] will write the plan. and Laila Harre will be personell officer. Welcome to the mega world.
    Of course we will be proud of our world first achievement. There is no city in the western world of over one million population governed by a single council. Indeed Wendell and I cannot find one with only eight. Paris has 1300.

7 comments:

Hooligan said...

My punt is that she'll campaign for half of those that need to sacked get huge redundancy. The other half she'll find 'green' or councilling jobs; no doubt "facilitating" will be the name of a new department.

Sus said...

On the topic of greenocrats, Crusader Rabbit posted on "The New Nazis" the other day; the band of Carbonmeisters all set to be unleashed upon British businesses -- even able to access records without the latter's knowledge.

Hemi said...

"There is no city in the western world of over one million population governed by a single council. "

What about Brisbane? Population: 1,027,847 (2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane_City_Council

Libertyscott said...

Laila Harre I met in a private meeting between her and a Labour Party minister in the early days of the Labour/Alliance coalition. She told that Minister "we can't trust any of the private companies in this sector, they all need regulating, they are all in it for the money and that can't be in the public interest".

I also recall Rodney Hide asking why she always flew business class on domestic flights, given her apparent constituents would never be seen within a coeee of the front of a plane.

She is dripping evil, cold calculated and clever, and will know how to make the megacity work to the advantage of her friends on the left.

Margaret said...

Laila Harre has got skew lips which is typical of a commie.

Owen McShane said...

BRisbane is a city of over two million and the Brisbane City Council governs about half the population.
Just as Auckland metro area has a population of 1.4 million but Auckland city governs only 400,000/
BRisbane City is huge by new World standards and it is a genuine outlier but does not refute the statement.
I am finding out how many other councils govern the other million.

Owen McShane said...

Here is the best we can do without spending lots of time.
Brisbane City council pop is close to 1m...
After the amalgamation, it appears there are 5-6 governments in the metropolitan area including the Brisbane city council.

This does not include the Gold Coast or other areas of SEQueensland.

It would take some effort to figure out if one of those governments has jurisdiction over part of the metropolitan area (which is why we say 5-6)