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Honours and appointments

  • November 24th, 2008

Last week I proposed a firm programme for cleaning useless cronies out of public office.

The writer of Friday’s Herald editorial is concerned about cronyism, but got so far down the wrong end of the stick that the Herald lost sight of who could be holding the other end.

The editorial alleged:

"The [Coalition] agreements contain provisions that confirm the "scratch my back" spirit remains alive and well in politics.

Probably the most blatant example is the presence of an Act representative on the Cabinet committee on honours and appointments. Previously, Act has been quick to criticise any hint of honours being awarded for deeds that had more to do with contribution to a political party than services to the community.

 Dead wrong, I suspect.

The provision may reflect an ambition to put Sir Roger Douglas back where he can perform the same service he and Richard Prebble performed 20 years ago.

Their SOE appointments drew astonishment. They looked solely for merit. Many apointees were known to have little sympathy for them or for Labour. That Labour government established a pattern that served well for a decade, giving SOE’s boards that transformed many state-owned businesses so effectively New Zealanders rapidly forgot what dogs they’d been.

 

 

Comments

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  • Graeme
  • November 24th, 2008
  • 9:08 pm

The confusion may stem from a failure to recognise that this is the Honours & Appointments Committee. I suspect few know that its ambit.

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  • Max Richie
  • November 25th, 2008
  • 12:11 pm

Anyone eg the anon Herald editorial writer, who thinks that Rodney Hide sought ACT representation on the Honours & Appointments Committee to get cronies an honour or an appoinment does not know Rodney or ACT. It is to ensure that Labour’s cronyism is killed off. Watch for quality appoinemnts eg Graeme (sp?) Scott. And Stephen Franks.

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  • Max Ritchie
  • November 25th, 2008
  • 12:12 pm

That shd be Ritchie

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  • Aidan Work
  • November 30th, 2008
  • 3:01 pm

The time for banning M.P.s from being involved in nominations for honours is long overdue!

The so-called ‘New Zealand Order of Merit’ & ‘Order of New Zealand’ need to be abolished,along with everything else associated with them.

There is only one true Royal Honours System – the good old-fashioned Imperial British Royal Honours System! The time for bringing back knighthoods & damehoods is long overdue!

The Queen,as the fount of all Royal Honours should be the only one who is entitled to decide what honours to award,& who should get them.That power could be delegated to the Governor-General alone.

Parliament should not be allowed to interfere with the royal prerogative,as they have meddled for far too long!

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