Posts Tagged ‘Helen Clark’

1. Finding fairness for all victims is what will define us

   Published on Friday, September 24th, 2010
   Though of a similar magnitude, the contrast between the initial human impact of the Christchurch and Haiti earthquakes could not have been more stark.  No doubt this was a factor that prompted former Prime Minister Helen Clark to promote New Zealand as an example to the world of earthquake preparedness.

   While the initial response phases of the Christchurch quake appear to be behind us, the shock and the basic clean-up, the most difficult period for the victims is still ahead. There have been many stories of good and bad fortune, but unlike Haiti where the human impact was immediate and huge, returning to life “the way we were” is well into the future, if at all. The frustrations and anger vented in recent days by a group of Avonside residents are a portent of things to come. While local councils, the EQC and insurance companies scramble to meet the expectations of their customers, lasting solutions are many months away. No matter how hard those in positions of responsibility work – whether it is government, councils or insurance companies, their effort will undoubtedly fall short of expectations.

   What of those people who are not customers of insurance companies and the EQC? What is their plight and who will pay for the necessary rebuilding and/or repairs to their homes?  So far there have been mainly vague and oblique references to the effect that those in the most need will be “looked after”.

   A solution will have to be found for the estimated 5% uninsured – around 5000 people – and there will need to be a measure of fairness in the way these folk are dealt with versus the insured.  For example, would it be fair if the uninsured received preferential access to the all-purpose fund that is attracting public and private donations?

   The plight of both the insured and the uninsured will attract the media’s attention in the months ahead, and we can expect the uninsured to become the real causes célèbres, our “Haitians”, because that’s what happens. 

   There must be fairness for all victims, and I believe it will be the responses to these issues that will define us, perhaps better than Helen Clark’s spotlight on our preparedness.

2. Just how can Phil Goff win the hearts and minds of Labour voters?

   Published on Thursday, September 17th, 2009
   Phil Goff has surely got the worst job in New Zealand politics right now?  Taking over the leadership of a party that was soundly trumped in an election is bad enough. But inheriting this role from St Helen, whose new position in the UN only serves to entrench her legacy as PM, makes his situation even more difficult.  

   The magnanimous way he was appointed as leader makes it even harder to use a new broom, and clean house. This was evident in his somewhat half-hearted speech during the party conference when he apologised for his then-government appearing to be distracted by small matters such as light-bulbs, smacking and Electoral Finance Acts. 

   The position he finds himself in now is potentially tainting how he goes about developing his own brand as leader of the opposition, and I am wondering if it is part of the reason for his somewhat lack lustre performance in media interviews. 

   It looks to me like he is saying what he thinks people want to hear and how they want to hear it.  The result is a Mr Goff who looks more like a friendly and polite church vicar than a political party leader. 

   Unfortunately in politics today, the brand of the leader reflects on the popularity of the party, and for Mr Goff that brand is yet to be revealed. Or is what we are seeing now all we are going to get? 

   Where is the man who was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade? In this role he was one of the most interviewed politicians of his day, and I was always impressed with those media performances where he came across as passionate and committed. He was forceful and dynamic in his responses, and you really did feel he was representing our interests on the world stage. 

   Mr Goff now needs to set about showing that same passion and commitment in his new role and demonstrate that he is the real deal. It remains to be seen if he will prove the neigh sayers wrong, and establish his own legacy as leader of the opposition. Or will he simply be the temporary custodian that many say he is? 

3. Is democracy as we know it a realistic expectation for Fiji?

   Published on Friday, April 17th, 2009
   In a recent interview with Paul Holmes, Helen Clark posed the question whether it was always necessarily appropriate to expect to be able to drop a developed country’s model on a developing one?*

   While Fiji has long had a tradition of democracy, are the regular coups a sign that the democratic model needs some adaptation?

   Bainimarama comes to the current situation – of his own making – from quite a different cultural background to most of us, one that’s somewhat feudal and patriarchal. Is this the nub of the issue?

   Until now we have gone to Fiji for our family’s annual winter warm-ups, and felt entirely comfortable that the coup-phase was a transition stage and because I did not want the people at the resort we visit to suffer the consequence of tourists not going. But what now?  Is my presence helping or hindering them?

   The other dimension of Fiji’s current situation is that it is a text book case of how not to communicate.  As one of my colleagues said not one of the parties is listening to or acknowledging the other. There will therefore be no movement unless someone is able to offer a compromise.

   There are some who say that Bainimarama is being backed into a corner and the media have had a role to play in this. In order to give him some room to move don’t we need to offer an alternative solution, and perhaps in doing so, acknowledge that our model of democracy may need some serious adaptation for Fiji?

   That said, the Pacific still supports a monarchy. New Zealand recently participated in the Tongan King’s birthday celebrations, a man who is said to be out of touch with the needs of his people and lives his life at the cost to others, quite literally.

   Why do the Australian and NZ governments not offer some appropriately credentialed expert to assist Fiji to work out a realistic solution? And maybe we can step back from the stand over tactics and threats in favour of agreeing on an acceptable timeframe to help them develop a solution.

   But then I have been known to be called Pollyanna. And no I am not trying to find a reason to justify this year’s trip to Fiji.

   *See six minutes into this interview http://tinyurl.com/crarhg

4. Who Would Want To Be In Politics!

   Published on Monday, March 23rd, 2009
   John Key has my admiration for the way he is publicly handling the issue of ‘retaining jobs’ for New Zealanders.

   Within weeks of leading from the front at the ‘jobs summit’ where he looked great urged employers to do all within their power to retain their workforce, he is now placed in the embarrassing position of defending the decision of TVNZ to make some 90 people redundant so that it can meet its required dividend payment to the Government.

   Getting his head around the key messages to talk about both situations publicly while not appearing hypocritical is no mean feat.

   My perception is that he is pulling it off, in part because he still comes across in public as being honest, earnest and facing up to the issues.

   When Parliament first reconvened, John started to develop a reputation among media for being a bit of a word and meaning ‘mangler’. He is no dominant, razor sharp Helen; or silken, motor-mouthed Michael.

   However, what John lacks in the way of a persuasive tongue is compensated for by his honesty, believability and his freshness.

   Conversely, Phil Goff struggles to make any cut through in the believability stakes because we have been seeing and hearing from him for 20 plus years. Try as he might, his theme that Labour ‘lost contact’ with ordinary New Zealanders and it is now on a journey of ‘reconnecting’ just does not make it in the credibility stakes.

   In the months ahead John’s challenge is to retain his believability as the nation becomes more exposed to him. It is a far easier challenge than the one facing Phil, which is to prevent himself becoming a stop gap leader before a new leader emerges 12 to 18 months ahead of the next election.