Tuesday, October 18, 2005
One part pragmatist, one part human nature
I'm reasonably happy with the structure of the new government, although Gaia knows the Greens have every reason to be annoyed. Nevertheless, as Russell Brown points out the announcements to date include numerous progressive measures (including increases in the minimum wage and superannuation associated with NZ First), and the Greens' somewhat ineffectual campaign is partly to blame. Will Winston Peters make some pratfall on the world stage, or storm out of the arrangement in a huff? Entirely possible, but that's just guess work at this early stage. Who knows, he may assume the responsibility befitting a senior MP (but don't hold your breath).
More generally, by aligning fairly closely with the centre/centre-right instincts of NZ First and the blowhard from Belmont, Labour has the chance to shut down or at least deflect the barrage of criticism from its Right. Winnie and Pete will impede some of Labour's big government, high spending instincts (except in Tauranga and Ohario-Belmont: ladies and gentlemen, rev your engines, here comes the pork!) while cementing the changes it has introduced over the last six years. So there is some reason for centre-left voters to be optimistic.
Now for an immediate readjustment of those tax brackets...
But onwards to part II: there is something about human nature that says "complain, complain, complain". It's recently struck me how true this is regarding public transport. People everywhere complain about its poor quality, slow service, and high cost. People look to other cities where they imagine the situation to be so much better. And people in those cities bitch heartily about the quality of their public transport, and express the view it's so much better elsewhere.
Case in point: Vancouver. Widely viewed the world over as having a great public transport system. Widely dissed by people who actually use it (or don't, viewing it as ... dirty, unsafe, slow and expensive).
More generally, by aligning fairly closely with the centre/centre-right instincts of NZ First and the blowhard from Belmont, Labour has the chance to shut down or at least deflect the barrage of criticism from its Right. Winnie and Pete will impede some of Labour's big government, high spending instincts (except in Tauranga and Ohario-Belmont: ladies and gentlemen, rev your engines, here comes the pork!) while cementing the changes it has introduced over the last six years. So there is some reason for centre-left voters to be optimistic.
Now for an immediate readjustment of those tax brackets...
But onwards to part II: there is something about human nature that says "complain, complain, complain". It's recently struck me how true this is regarding public transport. People everywhere complain about its poor quality, slow service, and high cost. People look to other cities where they imagine the situation to be so much better. And people in those cities bitch heartily about the quality of their public transport, and express the view it's so much better elsewhere.
Case in point: Vancouver. Widely viewed the world over as having a great public transport system. Widely dissed by people who actually use it (or don't, viewing it as ... dirty, unsafe, slow and expensive).
Comments:
Morrison the former NZ cricketer and now fuckwit representative on the wellington City Council went on a junket? to Miami last week to check out their public transport system (they have a sister city relationship or something).
He found out that...
Miami has no public transport system.
I've done my fair share of travelling and the only cities I can think of that had fast, efficient and cheap ways of getting around are Seoul, Paris and Hong Kong.
London is expensive as fuck and if I had to count the times I was stuck waiting at a tube to be informed of delays or cancelled services I wouldn't have had enough fingers and toes on both hands and both feet and that in a 10 week period.
Every other city I have been to in Europe and Asia relies on buses or private cars and what makes us think they miraculously have millions of bus patrons which allows them to run buses all over the place all the time for next to nothing when their populations are often smaller than Auckland or not much larger?
I live out in the outer suburbs of Auckland and can get a bus a few minutes walk from my house to the local shopping area or downtown Auckland in about 40 mins (takes that to drive there sometimes).
The only area where Auckland needs to improve is with the cost. They have to find a way of getting the cost below what it would take in petrol money to cover the same trip.
He found out that...
Miami has no public transport system.
I've done my fair share of travelling and the only cities I can think of that had fast, efficient and cheap ways of getting around are Seoul, Paris and Hong Kong.
London is expensive as fuck and if I had to count the times I was stuck waiting at a tube to be informed of delays or cancelled services I wouldn't have had enough fingers and toes on both hands and both feet and that in a 10 week period.
Every other city I have been to in Europe and Asia relies on buses or private cars and what makes us think they miraculously have millions of bus patrons which allows them to run buses all over the place all the time for next to nothing when their populations are often smaller than Auckland or not much larger?
I live out in the outer suburbs of Auckland and can get a bus a few minutes walk from my house to the local shopping area or downtown Auckland in about 40 mins (takes that to drive there sometimes).
The only area where Auckland needs to improve is with the cost. They have to find a way of getting the cost below what it would take in petrol money to cover the same trip.
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