Thursday 14 February 2008

Minister of Useless Journeys

David-Cunliffe_small Minister for Arrogance, Nationalisation and Health David Cunliffe is starting to sound like he's channeling former All Black coach John Mitchell.

"In our short history, we [New Zealanders have been on a journey." We are "journeying together towards maturity as a nation."  We're  "on a journey" to "shape a knowledge society" he told UNESCO.  Young people are "on a journey of reflection"; the economy is "on a journey"; and Telecom's copper network is on a journey.  He's even "on a bit of a journey" himself.  As a Dad.

It all smells like bullshit to me.

This morning, he told Radio NZ that the state health system which is in a shambles and for which he's responsible -- he's running the show, remember -- is also "on a journey."  Presumably he thinks that  explains  the recent high profle deaths?

Looks like we're all "on a journey."

It's a curious phrase to describe the state's unsafe die-while-you-wait health system, but if you examine the direction of that journey for the last ten years you'd have to say it's one of costing more, delivering less, and having people die because of it

Not really a "journey" anyone should want to buy into, really.  It's looking about as successful as the "journey" on which Mitch took the All Blacks four years ago.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I heard his solution to the health crisis this morning on ZB. More bureaucracy. That'll fix it.

Mrs Danvers

Peter Cresswell said...

Come on Mrs D. It's a journey. What's a journey without bureaucrats?

;^)

KG said...

I once went on a long journey with a bunch of drunken Aborigines,in a clapped-out Holden Kingswood station wagon......
Cunliffe's "health journey" reminds me of it, but the Kingswood may have been safer.

Anonymous said...

Years ago there was a journey to the Chathams. Seems the air force flew some MPs and bureaucrats over there. Those MPs drank and got up to drunken mischief. Overnight one or more tried to play a prank on the air crew and "adjust" the landing gear of the aircraft. Their silliness was discovered and repaired the next morning. But what a silly thing to do- to your own plane!

One of the aircrew relates how the MPs reeked in ale and sweat and also the special ale that had returned from the depths, if you get what I mean. It was so bad that on the return flight, the pilot got sick from the smell of his passengers.

Now that was a tough a journey.