Simon Power and Steven Joyce.
Both have been named as possible future leaders. They have portfolios which cross over. They have very different styles of operating.
In the last two and a bit years, I’ve had experience of dealing with both.
And I’m sorry that Simon Power is leaving Parliament, because he’s a much better political operator. If you want legislation that’s robust and effective.
Just speculating, but I wonder whether he’s leaving at least partly because, as a bloke with some principles and integrity, even if I don’t agree with much of his political platform, he can’t stomach the National Party’s political agenda as we go into the election.
As a relatively new MP I try to watch and learn a bit about how to do the craft of politics effectively.
Winning your seat and winning elections are pretty damn important. But so is good policy and good laws.
I’ve dealt with Simon Power directly on two pieces of legislation; the Copyright Amendment Bill and the rewrite of Patent Law. I’ve found him to be a man of intelligence and principle, who’s able to compromise and who listens to industry concerns and reads the political, economic environment while attempting to understand how technology changes have fundamentally influenced human behaviour and our economic environment.
How important innovation and genuine competition is for New Zealand’s future; and how important it is not to stifle it.
And then there’s Steven Joyce. I wont say too much, other than to say; he may be clever, but arrogance and tunnel vision aren’t a good combination.
I wonder whether Simon Power, as a shareholding Minister in Crown Fibre Holdings, was consulted about the impact of the Telco Bill on the regulatory powers of the Commerce Commission.
I wonder whether Simon agrees that the Minister of Communications and IT be given such unfettered powers over the new fibre network.
And I wonder whether Simon has concerns at the strength of the industry response against the impact of this new legislation and Joyce’s broadband policy which will mean higher prices and less choice for consumers on broadband for a decade.
Joyce doesn’t care. He’s impervious. His style is pure paternalism. ” It’s true because I say it is and don’t argue with me because I know best.”
Welcome to the Daddy State.
Joyce is the Ken Ring of roads, playing magician with the costs and making ridiculous predictions.
Im trying to think of the best analogy for broadband as well ?
As a new MP you certainly haven’t learnt the lesson of shutting up.
@gingercrush, I assume that was a compliment.
Be honest now Clare. That is not your original thought. That is the Labour Party line that was developed weeks ago following Power’s announcement of his retirement and has been bandied about in many places since.
By the same stupid measure, every retirement from the Labour Party could be seen as an indictment on Labour’s leadership. Given how Labour are going in the polls, and the scandal that your leader and deputy leader are up to their necks in covering up, that’s a much more plausible scenario.
I’m not sure what you would do different to get the job done. You as a MP support New Zealanders in many things. But my question to you is which ones as only numbers and honesty get you to Wellington but integrity is a virtue that keeps you there. So think about that and hopefully we might not see you on the same plane home as Mr Power.
As an ISP, I certainly welcome suggestions from Minister Joyce as to how I can provide 30Mbps of Internet for $20/month when the wholesale price of international Internet is around $90/Mbps/month.
Actually Dominoes, I’ve had a check over this site. Only two times have Labour Party MPs posted on Simon Power’s retirement. The first, by Trevor Mallard, regretted his leaving, the second by Clare Curran is this one, which also regrets his leaving, and compares him to Steven Joyce.
Clare’s comment:
And then there’s Steven Joyce. I wont say too much, other than to say; he may be clever, but arrogance and tunnel vision aren’t a good combination.
Is consistent with other information I’ve received about Joyce from a completely different source.
As for Simon Power, I personally think that a great deal of the reason he left is to do with the planned future of his portfolio as Minister of State Owned Enterprises should National get another term. But I’m only guessing, and I am not a spokesperson for the Labour party.
Stephen Joyce seems to be a sneaky operator whose only concern is the shoving through of legislation that will leave New Zealand and New Zealanders much worse off and his chums in the Roading Lobby etc much better off. He means us harm!
I hate the Daddy State, Clare!
! And down with the bleepin copyright monstrousity. 
!
Stu , no retail customer is getting 90Mbps continuously for a whole month. You probably get 30 customers to use that bandwith
Stephen Joyce never served a political apprenticeship. He is operating as ruthless entrepreneur in his own interests He is clear wxamppe of promoting somebody outside his sphere of experience Guess What? John Key is the same.The future is gloomy indeed
@ Ruth; isn’t that refreshing? Right at the moment, entering Parliament in one’s early 20′s to serve a political apprenticeship doesn’t seem like a good career move. Parliament, INHO, needs more people with business acumen and experience in all parties.
INventory2
Should we get people from Bridgecorp, Hanover, Blue Chip amongst others, they have all personally made millions so we could do with them couldn’t we? Paul Collins is being well and truly utilised by this Government despite presiding ove rthe monumental failure of Brierlies…
Steven Joyce’s integrity was in doubt long before he became an MP. He wa sup to his neck in the Brethren nonsense, along with McCully and Key himself. Still, they’re millionaires so they MUST know what’s good for us? Before any one begins themantra I am not anti money, I am anti assuming that people who have made lots of it are automatically good MPs or know what is best for society and the future.
@Sean
Well said . I totally agree with your “guessing” in the last paragraph.
I was never too enamoured with Power when he prejudged Winston Peters before he appeared in front of the Parliamentry Privileges Select committee and I believe Power was the chair . I wondered at the injustice of that whole self- serving(for Nact) debacle led by Hide, Key, certain political reporters and eventually Power, who was wheeled out to say effectively that Peters was guilty as charged (even without ‘trial’)I thought “how unjust” and found it a bitter irony that he became Minister for Justice!!!
By the way, I had never really taken much notice of Peters up until that point, but the contrived ‘hounding and making a case against him at all costs’ activities I witnessed in 2008 was so distasteful that I have detested such artificial constructs and constructors since.
All hail Spud and his thought provoking comments.
And on to Simon Power. From what I have heard it sounds like hes running out of friends (particularly those high up) in the National camp. His legislation gives in too much compensation for the left. If speculation is correct, EFA amendment was the last straw. There is no way he could have gotten further up than he is. The only way for him was down.
He wants to keep his moral high by leaving now.
We neither need, nor want, choice in telecommunications as it just ups the costs unnecessarily.
Power moved quite a way to the right compared to his overtures when in opposition, his calls for non partisan dealing with crime and associated issues is certainly not standard right wing mantra on law and order.
Spot on about Joyce, but I wouldn’t be singing Powers’ praises so loudly. He’s been responsible for dismantling some pretty fundamental aspects of our justice system over the last year or two (legal aid, jury trials, to name just a couple). I think it might be that his pseudo-suave exterior dupes us a bit into thinking he’s got a modicum of integrity. For a lawyer he doesn’t seem to have too strong a grasp on the basics. You only need to have a look at what the Law Society’s said about some of his proposals to see that they’re nothing but ideologically driven knee-jerk reactions that might appeal to Garth McVicar and those of his ilk, but which in reality threaten to attack the remnant cornerstones of what used to be a pretty fair and robust justice system.
Soca
Well said Power hasn’t made justice more just and fair
He has pandered to the rights mantra of lock them up
This of course is ably abetted by our mainstream media which are largely overseas owned and superficially seem fairly lazy
They like Joyce previously from the media have fairly clear agenda’s
If one compares the holocaust one may think the Jewish people were the only victims!
@ghostwhowalksnz – you need 140 customers @ $20/month to break even on the cost, that’s a contention ratio of 140:1, back to the bad old days of original ADSL. Everyone gets 30/140 = 0.25Mbps committed, or roughly where we were 5 years ago. This is progress?
“All hail Spud and his thought provoking comments.”
!
Oh, sarcasm.
It would be difficult for many MPs to live up to the skills of Simon Power in producing work that is acceptable to all…Joyce on the other hand appears to be training to be the next Gerry Brownlee.
I don’t give a toss about either of them they both raised their paws to vote in favour of attacks on the rights of workingclass people.Joyce loves to wallow in the halls of power his position suits his arrogance and not soon enough for me to see the back of the other snake.
Anton spot on. IF Power is all some say he is then he has had to bow his principles and beliefs to those on the right of his party and in ACT. To say that he has somehow presided over a good time in our criminal justice system is to buy the BS that says that imprisoning people more reduces crime. It doesn;t, Power knows that, and spoke against it in 2006.
The people who “like” the changes are the ones who have swallowed the BS fed to them by SST and ACT, amongst others that “getting tough” on criminals by imprisoning more and longer has any impact on reducing crime or deterring criminals. It doesnt. However it appears if you say it does often enough, enough people believe you and will happily see their hard earned taxes building more prisons.