DANGER NO 1:
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ELECTED AND EMPLOYED - WHO MAKES THE DECISIONS?
Two things reported today illustrate one of the big challenges to the new administration:
1. The treatment of a small cafe owner in seeking a license to provide wine with his tapas.
2. Councilors' expressed concerns at not being given the costs of additional WRC hosting.
It has been said that ' if Jimmy Hoffa (former head of the American Teamsters Union in the 1950 -60s) was reincarnated as a modern trade unionist he would probably represent civil servants'. Public sector employees in many 'rich' countries of the world enjoy higher wages, better job practices and security than in the private sector. Reform that threatens jobs is resisted.
So the trumpeted claims of job cuts for efficiency will ring hollow as job roles are created under different headings or consultancy contracts.
How many have been told 'My Minister will say this - but I will tell you what will really happen?' So when the new Auckland Council tries to excecise some authority that cuts across the 'expert' determinations already made by key staff - they are on a 'hiding to nothing'. There will be 'sound and fury' - but when the dust settles, the beauracrats will have their way. The politicians will be left to justify the actions.
Maybe that's not a bad thing - given the complexity of some of the issues, and the ability of many politicians to make decisions on other than parochial or limited positions.
That's the challenge - to find a way of ballancing the qualified inputs with political wisdom. But the kind of outcomes Auckland needs depends on them doing that - today's Herald reports don't auger well.
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