Mark D

Back to the real topic. I thought the NZTR represented the clubs? I am sure that some of them are not happy with the land grab etc. There is no denying, for good or bad, that racing in NZ is operated by the clubs no matter how much in practical terms breeders and other self interested parties have usurped their powers. There will be further debate alright and it will delay these disgraceful and undemocratic proposals. Also the blatant disregard for private property rights (yes and I do not the irony that these quasi corporate/capiitalist interest are usually all about the primacy of property rights whereas I am not usually fussed about them much) will need to be addressed and debated. Someone's conscience will be pricked (maybe in Parliament because it has to go through there) and there will be debate. I never held out any hope for Wacko Jacko and his ilk - they sold that years ago.

TAB website goes down on a busy hectic Thursday afternoon.

Yip John Allen is such a huge disappointment. Began OK as he talked about cutting back on consultants and the huge and overpaid management team and there was some initial trimming but it was soon replaced with his own people, from previous organisations where he worked/headed, on similar bloated salaries. He was widely reported as saying that if he hadn't turned things around after 3 years he would be gone. I believe those 3 years are up.

Yeah well at least Luke had some ideas of his own rather than George's "lets follow the leader" rubbish. But governance, while being the "in word" these days won't solve all your problems if people have unrealistic expectations and the thoroughbred people have been living in the past for too long in expecting the other codes, sports and pokies to prop them up. Breeders have overseas markets and do not need an unaffordable local racing industry (at the "high" end) to prop them up. Closing tracks and have a spend up on artifical tracks will not solve this problem - rather it will exacerbate it.

Sounds like Cameron Shaw. Has the same effect on me - although I did hear him on radio the other day call a race off the screen from Aus somewhere we the sound link went down - very impressive. Should stick to that IMO

I for one would not invest a cent of my money, or taxpayers, with these incompetent dotards

Helps if you count the liabilities including the one they recklessly spent on stakes based on the prospective returns from the racefields legislation.

I agree and while they can't be held directly accountable for the racefields legislation thay can be for believing that the passing of the legislation was a slam dunk and foolishly making (poor) financial decisions on that basis.

Tweet I found that I sent to John Allen when he was crowing about the racefields legislation was introduced Mark Daly‏ @marksparkdaly 1 Aug 2017 Replying to @NZRBJohnAllen @DavidBennettMP Merely introduced. Don't count your chickens - whoops you already have Have a few more which I tried to find (I couldn't) when I caught the last 5 minutes of Weigh where the system that he told everyone that he was sure was going to be completed within a year would not be. Told him at the time that he was "dreaming". I know everyone hates a "I told you so" but I did. Not particularly smart on my part because when have you ever seen an IT system be implemented on time and on budget?

Let's work as a team and do it my way - Winston Peters

Clearly a tactical move by Peters to force people to support all the other issues he wants to force upon the clubs. No extra money unless you agree. Blackmail.

Under special circumstances with specific legislation but my point remains Wacko Jacko and his cohorts would be up in arms

Can you imagine if a Government walked up to these guys and said "we're going to take your land and use it for the common good"? My god you could hear the howls of "Communists - what about my god given property rights" back in the Old Country. Hypocrites

Yes it is so disappointing when people stick to their fundamental principles.

Watched Bernie on Weigh In for about 30 seconds - firstly starts to refer to the Racing Victoria board then to "noise" about land grab - what an eejit - but we all knew that

Heard Terry Bailey say today before the 1st at Geelong that it was the last on the synthetic for the year and maybe forever. Anyone know why that would be? Never been very successful and could be lessons to learn for NZ planning to build 3!

They had that before they sunk the money into a training track

Another track that NZTR poured money into but it turned out to be just to upgrade the training facilities

So T what is the news of the (soon to be failed) Ellerslie track renovation?

Yip the "racing industry" doesn't deserve government support because it has pissed all that money way in the past led by people such as the Ellis's, Sargent's, Jackson's etc etc of this world. No evidence at all that it has led to economic growth or higher incomes for those at the bottom - middle. Throwing good money after bad

I suspect it is the consulting firm that actually wrote it - probably that Boston firm that Wacko Jacko used to run - has their fingerprints all over it

Only watched bits as I said - only error I saw was Bruce's hairdo

Caught a bit of it today - superior product in my view. Didn't agree with everything but a good discussion.

Further in some cases (Foxton and Waipukarau are examples I know of) the land that the racecourses are on are not owned by the Clubs so the legislation would be taking proceeds from some other body.

If all the cards were laid on the table, as you put it, it would show that it costs next to nothing to sustain these racecourses that they want to close down and the amounts of (industry) money (mis)spent on racecourses such as Ellerslie,Te Rapa, Ruakaka, Awapuni etc is enormous in comparison. BUT either way is is TOTALLY wrong by any standards.