The Right Way

No Zac...you just don't get it.

2012-01-13T09:23:00.003+13:00

I see that Zac Guildford has said that "staying sober for a year will be hard".

That comment shows that Guildford really does not accept that he has a problem with booze. He does not accept that he has no ability to handle alcohol and he does not accept that he has done anything wrong.
Of course this will be reinforced by the rugby community who see the actions of drunken rugby thugs as nothing more than "the boys letting off some steam".

Sure, the NZRU and the wider rugby leadership know the value of their brand, the NZRU employ highly paid PR wankers to make all the right noises when it comes to booze but the reality is that what Guilford did is not really seen as a big deal by those in rugby circles. The fact that a 60 something year old man was the victim of a gutless attack from this thug is of no concern.

The real problem here is that Guildford has not actually accepted that when it comes to booze he is a fuckwit, the fact that Guildford has said that he will stay off booze for a year (something he will not be able to do) shows that he still thinks he and alcohol have a future when that is clearly not the case.
It seems obvious to me that nobody inside rugby has told this idiot that he has a real problem, it also makes me doubt that he has received any counselling at all despite the press releases and bullshit from the NZRU's PR wankers.

If Guildford was genuine about overcoming his booze problem he would realise that he is one of the few people who simply cannot drink, until he has people inside rugby who tell him that and keep reinforcing that he and alcohol do not mix he will remain a danger to the public when he is drinking.

Hard Right ?

2012-01-12T10:30:00.016+13:00

Over the last week or so I, like many others, have watched the POAL saga unfold. It is fairly clear that the union scum are losing the battle, the battle of the negotiating room and the battle for public sympathy.
It is not my intention to debate or discuss the POAL issue in this thread as I am quite happy to let others do so, and, as far as I am concerned the sooner the striking union scum are fired the better.

What I did want to address is the way that the left (and its sycophantic supporters) insist on branding anybody who supports POAL as being from the hard right.
Of course the left do this to try and silence or shame those who do not agree with them, however it does raise the interesting question of what constitutes a right winger (as apposed to the uber right wing gun loving and bible bashing morons)

I need to be clear, I have no time for the hard left and even less time for the hard right. The gun loving, religious fanatics from the hard right give every conservative a bad name, in most (or many) cases they are attracted to conservatism (or the right) simply to push their racist or religious beliefs.

This has got me thinking, I classify myself as somebody from the right, I passionately believe in personal responsibility but I also have no time for religion and no time at all for guns, if I had my way gun ownership would be severely restricted. Does this disqualify me as a 'true' right winger?....some would say so I guess.

I believe that in NZ everybody has the chance to succeed. While it is true that everybody is not born equal our society does give everybody the chance to better themselves and to do well in life. I never want to see this change, the socio economic status of ones parents should not stop anybody from getting ahead.

In my humble opinion there is a role for the state in day to day NZ life. The state should be there to pick up those who fall behind through no fault of their own, the state should be there to help those who become genuinely ill and can no longer work, the state (through ACC) should be there to cover injuries sustained through sport and recreation (this is vital if we really want to fight the growing obesity epidemic in NZ) as well as covering those who are injured in other non criminal ways.
I actually want the state (here read tax payer) to pay MORE to those who are ill and those who fall on hard times through no fault of their own.

Of course we cannot afford to pay the few genuinely ill, injured and unemployed more because we have a system that is being abused by the parasites and bludgers in our community.
If we had a government that was genuine in it's desire to see the benefit system cleaned up then we may eventually get to the stage where being on a benefit was not seen as something to be embarrassed about, one would hope that in time welfare would be seen as short term help for a few people to get over the temporary blip they have in their personal circumstances.

The reality is that as much as the hard left try and brand all those from the right as being heartless bastards it is clearly not the case, I want a generous benefit system, I want to look after those who cannot look after themselves (always with the proviso that their circumstances are not self inflicted) and I want to look after the ill.
The left could have all of this tomorrow if they were genuine in weeding out the thousands of parasites and bludgers who the left support in exchange for their vote every three years.

I also think that the state has no right to intervene in what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedroom, as long as it does not involve kids or animals then I could not care less what they do. I simply do not care if two blokes want to say they are married, nor could I care if two chicks want to claim the same, as Cameron Slater is so fond of saying "why should gay or lesbians be spared the horror of a mother in law".

I believe in the separation of church and state, it irks me no end that the days parliamentary proceedings start with a daily prayer, this should be removed as soon as possible.
I am dead keen on seeing all Kiwis treated equally, while I acknowledge the injustices of the past the treaty of Waitangi is a heavy weight around the neck of the nation, it is creating two classes of Kiwi and that cannot be good for the long term future of our nation.

So there you go, as far as I am concerned I am happy to classify myself as a right winger, I do not think I fit the 'baby eating' picture as painted by the lunatics on some left wing blogs and I sure as hell have compassion for those who fall on tough times. Where I have no compassion at all is when it comes to unions, parasites and bludgers.

Does this make me somebody from the far right?....no, in fact it proves that once again the left are nothing more than liars and cheats. The 'right' is made up of many types, some I cannot stand and some that I tolerate but by far the majority of self confessed right wingers that I have met are people with compassion, however, they are also people who are sick and tired of being ripped off by left wing governments and governments who continue to do nothing about the thousands of people fleecing the welfare system.

Lucia Maria.....One sick bitch.

2012-01-05T20:15:00.006+13:00

I have no time for religion, in my opinion is should be mocked, confronted and derided at every possible opportunity. Religion is the cause of nearly all of this worlds problems yet for some reason masses of people (thankfully that number is decreasing) still choose to defy logic and believe in the sky fairy.

Of course that does not extend to mindless abuse of those who believe in God. If they choose to practise their stupid faith in their own home and do not seek to force me to change the way I live because of what is said in a work of fiction then we can get along fairly well.

However every once in a while I happen across a complete idiot, or somebody who is the epitome of evil. Lucia Maria from NZ conservative is an example of that evil, have a look at what she said today on the issue of contraception.

"Contraception should be outlawed. It turns women into sexual playthings that can
be discarded when something younger and prettier comes along. It takes away
women's power to withhold sex unless the man says "I do". And it allows men to
stay at a level of stunted development where they never have to grow
up.As for women needed an abortion or they will die? This situation is
very rare and someone like Rick would not be against treatment that would save
the woman's life."

This stupid bitch thinks that banning the pill or condoms is a good idea because of her own fucked up religious beliefs, hardly surprising given she is a Catholic (probably the most evil of religions).

Never mind that the Catholic church is an organisation that would rather see people die of AIDS than use condoms, never mind that Africa is ravaged by the disease yet the Catholic church still refuses to promote safe sex as a way of stopping the spread of the AIDS.

Never mind the atrocities the Catholic church has covered up over the years, never mind the way that the Vatican has harboured some of the worlds worst despots over the years or the way the Catholic church continues to close ranks as a way of shielding pedophile priests...oh no, this stupid bitch thinks that banning contraception is a good way of fixing the problems in the world today.

The evil outburst from the equally evil Lucia Maria is just another reason why I hate religion.

Update..... It only gets better, here is Lucia's reply to me over at NZ conservative re the question of contraception.

"I should add that some men get how harmful contraception is - unfortunately alot (sic)
think because they are men and being a man is a good thing, and men don't have
children, and contraception prevents children and therefore makes a woman like a
man when they have sex, that therefore contraception is good too. Very manly.
Weird how some men like manly women. You guys might want to check out my post on
the link between porn and homosexuality."

Do you think Lucia suffers from sexual repression much?

Mulholland Drive is Back

2012-01-04T14:17:00.001+13:00

...and over here.

Mwahahahah!

A bloody retail tragedy.

2011-12-22T15:22:00.002+13:00

Today I ventured out to Sylvia Park to do the last of my Christmas Shopping. I should state right at the start that I hate the Sylvia Park with a passion, it has no soul and seems to be on a fast slide toward scum status.

Anyway, the only reason I used to visit the place was because it had one of the best book shops I have found in Auckland, Borders was fantastic, it has a wide collection of reading on offer (for a NZ book shop) and pretty much everything you wanted would always be in stock.

Well....that is no more, Borders Sylvia Park is now a Whitcoulls branch and the place is now a complete and utter shit hole.
The collection of books on offer has been dramatically reduced (as confirmed by a staff member) what used to be rows and rows of books has been replaced by cheap shit that Whitcoulls seems to specialise in selling.

I asked for a particular book and was told by the staff member that they no longer stock that type of thing but she would be happy to order it, I declined her offer.

Oh well, that is another NZ business that will not be getting my custom, I will now simply buy all my books on line, I refuse to support Whitcoulls.

So how do Labour win in 2014?

2011-11-29T16:23:00.006+13:00

Now that Goff has done the first honorable thing in his life and fallen on his sword the Labour party finds itself needing another leader.

It seems that the front runners are the equally odious Parker and Cunliffe with the David Shearer as the outsider. There is talk of Grant Robertson making a run but I am not sure that NZ is ready to have an openly gay PM just yet.

As somebody who never wants to see another Labour government in my life I would be more than happy if Labour select Parker or Cunliffe as neither of these two will never be the PM of NZ, they simply will not resonate with the public.

For Labour to win in 2014 they need to appoint Shearer, he is a man the public will instantly bond with, he is untainted by the disastrous Klark era and a man who is (as yet) largely scandal free.

However, just appointing Shearer is not enough, it is time that Labour restructured itself from the ground up. No longer should the union movement have such a strangle hold on the party, no longer should head office have such a huge say in who the branches will select as their candidates and no longer should Labour be hamstrung by pandering to the various factions inside the party.

Labour can only become relevant to the people of NZ again if they revert to being the party of the working man (the party I should support)

The sexuality, race, gender and ethnicity of the candidate should not be a consideration, it is time that Labour started picking the best people for the electorate.

One only has to cast an eye across the back bench of the last Labour caucus to see the shocking lack of talent, a lot of those morons where there at the behest of the union movement but equally a lot of them were there simply because the Labour party wanted to appear politically correct.

The end result of all that PC bullshit was perhaps the most talentless caucus in the history of the Labour party.

So, for Labour to be relevant again the following things need to happen.

1. David Shearer must be appointed Leader.

2. Shearer then needs to use his honeymoon period (and he will have a long one) to take on the factions inside the party and to take on the union stranglehold. Shearer will face huge battles but if he hits the factions hard and hits them early he can come out of it with his power base intact.

3. Shearer needs to reorganise the Labour party from the ground up (something that Lange and Douglas government regret they did not do) more autonomy needs to be given to local branches and less importance on being politically correct.

4. Move all of the Klark era MP's to the back benches and encourage as many as possible of them to retire.

5. Make Labour an issues based party, stop the personal attacks that only energise the morons from the hard left but alienate the vast majority of the voting public. Demote any MP's who revert to type and start abusing other MP's. Labour needs to start acting like a government in waiting not a rabble of frothing morons drooling at the Nat's across the house.

Labour and Shearer need to couch every argument as being one of issues and how their policy will be better for the vast majority of Kiwis, they also must stop the small minded attacks on all "rich pricks" as this turns off as many voters as it wins.

6. Make it clear that while Labour is for the working man they have no truck with parasites and bludgers, make it clear that under a Labour government the genuinely ill and those genuinely in need will be well looked after but the long term parasites and DPB slappers will be expected to work for the money they receive from their fellow Kiwis. Labour must immediately start using the term working men/women in all of their press releases as a way of connecting with the public.

7. Labour must distance themselves from the strong hold the unions have on them, the public have already decided that unions are not relevant in today's work place, the public do not see the need to have unions involved in their lives and detest paying union dues to those that are largely corrupt.

8. Make a real effort to attract candidates who have some real life experience, fewer academics, less lawyers and more people from a business background.

9. Stop attacking John Key, Labour would be far better advised to go after those around Key (lets face it, it is a target rich environment) by attacking (in a factual not personal manner) those around Key they will chip away at the pillars that support Key and ensure that Key spends more time explaining why some of his ministers have stuffed up than being able to smile and wave.

10. Finally, and most importantly Labour and Shearer need to publicly draw a line under the Klark era government, they need to admit that the voters of NZ have now twice rejected social engineering and promise to be an opposition who will listen to what the people want.

If Shearer and Labour can do all this then they have a real chance of becoming the government in three years, they need to reconnect with the working people of NZ and they need to do it in a positive manner.

So....lets hope they appoint Cunliffe or Paker.

It's all over.... thanks for coming

2011-11-27T04:31:00.004+13:00

When Dr Brash mentioned in the newspapers that he wished to take over the ACT Party I was one of few people that jumped up and down over the issue. I was 100% against the idea and I didn't hold back on telling my ACT friends that it was a stupid idea.

When he raised the idea that John Banks would possibly join him this was the absolute last straw - choosing Banksie to run and keep the 16,000 vote majority that Rodney worked extremely hard for was never ever going to happen.

Brash stated he would bring 15% of the country's voters to the party. He bought 1.07%. Three times as less votes the previous leader had in 2008 when they got 3.65%.

Today was the final nail in the coffin for the party known as ACT. John Banks is the sole MP "flying the flag" for ACT but who's own personal politics belong entirely within the National Party. I expect when John is appointed as Party Leader on Tuesday many people will or at least SHOULD resign from ACT immediately.

What happened to ACT that led to this complete annihilation. Quite simple. Narrow minded, short termist, selfish individuals who put themselves before the party.

The list of shame includes:

Heather Roy. Back stabbing, power crazed liar. Her constant plotting to oust Rodney and fibbing about bullying to the media started the rot in the eyes of the voters.
Add to that her mate Simon Ewing Jarvie for helping spread the poison.

Members of ACT on Campus for backing Dons coup attempt from the beginning. Several very prominent members of AOC refused to back the leader of the party and were publicly backing the change. Their strong performance for Epsom is hollow as now they are betrothed to John Banks... so either they resign now or they admit they are more conservative than liberal. AOC President Peter McCaffrey voted for Banks to be the Epsom candidate and publicly supported Brash while Hide was leader.

The ACT Board need to be sacked. Now. Purge baby purge. Gutless. They put Banks in. They failed to back the leader and allowed Brash to take over. Forget the obvious, their gambled FAILED. They need to resign this week.

There is no use blaming Sir Roger, he has never gotten along with his party leaders.

Hilary Calvert was the wrong MP at the wrong time although I'm baffled at what time should would ever be right for her. The fact that she buckled immediately when she had given her cast iron assurance she'd back the leader was pitiful.

Countless media types salivating over the turmoil in ACT caused by the above.

I didn't add David Garrett to the list, why should I? He told every single ACT MP including Heather Roy about his past and still was an MP. Heather lied when she said it was Rodney's secret.

So what now? Well I can imagine there will be much soul searching over the next few weeks, maybe longer for the slower ones, to realise that the party now answers to arch conservative John Banks, as I predicted. I said it will happen and I was shouted down. It's awful that I was right, but anybody with half a brain should of seen it coming.

It's most certainly the end of the road for the ACT Party that we know and probably sayonara for every one of my friends who worked for the party up until election day.

Either way, the voters of New Zealand did the right thing for ACT - pity I can't say the same for Winston Peters and his party.

But that isn't for me to say anymore. It's over and out for me. Thanks to you all for reading the blog that I have been working on for 6 years and 7 months, since May 2005. It has been good fun but now it's more of a chore not to mention that there is no political vehicle any more for my beliefs.

Thank you for reading. All the best. Be seeing you soon.

Clint Heine (26/11/11)

Lynx Advert Banned insert sad face here

2011-11-24T09:51:00.006+13:00

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the new Lynx adverts cause they are too degrading to women and had a whole 100 complaints against them... out of a population of over 60 million...

The ASA stated: "the adverts were degrading to women, sexually suggestive and inappropriate for public display because they could be seen by children. Some of the people who called into complain reported they had seen the poster displayed near schools."

Now let me tell you - these adverts I first saw in Dubai last month... YES.. Dubai. The very same Dubai that is apparently hard-line conservative and anti pornography and public displays of suggestion.

Are we saying that the ASA has responded too harshly on these adverts based on the wails of 100 people? 100 people! Is this taking people power too far? 100 people isn't even a drop on this overpopulated island!

You can see the rest of the banned pics here....

Election this Saturday....

2011-11-24T03:26:00.002+13:00

Read all party policies here

Get live results from here and here

I hazard a guess that both Kiwiblog and Whale Oil will do live blogging as well.

Voted!

2011-11-21T10:24:00.003+13:00

I made my way down on a chilly Saturday to NZ House to vote in the NZ election yesterday and it was over all a little too quickly for an election that means so much for a lot of people.

The people manning the voting booths tell me it was a pretty busy day as well - and I expect a lot of Greens would have mobilised their supporters as well, as they are hands down one of the best at getting their offshore voters out to vote. Sadly, despite a lot of initial hot air, ACT didn't bother whatsoever to do anything to get votes in London - and this is from a party desperate for every single vote.

Needless to say, I had three votes, like we all did. My electorate vote was for the candidate I wanted to win, and as I live in Nelson, I made sure I didn't vote for Nick Smith or the Labour woman. And my party vote was well used.

As for the referendum, as I have heard stuff all about it from either side I did a little reading on the options and made my choices based on what I think is fair. MMP in my opinion delivers to us a parliament were 50% of MPs are unelected and I don't think that is fair. I want a proper debate on the voting system, I didn't vote to not change it as we should always question the way we vote. Shutting down debate is protecting ones own interests so you must always question it.

As I said, I'm quitting this blog after the election no matter the result is. I won't offer any comment on who is in or out nor am I interested in gloating or commiserating results either. All I will say is that I'll vote for the type of New Zealand I want to come home to - and that day is coming very soon.

We all know the result of the election, unless you believe the Horizon polls. However I implore people to not waste their votes on the Conservatives or give Winston the crook another chance. The last thing we want is these types of deluded people in Parliament.

WOW... mega fail from the selfish few

2011-11-18T07:36:00.002+13:00

You have to see it to believe it!

(hat-tip James)

Wall Street Occupiers Crazy Demands

2011-11-18T02:58:00.005+13:00

They demand.... about One Hundred Trillion Dollars to complete all their demands... say what?

So what they are pretty much saying is an end to capitalism and it to be replaced with a system that will oppress everybody in a similar way as the Soviet Union did - although I find it amusing that they have not mentioned in their demands what will happen to those to fight against these proposals.

Shooting?
Hanging?
Being sent to camps?

Good grief. If that are their proposals then they will be sitting there for a very long time. Generations even. Capitalism isn't going anywhere!

You can also view another list here which is also apparently unofficial...

FACEPALM

2011-11-16T16:39:00.006+13:00

Okay, I am DONE with Don Brash.

Nice guy. Good policies. Political leadership FAIL.

Getting John Banks into ACT was quite possibly the dumbest move ever. But coming a close second is refusing to rule out serving a full term if you get elected.

Why would I vote for someone like that? Ever?!

I can't wait for this joke of a party to die so that the Right can start to rebuild its shattered credibility in New Zealand.

Is Russia more right wing than NZ?

2011-11-12T05:18:00.002+13:00

With Russia finally being accepted into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) things are looking up for the country. Consumers will benefit immensely from the tariff drops that have been negotiated as European-made cars and trucks, furniture, clothes and all sorts of consumer goods and industrial machinery will be available at far lower prices than before.

I remember when tariffs were cut in NZ and the outrage from the left was hysterical. However every day families have benefitted immensely from having access to cheaper imports. Labour and Green MPs ignore this, but they are wealthy enough to pay extra for NZ made items. The same with Green taxes – they only serve to make flights, vehicles and household items exclusive to wealthy people. That’s why the ETS is a joke. That’s why when you buy an air ticket you find much of it goes in taxes. My latest flight to New York is only costing me £99 each way – but I’m being stung over £450 in taxes. How can families afford holidays when politicians are intent on killing the dream?

Part of the accession to the WTO involves the state privatising Government owned banks, wholesale, retail and franchise operations. Experts reckon selling these will bring in more investment, more economic certainty and confidence in the economy. Plus, no country can be truly free if the state is in control of assets, labour and the economy.

How come the Russians get it and we don’t?

How come countries that we used to laugh at in the 80’s like Poland and the former Czechoslovakia are now steamrolling ahead of NZ for several economic indicators – even despite the recession? They are embracing and enjoying the benefits of flat taxes and a winding back of Government intervention – I’ve seen this first hand.

What New Zealand needs is lower corporate taxes so that we can attract the likes of the tech giants and multinationals to our shores. Why do we sit on our hands as our head offices are all setting up in Aussie? Multinationals bring jobs and certainty – sneering at the wealth creators and attacking employers will bring ruin. Why is it that our trade unions can disable our entire economy and yet cannot be liable for the damages it causes?

The challenges facing New Zealand are clear. We need to be more competitive and we need to be attractive enough for people to want to come back. Too many Kiwis are selfish and envious – and want to punish those who pay more taxes. Too many Kiwis expect the Government to give them handouts. Working for Families is a left wing master-stroke – and should have been consigned to the bin as soon as Key won the election. Entrenching it is giving an entire generation of Kiwis the belief that Government is there to redistribute wealth.

Labour will not win the election, but they haven’t lost the war. Their ideology lives on within the National Party. Look at the polls. Many within National would rather go with the Greens than any other party. Many within National do not support asset sales.

This is why Keys second term needs to define the agenda better rather than trying to win a third term. Being in power for 6 or 9 years means squat, if you have not rolled back what the previous Govt did. Labour did – National should.

I'll be voting next week at the NZ High Commission for the party that recognises that hard work for more income is not a bad thing. I'll vote for a party that wants me to come home. I'll vote for a party that won't sneer at me or my friends if we choose to go on holidays to Hawaii. I'll vote for a party that doesn't sell my future by borrowing more to sustain a very unwell welfare state.

I'm confident my voting papers will have one or two options :)

Cats That Look Like David Cunliffe

2011-11-09T04:49:00.004+13:00

Seems fair enough. This guy could be the leader of Labour before Christmas if his plans all work out. Although after his nasty sexist attack on Judith Collins last week, his odds have surely widened.

See more here

Overseas Votes from Wednesday November 9th

2011-11-09T02:11:00.003+13:00

I rechecked my eligibility and have been informed that I am indeed allowed to vote in this year’s NZ general election which is great considering I have been offshore for 8 years. For those who do live offshore, we can vote as from tomorrow - November 9th. All information can be found here.
As I will be leaving this blog after this election and indeed all things political, I guess I should be blogging more often until then. With 16 more days to go it is set to be a very boring campaign highlighted by the fact that Labour still has not learned anything after their massive loss in 08. The arrogance and nasty attacks on the Government, and the feeling that they SHOULD be in Government has not eluded them.

National not only have this in the bank, they can sit back and ride upon the popularity of their leader for at least 3 more years without too much effort.

ACT look like they could be in danger but unlike every other election where the media guarantee they will lose Epsom or not make 5% - they face another danger – John Banks winning Epsom and forcing the party to be his bitch. For anybody who has supported ACT or voted for the party in the past, this is like swallowing the biggest, fattest, most disease ridden rat one could find. Never mind the quality of the other top 5 or 6 – which are in a class above every other party – Banks simply doesn’t fit into the party philosophy full stop. On that basis, you’ll see Helen Clark stand for National at the next election… he’s not compatible with ACT policy – it’s as simple as that.

Blair in his previous post has put together a pretty neat voting guide – so I don’t need to elaborate too much further on this. The MMP referendum doesn't really bother me - pisspoor campaign from both sides of the coin as far as I'm concerned. The left wanted MMP to stop the right and when they couldn't use MMP to bring hardline left wing policies many wanted STV... while establishment parties like Labour and National would not cry too much if FPP came back.

I will probably head down to the NZ High Commission sometime this week and make my special vote – I live in the Nelson electorate – so will do my part in voting against Nick Smith!

Bring on the election!

Blair Mulholland Makes Endorsements for the 2011 General Election

2011-11-04T04:02:00.005+13:00

It's election time in New Zealand, so to continue a tradition I started three years ago, I am offering my endorsements for this go-around. I suspect my influence is slim to none, but I hope it makes for entertaining reading:

The Referendum
This is by far the most important part of the vote. Funnily enough, I think the best system would be a reformed MMP with half the list MPs, no double candidacies, and a Senate. But I don't think we will get that sort of reform if people vote for the status quo, which makes other alternatives more attractive. My view is that MMP encourages statism and government spending far more than FPP, which, because it is less democratic, ironically encourages more moral decision making. It means MPs in safe seats can afford to be bold and lead. And because the Right is smarter and more mature than the Left, and consequently coalesces around fewer parties and political organizations, FPP favours the Right, the more unified force. MMP rewards fractured politics and factions. So VOTE FOR CHANGE.

Party Vote
I've thought about this a long time and finally come to a conclusion: Stuff the lot of them.

I support Libertarianz policies, but without a Preferential Voting system for the party vote, a vote for them will make no difference. ACT are attractive with Brash, Isaacs and my good friend David Seymour, but because they are relying on Banks, even if they are successful the amateur hour mess that ACT has become will continue and in fact, become worse over the next three years, if that is possible. They need to disappear so something else can rise up in its place.

That leaves National, which I am still a member of. Have they done enough for a mallowpuff? No. They are increasing government spending, have shuffled the tax code around without reducing taxes, have not touched Working for Families or NZ Superannuation as they need to, streamlined the RMA instead of gutting it as they should, reduced our human rights through their law and order reforms, halted their mining initiatives, and introduced only the most tepid of welfare reforms. I never expect to get everything I want from a party I support, but I refuse to reward this degree of wetness. If I take Keith Holyoakes benchmark of only ever agreeing with 70% of what his party did, I think I would struggle to get to double digits. So no soup for National.

I have half-jokingly entertained the idea of voting Labour for the facetious view that "at least they are honest about being big-government socialists". I often wonder that, like an alcoholic, perhaps New Zealand needs to hit rock bottom before she finally considers real reform, and Labour would move to rock bottom a lot faster than National is now. I also think that despite being the Nasty Party, they still make a better opposition than the Greens or (God help us) NZ First. They need to be a strong opposition, much stronger than they are now. But no, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I bleed blue at the end of the day - I am a member of the National Party and no matter how awful this particular government is, I will not turn traitor on them.

That leaves me with nobody. National will still be the government, so it's not like it matters too much. LEAVE THE PARTY VOTE BALLOT BLANK.

Electorate Vote
A vast number of choices here, and my own particular take on the 70 races, with short notes:

Auckland Central: What did the financial and cultural heart of our largest city do to deserve such gee-whiz, thin-resumed candidates?! And no Liz Shaw after all? Even so, I have to go with my brother from another mother, ACT candidate David Seymour.

Bay of Plenty: Vote for Tony Ryall, since there's nobody else decent.

Botany: A no-brainer - Jami-Lee Ross, National's newest and finest MP.

Christchurch Central: Would be great to take this off the Left. Nicky Wagner.

Christchurch East: Is there anybody left living in this electorate?! Dodge the portaloos and go down to whatever makeshift tent they have set up there and vote for Aaron Gilmore.

Clutha-Southland: Don Nicholson. I endorsed the Labour candidate last time, but nobody is going to beat the awful Bill English. More's the pity.

Coromandel: Scott Simpson.

Dunedin North: Safe Labour, so vote Julian Crawford to legalise.

Dunedin South: Claire Curran is good entertainment value and she seems to be one of the few Labour MPs with a brain, so we may as well keep her on.

East Coast: Don't let Moana Mackey back in - support union-busting Anne Tolley.

East Coast Bays: I can't believe I am endorsing Murray McCully, but there ya go.

Epsom: Oh crap. Well it has to be Paul Goldsmith, doesn't it? Keep Banks out, and maybe we can save classical liberalism in New Zealand.

Hamilton: Tim MacIndoe and David Bennett in these marginal seats to keep them blue. Tim Wikiriwhi in H West if you can't stomach voting for the National guy.

Hauraki-Waikato: Angeline Greensill. Yes I know she's standing for Mana, but she's funny and she always sings waiata in her speeches. And there's nobody else. Give the Princess the boot.

Helensville: I suppose it's good form to support one's Leader, so John Key. It helps that Nick Kearney got personal with me on Kiwiblog a few times, so I don't have to be nice to him.

Hunua: Ian Cummings. I've never forgiven Paul Hutchinson for voting to ban smoking in bars.

Hutt South: Paul Quinn is kind of a douche, but so is Trevor Mallard, so best to have the former rather than the latter represent this seat.

Ikaroa-Rawhiti: Na Raihania. Get rid of Parekura the Hut.

Ilam: Gareth Veale. Don't vote for the authoritarian King Gerry.

Invercargill: All decent people, so why not give Shane Pleasance a tick?

Kaikoura: Ian Hayes.

Mana: I'm no great fan of a trougher like Hekia Parata, but it would be fun to win this seat off Labour, so vote for her.

Mangere: Casey Costello.

Manukau East: John Minto. Just kidding! Vote for Ross Robertson, one of the few decent Labour people, and we need to keep those in their caucus.

Manurewa: Louisa Wall. Help Labour learn to put Maori up in general seats instead of leaving them in the electoral ghetto.

Maungakiekie: Another no-brainer - vote for Sam Lotu-Iiga.

Mt Albert: David Shearer. Another talented and sensible Labour man who might help bring them back to the centre and to sensible policies.

Mt Roskill: Funnily enough I think Goff could be vulnerable here. Vote for Jackie Blue for that reason.

Napier: No endorsement here. I think Chris Tremain does a good job. I like Stuart Nash also. And ACT's John Ormond is a good bloke. You'd do well to vote for any of them.

Nelson: Vote for the far-left lesbian. It's important. We need to get rid of fifth-column MP Nick Smith at all costs. Maryann Street it is.

New Lynn: Tim Groser in this marginal.

New Plymouth: Jonathan Young to keep Andrew Little from having legitimacy. Of course, if he were Labour leader they would be out of power for a generation, so on the other hand...

North Shore: Anyone who votes for Maggie Barry over Don Brash is mad. Put Brash in.

Northcote: Keep Jonathan Coleman in this marginal.

Northland: Too many ex-cops in National already, so go for Barry Brill, the ACT guy.

Ohariu: Get rid of waste-of-oxygen Peter Dunne by voting for Charles Chauvel. Once Dunne is gone, National can take the seat in 2014.

Otaki: Nathan Guy never impressed me much, so Peter McCaffrey of ACT.

Pakuranga: Got to be one of my favourite Nats, Maurice Williamson. Plus, Chris Simmons is a douche.

Palmerston North: Let's turn Palmy blue! Vote Leonie Hapeta.

Papakura: Judith Collins really should be punished for turning into the Minister Representing the Police to the Public. I confess I never saw it coming. And John Thompson is a great bloke, so vote for him.

Port Hills: Supposedly marginal, but who cares about David Carter? Vote for Geoff Russell.

Rangitata: Jo Goodhew. Or Tom Corbett. Whatever.

Rangitikei: Ian McKelvie, or Hayden Fitzgerald.

Rimutaka: Jonathan Fletcher to win this marginal off Clark-the-even-younger.

Rodney: Gotta support my old committee - Mark Mitchell.

Rongotai: Chris Finlayson has not always said things I've liked as Attorney General, but you should vote for him.

Rotorua: Lacking any alternative, vote to keep "Boris" - Todd McLay.

Selwyn: Amy Adams.

Tamaki: Can't go too wrong here. I'm endorsing Stephen Berry, since Boscawen doesn't want to get back, and Simon O'Connor is going to win anyway.

Tamaki-Makaurau: This is a hard one, but on balance, I'd say Shane Jones. He'd make a good Labour leader.

Taranaki King Country: Ugh! Shane Ardern is the only serious option in a tiny field of four.

Taupo: Louise Upston seems to be doing a good job, so keep her in and keep Labour out.

Tauranga: Another no-brainer - Simon Bridges all the way.

Te Atatu: Give the very entertaining Tau Henare a shot.

Te Tai Hauauru: Tariana Turia supports welfare reform, so I support her.

Te Tai Tokerau: Hone must be stopped - vote for the excellent (and underrated by his own party) Kelvin Davis.

Te Tai Tonga: Katene has been pretty average - vote to legalise with Emma-Jane Mihaere Kingi!

Tukituki: Craig Foss if he promises to get rid of his gay ute.

Waikato: Kate Sutton. Nah, kidding again. Ugh, I don't know Robin Boom, but that'll have to do as I am no great fan of Tisch.

Waiariki: There's only three candidates and Te Ururoa Flavell is the least worst of them by the looks.

Waimakariri: Cosgrove is a good local MP, but he's a bit of a clown. I'd put Kate Wilkinson in there instead.

Wairarapa: John Hayes seems to be doing a good job, but he's going to win anyway, so vote for Libertarianz Leader Richard McGrath.

Waitakere: National's welfare reforms have been limp, but Paula Bennett is a reasonably good Minister and MP and should keep both her job and her seat.

Waitaki: No, I can't bring myself to support Jacqui Dean. Vote for ACT's Colin Nicholls.

Wellington Central: Well the National candidate seems almost as bad as the Labour one here, so vote for Regan Cutting (great name for a libertarian candidate in Wellington, don't you think?).

West Coast Tasman: It wouldn't be too bad if Damian O'Connor got back in, so I won't shore up Auchinvole here. Vote Steven Wilkinson to legalise.

Whanganui: Ugh, I can't support Borrows. I'd like to see how Mastermind does. Let's give Hamish McDouall a crack.

Whangarei: Another poacher turned gamekeeper in this seat - Heatley is just limp as a Housing Minister. Protest by voting Helen Hughes.

Wigram: ...and last one... you know, I don't give a shit, this Economic Euthenics guy looks interesting. Tubby Hansen. Vote for that guy. Yeah.

So happy voting folks, and remember: New Zealanders will always get the government they deserve.

RIP Roger Kerr

2011-10-30T11:21:00.005+13:00

Having been offshore for over 8 years now I haven't had the pleasure of spending as much time with Roger as many of my friends have. It's a sign of his ability to articulate excellent ideas consistently without going into the gutter - that explains the huge outpouring of tributes to the man from across the political divide.

A massive loss to the political debate in New Zealand that I hope will be never forgotten. Another man gone too soon, too early, too young.

Cactus Kate sums it up beautifully.

Also good posts from Kiwiblog, Liberty Scott and Lindsay Mitchell

The best of Jeremy Kyle

2011-10-27T02:34:00.002+13:00

In all seriousness, I am quite glad I am not at home watching this show :)

David Parker - Partner Stealing, Lie Spreading, Fraudster

2011-10-23T00:36:00.006+13:00

Kiwiblog cleverly allowed Labour MP David Parker a chance to hang himself in public with a post about the electorate in Epsom. Unfortunately Farrar forgot to add the "humour" tag or add a disclaimer about the inaccuracies in the piece.

I expect lawsuits will follow, in fact I hope the Sensible Sentencing Trust does attempt to sue him for the lies in this article.

But I digress, lets look at the lie and then break it down.

Some are also aware Act knew this when they took a large donation from the misnamed Sensible Sentencing Trust and made Garrett Act’s law and order spokesperson.

Complete lies.

Immediately ACT Party Secretary at the time Nick Kearney responded:

This is a lie. I was Party Secretary at this time and was responsible for submitting the party’s donation returns. There was never a donation from the Sensible Sentencing Trust. This lie is perpetuated by Labour consistently as if to say ACT sold that #5 slot of David Garrett to the SST. It is a barefaced lie

The MP in question, David Garrett then replied:

I confirm Nick’s statement that to the best of my knowledge niether SST nor McVicar has EVER given ANY political party a cent, Including ACT. The approach to have me stand for ACT came from Rodney Hide – not McVicar – after the latter said he would not stand for any political party, and Rodney asked if there was anyone else in the organization who knew his onions on law and order issues and could make a speech.

And then the SST replied as well:

I can confirm that from the other side – the Trust cannot and does not make large donations – it does not have that sort of money, and never has. The Trust can accept large donations however

David Parker has outright lied here.

We must remember what type of person David Parker is too. Forced to step down from his portfolios for filing fraudulent returns. He not once sued or attempted to sue Ian Wishart for his claims against him either.

This makes it clear that David Parker has some illegal secrets hidden under his bed.... but he isn't too shy to show off the fact that in his bed he has got the long time partner of iconic NZ musician Chris Knox, himself incapacitated after a stroke. He stole his partner of over 18 years from under his nose while he was lying in bed needing care and support from her.

Parker tried and failed to win the nomination at Dunedin North after a brutal and bloody battle with supporters and party HQ and ran up to Auckland to run in Epsom, a seat he can't possibly win - hence the need to tell lies about his opponents.

David Parker has leadership aspirations. But how can you trust somebody that you can't leave along in your own house in case he steals your money and your wife?

Gaddafi - the front pages of the papers today

2011-10-21T22:39:00.005+13:00

When it comes to headlines - once again the British papers show they are world beaters.

First up is the Daily Mail

Then the Independent:

and finally the Sun really puts the boot in, but does capture the anger of so many. Who would have thought Gaddafi would die before Abdelbaset Mohmed Ali al-Megrahi, the alleged mastermind behind the Lockerbie tragedy?

The Guardian also was nice enough to allow embedded videos of their footage of the capture:

Who would of known what he would have said if he went to court. It seems he didn't have any chance of surviving his capture and I wonder what sort of Government we will have in Libya now? Time will tell but it is encouraging that many of the most brutal men in our time are being bought to justice lately. Hopefully Mugabe is next!

The 2011 Prime Moneywaster what a difference 5 years makes!

2011-10-21T10:46:00.005+13:00

Do you remember this advert by National in 2005? Very effective then and quite appropriate today as well.

It didn't allow embedding so you can watch it again here.

The advert was very specific on how much more taxpayers were paying for under a Labour Govt: Higher petrol levies, taxes on "bevies" , Speed Camera fines and higher taxes... and yet we have today, courtesy of the National Govt:

- Petrol levies = Up including that awful ETS.
- Tax on bevies = exise increases as well as the GST increase at least. Not to mention big tobacco exise tax hikes
- Speed camera/patrols revenue gathering = "Speed camera tickets nearly double"

- Higher taxation = Yes with GST.

National isn't proposing wholesale changes to any of Labours policies either. Interest will remain off student loans, Working for Families isn't under threat and they are not going to sell that giant millstone around our necks - NZ Rail.

They cast concerns at the ACT Party changing their lineup at the election and yet we have the National Party doing a U turn on all their policies and principles in 5 years. It's going to be a long 3 more years after this election if we don't see some spine coming from John Key and his party.

Bloody Gadhafi!

2011-10-21T02:12:00.001+13:00

Gadhafi died from his wounds, his condition is described as "satisfactory"

Anti Capitalist Protest Fail

2011-10-18T00:21:00.001+13:00

Oh dear

(stolen from Twitter)

Isaac is back!

2011-10-12T03:35:00.003+13:00

Older readers, if I have any remaining, will remember the programme the Love Boat. Oh it was a happy place to be – led by a smiling captain with a few silly characters muddling about in semi comedic or dramatic situations getting from one destination to another. One thing that kept them all together was the calming influence of Isaac the level headed barman – whose quips and banter were all served up with generous servings of liquor and commonsense.

I draw comparisons to the ACT Party, a party I have sailed with since 1996. They have also had its good and bad characters on board all sailing through good and not so good situations. Thankfully the party yesterday finally announced that the level headed person who will pull it all together is another Isaac, Catherine Isaac that is – who will bring commonsense and credibility at a time when the triennial media vultures start circling starboard, not to mention the leftie and Nat bloggers who predict the demise of the party.

I remember Catherine when she was running to be party President. I remember in my capacity as Prebble’s Rebels president,(later known as ACT on Campus) being pressured quite heavily to not vote for her or show support for her “side” in favour of voting for John Ormond as ACT President. As I was Dunedin based and had been far away from the internal quibbles – I was exposed for the first time the factional politics from within the party. Either way, I had no problem with either Presidential candidate and I don’t actually recall who I voted for, if I did.

Catherine did win and she created the “Liberal Project” for ACT. Like Cactus Kate said on her blog – I wasn’t too enamoured by it whatsoever. But that was because I am not excited by long fireside chats about philosophy, which is as sexy as Catherine Delahunty and as vote friendly as being a fox hunter at a PETA rally. Nevertheless, my objectives at university were to pass my papers and get laid as often as I could – being an ideologue didn’t feature anywhere near this list. And today, unfortunately, liberalism is a dirty word to many within the ACT Party especially to the Epsom candidate.

Catherine however has a glittering business background that simply puts her peers on other party lists to shame. She knows what she is talking about, just as much as Dr Don knows a thing or two about the economy and Don from Fed Farmers knows about farmers. She is a wise head that will hopefully prevent the media from making up coup attempts and disaster headlines leading up to the election. You’d think that anyway!

Sure it was a badly kept secret, but Catherine is an excellent candidate for the party and has the experience to be an asset to Parliament. I wish her well in the campaign. I am sure that over the campaign we'll hear much whining from failed Radio New Zealand guest blog reader, Martyn Bradbury cry a lot about this candidate, like he did when Cactus was going to run - but as most of New Zealand knows already, anything Martyn thinks is a bad idea must be a damn good idea!

Bring on the campaign!

The Race for the Presidency: Republican Nominees - Blair Mulholland

2011-10-09T17:19:00.011+13:00

I've been meaning to write about the Republican nomination for US President for quite some time. However, the field, and the game, has been changing on an almost daily basis, such that any commentary prior may have been a word spoken too soon. The biggest issue was whether Palin and/or Christie would get in. Since they have now declared that they are out, I feel a bit freer to assess things.

Firstly let me say how disappointed/pissed off I am that Palin is not running. She would have been by far the best candidate. She was solid on all the issues, has a relatively stable personal life, is a great debater and public speaker, has executive experience, and is easily the most charismatic figure in American politics since Bill Clinton. None of the current declared candidates share all those qualities, and when you want to win the game against hard opposition, you send in your best batsman. Whatever anybody says, and whatever her polling negatives, that was Palin. But, like a typical woman, she teased and flashed us for months on end, promising so much, only to spurn us at the last minute and leave us with our hard-ons in our hands. I think it was the wrong decision for her. She has now proven everything that her detractors have said about her - that she is a quitter, that she is lazy, that she is a narcissist, that she is only in it for the money and the celebrity. She has lost a great deal of respect, and not just from me. She didn't even have to run to win. Reagan only got there on his third try. Even a losing run would not have diminished her if, like Huckabee last time around, she ran a decent campaign with no fuckups - she is only 47 and would be well primed for another go in 2016 or 2020. I hope she does eventually have a go. What she should be aiming for now is the Secretary of Energy position in any future Republican administration, or to replace McCain in the Senate in Arizona - that's the only way she is going to remain relevant that far down the track.

Anyhoo, to the people who would be President, in order of worst to best:

1) Former Pennsylvania Sentator Rick Santorum

Santorum makes me want to vomit. He is a nerdy, geeky little twerp who has done nothing but work in politics his entire life. He spends his debating time trying to "out-conservative" all the other candidates and thinks that the way to the nomination lies in being as hardcore on abortion and gay marriage as is humanly possible, when all most people care about is jobs and whether they can make rent next month. It's embarrassing. And he lost his Senate seat so badly in 2006 that it is amazing anybody takes him seriously. When Palin labeled him a "knuckle-dragging neanderthal", she was spot-on, which makes his recent desperate pleas for her to endorse him even more pathetic.

How apt also that "Santorum" is now urban slang for the mix of lube, semen and faeces that results from anal sex. Well deserved.

I would vote for Obama over Santorum (can there be a worse insult?). Just piss off and die, Rick. I think he may do the former at least very soon.

2) Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann

I never understood why Bachmann got so much initial publicity, and the comparisons with Palin were even more bizarre, since there's nothing much in common there other than they both have a vagina. Yes, she debates well. Yes, she is a solid conservative who is on the right side of all the issues. Also, she's purrty. But... well... she's never done anything. She's never run anything other than a household. She has no real legislative accomplishments other than rescinding the ban on incandescent lightbulbs, which, while laudable, doesn't make her Presidential material. Also, what with her fostering 23 children and all, she's clearly a compassionate person, but why can't she get that to come across? She sounds like a fembot when she talks about policy. When she talked about abortion in one debate I was reminded of Mike Dukakis's staunch answer to a question on the death penalty in 1988. There was no compassion or feeling there - only the doctrinaire line. It's odd for somebody who was a Democrat in the '70s and campaigned for Jimmy Carter. And her fundamentalism on gay marriage, and her insistence on making it an issue, is a huge turnoff.

I'd probably vote for Bachmann over Obama, but I wouldn't expect her to be any more competent. There is a massive difference between Opposition and Government, and Bachmann won't make the crossing.

3) Former Utah Governor and US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman

Jon Huntsman made the great mistake of being the "establishment moderate Republican" candidate in an electoral cycle where that position is absolute poison to any GOP voter with half a brain. Any other year he would be a top three contender. Not this time. Which is a shame, because, like Howard Dean in 2003, he's actually not that bad.

He was a reasonable Governor of Utah - the most solidly Republican state in the Union. He's also the only candidate with any decent foreign policy credentials - he's been Ambassador to China - and foreign policy is the GOP Achilles Heel right now. But you get the feeling he's not running because his heart's in it and he has fire in his belly. You get the impression he's running because the Bush family and the East Coast GOP asked him to. And once you have Rush Limbaugh asking "hey Jon, who are your friends?", it's all over. He is now labeled the "establishment" candidate when the Tea Party wants anything but. To compound things, he campaigns according to his masters' bidding, and like he is trying to get Democrats to vote for him. His campaign spokesman insulted the the other candidates as being "anti-science" and he came out saying he believes in anthropogenic global warming, when most GOP voters are GOP voters precisely because they know AGW is bollocks. FAIL.

OTOH, his economic policy release was excellent, and was all but cribbed by Herman Cain later on. I don't know who Huntsman's campaign manager is, but they are a dumbarse. Oh well. US political campaigns weed out weaklings like no other system on earth, and Huntsman is a weakling. I wouldn't be unhappy if he took the VP slot on anybody else's ticket, but he's not the guy, and shows no signs of troubling the field despite his official support.

4) Texas Representative Ron Paul

I like Ron Paul, but even if I had a casting vote in the Electoral College, I wouldn't make him President.

The reason was summed up in a blog comment I recently saw: "Ron Paul is spot-on 90% of the time, and dead-wrong the other 10%. Unfortunately, the 10% is what's going to get us all killed." It's true. I applaud Ron Paul for being the sole true libertarian voice in Congress, and if he were President, surely we would get sweeping domestic reform like no other candidate would give us. But Paul's problem is that his foreign policy is just awful. He has this naive view that if America just ignored the rest of the world, then the rest of the world would ignore America. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If 9/11 proved anything, it's that no matter how much I care, people are still arseholes. And unless America engages militarily with those who would destroy freedom around the world, you are going to get to the point where there are too many wolves at your door. There is no wisdom in saying, oh, there are only a few wolves, and we can ignore them. If you don't shoot the bastards, they breed, and before you know it there are too many of them and they are causing you a world of shit. Ron Paul, unlike most GOP voters, does not understand this. So whatever wonderful libertarian ideas he has, unless you have a big freaking army all around the world to defend them, they count for nothing.

What is interesting about Paul, however, is his level of support now versus 2008. He is averaging about 12% now, unthinkable four years ago. Back then his ideas were extreme, now many of them are core Tea Party values. He is having an effect, and for that reason alone his run is valuable. No, he should not be President. No, he will not be President. But we should all thank God, or Gault, or whatever, for Ron Paul.

5) Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson

Johnson really has been shut down. He's basically a young Ron Paul, with executive experience, and slightly more sane. I can't for the life of me understand why the media have refused to give him oxygen. It's almost like a conspiracy, especially when you consider the airtime given to Huntsman, who was also Governor of a medium-sized Western state.

He's been pigeonholed as "the drug guy", which hasn't helped him. I think also that when you run for President, you either need to be Sarah Palin ie. too big to give a fuck what the Party thinks, or a brown-noser with your compatriots on a nationwide basis. This is easy if you are in Congress - a Governor has a harder job. You have to make a name for yourself, or you have to network. Johnson has done neither, and that has been his downfall. Nobody knows who he is, and nobody cares. He is getting a libertarian rump of support, and that's it. I don't really see how he can get in the game. Which is a shame, because he is probably closer to my own views on policy than any other declared candidate.

6) Texas Governor Rick Perry

With hindsight, Rick Perry was always going to have problems. He has been in politics his whole life, had very easy elections facing rather inept opponents throughout, and been stuck in a job with almost no power other than to veto whatever the Texas Legislature bothers to come up with in its short three month sessions every two years. In political terms this has made him fat and lazy. Yes, W was also Governor of Texas, but at least he had a Democratic legislature and had to provide some actual leadership. Perry has never had to worry about that.

In politics, you identify your Achilles Heel straight away, and you knock that weasel on the head. With Palin it was quitting her Governorship. With Romney it's his healthcare plan. Perry failed to identify just how pissed off America was with illegal immigration, and that whatever he needed to do to court the considerable number of Hispanic voters in Texas was just not going to fly in Iowa or South Carolina. He made the fatal mistake of doubling down and defending his decision to fund children of illegals into college, and voters who had previously thought he was their conservative saviour turned off in droves. The political commentariat have all been saying that Perry can come back, but there is no coming back on such a basic Tea Party/conservative staple like immigration. Voters don't forget something that major.

As Perry said himself, he came in late and suddenly became the pinata which everyone took to with big sticks. Bachmann roasted him on his compulsory vaccines for teenage girls, and that hurt him. Voters have detected an inconsistency in his positions, and there is some part of us which can never forgive a man who supported Al Gore once, even if it was back in the '80s.

He wouldn't be a bad nominee, and I think he could win. But he has campaigned badly so far, and his lackadaisical attitude to politics may have got him by in the past, but it won't now. For Perry to be the nominee, he would have to run a kickarse campaign from now on, and Romney and Cain would have to start doing very badly. I think the odds on that are low.

7) Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney

Despite whatever you read about how different the two are - there really is not much wiggle room between Rick Romney and Mitt Perry. They're both basically slick, smooth-talking politicians with good hair. The only real difference is the states they ran. Romney's is the second most Democratic in the nation after Vermont. And they have both run their states according to what they thought their voters wanted. Now they are both paying for it.

Romney's big problem is his healthcare initiatives in Massachusetts. There are two reasons that this millstone around his neck has not sunk him yet. One is that people realise that Massachusetts is a terrible place filled with horrible communists like Barney Frank. They can forgive a GOP man for doing what he needed to do to keep his job. It's a lot harder to forgive Perry for prevaricating in a hardcore GOP place like Texas. The other is that Romney's voters are not Tea Party. He has cornered the moderate GOP vote - around 20%, the silent minority who don't like socialism, but who like their medicare and their social security and don't think we need to go nuts the other way either. This may be enough to make him the nominee. And there is a widespread consensus that, while Romney is not an ideal nominee, he would be "okay". He is a bit of a weasel, but people think he would be a conservative enough President to be adequate for the job.

There are bad portents to making him the nominee however. No President has ever been elected without winning his home state. If Romney won Michigan, which is possible, he could make that claim, but he is certainly never going to carry the state which gave us John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Mike Dukakis. I think he can beat Obama, possibly. But his lack of charisma is going to make that hard against "The One". I certainly can't see him besting Obama in a debate. He would be a troubling nominee and right now I'd find it hard to come up with a strategy to get him to the finish.

That said, if I was a betting man (or I had any money to bet with), I'd put a crisp Benjamin (or Rutherford) on Romney. Nobody really wants him to be the nominee, but, y'know, oh well, he'd be alright, I suppose...

8) Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich

I really thought Newt would be a playa, playas. I really did. He had the easiest, simplest sales pitch of any of the prospective nominees and the time was right. All he had to do was say "I balanced the budget when I was Speaker, and I can do it again". But he then proceeded to have the worst first week of a campaign I have ever seen, and has yet to properly recover since. He smacked down Paul Ryan's alternative budget right at the time when the Tea Party were swooning over both him and it, and that was it right there. EPIC FAIL. Also, so many Tea Party people have never forgiven Newt for his tentative endorsement of AGW theories, and for appearing in a TV commercial with... *gasp* Nancy Pelosi! The Paul Ryan faux pas just confirmed their suspicions, and the phone calls have not been returned ever since.

However, Gingrich has learned from that, been solid since then, and has slowly moved up. He now hovers in the high single figures, which is better than Bachmann, it has to be said. Will he move up further? Anything is possible. He is easily the smartest and sharpest mind in the race - he has leadership qualities, charisma and a daring that is sorely lacking in politics today, though maybe too much. The unmentioned problem is his moral character. He has cheated on two marriages to get to his current wife. To date, Ronald Reagan has been the only divorced President. GOP voters get queasy about such things. Rightly or wrongly, he is also seen as a figure of the past by many conservatives and Tea Partiers, and unsuited to modern requirements.

Personally I am not sure Gingrich has the right temperament to be President, but he would be a great VP. There is a slim chance he could yet come through - he certainly has the credentials and track record. But I wouldn't bet on it.

9) Talkback Radio Host and Former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain

I was delighted to see Herman Cain race to the top of recent polls following Perry's implosion. He really is a top quality candidate. Yes, if he was white and a talkback host and former CEO with no political experience, we'd probably be talking about him in the same breath as Gary Johnson. But that's not an issue, because Cain has risen to the occasion, and deserves his frontrunner status. He is a highly charismatic, likeable figure who debates well and speaks well. He is working this race like he was born to do it. And while it's easy to do if you have no record, he ticks all the conservative Tea Party boxes on policy. His 9/9/9 economic policy sounds like something ACT should be pushing in New Zealand.

Personally I had always thought Cain was the best of a rather mediocre bunch, but always thought he should have run for Governor of Georgia first. Well now he's bad and he's nationwide. He is taking the place that Palin may have in an alternate universe, and now that she is out for sure, he will consolidate. Unfortunately, he is likely to draw even more of the same vitriol that Palin did, and one only has to look at Clarence Thomas to see the sort of high tech lynching that racist Democrats engage in once one of "their" Negroes heads off the plantation. But no matter - Mr Cain has immaculate composure, and dealt swiftly to a racist interviewer on MSNBC recently. The lynching will not work.

Cain's campaign has sent the commentariat into a tailspin. Their shock has turned to assertions that Cain is a flash in the pan and that once Perry revitalises his campaign, Cain will recede. They see Cain as a substitute. One even suggested the Cain support was a "protest vote". Such commentary insults the intelligence of voters. If Cain's vote recedes, it will be because Cain messes up, and for no other reason. Perry is not coming back in a hurry, for reasons I have already detailed. Cain's frontrunner status is here to stay, - he has been adjudged by voters as the best not-Romney, and he may yet even get the nomination. Can you imagine how many heads will explode?!

I hope Cain wins. If he does, he will wipe the floor with Obama. Yes, his lack of political experience is a huge drawback, and makes him a risky nominee - indeed, a risky President. But one just has to look at seasoned politicians like Perry to know that experience does not always translate into sound campaigning, and Cain has made very few missteps so far. As for whether he is fit for the Presidency, well, I think our second black President would be a vast improvement on our first. He knows how to run a company and turn it around, which is something, although nothing like running a government to be sure. However, any gaps in foreign policy and political savvy he possesses can be well covered by a good VP nominee. Condi Rice would be ideal, surely? An all Afro ticket: Can you imagine the horror of the Left? I want to see it happen for that reason alone!

So that's the field. I like Johnson, will settle for Romney, but hope Cain wins, and hope Gingrich gets his mojo back. Whoever wins, Obama is going to have the fight of his life on his hands.

VSM - 15 years of fighting and the challenges ahead

2011-09-29T06:58:00.004+13:00

At long last the ridiculousness is over. The end of compulsory student unionism has finally come and students will have the freedom to decide at enrolment if they will or will not become a part of the student union.

For most people, the concept of freedom of association is taken for granted, we are not forced to go to church and we are not forced to join clubs or political organisations. The Labour Party, when making the Law Society voluntary in 2007 was very clear about it. Clayton Cosgrove said: ‘We haven't had compulsory unionism for 20 years. Why should I as a politician tell you or anybody else what you should belong to?... If you want to join the footy club, the workingmen's club, the institute - go for it. It's your choice and you should have that right.’ There were no protests on the streets or in the courtrooms by lawyers as they saw this as a good move and they moved on. The fact that students for too long were forced to join something akin to the legal status as a bowling club has been a blight on our own bill of rights allowing freedom of association.

But that’s beside the point – most students actually don’t give a toss either way. They have been caught in the middle between the student unions and the National and ACT Party campus groups and will wonder what all the fuss was about. I would tend to agree that students apathy on this is fair, after all, you go to University to get your degree and get a job. It isn’t a lifestyle choice. But for me the campaign was more than a brief fight with a few student activists, it was much more than that.

We know that NZUSA (the NZ Union of Students Associations) have spent untold amounts of money on this. We know this because the SOS (Save our Students) campaign was well resourced earlier this year. The HQ of NZUSA managed to send their famous “flying squads” of activists in to fight moves by university unions to pull out of NZUSA and the amount of times that David Do popped up on screens and online during the campaign was more regular than most politicians. Campus ACT and the Young Nats don’t have millions of dollars of funds to fight their campaign. When I ran VSM campaigns at Otago in 1999, our budget was $90, which we dipped into our own pockets for. OUSA spent no less than $35,000 not including what was used via student media like the radio and newspapers that pounded the anti freedom message to the students every day/week. Since then I understand campaigns have still been run on the cheap – ironically the “right wing” side is the far poorer of the two.

The past 15 years for me have not been that easy. When I came to Otago in 1997 I asked an innocent question about my membership and was told where to go – in the student paper – and made to look a fool. Critic never allowed me to have any letter in its pages that were not accompanied by a rebuttal that they would seek. The Otago Polytechnic ran a 3 page rebuttal to my one page discussion on VSM and attacked me rather than the topic. Left wingers cry about the evils of corporate media and yet at a student level they were practising the worst of the worst forms of hypocrisy. However people joined the campaign alongside me and I was acquainted with people like Kiwiblogs’ David Farrar who’s earlier submission on the bill was our bible – which was a huge brick of a document we could reference from to counter any compulsionists argument. I ran for OUSA in ’97 and was about 50 votes off from making it in – on a VSM ticket. This was despite student media and OUSA exec making life very difficult for me at every candidate speaking event – to a point that after a socialist worker threw a chair at me I was told I was probably best to not ever attend any further campaign events.

I was assaulted on campus in 1998 by members of the international socialists for handing out VSM leaflets. This also led to them, and the campus chaplain at the time, burning the leaflets in front of me while I was held against a wall being screamed at. At clubs and societies day I stood up to dozens of threatening OUSA types who called me every name under the sun. I am not tall and most certainly not physically imposing. I have to admit this was pretty frightening and I was always relieved to have the backing of other Campus ACT (known then as Prebble’s Rebels) and sometimes Young Nats around to lend a hand. While I was also Otago (and NZ President) of Prebble’s Rebels – I was also through the years, spokesman for Student Choice that allowed me the pleasure of engaging with students who were not of the right wing variety, but who wanted VSM and also to have a debate about it with the student unions. Not once would OUSA accept a debate against us – despite my limited ability in debates!! The Young Nats at Otago were toothless and supported OUSA through fear of being at the end of the hate campaign.

The bullying campaign continued in 1999 when OUSA ran a paid campaign to fight the VSM “referendum”. My brother sustained some absolutely awful verbal harassment on campus and OUSA members alluded in Critic that I was engaged in sexual crimes with drunken students at my local student pub. Not one apology from Critic was ever made.

When OUSA “won” the referendum the student paper continued to run character assassination pieces ridiculing everything we did. It led to some members of the Rebels choosing to quit in fear. Many attempted to leave OUSA at that time but were unsuccessful. In 2000 my confidence was at an all time low. OUSA continued to ignore the fact that they were disengaged with students and kept on with their petty personal attacks. I relinquished most of my political roles in 01 and tried to become an ordinary student in order to complete my degree, which I did easily and graduated in 2002. I’m not too proud to admit that this campaign for VSM has taken a toll on my confidence immensely, to a point that I was pretty afraid of what would ever come up in student magazines or sometimes when walking through campus days or nights. Many of these people are still students or are in trade unions today still attacking the free rights of individuals. When I left Otago I read some horror stories of the treatment of people like the Flanagans who stood up to OUSA and compulsion, and I am sure they have some stories that make my experiences sound pretty lame!

If OUSA and other unions had listened from the beginning and made compromises about it, I would have not had fought against this as much as I have. I support freedom of association 100% but if in my first year as a fresh faced union paying student was given a fairer run, I would have been only too happy to listen to other ideas. NZUSA and their member unions deserve everything they get. They have money, they have assets, power and arrogance. VSM really shouldn’t have been an issue if unions had collectively dealt with it years ago. Students are a mass market, students want stuff and they consume. Businesses know students make them money – ask any bar within 1 km of a campus. Why then did student unions do NOTHING about protecting their unions until after the Labour filibuster ended? If you see student politicians crying in the media about being hard up or “distraught” over low membership numbers DON’T blame VSM, blame them and their predecessors who deliberately ignored members when given the chance to. How on earth can these unions happily accept the fact that no more than 10% of their members ever vote at elections? How can they be happy to see quorums fail at almost every opportunity? These unions need shaking up and to be accountable.

Don’t blame freedom of association if services struggle at first. The law is different than the Aussie one but the lesson from Aussie is plain – students in the 21st century don’t see collectivisation as important as the union dinosaurs. Student unions have ploughed millions into failure and unaccountability. If they were businesses they would have gone bust within a year or two and yet they think it’s ok to keep funding them because they believe students must own radio stations or have building contracts. (and funding them compulsory in order to get a degree!)

Give the students out there some credit, if they want to join the union then they will. If students don’t see the value, or wish to join their faculty association then let them do so. Students will naturally advocate and organise themselves one way or another – how else did OUSA or NZUSA come about?

I have a sense of calm after today's vote. I won’t be screaming in joy over this despite its importance. It makes me sad that so many people thought it was acceptable to force others to be part of a collective and to treat others badly if they chose to stand against it. I thought that part of our history was over. I am grateful that so many people got involved in changing the law and am glad that on the final day we saw Nats actually get stuck into the law… eventually. Pity many of them were not doing that as voraciously beforehand as much as ACT MPs have been since 1996.

I will support the student unions plight to get members in 2012 and onwards if they honestly want to represent their members and be mature about the voluntary responsibilities they carry. VSM was never about killing students unions or the “voice” that we hear so much about, but is a myth – as nobody can represent all students voices. The VSM movement will make student unions stronger as they can honestly say they represent every one of their members. It’s a challenge that would have been so much easier if student politicians really gave a stuff about their members today and in the past.

Bring on 2012.

Dope - Turning wowsers into idiots

2011-09-27T06:50:00.001+13:00

The ACT Party has always had a lenient approach to drug and drug crime. Members of ACT on Campus used to regularly attend J-Day around the country and our very liberal ex leader always gave the same answer when asked by students whether or not he believed in tougher crimes on weed smokers. Indeed when it came to drug policy, ACT under the leadership of Rodney had a credible policy. It was one policy that many of the Greens and Libertarians could relate with ACT on.

Brash announced over the weekend that he too is uncomfortable with our drug laws and it was picked up with much mirth by the assembled repeaters and spread around the news desks by breathlessly excited media folk who needed an excuse to shit on ACT again.
The difference is that with Brash, nobody is really sure exactly how much he subscribes to ACT philosophy considering he was a hairs width away from being the National Party PM. Worse still, the man given the role to run for Epsom, well known conservative John Banks – is completely against the idea of softening laws on weed smoking. Of course he is, he was Mr Law and Order when he was the NATIONAL minister for the Police! John Key has gone along the loony path by suggesting that if it became legal kids will all smoke it before going to school – so we shouldn’t be surprised why the Nats are light years away from being a real political movement for personal responsibility and free choice.

The response from the conservatives and nanny statists were of course predictable. Their spluttering disgust over the idea that a person shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy a puff in their own private residence must have ruined their Friday night at the pub. People are happy to pour litres of DB or Lion owned fermented water into their bodies and then ignore the news stories of NZs shameful statistics on drunk driving and alcohol related domestic abuse – all because of ill informed attitudes of exactly what marijuana actually does. Nobody died from smoking weed no matter how often you’ll hear horror stories from preachy do-gooders. They say it leads to harder drugs – MPs have made that decision for you already. They banned party pills – leading to dangerous sub-varieties of pills becoming available. They gave criminal gangs free reign over the control and distribution of drugs so that whenever you want to have a puff, you’re directly funding criminal activity.

How many of these wowsers have tried marijuana? What about the journos who have used the speech to pound ACT into the ground again? I bet many have skeletons in their closet that would be worth sharing. This blog is offshore so I’ll publish any emailed to me.

Dr Don needs to pull his incoming caucus and candidates into line over this. This is what defines ACT from all the other parties. Free will is not a dirty word. John Banks needs to remember that the meal ticket that he is standing on is a liberal party and it comes with responsibility. The ACT President needs to be reminded that he is the President of the ACT Party not National. His comments opposing the comments by Brash were extremely unhelpful and put him in the Tory camp of a Liberal Party.

So what now for Brash and the last remaining liberals in ACTs “electable” list for the election? Who knows? The media seem intent on wanting ACT to stop existing, the candidates are dropping like flies and as far as I know, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency from anybody about what to do next. Brash needs to stamp his authority and do it quickly – muzzle Banks and rally the membership or indeed the party will be goneburgers in November.

PS – I said it all along that John Banks was of the biggest mistakes ACT has ever made. His pure hatred for everything ACT stands for is already killing the brand. He should have never been allowed to stand for ACT, most certainly not for Epsom. I fear that if he does win Epsom, it won’t be for ACT. It will be for Banks. If ACT is dependent on Banks then the ACT Party as we know it is dead.

Disaster looming

2011-09-25T11:32:00.003+13:00

I have officially been spellbound by our Prime Minister. I've never been so impressed by any PM we have had during my lifetime.

BUT without him, the Nats would not be so far ahead in the polls...except Goof is pretty bad.

I remember when Nat MPs had to climb out of student toilet windows to escape... now look at this...

Only the true extreme ideologue and hater will deny this moment. And that is why Labour is in so much trouble, they have no hope.

So will it be 20 or 30 percent?

Trotter on Compulsion

2011-09-24T03:51:00.005+12:00

Chris Trotter has officially jumped the shark.

While many have enjoyed his political analysis over the years, even the righties, he has shown lately that perhaps it's time to take him out the back and put him out of his misery. He opines in his latest column about the "need" for compulsory unionism in the workplace, something he says even Labour have abandoned.

Brilliantly, he manages to cheer and boo Roger Douglas in one paragraph - the whole "what did Roger do for us?" speil, while his subject is sipping an overseas beer.

I'll paste some here, it's ok - Chris is a man of the people and will not mind me sharing this with the proletariat, who I am sure read this blog to get their dose of commonsense.

'Unionism doesn't work with some people in and some out, son,' he says. 'All that does is let the employers divide and rule - and it encourages people to free-ride on the guts and sacrifice of others. I've always argued that if it's alright for the bosses to be protected by limited liability, it's alright for workers to be protected by compulsory union membership."'

"Too bloody true!" said Blue, taking another sip of his Old Speckled Hen.

"And you should have seen his face when Len rattled off what bar- staff were entitled to under the award negotiated by the old Hotel, Hospital and Restaurant Workers Union. Travel allowances, clothing allowances, penal rates, time-and- a-half, double-time, triple-time.

"'In real terms, son,' he said, 'you're earning less than I was back in 1973."'

"What did he say to that?" Blue inquired, gazing through the window at the windswept gaggle of university students hurrying over the pedestrian crossing.

Harry laughed. "He said, if compulsory union membership and national awards were so good for workers, why isn't the Labour Party promising to bring them back?"

"Bloody good question!" snorted Blue, distributing a fine spray of Old Speckled Hen across the table.

"I heard that Darien Fenton woman talking on the radio the other day - Labour's industrial relations spokesperson. You know what she says?"

"What did she say?"

"She says: 'Nobody on the Left is calling for the reintroduction of compulsory unionism and national wards."'

"Never asked us," said Harry.

Is this what the "new left" are going to pursue when Goof leaves the leadership in November? Will Labour be taken over by even more hardline unionists in 2012, presenting a true difference between the left and the right?

Who knows. I do know that if Fenton is against compulsory unions (for now) then why was she not against voluntary student unions?

What if given a political thrashing in November the membership led by Labour activists fuelled by the Mana Party starts to push for the return of hardline unionism?

Why are Kiwi leftists so out of touch with the rest of the world? Even the old "east" Europe have embraced low taxes, political and economic freedoms. They won't take being told what to do. How will Kiwis react being told by Chris that he knows best?

Best we consign ideas like this to the same place where the Berlin Wall ended up.

Polling on Crack

2011-09-19T10:14:00.003+12:00

Colin Craig needs to get his "pollsters" to lay off the hard drugs. It is beginning to look like he changes his mind every time he gets bad news and then spins furiously to justify himself each time.

First his Conservative Party was going to take out the ACT candidate in Epsom. Why was that? His polling said so. The 3rd place getter in the Auckland mayoralty elections who had conjured a political party out of thin air was going to tear up the political establishment.

Pity real life knocked on the door like an unwanted Jehovah's Witness.

Now it's the Rodney electorate who will be inflicted in whatever Colin thinks will get him elected. But hold on, according to his polling, he is already in front of his closest rival. This is a pretty safe National seat, held currently by hugely popular Lockwood Smith who is vacating the seat to go on the list. It isn't a given by any stretch of his imagination - the confidence and swagger by Colin makes me wonder if John Ansell is working on his campaign!

The Conservative Party also polled Epsom, and said that Banks (~~National~~ ACT candidate) was a goner as well - and yet Colin believed he too couldn't win it despite the Nats intention to stand aside and only go for the party vote.... somebody is telling porkies!

Mind you, the "values" that Colin are promoting are hardly going to be useful in Parliament when he seems keen to preach to others telling people how they can live their lives. He sits on the weird side on the fringes of National and Labour, although in the comments here does have a fan in ex ACT member big Kev Campbell... so goodness knows what identity Colin is trying to create.

If this is as exciting as the upcoming election is going to be, then don't blame me for yawning out loud at this.

Ignoring Values?

2011-09-14T06:54:00.003+12:00

The class of 2011 for ACT will be different by the end of the year. Gone will be the grumpy Sir Roger, who should have had a bigger role in this Government but was ignored by Smile and Wave.

Thankfully also going is the not so dynamic duo of Hilary and Heather. Between them two, and Sir Roger, we are about to see an utter betrayal of ACT Party values, that is if they vote with the Nats to removing an accused's right to remain silent and not have that held against them. In other words, they will go against ACT values supporting freedom of speech and the right to silence.

It took Rodney Hide, ex leader of ACT, the one deemed by the toxic trio as not fit to be ACT leader, to spell this out to the party. He spoke to the party board expressly to stand true to ACT values and for them to pass a resolution to protect freedom of speech, which they did.
For a man that is leaving Parliament with nothing to lose, he has shown that he takes his role standing up for freedom and party values more serious than the others who are counting down the days before their political retirement… albeit forced retirement for Hilary and Heather.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Once Rodney leaves Parliament, whoever comes in under the ACT umbrella have a tough act to follow – some may say they will never match Rodney for hard work, political nous and likability. Quite right.
Those who sought a cheap poll boost (how is that looking by the way?) in order to stay in Parliament, and swing the party in a more conservative direction will also wake up one day and wonder why they did what they did when they could have rejoined National or jumped into bed with Colin Craig.

Cactus Kate I realise has also made comment on this:

We all await to see which way ACT MP's vote on this issue and if they go against the Party principles and the wishes of the Board, their Parliamentary Leader, their new Leader and even the old Leader.

And if they do - a statement on their reasons for doing so.

If they are doing this for "favours" as some are saying then they are as bad as anything we have accused Labour of and they should be castigated as such.

Labour's emerging talent

2011-09-12T21:48:00.005+12:00

We have seen throughout the years that both Labour and National MPs have a unique talent in relishing how much of our money they can spend. Other people's money (OPM) is the trigger for lavish lifestyles and almost zero accountability.

The difference is National /ACT MPs seem to already have a fair bit in the bank before going into politics. Most either take a pay cut to get into Parliament and have a bit of a better understanding of how to behave around money – most of the time. Labour MPs come from a background where being an MP is a lifetime aspiration and lifestyle choice. They may have already worked in unions, where OPM is already funding their lifestyles. Many have been average teachers, making the salary jump into politics - something they wouldn’t have achieved as a teacher. Others come in without a having a proper job at all. The question is, who would you trust with your money?

9 years of Labour showed us that given surpluses and huge tax income flowing in, they are not to be trusted with the treasury whatsoever. They were like drunken sailors on annual shore leave in Pattaya.

What surprised me today was that Labour didn’t protect one of their own when it comes to spending OPM. Usually they close ranks and keep things (semi) secret – but when news emerged that Sonny Thomas, a fulla I have sparred with in the past has been charged with “stealing $4183.90 from his boss (MP) Phil Twyford and his wife, stealing a cash machine card to withdraw money and racking up food and drink bills in his name.” I was surprised that Labour didn’t promote him to a reachable list position.

Sonny, ex Vice-President of Young Labour was a very naughty boy. Theft and illegal use of an ATM card, and credit card fraud is more than a petty crime, but using it towards food and drink to emulate his hero Parekura Horomia is another thing. Unless Sonny has aspirations to being Jonathan Hunt then he has no excuse for what he did and has been punished accordingly - if you think 250 hrs community work is apt punishment.

TV3 states he used some of the money to help pay for an operation for his father. I am pretty sure that the public health system doesn't have charges for operations - unles Sonny was paying for his dad to go private? Surely not?

The judge called him a talented young man with a promising career in public service and politics – but said it was over because of this. I would have thought this was a prerequisite for aspiring Labour MPs to show their disregard for OPM no? I am sure of Helen was in the country she’d be protecting one of her own as all good leaders would.

I wonder what Phil and the Camp Davids think of this chilling parting message from Sonny...

''I am still fully committed to the Labour Party who have been incredibly supportive.''

Did Sonny ever apologise for using compulsorily acquired money from students and using it to help support Labour when he was the campaigns officer at VUWSA? Or does he only apologise for when he gets caught?

Remembering September 11

2011-09-11T12:05:00.004+12:00

Hard to believe it's been 10 years. I remember watching TV and saw exactly when the 2nd plane hit. We all stayed up all night glued to the TV and the next day it was surreal walking around campus, everybody was in shock. I fully supported the US efforts to find those responsible and like most people were glad they found and killed Osama Bin Laden. Not only that but in the same swoop, the US also got Saddam Hussein and got rid of the brutal Taliban regime in Afghanistan at great cost to the American economy.

I will be visiting Ground Zero in the new year to pay my respects to those who perished. It's been ten years, but we will never forget this vile act in the name of militant Islamic terrorism.

Roarprawn's Dhimmitude - Blair Mulholland

2011-09-06T17:43:00.005+12:00

It's a curious phenomenon that I notice a lot, but many on the Right in New Zealand with otherwise solid conservative or laissez-faire credentials have a tendency to go all feral when it comes to their American counterparts, and will inexplicably parrot left wing talking points on people whom they should consider allies.

I put this down to a certain snobbery, and it is one which exists in America also, but in New Zealand there is no real flyover underclass base for laissez-faire ideas, so they tend to be nothing but moneyed Europhiles doing the talking. This is a shame, especially since, in my opinion, Americans have a better education system, a far better grasp of history, and a far more rigorous and intellectual policy debate than New Zealanders could ever dream of. The uppity ones do not take this into account, and simply believe whatever it is that Keith Olbermann might have to say about such folk.

There is no better example of this than the recent post on roarprawn about Michelle Bachmann. They have basically labeled her "dumb". I should state right now I am not a Bachmann fan, for various reasons which I will elaborate on in a future post. But the criticisms of her on roarprawn are ridiculous. She is many things, but "dumb" is not one of them. A rebuttal follows:

"She is currently a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election."

" which is run by her husband ... has denied allegations that ... provides conversion therapy... which attempts to transform homosexuals into heterosexuals"

Yes, and Eleanor Roosevelt had a lesbian affair, Betty Ford was an alcoholic and pill-popper, Rosalind Carter was friends with pornographer Larry Flynt, Nancy Reagan consulted astrologers, Laura Bush once killed a man while driving drunk... I haven't even mentioned the relatives - Joe Kennedy, Prescott Bush, Billy Carter, Roger Clinton, the Reagan children, Obama Senior, and his brother? Candidates are not their spouses, or their families. You can't judge them according to the behaviour of others.

"was a longtime member of Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater. ...denomination's belief that the Pope is the Antichrist"

Where is the proof of that? Most people who go to church do not agree with everything that a church teaches. I doubt that the Pope as Antichrist thing is something that pops up regularly in sermons. And even if it did, so what? Pope Benedict has decreed that all Protestants are going to hell, which seems to me to be a little more significant. So he kind of deserves whatever Protestants may care to throw back at him!

You also ignore that we have a US President right now whose church is substantially racist and anti-American in its beliefs, so if you are going to paint Bachmann as having a dodgy church, well ditto times two for our friend Barry.

" introduced the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act"

An excellent piece of legislation. National did an identical thing when it took office in New Zealand. It repeals the nonsense ban on incandescent bulbs and retains the freedom of choice that people have in buying lightbulbs. That's not dumb, that's fucking genius.

"has charged that global warming is a hoax"

It is!

"supports the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in public school science classes."

I would hope any academic institution would teach all aspects of a subject, and provide adequate critiques. The Left in America want to stifle this sort of free speech. I am glad that Bachmann supports the First Amendment and wants all sides of a debate taught.

"when asked if abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest, Bachmann responded that she is "100 per cent pro-life"

A legitimate view. The philosophical status of a foetus is unchanged regardless of how the foetus is conceived. Personally I support legal abortion, but I respect Bachmann's view, as it is philosophically consistent.

So... I am wondering who is the dumb one here? Bachmann has many faults, and I don't think she would make a good President. But I can tell you that there is no-one in the New Zealand Parliament right now who could even come close to matching her in talent, intelligence, ability, and fidelity to sound policy. So... seriously?! Do some hard thinking next time you publish crap like this. You might also like to think about letting my comments through, or I might not have bothered reaming you on my own blog ;-)

Not so Super Injunctions

2011-09-02T20:53:00.004+12:00

I see there is great anger over the latest awful ruling that has allowed a "prominent NZ comedian" to be given permanent name suppression because he has stopped drinking, paid a high price - and "makes people laugh''.

The crime?

The man went to bed with his partner after returning home drunk from a Christmas work party in December 2009. After he fell asleep, his four-year-old daughter came into the couple's bedroom and got into bed with them.

Judge Cunningham read from the police summary which said the man laid his daughter on her back, pulled down her pyjama pants and nappy and kissed her.

The man's partner woke up and asked him what he was doing. He replied: "I thought it was you.''

As sick as one can get. But even worse, Judge Philippa Cunningham's ruling was absurd - She said he had already paid a high price in his personal life and work life.

"He's a talented New Zealander. He makes people laugh. Laughter is an incredible medicine and we all need lots of it.''

Enough is enough. Too many people who are "prominent" are allowed to commit any sort of crime, be it beating up their wives, drunk driving or molesting their children - and get away with it. Sure many may feel bad for their deeds, but while everyday citizens are getting locked up for far less, including victimless crimes, then we are creating a two tier system.

In the UK, people had enough of "celebrities" hiding secrets behind expensively gained super injunctions and although the crimes were hardly anything like what our "prominent Kiwi comedian" had done, something was done about it.

On Twitter, somebody set up an anonymous profile and listed all the super injunctions that they knew about. Of course it was all full of things like adultery, bondage and harrassment - but the main point was to smash down the wall that allows powerful people to have more rights than you and me. If you do the crime you must be big enough to face the public court of opinion.

The famous affair of Ryan Giggs and Imogen Thomas was already out in the open before this Twitter page came about, however nobody was allowed to talk about it or even mention that even a super injuction existed. This site allowed even more people to know about it, making the super injunction look weak and pathetic. Not to mention overseas newspapers and websites including some in Scotland were naming the footballer.

As I said, the crime by the "comedian" is on another level. I have already been told his identity, which I also aluded to on this blog quite some time ago. The man in question has been constantly rumour mill for years and I can only presume that it is all about this crime. People are genuiniely pissed off and if the law is going to protect these sorts of people then the people should take action.

An Anonymous Twitter site like the above, could suffice. Especially if it can link to an offshore blog . While I am advocating this idea, I will not be the one who will do it.

And people thought Whale Oil was being silly with his constant attacks on these stupid decisions. He was right all along. And says so again today.

Make them pay or lock(e) them up

2011-09-01T22:14:00.002+12:00

In 2008, three vandals broke into a secure compound and deliberately destroyed a satellite inflatable dome worth USD$1.2million. The satellite, Government owned, is used by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to intercept satellite communications and shares intelligence with the United States, Australia, Canada and Britain.

They admit the damage but their weak defence is that they did it because they “genuinely believed” that it would “prevent harm to civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan” by destroying it. In other words they themselves received faulty intelligence that led them to do something completely stupid. To spit in the face of Kiwis further, they are saying they can't pay nor will pay.

Priest Peter Murnane, teacher Adrian Leason and farmer Sam Land are the dirtbag vigilantes who are now telling the media that they will not pay for the damage they caused because they believe the satellite installation was helping the military in their invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan – the same war that Kiwi soldiers were off fighting in. The same war that liberated the populations from mass murderer and Dictator Saddam Hussein and rid Afghanistan from the iron rule of the Taliban. The same war that has allowed women the right to education and to vote – not to mention where kids have hope for a brighter future as a result of an expensive war that the US mainly bankrolled in order to see democracy in the region.

But of course these fools, supported enthusiastically by Green MP Keith Locke, decided that this was a bad idea. This is the same Keith Locke that wildly supported the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan mind you – so you can see the blaring hypocrisy a mile away, not to mention utter stupidity.

These people committed a crime on land and property belonging to the NZ Govt or if you want to be exact, taxpayers. In the US they’d be tried as terrorists – and in China or Russia they’d probably have already been shot, if we’d actually hear anything about it from their closed media. They are hoping that the lenient NZ court system will let them off without paying for their deeds, but of course if they did it would set a very dangerous precedent for other criminals.

A comment made on the news story made some good points about retribution to these clowns:

So presumably farmer Sam Land won't mind if his farm is razed by vegetarian activists, and priest Peter Murnane will be happy for the victims of paedophile priests to burn down Catholic churches etc - all in the name of protecting the innocent! Or do they reserve their divine right to destroy the property of those who they believe to be wrong for themselves only?
Couldn’t have put it better.

If these people get off without paying one or another, be it substantial jail time and a hefty fine then I suggest that the above action be taken against them. If vandalising property is to be rewarded then it’s open game for them. Not at all surprised that the Greens would be so enthusiastic about people not facing up to personal responsibility when committing crimes.

Bigger Boobs or something else?

2011-09-01T09:47:00.001+12:00

As a young gentleman, it doesn't take me too long to open up news stories that start with "Bra Sizes Increasing" especially as it conjures up images of hot young women, healthy sized and yet busty.

Unfortunately the truth is so far from the truth.

Massey University Associate Professor in Human Nutrition Jane Coad said there was no significant research behind the phenomenon, but suspected it could be caused by many factors.

"One is that everyone is getting bigger," she said. "Women get bigger breasts because fat is deposited in the breasts, sides and bottom."

People have been growing in size, with the World Health Organisation describing obesity as an epidemic.

Obesity rates in New Zealand have been on the rise, going from 9 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women in 1977 to 20 and 22 per cent respectively in 2003.

The most recent Health Ministry figures showed one in three adults was overweight, and one in four was obese.

So yeah, girls are just getting fatter. Sad. But lets be honest, we are all getting fatter - blokes too. Kiwis are in the top 10 of the fattest people on the planet. In fact Kiwis cannot point to the US and ridicule them as fatties any longer - we are catching up with them very quickly.

Is this the way the West is headed? Is our collective wealth our downfall? Will the title of this post bring in a crazy amount of hits? :) After all, after 6 years of political and sports ranting - my posts on topless Ukrainian feminists and the Latvian Blonde Festival are still getting me 100-200 hits a day.

Crisis or short memories? The ACT List.

2011-08-29T20:40:00.004+12:00

I have often wondered out loud about the education one needs to become a journalist. It has become more obvious over the years with the rise of blogging that it can’t actually be that much. Blogs have taken over much of the news reporting in NZ and our so called “journalists” now use blogs and twitter to gather their news as they simply cannot bother to investigate or stand out from the crowd.

The ACT Party “crisis” as we are led to believe is yet another fail from the media fraternity and yet if they bothered to look at what they wrote about ACT merely 3 years ago they would see the absolute stupidity of what they write today.

Three years ago, ACT was a 2 MP party led by Rodney and Heather. They were polling as low as 1% and as high as 4% in opinion polls before the 2008 election, where they eventually got 3.65% at the election, turning the 2 MP party into a 5 MP Party, winning Epsom yet again and defying everybody in media yet again. Why doesn’t the media ever get it that ACT has always polled much higher on election day than they do beforehand? I used to think it was cute – when I campaigned hard for the party, which I did from 1996 – but now I think the media are just straight up stupid.

Today they have a new leader and have a popular ex Mayor of Auckland standing in their key seat. They have key people like Don Nicholson and John Boscawen there as well, not to mention the not so secret 3rd list spot for a notable and distinguished woman as well. It’s a strong top 5. It must be considering all the media and online attention the list received over the weekend.

It also signals a change in brand for ACT. ACT on Campus call it, ACT II – “clear break from the past and represents the future of the ACT Party.” AOC were never really 100% behind Rodney when the polls started to show their usual between election dip which led to the Brash coup. Indeed the AOC executive were openly clapping out loud at the coup and the president gave a “no comment” when asked by the media, while other board members of ACT were behind Rodney. However with AOC 100% behind this leadership team, and with two AOC candidates in the top 10, the party is doing its best to cleanse the party of its past. I am ecstatic that both Heather and Hilary were rejected by the party and the board as well. Heather says she left on her own accord, but as we all know only a few weeks beforehand she was angling to be the new leader of ACT inside Parliament and before that spent all of her last term in parliament trying to usurp Rodney. Hilary on the other hand came in with all guns blazing ready to back Rodney and to bring some of her common sense into Parliament. I know Hilary well, I helped campaign for her in Dunedin many years ago. Her lack of readiness and loyalty was rewarded accordingly.

As for the top 10. We are led to believe that it is still a Liberal party, with the exception of John Banks and Don Nicholson. Ranked 4 and 5. If ACT gets 5 MPs again then almost half of the parliamentary team will be conservative. Indeed there were a few conservatives on the list selection vote who were drawn to the party by the Don. Brash has only started to solidify his liberal tendencies while John seems like he’ll stick to the game plan and the mystery #3 will most certainly be at the liberal forefront of the party.

Is it enough to make ACT hugely different to National?

Will it ever attract the young urban liberals who would never vote National?

I would say probably not. The Association of Consumers and Taxpayers that I joined in 1995 is a far different organisation than it is today. When ACT was elected as the first (and only ever) brand new party in 1996 it was a celebration of youth, freedom, energy and positivity. It drew in people from all over the spectrum who believed in its philosophy and it was a lot of fun being there.

At least I am warmed by the fact that I am not eligible to vote this year as it would be very very hard for me to make my vote this year. But rest assured, it wouldn’t be for National nor would it be for a party that wants to increase taxes or reduce personal responsibility.

UNITE Union exploiting Earthquake victims

2011-08-25T01:19:00.002+12:00

There are times that people should take stock of a situation and put politics aside in order to work for the greater good. Phil Goff and John Key stood together with the people of Christchurch as did most Kiwis at home and abroad.

There are people that see events like this as an opportunity to do something good for society, to help others – which I witnessed here in London as I helped facilitate several events from Kiwis here. Kiwis in London helped raise over 1 million pounds for the relief effort and the people of Christchurch.
Then there are those who think they can profit from human suffering and harness it to take advantage of a bad situation. Enter the UNITE Union, led by tax cheat Matt McCarten who have set up the organisation “Action for Christchurch East”, an organisation designed to prey on the Cantabrians who have been affected by the quake. Their blog is here and their profile links to another blog for Unite Christchurch.

Their latest “action” is to attack the incoming arrival of the National Prime Minister John Key as he and his caucus make a nearly unprecedented move to hold caucus from outside Parliament to show Christchurch that the Government is doing what they can.

Of course National, nor any politician can be perfect with the clean up and the task of rebuilding the city is enormous. But there is no case for UNITE to use the earthquake to push their agenda.

Their page runs down a list of the usual left wing gripes about the Government from:

Fletchers not paying high enough wages to builders in Chch
Rogernomics
The “Tory Government” – the NZ one, not the UK one, standard wording from Unite.
Global Economic System
Privatisation and State Asset Sales
The gap between the Rich and Poor “The wealthiest 150 New Zealanders - John Key included - increased their wealth by $7 billion last year”
Deregulation
The “annihilation” of organised workers.

But yet not one point is even on the same page as what the Government of the day has to do to rebuild a city destroyed by the quake. The city needs cash injections and a plan to bring in workers to the area and make it easy for them to get the job done.

Unite is feeding off the fear of frustrated citizens in order for it to gain support for their extremist policies. It isn’t the first time far left organisations have used misery and desperation to spread their ideology either. Matt McCarten should pay his PAYE taxes and stop sending his foot soldiers to exploit others.

Looking after your Leftie

2011-08-22T23:29:00.003+12:00

Sent to me anonymously - but inspired from this post by Imperator Fish. Seems apt.

Your Leftie: A Care Guide
Commiserations! Your new Leftie is now ready for operation.

Below are the care instructions for your Leftie. Please read them before using your Leftie for the first time. Provided you follow these instructions you can look forward to many years of uninterrupted

Three-Year Warranty

Your Leftie comes with a three-year warranty. In the event you are dissatisfied with your Leftie for any reason during that period, please remember that you were dim witted enough to vote it in.

Care and Maintenance

Please follow the care instructions below in order to enjoy a long and frequently disappointing relationship with your Leftie.

Cleaning instructions: Your Leftie can be cleaned using a very wet cloth. But be careful about using solvents or strong spirits. When strong spirits or alcohol-based products are applied to your Leftie your Leftie may begin to become lecherous or lusty or emit noises difficult to silence. An alcohol-affected Leftie may emit unintelligible opinions, and should be ignored.

Handling: Your Leftie is fragile and will suffer if allowed out of its hermetically sealed box. It does not know life outside of the confines of a union or academia and most certainly should not be left around other people’s money. (OPM™)

Avoid strong light: Be careful about exposing your Leftie to direct sunlight. If exposed, Lefties could emit high pitch cries for ill deserved entitlement and dazzling hypocrisy.

Servicing: Your Leftie need to be regularly serviced. Thankfully Lefties are universally equipped to utilise both recharging sockets to ensure maximum performance.

WARNING

YOUR LEFTIE PRETENDS TO LIKE MINORITIES AND DIVERSITY BUT ONLY IF IT AGREES WITH THEM. THE PRETENCE IS ONLY TOLERATED FOR USE AS VOTING FODDER ©

DO NOT PUT REMOVE YOUR LEFTIE FROM ITS COMFORTABLE UPPER MIDDLE CLASS ENVIRONMENT. A LEFTIE WILL ATTEMPT TO CAMOUFLAGE ITSELF IN LOWER CLASS ENVIRONS FOR USE AS VOTING FODDER. ©

Troubleshooting guide

My Leftie will not work: Check to see whether your Leftie has been switched to the hypocrisy setting . This setting will be indicated by even minuscule exposure to unions and benefit entitlement. Despite having never in its life done a hard day's labour, your leftie may while switched to hypocrisy opining loudly about the greed of the working and upper classes. If this occurs immerse your Leftie in champagne until the crying stops.

My Leftie is making a whining noise: All lefties at one point or another will release whining noises depending on the mood of the day. Often this can be stopped with vigorous amounts of other people’s money (OPM) ™

My Leftie is turning into a Tory: Your Leftie will usually after a number of years automatically switch into Tory mode, often after leaving academic or union based environs and becoming self reliant.

My Leftie is trying to rig an election: This is standard operating procedure. Similar models such as “Chavez”, “Mugabe” and “Jong Il” already use this OS.

Rant free (for once)

2011-08-20T09:19:00.002+12:00

Not much has happened over here since my last post. The looting have come to a swift end and the fools involved have met harsh but fair punishments.

The football season has kicked off and my beloved Arsenal have started with a draw against Newcastle. Joey Barton has proved he is a prize twat with no qualms about playing by his own rules. The sooner NUFC kick him out the better. A bad week for the team has meant injuries have mounted up and signings have yet to be made that could make a difference.

On the same subject, how brilliant that QPR has been bought by F1 and Air Asia supremo Tony Fernandes. The previous owners were crooks who have been bought out in time to give the new owner a chance to bring in new signings before the window closes.

In New Zealand we are slowly heading towards the rugby world cup with ridiculously high expectations that we'll win the thing. Add that to spending on structures and things like plastic wakas during a recession, while our businesses and hospitality industry seems hell bent on ripping everybody left right and centre, and I expect if we do lose, New Zealand will be a very unhappy place to be.... that is until the election campaign kicks off.

The election will be the last one Phil Goff will be fighting ever. National have this election sewn up. The Maori Party are in a heap of trouble, while the Greens will coast in with 8% and Labour will be kicked hard, but will perform better than expected - if you expect them to be wiped out that is. Mana will drag in another 2 MPs that will turn the voters off MMP forever. I have seen the ACT Party list voting forms and made my selections - an interesting choice of youth and experience, male and female, North and South Island. I will not say who I lent my vote or support to - however if anybody felt it was a good idea to put a certain Dunedin based current MP in a reachable position to get back in, then they need their heads read. Heather Roy didn't leave on her own terms - and I'd hoped others may have got the hint. It seems not. Thankfully others have stepped forward who have the right idea and as a result have got my vote.

Not that it matters, I cannot vote in this years election due to me living offshore for too long. While I am sure there will be a great gnashing of teeth and screamy leftie wailing over the campaign - I don't give two figs about it. They will be crushed and National will stay on their pragmatic slow path to wherever they seem to wish to lead NZ. It won't be a country that will ever stop or want to stop the handout culture wholesale - people will always vote for the party that will give them more for doing less. But this is a universal theme for Western nations and we'll pay the price for our folly sooner rather than later.

Doom and gloom? Not at all. Most people will still blame others for their failures or their countries lack of economic growth rather than doing their bit to improve it. Thankfully I have people that read this blog who actually want to change things and make life better for themselves and others.

So what does this mean? Why the post about nothing? Well after 2611 posts over 6 years and almost 500k page views I have decided this will be my last year of blogging. I will be ceasing my posting and ramblings after the election this year and not a moment too soon. I have said all I need to say and have done a lot to back up my words - with deeds and actions - and have sacrificed a lot to fight for what I believe in. Sometimes when it's all said and done, there are more important things in life to think about and I have plenty more exciting things planned for my life.

As I said to my colleagues in Campus ACT, known as Prebble's Rebels back in 05 - politics won't get you laid or make you friends or even give you real life experience. Getting out there and living life will do that for you. I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment today!

Bring on the last few months of blogging!

Meet the Mana Party Women Affairs Spokesman

2011-08-11T21:02:00.004+12:00

Charming words of advice to womynist blogger Boganette..

A party that is full of bullying "high spirited" activists that include people like John Minto - who has a history of bullying younger women and nutbars like Martyn Bradbury who wasted countless hours screaming abuse on his blog against a young female ACT candidate.(incidentally she took all of a few minutes to slap him down again)

So the party who hates White Motherfuckers also has a lot of hate for the mothers as well it seems.. especially if you're white, of course.

No wonder the minor parties are being excluded from the main leaders debates, putting Hone Hater on TV any longer than we do already would just be awful.

UPDATE...

Apparently the spokesman is female... stay classy Mana! This could get nasty.

The Fightback begins...

2011-08-11T05:25:00.006+12:00

There were 16,000 cops on the streets of London last night. So much for fighting for a cause as the cowards stayed indoors last night on a nice warm evening.

Instead copycat looting and destruction occurred up north in places like Manchester.
(I wonder if my commenter Mr Snuggles saw any up his part of the country?)

Watch Manchester Police deliver northern justice to these idiots...

Meanwhile in London, the court cases have begun and the rule of law is prevailing!

The Daily Mail - always a fun read - has the following headers:

Courts sit through the night to handle high volume of offenders
Primary school worker admits burglary at Richer Sounds
Duo who made off with trolley full of power tools admit theft
Father caught in stolen Lacoste trainers and body warmer weeps
Convicted rioters warned they could lose council houses

And the photos are interesting too. Read it all here.

The Mail has also smashed PC Liberal dogma out of the park with this hard hitting article, well worth a read.

Up and down the country the people are fighting back. Sikhs in Southall defended their streets while Manchester and Millwall fans hit the streets to dispense with any troubles in their patches. Police were not supporting the vigilante behaviour but in all honesty probably needed the help after the silly buggers on ther streets all this week. If I was a looter I'd be more scared of being found by one of them than the cops...

UPDATE - Liberty Scott does a damn good job at smashing the left wing down.

See some cool pics here too!

UPDATE 2

And it keeps on getting better... apart from the fact that some of the people charged are getting weak punishments. However it is heartwarming seeing on the news, police going door to door, getting people. Smashing in their front doors and pulling them onto the streets for all to see. The images on TV of cops zooming in and getting photos of everybody possible.. brilliant!

This girl should hopefully lose her chance to be at the Olympics. Good on her mother for informing police and SHAME on her for denying all charges.

The website calling for looters who are in council houses to be thrown out has CRASHED. Oh my!

Meet more of the scum pulled off our streets...

Another VSM fail...

2011-08-10T09:57:00.003+12:00

The OUSA President has blogged his opinions on Voluntary Student union Membership (VSM) this week. As a (very) long time pro freedom activist I felt I should rebut some of his remarks.

Firstly I’d like to state that my opinion around the VSM (voluntary student membership) issue is non-biased. Now as you all gasp in disbelief over the student’s presidents claim that his opinion around a parliamentary private member’s bill that looks to make the revenue stream of OUSA disappear and potentially destroy his association is ‘non-biased’ let me explain why. I am a Scarfie. I live on Hyde Street in a freezing cold flat and drink southern gold like it is going out of fashion.

An OUSA President, one that is at the helm of an organisation that is addicted to spending the $2million plus per annum it collects from students cannot possibly be non biased. It’s impossible. It’s no point pretending to be an average student with no possible ulterior motive – the facts speak for themselves – OUSA is a compulsory union, the same type of union that the Council of Trade Unions was before they became voluntary.
Right away Logan admits OUSA isn’t doing its job properly. He admits the revenue stream “may disappear”... that doesn’t sound like a bloke that values the organisation that he is in charge of does it?

I have been in this job for a little over two months now; can you comprehend how fabulous it would look on my C.V to be ‘the’ president, effectively the CEO of a multi-million dollar organisation and the man who lead it through a complete restructure? It would be tackling an issue which would be, dare I say it, the most challenging of any president in OUSA’s 123 year existence, don’t worry though I would do a bloody fine job of it. Now to slap that alongside my commerce degree would look pretty nifty.

So far he has done an awful job of it. He was the public face of “selling” Radio 1. He was hated by many students for even suggesting it – despite it being the right idea. It failed anyway, and he needs to find another way to restructure OUSA. Surely he must attempt to cut subsidies to Radio 1? He also ripped up student protester posters – hardly the work of a man who represents “all students” is it? His (most likely drunken) rant at Sir Roger Douglas’s Facebook page is more proof he isn’t representative to his members. His conduct on the protest against the PM (more proof he doesn’t represent his members) was appalling as well.

He has to admit that he doesn’t represent the views of the majority of students. More students voted for National, ACT and United than they did for the Greens and Labour at the last election. ACT and National MPs and activists have continuously supported a VSM policy since the 90’s. At NO stage have they said they would not pursue this policy – however it is a matter of priorities. The conduct of student unions up and down NZ have made this law a greater priority for this government and behaviour from presidents like Logan, against the student body has meant priorities have changed.

So why I am opposed to VSM? Is it that I actually want the best for the students? Well yes it is. I am of the firm belief that Scarfie life is so stimulating because of our students associations’ existence. Sure you are forced to pay a compulsory fee, but for that you get services and events that are actually relevant to you and actually materialize, it’s like compulsory fun.

“Compulsory fun”? Surely a joke? If he wanted the best for his members, why would he spit at the political beliefs of the students who voted for a pro VSM party at the general election? How can Logan say that students will no longer be “Scarfies” if they are no longer forced to join a union?

How many students are actually involved in normal student union activities? Elections barely get 10% of support. Student Union meetings have been constantly under quorum and have been changed to online meetings to save face. OUSA has a long history of failed quorums – in the past they used to count anybody sitting close to the meeting as participants. Logan has fallen into the trap that so many have fallen into – that OUSA is responsible for all of the fun on campus and that students are unable to organise themselves.

You get representation which acts to protect your interests without any effort needed on your part. You get the student support centre, food-bank, advocacy, free legal advice, queer support, and always a friend to talk to, a squash club, a yacht club, a rowing club, clubs and societies building, monetary grants, Unipol, events such as paint parties, capping show, international food night and the list goes on and on. When students come to University it is quite often their first time away from home and its awesome that this support is here for us all during our studies.

The representation you receive is extremely limited. It is limited to those who share the political views of the association. Let’s put aside the obvious political bias for a moment. Nobody in NZ can advocate for 20,000 people no matter the beliefs they have. OUSA cannot represent the beliefs of all their members, it’s impossible.
If you are lucky enough to have access to the OUSA budget, you will see the advocacy, food bank, legal advice and support centre occupies a miniscule part of the OUSA budget. Logan has also stated that in order to get a degree, all students have to fund a squash club, rowing and yachting clubs and a whole variety of interests that students may choose to engage in during their studies. Why is it good enough for non students to do this in the real world and yet not for students? Do all students appreciate that they are funding political and sporting activities and must do in order to get a degree?

So let me discuss with you the real implication of this bill. Should VSM pass we would quite simply not be able to provide all the great services we currently deliver all for students.

Nonsense.

However, that’s not to say they would all go. It’s just that the University would pick up the tab for them. Now you’re kidding yourself if you think your mate the University would just eat into its own cash reserves in order to provide such services for you. The levy that you pay now would either, stay the same, or more lightly increase to compensate for additional overheads (and the fact that University’s quite like money).

OUSA has cash reserves and assets. Logan has not mentioned this at all. He has not said how much OUSA would need to break even. However this is still quite telling that Logan is admitting that revenue will fall. After all, all students will need to do at enrolment is to tick a box. If he is stating that OUSA can’t even get students to tick a box then he knows that students do NOT value their membership.

So it’s the University providing the services for you and not students and of course the University probably will not want to fund all services, for example student media (Critic, Radio One) and most probably any sort of event that involves drinking as it has become apparent that the incoming vice-chancellor is dead against the social climate Otago is famous for.

Student media like Radio 1? The same station that is bleeding cash profusely and needs to be sold or restructured desperately?
Is Logan saying that drinking events will be cancelled at University because of VSM? Can you see how stupid that sounds. It’s a blatant lie. Logan knows this. He lives on Hyde Street... I lived on Hyde Street. Every year the residents on this street holds a massive drinking event. It’s NOT controlled by the student union. For Logan to state this is such a shame for a student who describes himself as an average student.

What OUSA would look like under VSM is a structure that provides core functions. For example we would maintain our student support, and hopefully the student media, although my guess is that cost cutting measures would probably make it a bit shit, unless for example Critic and Radio One could become profitable or near enough break-even.

No Logan. It would provide what the MEMBERS want. Your OUSA survey stated that Radio 1 was their least valued service on campus. Listen to your members!

We would charge a zero dollar levy and at the start of every semester we would have to painstakingly chase around after students making sure all of them (or near enough) are signed up as members as the proposed VSM legislation would mean that Universities could not even inform students of the associations’ existence, sound suspicious?

Lies, lies and more lies. Who said OUSA would charge a zero levy? Does Logan have a say in how the 2012/13 and future years budgets will be set? Who said they would chase it up? Who said the University would not inform OUSA of members?

By having all students signed up it then means that we can go to the University and say “Hello, we represent all students and therefore we would like to sit in on all of your councils and committee’s” we would do this so students are still represented within the University and can advocate and fight for them.

You can’t do that today! OUSA doesn’t represent all students today and is seen as weak by the University. The powers that be know that OUSA cannot get the support for more than 10% of its members.

Currently all tertiary students have a united voice in this country by means of the NZUSA (New Zealand Union of Students Associations’) which is a great thing to have for times like this when Politian’s try screwing students over. There are 14 University and Polytechnic student’s associations that belong too, and wholly fund NZUSA. It is my belief that should VSM come in, NZUSA will be student’s associations first cost cutting measure and once a few pull out there will be a domino effect as the remaining members could not fund NZUSA on their own. It would be a real shame considering what NZUSA has done for students historically over its 80 year existence.

Logan is out of the loop regarding NZUSA membership. Most of NZ student unions are already pulling out or considering pulling out of NZUSA. NZUSA costs OUSA over $100k p/a. It is a drain on OUSA to be paying for 3 full time students activists in their Lampton Quay office, especially as the NZUSA do very little for Otago students.
The polytech next door to Otago Uni has pulled out and many are following.

But the sting in the tail... membership to NZUSA? It’s VOLUNTARY!

NZUSA is the reason students today have interest free student loans and student allowances which are vital to student life. How quickly will they disappear if the students do not have a united voice to fight for them? We know that the National Party hate the massive financial burden that the student loans and allowances impose. Maybe this is the reason for the government wanting students’ associations’ gone? You may say that’s all very conspiracy theorist of me, but I cannot see any other reason why the National Party are showing such interest in a shaky party like ACT.

More proof that Logan represents ONLY Labour voting students. Is he willing to admit that he doesn’t represent the majority of students that voted in National at the last election? Despite the Labour election bribes, more students rejected Labour in 2008. Why then should students pay for Logan, OUSA and NZUSA to campaign against them?

The argument for VSM is that students should get a choice, whether this is the true motivation for the Politian’s is questionable. I agree the current membership system is not perfect, but the solution should be what the students want and should be based on students input. It is not a decision to be made by those who it does not affect, such as politicians. The government needs to work with student’s associations to find an agreeable solution, an enduring policy which recognises the key stakeholders, the students, like you.

Not once has Logan talked about freedom of association. Interesting isn’t it? He has ignored the calls from students to allow them the freedom to not join a union. He has rejected over half of his membership’s opinions to push his own agenda – which coincidentally is the same agenda of the Labour Party.

What does this ordinary student got to fear? Ordinary students don’t give a toss about OUSA and throughout the decades OUSA has failed to engage themselves with the masses. They chose to pursue far left policies and then later snuggled up to Labour and the Greens. They sat back and never fought the University when iconic student bars were closed down by the Universities. They say back for 9 years when Labour was in Government and ignored calls to tighten their budgets, instead raising levies higher and higher and ignoring the growing nationwide momentum supporting VSM.

Logan has the chance to be a great president. He needs to can the bullshit and look at the bigger picture. Why don’t students vote? Why do they never attend student meetings? If he could sell OUSA as being meaningful to students rather than the common perception that its captured by hippies and left wing career student politicians then he will be successful. At the moment he is part of the problem and the sad thing is he will blame VSM when OUSA falls over – not realising that he had its future right in his hands and lost the opportunity.

Stay Calm and Stop Looting!

2011-08-10T07:54:00.005+12:00

Loads going on here in London lately. We may have seen the worst here, but the copycat looting has spread to Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bristol and Manchester.. amongst other towns. It aint pretty and the damage caused is not only going to take a long time to mend - it will also drive huge wedges between sections of our society.

There are so many reasons for this occurring. It isn't a single issue, it's several.

Rather than me saying what I think, I am a foreigner in this country - it isn't my place to say why.

The sad thing is that people who are on minimum wage who are working in the stores that are being trashed are having their lives torn apart. They will lose their jobs and this is going to hurt NOT benefit the poor who the rioters are claiming to represent. Small businesses destroyed. Low income families houses burned down. It's crazy and has to end.

Click here to see the awful BBC interview with 2 girls bragging about the looting.

This next pic is crazy...

And finally a clip of looters robbing an injured man

If you're living over here and have anything to share, I'd like to hear from you.

The Long Awaited, and Possibly Inevitable, Return of Strange Internet Dating Profiles

2011-08-09T11:57:00.003+12:00

Labour - unable to even organise a protest in student town

2011-08-06T01:07:00.005+12:00

Labour MP Clare Curran has posted a little video of some students protesting in Dunedin, my old University, against the visit of the Prime Minister.

If I recall, every time the National Party sent a PM to Otago there were always protests. There has NEVER been a time at Otago, most certainly since the 90's that OUSA and their mates have ever not held a protest against a National PM. The difference here is the numbers were a lot smaller today!

The video is even more telling. Here we have 200 or so students and non students (spot the workers) who are crying out for the student union to make membership compulsory.
If you look carefully at the video you will see in attendance protesters from one or two trade unions and also the Alliance Party. Trade Unions were made voluntary many years ago and Labour would never reintroduce compulsory trade union membership again.
The Alliance are on life support and have their main support in Dunedin - but little elsewhere - as they are irrelevant to NZ voters.

At 50s and 55s you will see a poster saying "Let me choose". Dreadfully ironic as the bill being debated does exactly that. Once the bill passes, all students will have the choice whether or not they wish to join the student union.

Some people say that students will take the money and not join. But that's untrue. Students today don't see the money that goes to student unions as it comes out of their student loan. They won't miss the money nor will have extra money to spend on student activities or books.

Some say that students simply won't join and unions will fall over and collapse. Why? OUSA and other unions have been given 2 decades plus warning about VSM and chose to ignore it. Auckland chose VSM and are still alive whilw Waikato students rejected compulsion at least 3 times and it took a near secret vote to bring it back to compulsion... and is still desperately unpopular and an organisational shambles.

Surely for any organisation to survive, the people running it should make it attractive to join. The EPMU Union does this well and so does the UNITE Union. The local bowling club also does this - and if they don't then they have to wind up and try again. Why should student unions, that collect over $1 million dollars a year be excempt from being accountable to their members?

The Facebook group of the protest had over 1100 people attending and of course students being students this was a bit of a fail too. Considering more students in the past have protested against the Nats - it is more proof that Dunedin isn't against John Key and the right - and more proof that Labour cannot even organise a decent political protest.

Doing what's Right

2011-08-04T21:32:00.003+12:00

I was disappointed to see Colin Craig announce the formation of the Conservative Party, in a move which really seems like a bit of publicity stunt. My reason for this disappointment is that, despite the polls, National needs allies to form a government.

Take a look at your peril and believe the hype that National will poll over 50% on Nov 26. They won't. Each and every election, a party that polls >50% quickly falls the closer to the election (2002 and 2008). The reason is quite simple - the closer they get, the more people's minds get made up. In fact, 2008 was the highest total poll rating for National and Labour at circa 79%. My evidence is in the following graph - look at the 2008 lead in to the election (see below). Now, back to my point about Colin Craig.

It is quite clear that National will need either ACT or the current combination of government partners to be in power again. That means having a real right wing party that can support National and have a clear message based on economics (sorry Don, the Maori thing's a bit old) and the usual ACT principles. The hope is that ACT will get 5% (I still believe they will), but it also means having a contingency, and that means winning Epsom. So, if Colin Craig tries to split the vote in Epsom, and if Labour and Green voters vote for the National candidate, there is the potential ACT could be out of parliament all together. And that would mean Jordan Carter's hopes could be fulfilled. http://jtc.blogs.com/just_left/2011/07/polling-a-path-to-the-light.html

That's why to have a John Key-led government, with a solid economic backbone, those on the right need to do the right thing, and ignore Colin Craig's attention seeking.

TB12.

Premier League around the corner

2011-08-04T21:27:00.003+12:00

The English Premier League is just round the corner. As a Manchester United fan, I obviously want to see my team take it out. However, I can see both Chelsea and Arsenal hot on our heals (both ran us close in a forgettable season last year).

In checking the TAB odds, the favourites are as follows:

1. Man United $2.75

2. Chelsea $3.25

3. Man City $4.25

4. Arsenal $8.50

As for my pick, I think it's too close to call. Week-to-week it's going to be a grind.

TB12

Disgraceful behaviour

2011-08-04T21:23:00.002+12:00

http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2011/08/petulance.html

David Farrar features some appalling behaviour by Carmel Sepuloni in the House. She was almost named by the speaker. The rules in the House are being upheld admirably by the Speaker, it's just a shame that Sepuloni was so arrogant that she was literally forced to apologised. Sepuloni knows the rules, she should simply follow them.

TB12

ACT hoodwinks Labour - VSM rolls on...

2011-08-04T04:18:00.003+12:00

Grant Robertson and Labour were smashed today in Parliament and you can see him freaking out in all his glory here... the filibuster is over and the VSM bill is allowed to be debated.. finally!

Grant tries to explain himself here but the lies and bullshit are just unstoppable.. not to mention ridiculous rhetoric about students, "For me student associations are like local government. Enrolling as a student makes you part of a community, and the student association is the organisation that helps govern that community"

Get over yourself Grant. You go to University to get a degree not to pay for people like you to get into left wing politics. How much money did Otago students (and indeed all Kiwi students and taxpayers) pay you while you were in OUSA? Students don't want to be forced to pay for failing radio stations and left wing newspapers in order to get a degree. This isn't just about freedom of association, this is also giving freedom for students to not be forced to fund union pet projects to get their degree.

I have so much to say on this but have said plenty already. Just sit back and enjoy this.

VSM Victory in sight?

2011-08-03T20:57:00.002+12:00

When I started at University, I often wondered what the $150 compulsory fee was I was charged with the rest of my tuition fees. To be honest, I had no idea.

After spending some time around campus, I got to witness some of the extraordinary protectionist behaviour and the cronyism of a select few for no reason other than reasons only known to them - specifically the services provided by the union to students.

What baffled me further was voluntary unionism was widespread, except when it came to university unions. Despite a tough fight in 1999 (led by Clint Heine at Otago), the VSM crusade lost. A shame. But what do you expect when the University book shop "gifted" $10k to the OUSA to fight the campaign. The cheek! The $10k made it tough to fight, and is always with University politics, only a small number (10-15%) actually vote. VSM averted for OUSA and co.

But after today, victory could be in sight. I sincerely hope so. Interestingly, this has had no coverage in the media who instead focus on the most petty minded and banal of topics such as the $250 John Key was given to appear on Letterman. Oh, and the $10k Tourism NZ paid a PR company to get the PM on. Hmm, how that's important is beyond me. But I digress. Today the ACT bill for VSM was read in the House. For those who have fought long and hard, I commend you. Victory is in sight.

TB12

Debt Ceiling Crisis: Republicans Win, Commiecrats Lose - Blair Mulholland

2011-08-02T15:38:00.005+12:00

Well, economic Armageddon has been averted. I am almost disappointed.

It would be very easy, if one supported laissez-faire politics, as I do, to look at the bare facts of the Debt Ceiling Compromise just passed in the US House of Representatives, and label it a disastrously weak capitulation in the quest for smaller government. "Satan Sandwich" is too goddamn right. It spends more money now to make just a fraction more savings later. The problem of government overspending remains unsolved. Gabrielle Giffords walked into the House in triumph today, but by voting for the bill has repaid her own dodged bullet by kicking my daughters - future American taxpayers - in the shins.

I watched the vote today live on CSPAN and was hopeful enough congressmen would buck the whips and give the house of cards that is the US economy the big middle finger. It didn't happen, and I was sad for my daughters.

But even though many Democrats voted against the proposal also, consequences are always the primary consideration. What would be the consequence of a default? Well, anyone who thinks that it would have made the Democrats agree to the necessary cuts is dreaming. The blame would have been on Republicans. Every American, and us Green Card holders as well, would have been affected. The trend towards political disaster for the Democrats next year would have reversed. Obama would get a second term, the Dems would retake the House, and we would all be eating many, many more Satan Sandwiches as the decline of the United States hit fourth gear.

The Dems knew all this, and that they held all the cards. Unfortunately for them, the GOP had far bigger problems than the Donks. While they knew a default would see them out of power, the bulk of them would have kept their seats for being staunch. No such luck if they compromised. Tea Party primary challengers would have ousted Boehner and pals faster than Phil Goff loses his memory for whatever position he took on an issue last week.

What the GOP needed was a deal that stopped the crisis, but got enough concessions from the other Democratic-controlled branches of government to make them sulky and look like losers. And in this, they have been wildly successful. Donks have been all over the news tonight whining and bitching about the dead rats they have had to swallow for their precious programs laden full of Other People's Money. A few right wing blogs, and Rush Limbaugh will complain too, but those folk need to wake up and realise that what the GOP has done is keep the game alive. Yes, they are, as Senator Tom Coburn put it "treating pneumonia with Tylenol [paracetamol]", but the real game, the real battle, is to take the Presidency and the Senate in 2012, because then you can make as many cuts as you want. If you march up to Washington and fight now, you are just going to end up like General Santa Anna did when he marched up to my new home town in 1836: You'll beat the crap out of the locals, but you won't be able to finish what you started.

The Republicans won this one, or at least survived it with about as much honour intact as they were ever going to get. The Democrats have failed and now look weak, not least because they underestimated the GOP/Tea Party resolve, and now look petulant. They should be celebrating the preservation of their spending against a hostile House, but instead they have made the GOP look like winners, and made them winners in the process.

Roll on 2012! I may do a post on the various Republican contenders soon, and give my views...

The EU has saved bacon!

2011-07-26T23:41:00.003+12:00

mmmn a sexy photo of bacon...

After many years of utterly ridiculous and awful legislation directed towards the UK from the dreadful European Union we have finally something small to rejoice about. The EU have tabled legislation to ensure that bacon that is sold to consumers can consist of no more than 5% water before it has to be labelled as “bacon with water”. Currently almost all bacon being sold in our supermarkets in the UK has closer to 10% added water. This water makes the bacon artificially bigger and allows it to be stretched longer, not to mention when you try and fry it you can see it boil in your frying pan in water.

Supermarkets and retailers are of course against this as they have been adding water to all meats forever to increase the size and to increase their margins by selling inferior meat to consumers. They are arguing that British consumers are used to high water content in their bacon and will not enjoy purer, stronger tasting bacon. They even had the stupidity to say that the bacon without all the extra water in it will mean bacon will be drier and less succulent… isn’t that what having fat on bacon is all about? Not water.

Bacon purists and bacon producers who sell their products from their own farms are celebrating for obvious reasons – and as a confessed foodie, so am I. I look forward to the measures making chicken and beef less watery although I admit I buy much of my meat from a butcher and support locally sourced produce. There are some amazing food producers in this country, it’s such a pity the supermarkets and unscrupulous stores keep selling substandard food and pass it off as top quality.

So that means the EU has done one good thing to date… I won’t hold my breath for the next one!

Good grief

2011-07-26T09:25:00.003+12:00

I said it before and I will say it again, NZ Conservative contributor Lucia Marie is batshit crazy.

Sick of warning us about the dangers of homosexuality and her fear that her sons will suffer "gender confusion" because they will play netball at PE... she writes a dire warning about the evils of Harry Potter and how to counter the damage it will do to children...

Good grief is all I can say about this. I was right in my original post referring to her, hardly the type of person you'd like as a next door neighbour.

Thankfully everything I was going to say was neatly summed up by Medusa who commented first on this post:

Hear hear.

Back from holidays...

2011-07-26T09:23:00.001+12:00

Mexico was nice, was great to return back there and indulge in some long awaited summer time.. posting will resume soon.

Quite Possibly the Coolest Music Video Of All Time

2011-07-12T02:58:00.001+12:00

Prisencolinensinainciusol! Allright!

The Embarrassment of Being a Freedom-Lover from Venezealand

2011-07-11T09:57:00.003+12:00

It's a sad day when you find yourself agreeing with something that Hone Harawira said about the ACT Party. But today is that day:

"Your attempts to boost Act in the polls by riding on the xenophobic fears of Joe Bloggs in the street will not work this time round."

And he is dead right. It's a dumb strategy and it won't work. There is no way to describe ACT's latest newspaper ad other than INSANELY FUCKING STUPID. I haven't even read it. I don't care to. I don't even care if I agree with what it says or not. It's still an INSANELY FUCKING STUPID ad. The economy is in the toilet, and ACT are running ads race-baiting? Why?!

Here's what I think happened. I think this is John Ansell's baby - he thought it up and wanted to do it, and he convinced the powers that be that it was a good idea, because John did the 2005 National Party billboards and everyone thinks he is some sort of God among men because of it. But one good campaign does not make you a genius with every brain fart you have. Even the best campaigners have bad days and bad ideas, which is why you always have the politician whose arse is on the line make the calls and commission the ideas. You don't let your staff decide what your campaign is going to be. Especially not John Ansell, who is a part of the excreable Coastal Coalition and wants to push that whole race-baiting paranoid son-of-John-Birch agenda where property rights are okay for white people, but not for brown ones. Unfortunately, they now seem to have a toehold in ACT and this is what they want to push, rather than the sound economic policy and liberality of ACT's founding.

If ACT's brand was in the gutter before, it is digging half way to Spain now. I wouldn't even put money on Banks winning Epsom - if National select Aaron Bhatnagar, he will romp in and ACT will be dead. And on current form, it will be a good thing too.

The effect of ACT, and MMP on New Zealand political discourse has been devastating. It is no coincidence that 1994, the year of ACT's foundation, was the last time we had a decent right wing government in New Zealand that truly progressed freedom. ACT took good political ideas from both Labour and National, stuck them in a ghetto with 5% of the vote, and that is where those ideas have stayed ever since. There's been a few good things that wouldn't have happened without ACT - time-limited Treaty claims, ACC competition, three strikes, and (hopefully soon) voluntary student unions, but the big stuff - the idea that government should be small, the idea that people should be trusted as adults to do as they please if they are not harming others, the idea that taxes should be flat and low, the idea that welfare should get people off their arse and into work... all have stayed in an intellectual ghetto of ACT's own making.

More tragic than this is the people who have stuck with ACT and will go down with it. Talented folk like David Seymour and Cathy Odgers will presumably stand for ACT as candidates this year, when they really should be in one of the major parties where the real decisions are made. Instead they will stand in this election - the party will disintegrate, and they will spend another ten years fluffing around trying to get somewhere in National, which they will inevitably join because if they want to do anything in politics they will have no other choice. And nobody in National will respect them for it.

None of this gives me any pleasure. And there are bloggers out there who whinge about me being a toy-chucker and a party-hopper, but I've been consistent in what I believe and consistently the canary in this mine, and none of my critics have anything to show for their lame-arsed silence themselves, with the possible exception of Bhatnagar if he wins the Epsom nomination. The truth is that we on the Right have blown it, and blown it big time. It will take another generation for us to get back on our feet in New Zealand, and even then only if we learn from our mistakes over the last 17 years.

Let's stop flogging the dead horse of ACT, stop digging up the political cemetery for candidates, start up some think-tanks, get a Tea Party movement together, join National, and get some decent candidates nominated for seats. That's how we win. It'll take us twenty years, but for God's sake, lets stop fucking around with this third party MMP crap and start now!

Radio1 - who is going to be honest about its failure?

2011-07-05T01:40:00.003+12:00

The usual gnashing of teeth has erupted from my old University in regards to recommendations that Radio1 be sold as it is financially unviable for Otago University Students Association (OUSA) in the voluntary membership era.

This is a radio station that is funded and subsidised by all students attending the University of Otago no matter if they listen to it or not. Student’s money allows all residents of Dunedin to listen to it as well, although I am not too sure what its range is beyond Dunedin. At present, Radio1 is losing money and has needed subsidies to keep it running every year – and all students HAVE to fund this station if they wish to get a degree at Otago University.

The Voluntary Student (union) Membership (VSM) bill has almost passed and OUSA have realised that running a loss making radio station cannot be sustained if they have to continue the day to day running of a student union. In my opinion they could have dealt with this a lot better than to blame VSM which is a lame cop out. OUSA has had well over a decade to create within itself profitable or break-even services and buried their heads in the sand and now with only a few months left to go before the VSM bill passes they have only just woken up to the certainty that they will not have over 1 million dollars of students money coming to them anymore.

Compulsory membership of OUSA meant that this organisation never needed to be accountable to its members nor run services that mattered as their income was guaranteed. Radio1 has been allowed to run at a loss until now because there was no incentive for it to be valuable to students. As OUSA levies increased over the years, there was more money available for OUSA to continue bailing it out to a point where Radio1 is now incapable of running without a student subsidy.

You might think this is crazy. We all know that if you make a loss in business you need to remedy this quickly or face going under. Students at Otago University may or may not have been aware that their fees were propping this failing business up – so surely they have a right to choose whether or not to do so. VSM allows the students to have this choice.

It’s so lazy for Labour, Greens and the various Socialist groups on campus to point the finger at supposed uncaring politicians in Wellington for not allowing them to continue the free ride they have had for so long, but I am not buying it. The Facebook group has just hit 2000 members – all who are outraged about Radio1 being sold – and yet not one has advocated that they could run it to break even. In fact I suggested they all chip in to subsidise the loss themselves and I got told by the group admin that I was offering a far right solution to this. If Radio1 want to at least pretend that they are important to all students – they should probably engage students from both sides of the political spectrum equally if they wish to be taken seriously. Otherwise this is yet another clear cut example to why student unions have been captured by left wing interest groups who only care about looking after themselves and not the vast majority of students who they are very happy to fleece every year to fund their union and “services”.

If OUSA and the “fans” of Radio1 were serious about protecting their services they would have done something about this a long time ago instead of blaming “right wing politicians” for what is essentially their own fault. OUSA themselves have admitted that Radio1 is one of their least valued services, according to their student survey, so you have to really question whether or not it should be funded by subsidies or make an honest attempt to at least break even every year. It seems very clear that students don’t value it nor does it attract financial support to keep it going. Dunedin is a student city and Radio1 could dominate due to the financial cash cow that students bring to Dunedin so for it to fail as badly as it has means that something very wrong is going on there.

Will they admit to failing? Will they heck! They continue to point the finger at everybody but themselves and are in complete and utter denial. PAST OUSA executives have failed Radio1 as well. VSM is going to throw off the shackles of this stupidity and give students the freedom that they deserve, not just freedom of association, but the freedom to NOT be forced to fund dodgy businesses in order to get a degree.

It isn't Cactus Kate anymore... it's Cactus Jack!

2011-06-30T02:14:00.004+12:00

Anybody who knows WWE wrestling will know of the legend that is Cactus Jack, aka Mick Foley. The hardcore legend. The man who has done some damn right brutal smackdowns in the ring and is beloved around the world for his defiance against the big hairy fat beings he faces in the ring.

Our own Cactus Kate has redefined the word Smackdown and poor old Bomber has been rendered knocked out after her latest response to his crybaby antics over at Tumeke.

Round one - Fresh from calling CK a mixture of Michael Laws and Graham Capill (which he later weakly changed to Ghengis Khan) he decides to attack CK over her comments about the "underclass". and CK's apparent dislike of solo mothers. All neatly and selectively cut and pasted comments with all the accuracy and poise that would be found in Harare.

Cactus Jack/Kate strikes back - with confidence crippling punches attacking Bombers references to candidates as kiddy fiddlers (sick) and with fulluncut statements on her personal beliefs about solo mothers and adding to it the Deadbeat Dads that also play a huge part in all this.

Like a puppy that has been kicked about by his awful owner, Bomber needs to be taken away and put somewhere where he won't be hit again and again. It's just (almost) too awful seeing somebody walk into a battle of wits completely unarmed.

And people wondered why Bomber has never run for Parliament.... he simply hasn't got the testicular fortitude to do so.

The Power of Cricket

2011-06-30T01:28:00.002+12:00

I see our PM has made a trip to India to help push the free trade agenda between our two nations. I think it is well overdue that India became a strategic partner for New Zealand - with its growing population and consumerist middle and upper classes - we should have thought about pursuing this a long time ago or at least seen it as important as the Chinese free trade agreement we have already signed.

India, the worlds most populous English speaking country and a democracy - is an amazing country. I spent a few months there in 03 and saw much of the country, experiencing culture and enthusiasm from the people there that extinguished any feeling that we are hard done by in NZ. While I was there, there was a massive commotion at the tiny rooms where I saw staying when they found out a Kiwi was staying there. It came about the NZ were touring India in the cricket in a couple months time and the lads had to come talk to me about cricket stats and get in a few overs on the street.

The kids and adults were obsessed with cricket stats and the game. They could rattle off bowling AND batting figures for Sir Richard Hadlee in their sleep. When I asked who they loved the most from NZ it was Stephen Fleming. Of course I didn't notice until they showed me - there were huge Fleming billboards up around the city! Cricket is a religion there - forget NZ with the rugby or England with the Football... this is something far far greater than that, which I experienced almost every day of my stay and saw first hand when I got to see the first test in Ahmedebad as I had to have a 6 man police escort with me every day of the match due to the fans wanting autographs and to shake my hand simply for being a Kiwi sitting on the terraces with the poor and not going into the stands (I was a humble backpacker). It was up there as one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I highly recommend that travelwise, give India a go.

Seeing Key be overwhelmed by fans of Stephen Fleming on his latest visit would hopefully be a sign that he understands the possibilities of a uniquely special agreement between the countries. I hope the free trade agreement pushes through and we can both reap the rewards that we all know free trade delivers.

On your own terms? No you were DUMPED.

2011-06-25T09:32:00.003+12:00

I'm breaking my self imposed silence on politics because I have read too much bullshit being spun out of Wellington lately. Journalists are getting lazy and will believe anything these days, but they must be brain-dead if they believe that Heather Roy is quitting politics on her "own terms".

It just doesn't make sense. Not that long ago she was pushing to be leader of ACT.
She ran for Deputy Leader of ACT when she played a pivotal part in removing Rodney Hide and expected to be rewarded as such.

So for her to suddenly state she is leaving on her own terms at the SAME TIME as media reports that the blogger known as Cactus Kate has been approached to add some grit to the party is absolute nonsense. I know CK and she has a very good bullshit detector and Heather knew that if CK got within a hundred mile radius of her that her game was up.

But lets be serious. In politics you are not rewarded for destabilising your party. You cannot drag the party through the mud, feeding ravenous journalists with juicy portions of scandal and then expect to come out of it smelling like roses. I knew that when I was given the opportunity to vote on the ACT list selection that I was going to reward Heather (and others) appropriately for their past deeds and I was not alone.

I believe in karma. And boy does it feel good. Time to take out the trash. Any other MPs that feel like they might want to join Heather should start packing their bags and heading south right now....

Heather Roy - be honest with yourself or at least have the guts to be honest with everybody else.

See also Brunettes post over at Raw Prawn

Keeping Stock correctly posts that they saw this coming a few weeks ago.

And Bomber has given CK a glowing endorsement - that will inspire people to do exactly the opposite and vote for her.

Questions

2011-06-23T12:38:00.004+12:00

1. When will the press stop driving around Christchurch East looking for beneficiaries who want to moan about the "government" not doing enough to fix their STATE house?

2. How come we are not hearing from the people of Sumner who have been hit at least as hard as those in the east?

3. Will Cantabs now stop hating everything Auckland given that it will basically be the people of Auckland who will fund their recovery?

4. Do we really need the human rights commission?

5. At what stage will the Labour party admit that they are not even trying to win the election?

6. When they do admit it can we cancel the election and save the money?

7. Enjoying seeing Winston making a fool of himself?

8. When will DPF stop being a mouth piece for the Nat's and go back to being the best political blogger in the country?

9. Has Phool found a job yet?...come to think of it, has D4J?

10. By Election this weekend...does anybody care?

Blonde Festival Photos

2011-06-20T08:29:00.012+12:00

Every time I look at my blog stats, it shows a general pattern. I get the most hits and views from people whenever I talk about certain things, for instance the Go Blonde festival in Latvia (that I have attended twice in its 3 year history) is very popular. This year I took a large group with me to attend the festival - which is in aid of raising money for disabled children and to help bring positive tourism to Riga. Already they have raised money to build a special playground for disabled kids and this year it was to build a rehabilitation centre for them. Tourism wise, hotels and hostels around the city were booked heavily - although to be a participant in the parade you needed to arrange this with the organisers, or in my case by invited to join the parade! :) Putting it mildly, I like supporting charities - but this is my favourite one, ha ha!

To appease you all, here are a few photos and links! I have already posted a video of my adventures already and I also appeared on the BBC for this (#5 I think) so a bit of a laugh!

When Reuters picked up my interview, I had to laugh at all the locations it ended up - Poland, The USA and TV3 in NZ... sweet. Second time on TV in NZ this year, and coincidentally both while I was in a costume wig!

See also

Album 1,
Album 2
Album 3

NHS banning "naughty" nurses

2011-06-16T21:51:00.006+12:00

What has the world come to?
If I am stuck in a hospital bed surrounded by other unwell and miserable people - feeling none too pleased with myself, the first thing I want to see is a friendly (and attractive) face. If the nurse in question has an extra button undone, then even better.

I have thankfully not been a patient in hospital for a few years now - but I remember nurses and doctors wearing all sorts of clothing - and while some may have been seen as a little revealing - all I cared about was the quality of service, and notthat I may get a look at her upper thigh.

The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust has now spent considerable time putting together a six page dress code guide for all its employees - time and money that could have been spent on patient care. Not that it matters - as it was the patients who complained! If a patient gets upset because a nurse wasn't able to help them (as shes being forced to change her blouse) then they have themselves (and the PC NHS Trust) to blame and not the poor nurses!

Whale Leaks - Payback is a bitch

2011-06-16T04:57:00.002+12:00

I wonder how it feels having material that you wanted kept safe being used against you? Material that should have been kept safe but left sitting on the window ledge for all to have a taste.

Is this the lowest point Labour could possibly be at?

Is this even close to the amount of rapture that will come Labours way after the Brash emails debacle?

I hope it's only the tip of the iceberg.

12 Billion Pounds....

2011-06-12T09:54:00.004+12:00

What breaks my heart is knowing that my taxes are being spent on silly buggers and as we all know we are never going to get true value for money for what we contribute in taxes. The big issue for us over here at the moment is the upcoming London Olympics next year. The bill is now set to hit 12 Billion Pounds.

12 Billion Pounds

That's 2 Billion more than it would save the Government to increase the state pension age by one year for everybody and bigger than the entire budget for the Home Office that includes police funding (6.4b) according to the Guardians spending review.

They promised an awful lot to us taxpayers when bidding for this Olympics. Tessa Jowell the Government Minister from Labour and the bidding chiefs all promised the games would cost £2.4b and even then with the pre recession economy we were not too happy with this spending commitment.

It hasn't all been clear sailing either. The Olympic logo looks like Lisa Simpson giving Bart a blowjob. The 2 mascots are pretty awful and not very "public friendly".

The ticketing is something I was worried about and for a good reason - and it has not let me down! The process in order to get a ticket has been very complicated and a disaster for so many. To get a ticket you had to register online and pick the tickets you wanted to go into the ballot for and enter your bank details. Months later money will come out of your account - and you won't know what event you are successful for. Eventually, and I say this vaguely as it hasn't happened yet - you will find out which events you are successful in getting. The problem from all this is that nobody knows who got what and compounding this is the stories that VIP tickets and freebie tickets to corporates and friends of the IOC have been heavily allocated by the thousands taking up many of the best seats in the stadiums.

Contrast this with how foreigners can get hold of tickets - if you were in Germany you can walk into a ticket shop and buy a ticket for any event you want on the spot. Something isn't quite right with this picture. Sure there was a lot of interest in tickets but the idea that this was an Olympics for the people - and especially for us poor mugs who are paying for it - the reality is becoming a nightmare... and I haven't mentioned the tubes yet!

Best to watch it on the telly methinks.

When will the currency madness end?

2011-06-04T10:33:00.003+12:00

I am not an economist. Far from it. I am not any sort of economic expert nor profess to be one. What I know is that I work hard, make a decent wage, take regular holidays and have some good savings in the bank. Not too long ago I could have returned to NZ and could have enjoyed an exchange rate of 3 dollars to the pound.

So what has happened? Apart from the Fonterra silly buggers, what has suddenly made the Kiwi dollar worth so much right now? Is this permanent? Will it crash and burn?

Kiwis are now able to fly over and visit Europe and the UK for longer nowadays. I recommend you do it now before it all goes tits up (both here and in NZ) as you'll have a smashing time over this side of the world. Hell, even London is experiencing some sunny days - and it's hard to beat a sunny day in London over an ice cold pint of cider. I read an article telling Kiwis of the value of coming to the UK and had a chuckle at it as it contained a few exaggerations..

- internet in most London internet cafes are £1 p/h (or $2). Some places you can find 3 hours for £2.
- A round of beers in Shepherds Bush is now probably the same in any part of London, a pint is around £3.30-£4.00. When I arrived here I was able to get a pint for under £2. By saying that, it's still far cheaper to drink in London than it is in NZ.
- Show me a flat white for £2 in Soho...not likely.
- Food and clothing is also very cheap here. Europeans, even from the PIGS states are coming here to enjoy the good value found in central London shops, and a supermarket shop in central London is a damn sight cheaper than it is in any supermarket in NZ.

Either way, I don't see any reason why I would transfer my savings and lifestyle to NZ even if the dollar is at an all time high. The cost of living is still mental especially in consideration of the wages being paid out.

I'd appreciate it if anybody can provide a more professional opinion to what the hell is going on and when it will end as it is getting rather silly now. I want the pound to start behaving like the strongest currency on the planet, as it should be!

How I spent my weekend - Latvian Blonde Festival

2011-06-01T20:25:00.002+12:00

Political Endorsements: Spot the Difference

2011-05-29T00:47:00.005+12:00

Respectable organisation uses politician to promote it:

Old twat recruited by bunch of whores:

A respectful homage to the Champions League Final

2011-05-26T05:51:00.003+12:00

Come on Barcelona!

I am sure the Scum are going to be smashed around Wembley Stadium good and proper. If possible, if I am not too busy in Riga this weekend, I may try and catch a sneaky view of the game on TV.

Where are the joke emails?

2011-05-26T05:25:00.002+12:00

There is a President in the White House who has made some rather silly gaffes.

Gaffes that would have used to ridicule former Presidents.

Gaffes that would have ignited a million emails around the planet poking fun at "that buffoon in the White House".

Gaffes that would stimulate conversations by people who have sudden knowledge of the complexities of American politics despite having little education themselves.

But silence when it isn't the Former President George W Bush. Even gaffes that you would think were really very small, but incredibly stupid - you know - the same ones you imagined President Bush had committed.

Things like...

Earlier in the day the President wrote a heartfelt note in the guest book during a half-hour visit to Westminster Abbey, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge married last month, but dated it "24 May 2008". A Westminster Abbey spokeswoman confirmed it was the president who had made the mistake.

or

When he won the presidency, Mr Obama made a mistake during the oath he took at his inauguration ceremony, meaning he had to be sworn in for a second time to make it legal.

And he once gave then Prime Minister Gordon Brown a box set of classic American DVDs, which don't play on UK DVD players.

In 2009, the President made a joke on US TV's Tonight Show, hosted by Jay Leno, referring to a bad bowling game as "like the Special Olympics or something".

But no, not a peep from the people who joyfully sent emails around the planet denouncing a man they knew very little about, as an idiot.

Speaks volumes about all those who piped up then and not now.

Roy Morgan poll shows a very minor boost for ACT

2011-05-23T20:14:00.002+12:00

The first major poll since Don Brash taking over ACT shows a very minor lift for ACT (1% lift to 2%) and a 3% drop for Labour to 28%.

Let's see what the other polls say before coming to any conclusions but I was hoping for more of a lift - like to 5% or whatever.

What is your prediction for ACT's polling and what do you think ACT will get at the election?

http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2011/4669/

WALLY-WOOD

2011-05-21T10:34:00.004+12:00

In what is a complete public relations disaster, Wellington International Airports Chief Executive Steve Fitzgerald has decided to erect a huge 3.5 metres high and 28m wide Wellywood sign on the hillside next to the Miramar Cutting.

However stupid as this idea is, I somewhat disagree with the other points the article made:

Branding expert Wayne Attwell, from Bold Horizon, said the city's overall brand was sophisticated and encompassed its culture and environment. "The sign is positioning the city as `We are Wellywood. We are a bit try-hard. We are a bit behind the times. We are a follower.'

"I think personally it is quite crass and it's going to downgrade the overall perception of Wellington as a sophisticated city. A big bold sticking-out sign will also look pretty trashy."

Say what? Wellington sophisticated? I beg to differ. Too many bureaucrats and sickly lefties reside there for it to be even close to sophisticated. Lets not be silly about it but the sign will be tacky but it won't drag Wellington down that much.

Spot the Difference

2011-05-21T10:09:00.001+12:00

RIP Randy Savage

2011-05-21T09:32:00.003+12:00

Many long term readers of the blog as well as friends of mine know that I have been a fan of pro wrestling since I was probably 7 years old or so. Never a fan of the good guys, I was always supporting the "baddies" like Mr Perfect, Rick Rude, Andre the Giant, Ted Dibiase and had a bloody good time of it. Such a pity that everybody on that list is dead, apart from Ted Dibiase. The excesses of the 80's and 90's wrestling world was too much for so many of my childhood heroes and it's always sad to hear of another one dying.

So when the news came through today that Macho Man died today due to a heart attack when driving, it was also shocking. He was one of my most favourite wrestlers and had a personality that helped carry the WWF (now WWE) through the 80's and this was matched with his in ring performances and abilities.

Plenty of you who read this will probably scoff at why I'd watch something as silly as wrestling - but it was (and still is) a really entertaining spectacle that have some awesome athletes involved with it. Sure it is scripted, but you cannot make up many of the moves you see wrestlers perform in the ring week after week. These guys are crazy but they put their bodies on the line every day for the fans. When I was younger at school, I remember using some of the moves I watched on TV to prevent me getting completely beaten by bullies, many times being able to fight myself out of situations and eventually I was left alone.

Macho Man - aka Randy Poffo was one hell of an accomplished wrestler, an icon of the wrestling world and although he has been out of the ring for some time, I always believed he would make some sort of comeback or appearance in WWE again and he more than deserved a spot on the Hall of Fame, I hope Vince speeds this process up.

Rest in peace Macho Man.

19

2011-05-15T09:06:00.001+12:00

Nineteen is better than eighteen, nineteen means you are number one, nineteen means that you overtake a small club from the hell hole of Merseyside and become the greatest football club in the world.

Reforming MMP

2011-05-09T11:06:00.003+12:00

I think that after fifteen years of getting used to a new political system, very few New Zealanders are entirely happy with MMP. It is certainly more democratic than the old first past the post system, which distorted election results and even saw Labour win the popular vote in '78 and '81 but still lose the election. However, there are huge issues with the undemocratic nature of list MPs and how they are selected, as well as the fickle nature of the 5% threshold.

Some minor tinkering with MMP would eliminate these problems:

1. Introduce Preferential Voting for the Party Vote;
MMP was supposed to eliminate the phenomenon of a "wasted vote". However, any vote on a party which fails to reach 5% is still wasted. Preferential voting would eliminate this, and eliminate the barrier to voting for a party perceived to be "not making it". A good laissez faire voter could vote 1 - Libertarianz, 2 - ACT, 3 - National safe in the knowledge that, should their first two preferences fail, at least their vote would help stave off the commies. (In fact, I am surprised that the Libertarianz have not thought about, or campaigned for, a change like this);

2. Abolish double candidacy;
If you go on the party list, you shouldn't be allowed to stand for an electorate, and vice versa. This gets rid of the problem of all those mediocre Labour MPs who got turfed out in the provinces getting back on the list and hanging around parliament like a bad smell, to nobody's benefit.

That would be the least I would hope for. But I think we can do even better...

3. Apportion list MPs according to the number of electorate MPs from the largest party;
At the moment, list MPs are elected on the premise that there should be fifty of them. However, if that number were determined by the number of electorate MPs elected from the largest party, it would see proportionality retained with the need for (usually) significantly fewer list MPs.

For example, if applied to the 2008 election, National was the largest party with 41 electorate MPs and so would get no list MPs. Labour would be topped up with 10 list MPs to give them 31. The Greens would have 6 in from their list. ACT would add 2 to Epsom to give them 3 MPs. The Maori Party, having won more electorates than their party vote, get none from the list and remain at 5 MPs. And Jim Anderton and Peter Dunne would have no change either. The result would still be proportional, and the government would be the same, although the Maori Party's overhang in this case makes it much more precarious (Which is why the Maori seats should not exist). Proportionality is achieved, but with only the need for 18 list MPs instead of 50.

But I think we could go even one better than that...

4. Get rid of List MPs altogether and give the party leaders a proportional vote on confidence and supply;
Why have list MPs at all? The key element is the proportionality, and if the votes are vested in the party leader, then proportionality is retained. On confidence votes, and money bills, this would mean Phil Goff would cast ten votes, Russell Norman would be the solitary Green MP with six votes, and Rodney Hide would cast three (it might make leadership coups in ACT more difficult!). On all other votes in the House they would have just one vote each.

Any of these changes would make for a significant improvement to our electoral system.

While we are at it, there are a few other things which we could do:

5. Ditch the Maori seats;
It's appalling that these anachronisms from the 19th Century still remain a blight on the New Zealand political system. They cost National the election in 1946 and currently form an undemocratic overhang corrupting the proportionality of our parliament.

Ideally, there would be no race-based elements at all in our system of government, but I am sympathetic to the idea that the indigenous people of New Zealand should have no barriers to representation. I see no problem with having, say, a 10% threshold of Maori voters, which would ensure that parties with strong Maori support would be able to retain seats in parliament.

6. A Legislative Council/Senate
We need some sort of safeguard to stop our House of Representatives from passing ridiculous laws like the Electoral Finance Act, and scrutinise laws properly. The select committee system is not enough - it's still foxes in charge of the henhouse. An elected Senate would fill the gap. I envisage 20 Senators, with two elected at-large every year for a single, term-limited ten year term;

7. An elected Governor General
Why not put it to the vote?

My fears for the Rugby World Cup

2011-05-05T05:51:00.003+12:00

Brand New Zealand has got a little ahead of itself over the last few years. Whenever an overseas columnist dares to comment that NZ is expensive and for many tourists a rip off - they get drowned out by the local rabble, most who have never left our shores - by saying that because NZ is so much better than everywhere else, they should be willing to pay for more quality.

NZ isn't an economic powerhouse. Over the last 50 years countries that we used down on are leaving us for dead. Kiwis are flocking offshore to seek their fortunes and our country is digging itself into a debt hole that our grandchildren will not be able to pay off. The country is putting all of its efforts into the rugby world cup and yet there is no long term plan for if we win or dare I say it... not win the cup.

What makes it worse is that some Kiwis think it is their right to rip off tourists and their own countrymen in the run up to the cup. Hotels, motels and B&Bs are charging through the roof for average accommodation and no doubt restaurants and bars will finish off the hard earned dollars of those coming to NZ. Now I believe in free enterprise, but the fact of the matter is that the NZ dollar is strong, tickets to NZ are expensive and NZ is NOT a cheap holiday destination.

I could go watch the FA Cup final at Wembley, go to a local pub and have a few pints of beer and stay in a B&B in West London for cheaper than going to watch the All Blacks play. Aussies are staying away, preferring to stay at home to watch the games - which is alarming considering our biggest rivals are only a short flight away. English and Asian fans and tourists have also dropped in numbers coming to our shores and if we put off tourists coming to NZ today, why will they come back tomorrow?

If we don't win the cup then everything was for nothing. The short term greed, the small town parochialism - everything, all ruined because of a game of rugby.

And no amount of Hobbit movies will bring back the tourists. Sad.

Contributors and New posting policy

2011-05-03T04:10:00.003+12:00

Hey all, just some more spring cleaning for the blog. Just to inform you all, there are four contributors on the blog at the moment. Blair, Big Bruv, TB12 and myself.

At the end of every post the authors name is already on it, however to avoid confusion the contributors will also be adding their names to the tags on the end of the post. Therefore if you have to address a poster, you can do it without automatically thinking it's me :)

As well as that, I have already explained my new comments policy here. I am quite happy to delete anything that even remotely pisses me off and I have already encouraged my co-bloggers to follow my lead on that. Cheers.

I am going to invite one or two more people to join the team over the next few weeks. If you want to join, pop your details in the comments. Thanks.

A week is a long time....especially if your name is Jordan Carter and you are spending other people's money!

2011-05-02T20:46:00.002+12:00

Jordan Carter thinks he has all the answers. See here - http://jtc.blogs.com/just_left/2011/05/a-week-is-a-long-time.html

I wonder what Jordan would do to the $300m being borrowed each week? You don't even need to answer. Because the answer is NOTHING. In fact, he would increase it.

Jordan does talk, though, about NZ's savings problem. Unfortunately he just mentions it, doesn't put any meet or substance behind it. Would be keen to hear what he thinks and I'd be keen to hear what other parties propose.

GOT THE BASTARD: BIN LADEN DEAD!

2011-05-02T14:48:00.002+12:00

Fox News is reporting that Bin Laden was killed a week ago by a US bomb. Obama is about to make a statement shortly...

UPDATE: It wasn't a bomb - the special forces shot him in a firefight. Freaking awesome!

Happy Six Years to the blog and important changes

2011-05-02T05:11:00.002+12:00

When I started this blog in May 2005 it was primarily began to have a light hearted discussion about my opinions on everything like sports, politics and my adventures in London and travels. It gradually progressed into a political blog that I used to help push the ACT message for no less than 2 elections. In fact I have been a member of the ACT Party since 1995 and have always two ticked them for every election.

I have decided that I am going to sit back from the serious political debate on the blog for my part. My co bloggers Big Bruv, Blair and TB12 are doing a fine job discussing centre right politics and there is plenty to come from them over the next few months as we work towards the 2011 election in NZ. I have always enjoyed blogging and for me much of the fun has been winding up people who take life too seriously, and unfortunately for me the fun has gone out of politics, especially recently.

I will still be blogging, but I am going back to my roots. I will be discussion things that I am interested in life. Sports, humour and as I do plenty of travelling I will share my experiences with you too.

With that comes a new blog policy. Myself as well as my co-bloggers will be enforcing a new editorial policy in regards to comments. ALL off topic remarks, trolling and abuse will no longer be tolerated. Any person that comments in any way that pisses me off will be deleted. Simple as that. I will be encouraging all my contributors to follow my lead in this policy as lately there have been a growth in absurd and abusive comments that have sucked out much of the fun here. No second warnings.

But as I said above, this blog is 6 years old this month. It has outlasted loads of New Zealand blogs and the stats show we get around 200 new visitors a day, on average 3-7 minutes for each person reading every day. Posts on Ukrainian topless feminists and the Latvian Blonde festival have also bought in tens of thousands of extra hits in the last 2 months too... mental! 59% of the visitors to the blog are from New Zealand, 10% are British and 8% originate from the US. We also have regular readers from Chile, Saudi Arabia, India and Japan. Nice.

Anyway thanks for reading and I look forward to many more years to come.

Royal Wedding Commemoration Post

2011-05-02T03:51:00.002+12:00

Welcome back Brash

2011-05-02T00:11:00.002+12:00

Welcome back to Don Brash, I look forward to your positive contribution in NZ's parliament.

I know not everyone on this blog is in favour of Brash, but times move on. I have no doubt that Don gives ACT a fighting chance of getting beyond 5%. I have a pint on Brash getting 10% in the first set of polls post his taking the ACT leadership. The challenge will be to maintain it.

My prediction is Heather Roy being elected ACT parliamentary leader and Deputy leader. 2 reasons being a) reward for supporting Brash's coup, b) ACT historically struggling with female voters.

A very interesting election awaits!

Coup Coup

2011-04-29T03:30:00.002+12:00

Fast forward a few years....

Don Brash (103) will be on the look out for a new leader for the ACT Party. Maori Affairs spokesman John Banks will be out of the running due to the making another “Hone” phone call only for him to accidentally call Hone Harawira. Ever loyal lieutenant Heather Roy still smarting from her demotion due to trying to usurp Finance Spokesman Peter Tashkoff who himself is also incapable of running due to his running to the media to back Banks.
Spokesman for families Colin Craig will have the numbers from the Jesus Christ Conservative Christian wing of ACT – renamed Association of Conservative Taxpayers, but will rely on a crucial vote from Hilary Calvert who misunderstood the memo and has voted for Kevin Campbell giving him one vote.

The liberal members of the party have already left the party, taking with them the founding principles while the new members, all coming from National, are looking for a new, centre right, hungry, economically sound and principled outsider to come rescue the party from political oblivion.

Rodney, fresh from completing the London marathon, author of several acclaimed books and of TV fame as a political pundit looks down to his ringing phone, has a chuckle before turning off his phone and enjoying life.

Statement from Hon Rodney Hide

2011-04-28T21:07:00.002+12:00

I am immensely proud of the ACT Party.

ACT is the only party in New Zealand that stands consistently for individual freedom and personal responsibility.

For smaller and limited government.

For one law for all, with all New Zealanders treated equally in law regardless of their race or their beliefs.

ACT is the only party in New Zealand that consistently stands up for private property rights, free markets, choice and competition, low and flat tax.

ACT is the only party that has the policies needed to achieve a free and prosperous future for New Zealand.

I am very proud of ACT’s achievements.

It was ACT’s success in Epsom in 2008 that ensured the change of government. If ACT had not succeeded in Epsom, Helen Clark would still be Prime Minister.

It’s the feature of MMP that it took both National and ACT to succeed to make John Key Prime Minister. I am very proud of that.

I am proud of what ACT has achieved in government. We promised and delivered, and will continue to deliver, stable, centre-right government.

We achieved our Three Strikes legislation making New Zealanders safer from the thugs and the bullies, the 2025 Taskforce provided the road map for New Zealand future prosperity, we successfully reformed the governance of our biggest city, our Regulatory Standards Bill slashes red tape and our Spending Cap Bill puts government on a much-needed diet.

But what ACT has achieved in government so far is not sufficient to reverse New Zealand’s relative decline or to return us to a society where Jack is as good as his master, no matter the colour of his skin.

This can only happen if ACT succeeds at this year’s election in greater numbers and so strengthen the John Key-led National government.

The future success of New Zealand depends critically on ACT’s success on November 26.

My entire focus since Don announced his bid to be ACT leader has been what’s best for ACT and to ensure, as we promised, continued support for the John Key-led government.

I have kept the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister fully briefed throughout.

I believe that Don Brash is the best person to lead ACT to success in this year’s election. I told the Prime Minister last night. I rang Don this morning to tell him he has my support.

The process now is for Don to join the party. His membership will be accepted by the Board on Saturday. I have asked our whip John Boscawen to organise a caucus for Saturday where Don will have my full support to be leader, and the Board will reconvene that afternoon to ratify his leadership.

I must stress that ACT and National’s Confidence and Supply Agreement remains in force with the agreement of all parties including that of ACT’s new leader and there is no risk to the Government. It’s business as usual. The only change is that ACT will have a new leader to take it into the election and to lead it into the next government.

If you will allow me a minute just here at the end to say a few more words. It is a great honour and a privilege to be the Member of Parliament for Epsom, the people here have all been wonderful to me, I have been both proud and humbled to be the leader of the ACT Party, but there’s no doubt that the highest honour and greatest privilege has been to serve as a Minister in the John Key-led government.

John Key and Bill English have my respect and admiration. It’s the greatest honour and privilege to assist their leadership of our country as we have faced and continue to face such tough and challenging times.

I have always worked hard to the best of my abilities with the best of motives. I have always put the country first. I set high standards for myself. I have at times fallen short. I have always worked to put whatever mistake I have made right and not to repeat it!

Finally I would just like to thank all ACT members and supporters for their continued support and inspiration and to the people of Epsom who have welcomed me into their homes and their communities and for whom it is such a privilege to be their Representative in the wonderful and venerable institution, our Parliament.

National's Brash Faction

2011-04-26T22:01:00.004+12:00

After hearing National Party bloggers talk about the ACT leadership issue – and National leaning journos and commentators discuss the succession routes for Don Brash (member of the National Party) to take over from ACT, and for John Banks (member of the National Party) to run in ACT held Epsom – I am wondering who exactly is more nervous about a Key Government post the 2011 election.

My co-blogger Blair, who I respect, has put forth his ideas for why he supports this idea here.
I disagree but that is why we blog, to have opinions. I am going to put forth my own spin on this.

Why are National supporters so keen to see Brash as leader of ACT?
We all know that many Nat MPs have their political careers to thank for Brash resurrecting National from the dire awfulness of the Bill English years. Bill was hardly the best leader – the fact that he rolled Jenny Shipley before her time didn’t help the fact either. I remember being in attendance at a Young Nats conference where she spoke not too long after Bill took over. The murmurs from many of those listening to her were that she was popular and that Bill dragging the party towards the centre was painful for too many. The pollsters and public agreed and we all know that Bills election result for National was record breaking for all the wrong reasons.

Brash come to National and installed policies that were lifted from the ACT manifesto. Hell, the guy was only 45,506 votes (and $400k in unlawful campaign spending) behind Labour!
It is hard to believe that National Party supporters were ungrateful for his massive contribution to National during the short time he was leader.

When the younger and politically “easy to sell” John Key took over, suddenly the proud party of Brash and Shipley lurched in the same direction as they did under the faltering Bill English, and followed that up by making Bill deputy! This was a very strong statement that the years of following a robust right wing policy platform were over and that the 9 years of Labour needed to be broken up - whatever the cost.

It is very difficult to imagine that all these Brash and Shipley supporting Nats all had a 1984 type epiphany and decided that Brash was the enemy and Key was who they all supported. It doesn’t add up at all. This lends to the theory that this isn’t the case at all and because the populist Key faction are in control of the party at present, a more subtle means of bringing Brash back to Parliament was in order. Especially after 3 years of entrenching Labour policies like Working for Families and shutting the door on the debate about nuclear ships and the race based Maori seats – there was a huge concern that post election 2011, Key was going to stay on the same centrist path.

What the Brash faction needed is a political vehicle to bring their boy back into the race. Rodney seemed vulnerable in Epson, but as polling seemed to have been run by Hooton, who is a cheerleader for John Banks, there were no independent polls spelling out what was the situation for ACT or Rodney. Indeed all it took was a few well placed news statements, spread by anti Rodney enthusiasts and sympathetic journalists to bring about near pandemonium for Rodney and ACT HQ who I have been told were bemused that National supporters were trying to bring in a non member to run the party in the place of Rodney.

The rationale for the Brash faction is that they would expend little political energy installing Brash into a party that is already very sympathetic to him without the need to create a new brand, gathering new members and building a new structure. The result would supposedly bring ACT higher polls and a result that would mean Brash would be in a position to demand concessions from John Key and be in a unique position to place major roadblocks in the way of John continuing on his centrist policy platform for the years ahead. National’s Brash faction is in a situation where they are in a party that they cannot support and yet cannot bring themselves to join ACT – unless they took their leader with them.

The only way for the Brash faction is to now look elsewhere. From early reports it seems that the ACT board will reject this proposal from the Brash faction and there are not enough votes for this to be forced through. The presumptuousness of non members to expect to destabilise another party in order to fulfil an agenda they were too weak to fight within their own party is dreadful. If the Brash faction wanted to force John Key to live up to the founding principles of the National Party they should have done this themselves inside the National Party and fought a public battle against the Key populists instead of try to kill the ACT brand. This shows a complete lack of regard for other people and other parties and epitomises the arrogance of many within the National Party.

You could say that no person inside ACT is bigger than the party and you’d be right. But Brash isn’t a member. On that basis alone there is nothing stopping Rodney Hide attempting to roll John Key for his limpwristed centrist Labour-Lite policies that have entrenched Labour policies and make token gestures towards reducing taxation but instead borrowing beyond our means.

The question is, when the membership of National gets sick of the populism – who will emerge as the person who will take the fight for smaller Government to the voters of New Zealand? Will National be cursed again by the need to be liked and popular in place of good policies?

Easter without religion

2011-04-25T21:21:00.003+12:00

Under communism, the ideology followed these days by starving North Koreans and middle class 1st world university students, religion was banned in places like the Czech republic. That meant the Czechs continued their traditions that still continue today, undiluted by the changing world around them.

As a man that is into traditions and quirky ones at that, as well as an atheist, I am a big fan of the Czech Easter traditions - and here is why:

Czech girls decorate Easter eggs to give them to boys on Easter Monday. Easter eggs are painted hard-boiled eggs and then hand decorated. Boys make a special handmade whip, in Czech called pomlazka, and decorate it with colored ribbons at the end. This whip consists of eight, twelve, or even twenty-four willow twigs, depending on the skills of the boy. Surprisingly enough, the more twigs, the more difficult it is to braid the whip. They are usually from half a meter to two meters long!

On Easter Monday it gets more interesting. In the morning, boys walk from door to door to spank the girls on the legs with their whip. It is to say, that the whipping is rather symbolic. The symbolism is easily traced from the Czech name of the Easter whip – pomlazka, which comes from the world pomladit or “make younger” in English.

It is believed that the freshness, youth and strength of the twigs is passed to the women on this day. Every woman thus wants to be whipped in order to keep her health and beauty during the whole next year. Unvisited females can even feel offended. It is therefore almost a duty for all boyfriends and husbands to whip their loved ones with Easter whip!

The boys accompany the whipping with a special Easter carol, usually asking for an egg or two. The girls “reward” them with an Easter egg or tie a ribbon on their whip. The more eggs or ribbons boys have, the better.

For older boys or for men the treat, instead of eggs, is a shot of a harder alcohol, mostly home-made brandy. And of course, the point is to visit possibly all girls in the town! So around noon, groups of happy men can be seen in the streets singing Easter carols and chasing girls.

In the afternoon, girls can get revenge by pouring a bucket of cold water on any male.

Easter traditions are especially practiced in villages and small towns. You will not see many boys with Easter whips walking through the streets of Prague. It is understandable – Prague is a big city and people don’t open their doors to strangers.

But everyone in Prague celebrates Easter. Girls decorate Easter eggs; bake a special Easter cake in shape of a lamb, and boys from family or friends whip girls with bought Easter whips since boys from big cities usually don’t know how to make it.

So if you are a man, don’t forget to whip all girls around you, otherwise their beauty will fade away! And an advice for females, have an Easter egg or two ready to “reward” them.

So you make a whip out of pussy-willow, go round and whip (gently) girls and then they give you shots of alcohol. Outstanding. I have my own smaller whip still from my first time doing this event a couple years back and it is covered in ribbons from the many beatings I delivered that day. :)

And as it is still Easter Monday, I might go make a few visits to some friends today...ha ha ha.

Brashgasm!

2011-04-25T13:00:00.002+12:00

Well look who's back to save the day!

Don Brash is truly a unique and compelling politician, and for a second time, he has openly and publicly challenged the incumbent leader of a political party. Will it work for him again?

I have to say first of all that the political strategist in me thinks this is all a very bad idea. I share many of David Farrar's concerns. I remain of the firm belief that the best, and probably only way to fully implement good laissez faire government in New Zealand remains through the National Party. Even though Key's government makes me yearn for the "good old days" of Shipley and Creech(!), you are never going to get an ACT (or Brash Party) Government, and it is always going to be through National that laissez faire policies will be implemented. It then becomes a question of how you get National to do it. Do you work within National and take them along with you? Or do you pummel them from the outside and hope to bully them into doing it? For about 17 years now, most classical liberals have been doing the latter. How's that working out for ya?

Still, if anyone could make that strategy work, it would be Don Brash, a former National Party leader who doubled National's vote, and remains the only party leader in living memory to be pushed out while his party was ahead in the polls. So while the political strategist in me is dismayed, the political geek in me feels a bit like a child who has had too much food colouring. Short of winning an election itself, Brash's re-entry into the fray is about as exciting as it can get in New Zealand politics.

It would be one of those great ironic twists if Brash ended up saving ACT - after all, he was the one responsible for their dip below 5% in the first place. Even more ironically, Rodney Hide probably owes his leadership of ACT to Brash. Without Brash, ACT would have stayed at 5% in the polls, there would be no victory in Epsom, and it would probably be Stephen Franks taking over from a retiring Prebble instead.

Will ACT bite? I agree with John Armstrong that as long as Hide remains leader, ACT is screwed. It seems pretty obvious that the Brash deal is the best offer that they are ever going to get, and they would be fools to turn it down. In fact, I would say they have little choice to refuse. A Brash Party(TM) would almost guarantee the demise of ACT. It's possible Brash is bluffing on that score - setting up a new party is much much more difficult than one might suppose, but essentially he has said to ACT "I'm doing this, with or without you. Jump on board or face oblivion."

The major obstacle would be the ACT women. Calvert has already said she supports Hide, and would look pretty silly to u-turn. And Roy's chances of re-election, ironically, are non-existent unless Brash did set up his own party and she jumped ship. So there's Rodney's three votes!

Either scenario sounds like good fun to me. Welcome back Don Brash!! (We missed you. A lot)

How many more landmines have Labour got left?

2011-04-22T03:31:00.005+12:00

When Helen Clark saw Labours polling numbers over the last year of her 9 year reign she knew she was onto a hiding to nothing. Her colleagues privately knew that their days in Government were coming to an end and they were about to be swept aside by the ex state house tenant and a hungry National Party keen to return to power.

Helen steadfastly ignored the obvious signals that Labour were becoming despised by the public and instead continued on with business as usual as they began the slow death march to the 2008 elections – knowing if she lost, she would make life difficult for Key and National as she say back in her plush UNDP office in New York. After all she had long term ambitions for a job at the UN. She committed a disproportionate donation to the UNDP before the 2005 election, only to squeak in and after paying back the illegal money spent she committed a larger percentage to the UNDP than other states (per capita) before the 2008 election which sealed her first class ticket for two to go to New York. From there she was able to unleash more havoc knowing very well that the party without her wouldn’t be able to put a dent in Nationals popularity. Helen was not stupid - far from it. Funnily enough you have Labour supporters saying that John Key is stupid - a man that is world famous for being the best at what he does and admired for such. Left wingers excel in being ignorant.

National inherited a scorched earth policy from Labour that left a clusterfuck of landmines designed to damage the economy and bring ridicule to John Key, even if it was going to hurt Kiwi taxpayers.

These include:

1) NZ Rail

Renationalising the Rail was a deliberate ploy to commit Government expenditure away from National policy pledges and into a white elephant that would suck the treasury dry. This billion dollar purchase was designed to leave the cupboards bare after all the election bribes were given out. When it emerged that the value of the network was only $369m it showed that there was only one winner from this deal – Toll shareholders who snapped off Helens hand when offered almost double the value of their shares back.

2) ACC
Labour hid a $1.5B shortfall in ACC in the Pre-election Fiscal Update (PREFU). This was a huge landmine to discover once the smoke had cleared post election. An independent inquiry showed that Cullen and Street were culpable in this coverup, which of course Helen would have had full knowledge of. In some countries, this would amount to treason – but Helen was already picking her hand luggage with Heather so didn’t care.

3) Labour tried to be tricky just recently by attacking National over the renewal of Parliamentary BMW’s. This was deliberate because Labour struck a nerve with their voter base by not disclosing that they were the ones who set up the original contract for these cars. 3 years later, perfectly good BMWs were replaced with better ones – and National looking like elitists that were too good for their old BMWs. 34 cars worth $200k each (commercially) may have seemed like a good deal to the troughing Labour MPs in 2008, before the election, but they knew that be allowing for these expensive cars to be renewed when they were out of power would look bad for National.
And finally the latest landmine:

4) Americas Cup.
Labour committed $34m to go to the latest Americas Cup challenge back in 2007 which has been reported in some quarters as National doing so. As like the BMWs, Labour had no problem throwing my and your money towards all sorts of non essential silly buggers, if it could be seen as a National issue, much the better!
Even though Mallard has defended the spending, many of their supporters and those who believe the news would have already made their mind up about this.

Just how many landmines will we find? It is incredible that we are still unearthing them at the end of the 1st term of the National Govt. I hate the practise of one Government accusing its predecessors but in many cases National do have a solid point.

Things are not so rosy for Helen over at the UNPD. The organisation has been mired with controversy over fraud and corruption in monies going to Mali, Mauritania and Djibouti – with the UNDP deliberately dragging their feet when being asked to account for the location of these missing millions. Helen has also failed to disclose gifts while she has been in office. It seems that simply by being the poster girl for arrogance and denial while being surrounded by sickening sycophancy in ones own country isn’t the sorts of qualities that will endear her to higher office.
She is already one of the least qualified UNDP administrators and may find her time in New York to be over sooner than she had hoped.

Maybe in time to save Labour in 2014?

All hail the queen of smash ups

2011-04-21T03:54:00.003+12:00

Cactus Kate, the girl every left wing male blogger dreams about being converted by and whose photo adorns the walls of every commerce student dorms in halls of residences up and down New Zealand has done it again.

Not content of a hard living Hong Kong lifestyle, she still has plenty of time to play smash up with the pinkos leaving nothing in her wake. Both she and Whale Oil have no competition when leading the VRWC on daily assaults on lame left wing social networking campaigns.

Speaking about our latest victory against Labours “Stop” sign campaign fail she adds:

Finding out that their keystone campaign heading into the run up to the election is based on illegal signs is as demoralising as draining the chocolate from the Easter bunny in front of a diabetic child.

The beatings will continue from the VRWC regardless.

Cactus has challenged the left to come up with a campaign that we cannot destroy. The gauntlet has been thrown!

Read her latest blog post here.

Uodate... credit is also due to Keeping Stock for his nonstop shitkicking to the left. IV2 has also been giving them a good serve over at Labour HQ The Stranded blog.

Compulsory fee changes put spotlight on tertiary institutions

2011-04-21T02:49:00.004+12:00

I’ve been meaning to write about the changes to the Education Act that will make student services more transparent. This is long overdue and will force tertiary institutions to make important choices about what they charge students.

Student services levies are closely linked to the debate over compulsory membership of student associations. Student services levies are a poorly understood and opaque part of the cost of tertiary education. Compulsory associations have used this lack of clarity to claim responsibility for services provided through student services levies.

Most student services are funded by students through fees paid to
institutions rather than to associations. Greater transparency around student services levies will allow students to see exactly what they are paying for and who is providing it. This will reduce the ability of opponents of voluntary membership to claim that its introduction will cause services to be “lost”.

The Tertiary Education Union is also wrong to claim that once voluntary membership is introduced institutions will have to fund services currently provided by student associations. TEU national president Sandra Grey said(31 March:

"If the voluntary student membership bill passes, many institutions will need to fund services that students currently provide themselves. If so they will either need to charge more or make cuts in other areas"

It’s going to be up to institutions to decide what student services levies they impose. There’s nothing that says institutions will “need to fund services that students currently provide themselves.” Instead institutions will need to look at the so-called services provided by student associations and ask if they want to pick up those costs and transfer them to students
through new or increased student services levies.

Institutions will have to ask if they want to charge students for ‘services’ such as:

· Orientation parties. Not used by all students. If institutions decide orientation is a valuable marketing tool to sell the ‘student lifestyle’ then institutions should fund orientation

· Student magazines and radio stations. Not used by all students, able to be funded by advertising

· Sports tournaments and clubs. Not used by all students, should be funded on a user pays basis

In addition, institutions will have to ask if they want to increase the cost of tertiary education by using service contracts to prop up formerly compulsory student associations to deliver ‘services’ that are not wanted or used by all students.

Steven Joyce’s change to the Education is positive as it will force
institutions to be more transparent and reduce some of the shonky
arrangements where students simply don’t know where their money is going.

See the changes here

The hug of death

2011-04-18T08:01:00.011+12:00

The doomsday predictions that the ACT Party being wiped out are getting earlier and earlier every election including this doozy from Hooton! ACTs results since being the first (and only) new party entering Parliament since MMP began have have its ups and downs:

1996 - 8 MPs
1999 - 9 MPs
2002 - 9 MPs
2005 - 2 MPs
2008 - 5 MPs

The fact that both Rodney and Heather worked their tails off to bring ACT back from the brink in 2008 is testimony that there is a place for the ACT Party in New Zealand - but once the celebrations died down ACT found itself part of a Government for the first time. Instead of being a party that had excellent alternatives that we could wax lyrical about, we needed to experience a culture change in terms of expectations and outcomes. We all know many people left ACT, outraged that Rodney and Co had to take their foot off the accelerator and swallow a few rats. But for ex ACT members to go join National was more telling that they were mostly in ACT for the wrong reasons, as going to National showed the ACT party was full of power hungry populists. Those who left thinking they could change National from the inside must be dying inside every day.

I could be even more forthright and state two things that have harmed ACT in the last few years.

1) Being in Government with National has hurt ACT more than anything in our history
2) Having ex Nats join the party has weakened the party too.

Re #2, ACT was a party full of ex Labour supporters - freed from the shackles of socialist ideology by Sir Roger. Of course we did have Derek Quigley on board, a fine ex Nat who helped shape the party into the force that got it elected in 96. But once ACT gained popularity and advocated policies that the Nats SHOULD have been promoting then membership was swelled by ex Nats. Many with good intentions, others with ideas that would turn ACT into a more conservative movement than we envisioned when the party was created. The "Liberal Project" adopted by ACT did help push some of the conservatives back to National, outraged that we would promote less discrimination against weed smokers and homosexuals but ACT still had enough of these members involved who helped push the law and order movement.

The silly buggers that happened last year as well as the Garrett scandal hurt the brand a lot. It is safe to say the next party list is going to be interesting and I expect the party will be very keen on putting up some good talent within the party and rewarding loyalty.
Some people like to blame the leader - but considering John Key loaded Rodney with the Auckland Supercity responsibilities, it has meant that Rodney has been unable to be unleashed as the man that has worked tirelessly for ACT for all these years. Being a minister is a tough job - but try and name a dozen National MPs who could have organised Auckland better than how Rodney did it?

Lets move on to election 2011. What does ACT need to do to fight off the vultures?

#1 Commit to being an independent voice away from National. Do not go into Govt with them.
#2 Hit the road hard, preach about the debt and why ACT was right about cutting spending and not borrowing against our grandkids futures.
#3 Give Rodney a free pass to attack waste, spending and bureaucracy. Push all boundaries with National. We have the ETS, WFF and debt to start with.
#4 Give John Boscawen a chance to win his electorate seat. Give it a fair shot.
#5 Get back into the habit of upsetting the lefties.
and of course
#6 Bring back the flat tax debate and remind voters we have supported SOE sales before the Nats did.
#7 Realise that being close to National isn't an advantage, their hug of death has many sharp blades.

We have a natural constituency that do not like seeing us in bed with National. We came from the Labour Party and while we'd never go back to that gaggle, we'd be better off emphasising our differences rather than being part of the John Key show.

No doubt I might provoke debate but the comments policy will be strictly enforced by myself and my co bloggers if you're being a dick. Cheers.

**Update**
As it seems I hit the post rather than draft button before I went to bed I thought I'd touch on a couple points made in the comments.

The C&S agreement IMO should not be pursued in the next term. National don't need ACT after the 2011 election going by current polling so this provides a unique opportunity to make a clean break. This term has shown that even with just a C&S agreement - and a couple ministerial roles - is more than enough for ACT members to stomach.

I was also careful to not call all ex ACT members who went back to National the names I mentioned above. I know a few people who migrated to National who are fine people. But in many of the ACT organisations I have worked within, I can say I hae shed no tears for some of the opportunists who have thrown their toys out and rejoined National.

More food porn

2011-04-15T01:47:00.006+12:00

well hello there!

Regular readers know about my obsession for food porn, the search for bigger and better foods that push the boundaries in terms of deliciousness, awesomeness and how much it will offend the food police. I have already written about the truly brilliant KFC Double Down which is setting the hearts of Kiwi men in a flutter as it makes its much awaited entry to the marketplace. However the KFC Double Down is a mere baby beside the latest burger to hit the market place… in fact Burger King truly lives up to its billing with their new offering the MEAT MONSTER.. (a name that I sometimes use to describe things to the Mrs but that’s another story) Burger Kings description of the burger which is a little like reading Penthouse Forum or Hustler goes like this… In between the sesame seed bun, you will find two hamburgers, a chicken breast fillet, two slices of processed cheese and three rashers of bacon, decorated with salad trimmings on top. 3 meats in one burger you say? Outstanding! I am sure the nutritionists will be screaming bloody murder about this one. Burger King has stated that this burger is the true – “have it your way” burger as you can add to it egg patties, fish or whatever… either way – it comes at a calorific 1160 calories, almost double the calories than the supposedly evil Double Down. When I was researching the goodness behind the Meat Monster, I read this brilliant description of another Burger King Burger, the “Triple Stacker”… I swear Larry Flynt couldn’t have done a better job…. This mountainous monument of meat boasts 3 patties, 2 slices of cheese & 3 half slices of bacon all smothered in BK® Stacker sauce. This shrine of meaty cheesy, goodness is sure to satisfy even the most discerning of meatatarians. Hell yes. Me want. I can't wait to see the looks on the nutritionists faces if this ever hit our fair shores. The bad news for now is that the Meat Monster is only available in Japan... seems fair, they have had a lot of misery lately so deserve a treat. Maybe John Key can use his new CERA powers to force BK to start selling it in NZ? In case you didn't know, here is the current "top 10" fast food Big Burger calorie list 1. The Meat Monster - 1,160 2. BK Triple Whopper - 1,140 3. Wendy’s 1/4lb triple - 1,030 4. McDonalds double 1/4lb with cheese – 740 5. KFC Double Down sandwich - 610 6. BK Whopper - 670 7. Wendy’s 1/4lb single – 550 8. McDonalds Big Mac – 490 9. KFC Honey BBQ sandwich – 320 fap fap fap....

The Labour List

2011-04-13T09:39:00.004+12:00

Plenty has already been said about the Labour list, and I will pop my 2 pence in over the next few months - but my first glimpse of gave me the impression that Labour have no idea and are still in the grips of denial over why New Zealanders shit kicked them out of Parliament 3 years ago.

It's a truly awful list. I don't subscribe to the anti gay silliness - Labour already know their rainbow faction has a lot of power. But who would have thought that Phil Goff, a man who only a few years ago was popular with "middle" New Zealand, would be leading Labour to such a dreadful defeat and leading a team so disassociated with everyday Kiwis. I can wager that Phil Goff must be secretly horrified that he has pulled Labour away from the provinces. How many Kiwis are good friends with union organisers, ex teachers or militant feminists? November is going to bring a bloodbath that will signal a major change of leadership and direction for Labour.

Phil Goff has more people sympathetic to him in the ACT Party than he does in Labour. He is dog tucker. As every day passes he is simply there to collect a pay cheque while the strategists inside Labour are jostling for the post election scraps.

National were always going to win this election, no matter what silliness you read from the Labour Party funded Standard Blog, but for Labour to give up so quickly so far out from the election is unprecedented. I think Goff should look seriously at what he wants to do post election - once the knives are dislodged from his back.

I think we have a problem

2011-04-09T09:05:00.003+12:00

No doubt my co-bloggers will have plenty to say about this but I am slightly terrified at the revelations that National have decided to bail out AMI while still maintaining almost ALL of the previous Labour party policies is finally destroying our economy.

AMI undercut its competitors. They sold more than they could cover - and when they had to pay up to their obligations they fell short. This is NOT a time to run to the Government, especially when our Government is already stretched with the disaster relief efforts in CHCH as well as paying to maintain an ancient rail network and middle class welfare - thanks to Labour. Shame on National for not having the common decency to listen to our greatest ever finance minister. Sir Roger warned John Key and the response he got was Key saying he didn't accept Sir Roger to have any part of the current Government. Stupid stupid stupid.

Fran O'Sullivan has also picked up on this crisis:

Bill English looked positively gaunt as he fronted the television cameras on Thursday to reveal that the Government might have to find another $1 billion to underwrite the latest episode of Kiwi commercial incompetence.

English isn't saying so publicly (at least not yet).

But I'm sure that in his bones he knows very well indeed that former Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas has a point when he says the impending bailout of AMI's policy holders has led New Zealand right to the precipice of economic collapse.

Douglas is also right on the button when he asks: "Who will bail out Bill English when the New Zealand Government keeps living on the edge of financial ruin where one more unforeseen catastrophic event will push them over the edge?"

This is a question that needs to be asked. The time must surely be fast approaching when others will be asking some very tough questions.

These tough questions should be asked before the election. Will Nats have their eyes on the polls and maintain business as usual - or will they snap out of it and realise that we are heading quickly towards some major shit. If companies can get away with putting their hands out - how are we supposed to teach values to those in welfarism?

Can New Zealand survive 3 and a half more years of National?

Election year rant

2011-04-09T02:53:00.000+12:00

With the election coming up later in the year – and the Muldoonist like policies that are taking place in front of our eyes by John and Bill – I thought it would be nice to have a wish list of what we’d like to see happen in NZ after the next election.

It is quiet scary to think that National have renationalised anything but in reality they have, not to mention borrowing against our future. We are in a perilous state and whenever people like Sir Roger Douglas stands up and says this he is discredited for being an old man from the past. It’s sickening. The situation is so dire that I am seeking people flee NZ for Australia at a pace I have never seen before. The population have simply NO idea about debt, taxation and fiscal management – and the people who get themselves into trouble expect the Government to bail them out. This lack of personal responsibility is going to ruin New Zealand and after being out of the country in the UK and Europe for almost 8 years now I have for the first time started to contemplate that when I come back, it will be to resettle in Australia.

We should ask ourselves what we can do to help fix New Zealand. I know I have a few ideas both economic and social that I’d like to help return NZ to some form of glory.

1) Flat tax. Yes this has been mooted for a long time, especially on this blog but what is astounding is the lack of understanding about this. Why do Kiwis think that this is unfair? Surely those who get basic mathematics understand that 15% of $30k is a lot less than 15% of $1.5m? I’d couple a flat tax rate to also abolish taxation for those earning under $25-$30k. Beneficiaries shouldn’t be taxed either – why should taxes go backwards and forwards?

2) The Government needs to invest in tackling joblessness. Use it as a long term investment for the economy. Get mentors and life coaches in to help people. Ensure that these mentors are of a high enough quality to guide an unemployed person into a meaningful job and stay there. The Government shouldn’t run this – it should be contracted out to the experts with strict targets which allow success without people falling through the cracks or be bums on seats. Companies like Ingeus that are based around the world incl Australia should be included. Spending more now is going to reverse an absolute certain crisis that is headed our way. Benefit recipients should be cut – through sustainable training and work programmes. A welfare system is there to protect the genuinely needy and those who cannot work through no fault of their own. Cutting out the bludgers will allow Government to give those who are really needy quality of life.

3) Abolish Government departments like Women's Affairs, Pacific Island Affairs, Ministry for Social Development, Maori affairs and Youth Affairs. What are they there for? What place do they have in the 21st century? There needs to be a political debate showing how much is going towards these departments and what savings can be made. I am open to the abolishing of other departments too; the states role should not be to employ armies of bureaucrats who slow down progress.

4) Social issues like abolishing the Maori seats and allowing American ships into our harbours should be bought in immediately. We have 23 Maori in parliament today. Political parties can pick their lists according to the talent they have available. Ending tokenism will help NZ turn a corner – especially if we settled Waitangi claims fairly and finally. Allowing American ships to have the same rights as other nations to visit our shores would also hasten free trade negotiations with the world’s biggest economy.

5) Reduce the number of MPs. Bulk fund MPs. Make public service employees and managers wages and “perks” 100% transparent – why should people who are funded via taxpayers consider themselves above the law? State employee numbers to be capped to pre Labour 1999 numbers.
By bulk funding political parties – parties can decide how and where their funding is spent. If it is spent it will not be topped up. Funding and expenditure should also be available for public scrutiny.

6) Government spending should be cut to all religious organisations. Spending will also not go towards pro or anti smoking groups and likewise for abortion or healthy living organisations or their opponents. Government should take the place of the parents and Govt will leave food policing to the family.
On top of that, Govt quangos need to all go on the bonfire. For too long both main parties have rewarded their friends and indeed themselves with jobs to sustain them in their retirement.

7) People have been taught that competition in schools and health is a bad thing and yet are satisfied getting bargains in our supermarkets or going to markets and haggling for better quality for the best price. Kiwis have always liked a fair deal so lets gradually open both education and health up to full competition from the private sector. The public system waiting lists will dry up if we have hospitals to perform operations and teachers will no longer be shackled to the same same union mandated rules of progression – good teachers will be paid better than average and bad teachers.
Educate people on how they can save money by not channelling money through the Government to get a simple operation.

8) If somebody leaves school without achieving grades that will help them get a job, then they should be co-opted into the armed forces, a hospital, local charity or a trade in order to get education. Not everybody learns the same – but 2 years service – monitored by their mentor will teach fundamentals that many schools forget. Military Service isn’t a bad idea for many people who feel disengaged from society – it can be hugely beneficial in correcting behaviour in delinquents and installing values. Even school leavers with direction can choose to enter this scheme. A society is as strong as the weakest members who live amongst it.

9) Corporate taxes to be cut to lower than Australia and multinationals to be encouraged to set up shop. Not just words from our leaders – actions. If there are obstacles – remove them. More money = more jobs = prosperity and the likelihood that business will want to have a stake in securing the country’s future. Anybody who wants to open a business should be allowed to do so without regulations.

10) Reintroduce youth rates. Sir Roger made a speech about this a long time ago and it stands true. Why throw kids on the scrap heap? Why do you think since they abolished the youth rate that the unemployment rate of youth increased so much? Keeping with the workplace laws – I also support keeping 90 day trials and unions need to also be 100% transparent with their levies which can be accessible to all members of the public – the same rules that they demand from businesses. Unions will need permission from all business owners before they can enter a workplace as well.

11) Mine our natural resources. It’s sitting there right in front of us. Billions and billions of dollars of resources in our backyard, not even counting what is available in our exclusive economic zone. Kiwis, like our Aussie mates, know how to mine responsibly and carefully. If we allow resources to be mined, the profits will allow us to pay back debt and to cut back on taxes. However we must be mindful that politicians should NOT be using mineral wealth to grow the state or to feather their nests.

12) Life should mean life. You kill or rape somebody you should be punished. People who continue to attack the freedom and liberty of others should be put away. Victimless crimes like drug usage shouldn’t mean imprisonment either. If I had a puff of weed in my own house and it didn’t affect anybody, then I shouldn’t be sitting in a cell with a child molester.

These are policies I’d like to see in NZ. I am also a realist and know that all these will never happen in my lifetime. It’s a bloody shame that New Zealand has allowed the state to grow at the rate it has and that we have allowed National to borrow at the levels they are. If you have children then they will be paying for this, as will your grandchildren. Debt doesn’t disappear overnight – as every struggling family knows. If our Government doesn’t learn to tighten its belt, then how can ordinary people do so?

It's nice to have a Social Media FAIL

2011-04-07T21:57:00.004+12:00

The PSA have delivered a rather lovely present to the VRWC this evening (or morning my time) in the form of a new website attacking "rich pricks" for tax cuts and a "Nice to have" alternative message - intended for members of the public to have their say.

Of course they didn't anticipate that most members of the public don't hate the people who pay the most tax (even after tax cuts) nor do people seem to be rather fond of trade unions.
This led to plenty of people responding in ways that eventually led to the website being taken down - by these firm believers in democracy and free speech (unless you're a union or support the Labour Party)

Does the PSA think people are stupid? It sure looks like it.

See also the efforts by Cactus Kate and Whale Oil

The Right Way

No Zac...you just don't get it.

Hard Right ?

Lucia Maria.....One sick bitch.

Mulholland Drive is Back

A bloody retail tragedy.

So how do Labour win in 2014?

It's all over.... thanks for coming

Lynx Advert Banned *insert sad face here*

Election this Saturday....

Voted!

WOW... mega fail from the selfish few

Wall Street Occupiers Crazy Demands

FACEPALM

Is Russia more right wing than NZ?

Cats That Look Like David Cunliffe

Overseas Votes from Wednesday November 9th

Blair Mulholland Makes Endorsements for the 2011 General Election

RIP Roger Kerr

The best of Jeremy Kyle

David Parker - Partner Stealing, Lie Spreading, Fraudster

Gaddafi - the front pages of the papers today

The 2011 Prime Moneywaster what a difference 5 years makes!

Bloody Gadhafi!

Anti Capitalist Protest Fail

Isaac is back!

The Race for the Presidency: Republican Nominees - Blair Mulholland

VSM - 15 years of fighting and the challenges ahead

Dope - Turning wowsers into idiots

Disaster looming

Trotter on Compulsion

Polling on Crack

Ignoring Values?

Labour's emerging talent

Remembering September 11

Roarprawn's Dhimmitude - Blair Mulholland

Not so Super Injunctions

Make them pay or lock(e) them up

Bigger Boobs or something else?

Crisis or short memories? The ACT List.

UNITE Union exploiting Earthquake victims

Looking after your Leftie

Rant free (for once)

Meet the Mana Party Women Affairs Spokesman

The Fightback begins...

Another VSM fail...

Stay Calm and Stop Looting!

The Long Awaited, and Possibly Inevitable, Return of Strange Internet Dating Profiles

Labour - unable to even organise a protest in student town

Doing what's Right

Premier League around the corner

Disgraceful behaviour

ACT hoodwinks Labour - VSM rolls on...

VSM Victory in sight?

Debt Ceiling Crisis: Republicans Win, Commiecrats Lose - Blair Mulholland

The EU has saved bacon!

Good grief

Back from holidays...

Quite Possibly the Coolest Music Video Of All Time

The Embarrassment of Being a Freedom-Lover from Venezealand

Radio1 - who is going to be honest about its failure?

It isn't Cactus Kate anymore... it's Cactus Jack!

The Power of Cricket

On your own terms? No you were DUMPED.

Questions

Blonde Festival Photos

NHS banning "naughty" nurses

Whale Leaks - Payback is a bitch

12 Billion Pounds....

When will the currency madness end?

How I spent my weekend - Latvian Blonde Festival

Political Endorsements: Spot the Difference

A respectful homage to the Champions League Final

Where are the joke emails?

Roy Morgan poll shows a very minor boost for ACT

WALLY-WOOD

Spot the Difference

RIP Randy Savage

19

Reforming MMP

Lynx Advert Banned insert sad face here