Clear as batshit
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7:48 am, November 5th, 2012 - 147 comments
Categories: Minister for International Embarrassment -
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On Breakfast just now, Tourism Minister Key tried out his line on the international debacle arising from his insulting a prominent visitor to our country who was forbearing enough to spend time talking to Key’s kid. His plan is to try to stymie the story by saying ‘I’m not going to engage with what some reporter think they heard’. No denial. No owning his behaviour. Just pathetic.
Come on John. You said something fuckwit-ish – totally inappropriate for a Prime Minister and a Tourism, and churlish for a father who used his pull to get his kid to meet a star. Just be a man, own up, and apologise.
It’s going to be awkward in Parliament when Trevor Mallard jumps up and asks “Does he remember a conversation he had at a high school in Dunedin last week in which he described David Beckham as ‘thick as batshit’ or words to those effect; if so, does he agree that such language towards a guest to our country is completely inappropriate from the Prime Minister – who is also Minister of Tourism – and he ought to apologise for it?”
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- Government commits $20m to Westport flood protectionThe Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...19 hours ago
- Taupō takes pole positionThe Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...20 hours ago
- Cost of living support for low-income homeownersLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...22 hours ago
- Government backing mussel spat projectThe Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...23 hours ago
- Government focused on getting people into workBenefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...1 day ago
- Clean energy key driver to reducing emissionsThe Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...1 day ago
- Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forwardThe Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...1 day ago
- Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic PartnershipPrime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...2 days ago
- Government consults on extending coastal permits for portsRMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...2 days ago
- Inflation coming down, but more work to doToday’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...2 days ago
- School attendance restored as a priority in health adviceRefreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...2 days ago
- Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sectorOceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...2 days ago
- Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International CongressAssociate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...3 days ago
- Removing red tape to help early learners thriveThe Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...3 days ago
- RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tapeChanges to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...3 days ago
- McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationshipTrade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...3 days ago
- Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister LeePrime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...4 days ago
- PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ tiesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...4 days ago
- Antarctica New Zealand Board appointmentsForeign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...4 days ago
- Finance Minister travels to Washington DCFinance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...4 days ago
- Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlordsThe coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...4 days ago
- Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being consideredState Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...4 days ago
- New Zealand condemns Iranian strikesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...5 days ago
- Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plansHundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...7 days ago
- Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand ChairHealth Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...7 days ago
- Roads of National Significance planning underwayThe NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...7 days ago
- Navigating an unstable global environmentNew Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...7 days ago
- NZ welcomes Australian Governor-GeneralPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...1 week ago
- Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for WinterAssociate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...1 week ago
- NZ and the US: an ever closer partnershipNew Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...1 week ago
- Joint US and NZ declarationApril 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...1 week ago
- NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperationForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...1 week ago
- Government redress for Te Korowai o WainuiāruaThe Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...1 week ago
- Focus on outstanding minerals permit applicationsNew Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “While there are no set timeframes for ...1 week ago
- Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research CallThe New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...1 week ago
- Tenancy rules changes to improve rental marketThe coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...1 week ago
- Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with ChinaTrade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...1 week ago
- Freshwater farm plan systems to be improvedThe coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...1 week ago
- NZ and Philippines pledge defence cooperation amid rising tensions
The commitment came after a sit-down meeting between Christopher Luxon and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr overnight. ...58 mins ago - Fire engineering expertise may take a big hit with job cuts at MBIEThe public sector cuts are poised to take out a big chunk of expertise at the country's building regulator. ...2 hours ago
- “Fast-track Law To Kill Kiwi”: Students Say Fight Against Anti-democracy Legislation Is Only Jus...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...2 hours ago - ‘We have thousands of Modis’: the secret behind the BJP’s enduring success in India
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...3 hours ago - Online schooling is not just for lockdowns. Could it work for your child?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...3 hours ago
- Hear me out: You can shove your reusable period products
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...3 hours ago - Rip It Up And Start Over – Fast-Track Approvals Bill Needs To Be Scrapped“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...3 hours ago
- Maori Authority Warns Government On Fast Track LegislationThe Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...3 hours ago
- Why the government’s haste in changing the health system could come back to haunt itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...3 hours ago
- Many suicides are related to gambling. How can we tackle this problem?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...3 hours ago
- Things that go buzz in the night – our global study found there really are more insects out after ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...3 hours ago
- Why don’t Australians talk about their salaries? Pay transparency and fairness go hand-in-handSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...3 hours ago
- ‘Character’ And Its Impact On Immigration StatusThe Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...3 hours ago
- 20,000 more on jobseeker benefits than this time last yearThe government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...5 hours ago
- All of the Raglan Roast cafes in Wellington, ranked from worst to bestRaglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...7 hours ago
- Auckland uni students threaten rent strike over rising accommodation feesResidents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously. The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...7 hours ago
- Warning of death from a million cuts as Oceans Secretariat dissolved
Shane Jones says people voted for change, but opponents say small cuts such as ending a special oceans secretariat are starting to add up The post Warning of death from a million cuts as Oceans Secretariat dissolved appeared first on Newsroom. ...7 hours ago - Defence deal to counter Beijing’s aggression in South China SeaNew Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...7 hours ago
- Wellington’s ebb and flow of public servantsThe thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...7 hours ago
- New Zealand transport planning has gone off the railsOpinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...7 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 19 AprilThe post Daily crossword, Friday 19 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...7 hours ago
- Brakes on transport and logistics sector as demand for freight slowsThe transport sector is currently in the slow lane The post Brakes on transport and logistics sector as demand for freight slows appeared first on Newsroom. ...7 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 19 AprilLoading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 19 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...7 hours ago
- Financial literacy should be on all of usOpinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...7 hours ago
- Missy rustles to stardom in CanadaHineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...7 hours ago
- Emissions fall again – now NZ needs to up the paceOfficial figures confirm New Zealand produced less climate pollution in 2022 than in any other year in the 21st century The post Emissions fall again – now NZ needs to up the pace appeared first on Newsroom. ...7 hours ago
- Grattan on Friday: Ethnic tensions will complicate the Albanese government’s multicultural policy ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...12 hours ago
- Group plans work to improve safety of female MPsNew research shows harassment of elected officials - especially women - is on the rise. ...14 hours ago
- Ukraine warns of WW3 ahead of long-stalled Congress aid voteUkraine's Prime Minister says his country desperately needs the US to approve long-stalled security assistance. ...15 hours ago
- PSA astonished Education Minister expects hiring of contractors to review curriculumHiring contractors is an appalling solution when people who could do the work are losing their jobs, the PSA says. ...16 hours ago
- Crown lawyers attempt to block Waitangi Tribunal summons to Minister for ChildrenThe Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...17 hours ago
- Luxon refuses to guarantee public consultation on AUKUS Pillar 2Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says it's "far too premature" to be confirming whether the public would be consulted on joining AUKUS Pillar 2. ...18 hours ago
- Visualising the 1800s or designing wedding invitations: 6 ways you can use AI beyond generating textSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...18 hours ago
- Falls, fractures and self-harm: 4 charts on how kids’ injury risk changes over time and differs fo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...18 hours ago
- Choice and control: will NDIS reforms mean people with disability don’t get to decide who they liv...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground Picture Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...19 hours ago
- Asbestos in playground mulch: how to avoid a repeat of this circular economy scandalSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...19 hours ago
- Could Albanese’s bet on homegrown green industries be the boost our regions deserve?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University Cloudy Designs/Shutterstock Right now, there’s a global race underway. The goal: bring back manufacturing and energy jobs as the energy transition speeds up. In 2022, America launched its mammoth Inflation Reduction Act and the ...19 hours ago
- Watch: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon won't say if government will consult public on joining ...Asked multiple times if the public will be consulted on joining the defence pact, Luxon repeatedly said that was yet to be worked through. ...19 hours ago
- Watch live: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks in PhilippinesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon is speaking to reporters on the third leg of his Southeast Asia trip, from Manila in the Philippines. ...20 hours ago
- Māori lawyers call Shane Jones' Waitangi Tribunal comments 'inappropriate'The Māori Law Society says his comments breach the principle of the separation of powers and the Cabinet Manual. ...20 hours ago
- Abortions Increase 25% Since Law ChangeFamily First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...21 hours ago
- Over Half Of New Zealanders Feel That The Country Is In Decline And That Our Society Is BrokenIpsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...21 hours ago
- Australia’s new defence strategy is big on ideas, but lacks one key ingredient: well-trained soldi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University There have been a lot of defence announcements recently about buying new equipment, building up Australia’s manufacturing capabilities, creating local jobs, new legislation to support AUKUS and even a new defence chief. In ...22 hours ago
- What does Steve Smith’s Stateside signing mean for cricket in the US – and Australia?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney Steve Smith, one of this generation’s finest batters, has conquered much of the cricketing world during his career, and he now has set his sights on a new frontier: the United ...22 hours ago
- A love letter to Wellington: when i open the shop by romesh dissanayake, reviewedMadeleine Ballard reviews the debut novel from romesh dissanayake. when I open the shop, the debut novel by Naarm-based Aotearoa writer romesh dissanayake (Sri Lankan, Koryo Saram), is a narrative of grief. Devendra loses his mother, opens a noodle shop on The Terrace, grieves, and emerges changed. But just as ...22 hours ago
- Minister Concedes Contractors Will Be Hired To Do Work Of Axed Ministry Of Education StaffThe PSA can’t believe that the Minister of Education is happy for her ministry to hire contractors at the same time it is dismissing 565 workers. ...22 hours ago
- Attempt to bar diplomat from Myanmar military junta failsMyanmar community members applied to the courts to bar the diplomat from attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ...22 hours ago
- LGNZ Welcomes Govt Earthquake-prone Buildings DecisionLGNZ has advocated for this decision as part of a remit led by Manawatū District Council. ...22 hours ago
- AUKUS Pillar 2 a 'fragrant, methane-wrapped bull***' – Bob CarrThe former Australian Foreign Minister has continued to warn New Zealand against joining the defence pact. ...23 hours ago
- Enforceable undertaking issued to abc accounting services limited after continued non-compliance.The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has accepted an enforceable undertaking agreement from ABC Accounting Services Limited (ABC) under section 81 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (AML/CFT Act). ...23 hours ago
- REVEALED: RNZ’s Hypocrisy Over Fair Digital News Bargaining BillThe Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Radio New Zealand (RNZ) spent $71,842.53 on Facebook advertising over the past 12 months, despite earlier this year coming out in support of the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill , which would force the likes ...24 hours ago
- Police rejected 'very good offer' – Mark MitchellPolice Minister Mark Mitchell says the pay offer rejected by police was the best the government could put forward under difficult financial circumstances. ...24 hours ago
- How can we have truth-telling without the Voice? Our research shows a way forwardSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Norman, Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Convenor: Indigenous Land & Justice Research Group, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock The Uluru Statement from the Heart set out the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for “Voice, Treaty, Truth”, in ...24 hours ago
- NZ education scores must improve – but another polarising ideological pivot isn’t the answerSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bronwyn E Wood, Associate Professor in Education, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images You don’t need to look hard right now to see concerns about Aotearoa New Zealand’s education system. Declining performance in international testing has been ...24 hours ago
- An updated tally of the public sector job cutsThe coalition government has made it well known it expects departments to cut roles. We break down the numbers as they currently stand. Updated: 12pm, April 18 Before last year’s election, both National and Act made it clear that the public service was squarely in their crosshairs. Both parties, now ...24 hours ago
- Confessions of an unlikely petrolheadCheckered Flag director Natalie Wilson on her lifelong love of motorsport, and the allure of Pukekohe Park Raceway. One childhood summer when my world revolved around winning stuff off the radio, I bagged tickets to Western Springs Speedway and then to Waikaraka Park in what was a dream season for ...24 hours ago
- 'Ambitious' trade pledge headlines Luxon's Thailand stopThe Prime has announced a commitment to triple two-way trade with Thailand by 2045, but it only requires maintaining current growth. ...1 day ago
- ‘The right person’: What did Solomon Islanders vote for?By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara After a relatively well organised and peaceful day of voting in Solomon Islands yesterday, the electoral commission is working with donor partners to safely transport ballot boxes from polling stations all over the country to centrally located counting venues. It is a ...1 day ago
- What it’s like to be made redundant by the Ministry of EducationI was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. It is a Friday. I’m in the middle of an online Teams hui working out the finer details of a series of workshops we’ll be presenting next week. It’s a ...1 day ago
- What are ‘Ozempic babies’? Can the drug really increase your chance of pregnancy?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karin Hammarberg, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University Joshua Rodriguez/Unsplash Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are taking drugs like Ozempic to lose weight. But what do we actually know about ...1 day ago
- Why the kookaburra’s iconic laugh is at risk of being silencedSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Diana Kuchinke, Lecturer in Ecology, Federation University Australia Linda Robertus/Shutterstock Once, while teaching a class of environmental science students in China’s Hebei University of Science and Technology, I asked who knew what a laughing kookaburra was. There were many blank faces. ...1 day ago
- Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato smolaw11/Getty Images School truancy has been a concern across the political spectrum for years. But proposed solutions have largely failed to address the core reasons for unexplained school absences. Despite the apparent ...1 day ago
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Key is a dick who should concentrate on his job not his 3rd rate comedic talents
………
Beckham along with many a premier league player, All Black, League player etc is in all likelihood as thick as batshit…. so what their job is sport not nuclear physics or philosophy.
It’s not as if Becks’ job was betting against New Zealand and slashing jobs for some global merchant bank. He’s a footballer. And by Tory logic, using your talent and wits to amass $300m should make him a hero, right?
Right Wingers are inherently the most jealous/envious, status conscious types around. They’ll actually note that someone’s brand new Porsche Cayman is the S spec as opposed to “just” the (cheaper) standard spec, for instance.
hs – you have a very limited concept of what intelligence is.
cv – you have a very limited concept
hs – intelligence takes many forms. Here’s a clip showing mental ability needed by footballers. Becks may not be ronaldo, but he’s far from stupid.
Yep, fair call.
Great video..Thanks
I’m sure he does – selling out NZ to his rich foreign mates.
Lower standard you are past your used by date and are as thick as batshit as well as a dick !
When you look at the Allblacks over the past twenty years you would find most of them have got tertiary degrees!
Then you will find that exercise increases ones ability to think!
Exercise also stops the decline in memory loss!
Maybe shonkey should shut his diarrhoea diatribe and play some football!
Plenty of idiots with tertiary degrees mike more so these days compared to older times when a university degree was at least indicative that one could at least string a sentence together and count on your fingers
Judging by your incoherent rant I’d wager you’ve probably got an MBA or a PhD quite recently.
No standard So you are trying to give me the 3rd degree!
David Kirk! to you you jerk!
Chris Laidlaw!
Richie McCaw!
The list would be to long for you to read!
One has to agree that the first two on your list are real graduates.
McCaw, on the other hand, although he did attend University, did not I believe actually graduate. I do not regard an honorary Doctorate as qualifying.
That’s two out of about 1100 All Blacks. Surely you can come up with some more real graduates?
Very quickly off the top of my head: Anton Olliver and Conrad Smith
Alwyn Richie McCaw has a degree in agricultural science and is rated highly intelligent by his lecturers
Isn’t it funny watching batshit thick righties try and engage in intellectual one-upsmanship.
If you are correct then I fear that Richie may have taken a few to many blows to the head as he doesn’t appear to remember getting the degree.
In the TVNZ story about him getting an honorary degree he said “Having not quite graduated…”
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/richie-mccaw-honorary-doctorate-pretty-awesome-4843480
Chris Laidlaw got his degree years ago, before even an old git like myself, and Kirk’s would’ve been a good thirty years ago, McCaw is no doubt a good bloke but i’m sure he’d be the first to admit that he’s no genius outside of the sporting arena.
aahhh, String Theory.
-lowerstandard (Rogue)
🙂
Exactly – if he hadn’t said this he would be denying it vehemently and demanding the evidence be produced.
Is John Key claiming the reporter heard him wrong or that the reporter is lying? Do we hope there is a recording of John Key thus insulting a visitor to our country?
“Is John Key claiming the reporter heard him wrong or that the reporter is lying?”
Well, he’s not claiming that. Because he’s not actually denying what he said. He’s trying to claim it was somehow a private conversation …. with a bunch of school kids… on an official visit…. in front of a reporter.
This isn’t the first time that Key has said something bad in front of a journalist and responded by trying to attack the journo…. we all remember “we would love to see wages drop”, don’t we? http://thestandard.org.nz/did-key-try-to-get-wage-drop-journalist-sacked/
I understand David Shearer has a tape of the conversation.
Can’t wait to hear what The PM says about our next British visitor and his ‘wife’.
Bet he won’t risk his night hood, sorry knighthood, with words like ‘gay’ or ‘batshit’.
Oh go on John….do it..”say something funny like a young person…ask your kids what is clever these days.
It’s just another revelation of the way Key goes about his daily toils … i.e. just jokes without thinking, speaks without understanding, fires off bullshit as quick as a firecracker and carries on completely oblivious to others around him…. he has no comprehension, or rather care, of the reactions of those around him. Their sensibilities are of no concern to him.
that is the revelation
++1
That’s no revelation, we always knew this since before he became PM.
he got…..
http://megaballsup.com/
Quite revealing, on that page:
“The PM’s Life in Pictures”
– “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, my lifetime desire achieved
… time to piss off now”
I shudder to think the furore in the Nat party and the media if our former PM had said something like this… except she never would because from the beginning she accepted that the job was important and required dignity.
Remember our current PM cut short an international conference because he had tickets to Fleetwood Mac… This is not a leadership position for him it’s a things he’s trying… it’s a game a lark something he’s a having a go at. People who don’t get that it doesn’t actually matter alot to him either way whether has the job or not are deluding themselves. He sees it as his ticket tot he celebrity circuit to be as excited as a little boy meeting celebrities and sports people… which is fine, unless you are leader of a country trying to find its way to transparency, accountability, more jobs and a fairer society.
To have seen batshit wouldn’t he have had to get dirty??? Can’t see it myself, that’s what Bill English is for.
Which former PM are you talking about?
Is it by any chance the one who insulted the then President of the US and ended up having to apologise to him for her comments on the Iraq war?
Did she tell a bunch of schoolkids that she thought Bush was thick as batshit?
Im really puzzled John Key seems to have a lot of private and secret conversations that he either cant remember having or dosent want others to hear and yet he is continuously heard by others to have had.
Some one should tell him to talk more quietly then so others dont hear!!!!!!!!!!!
Groan. Another story about nothing that nobody cares about except people who already hate John Key. Yes, I do expect Mallard will get up and waste the parliaments (and the countries) time with such a stupid question. I am sure he will think he is a very smart boy when he does too. Since he can’t seem to come up with any real way of holding the government to account (you know, what opposition parties are supposed to do) he will fall back on this side show stuff. Why do they get called the “nasty party”? Beats me.
Who, honestly, cares what JK might or might not have said about Beckham? What ….. difference does it make?
He makes us all look bad because as the elected leader of our country he represents the majority of voters at the time of the previous election. This means that his actions reflect poorly on our available choices… when Key is the lesser of two evils to the majority of the population, what does this say about us?
And, tbh, David Shearer is causing me to become incredibly disillusioned about the prospects of a 2 term National government and depressed about the ramifications of such a situation… >_<
Hey Zorr
Re “incredibly disillusioned about the prospects of a 2 term National government and depressed about the ramifications”
– do you mean to say: the prospects of a 3 (THREE) term National government?
Sorry – had been pretty much meaning disillusioned with my hopes that National would only last 2 terms…
Brain fade Monday…
Yea who cares if the PM and minister of Tourism is reported in a major English paper insulting one of their favourite stars. That is totally the how we expect someone in his position to act isn’t it.
You say people who only hate Key will care. I disagree. Yes people who hate Key will jump all over it. Just like all his fan boys such as your self will claim it’s not important. However these are the things that make those who actually shift their position and truly decide elections wonder if this guy actually has the professionalism to do the job. I know I voted for Key in 2008. It was his performance on Letterman that made me realise that he wasn’t a PM but more of an attention seeking embarrassing family member. Except it is the whole of NZ that he is embarrassing.
“Why do they get called the “nasty party”?”
because a bunch of hollow tory spin doctors sold that line to you, thats why
and no – im not a labour voter
Abso-lutely . I really hope that Labour waste a question or on this in QT. That would just be another own goal. No wonder National is at 45%. The amazing aspect is why they are not polling even higher. National are fully focused on getting the economy back in shape and growing employment whilst the opposition flounder on such inanities. Watch for a further fall in Labour polling .
🙄
You’re absolutely hilarious Fisiani.
“National are fully focused on getting the economy back in shape and growing employment……..”
Life on Planet Key is obviously agreeing with you
It’s amazing that a PM of our country would insult and run down a prominent British citizen and sporting hero.
Key needs to understand that it is not cool showing off to teenage school girls and he sets a very bad example as an ungrateful gossip.
Oh Please – stop clutching your pearls. The British haven’t given much of a crap about Becks since he blew them off for the LA Galaxy, and those self-same tabloids take great glee in referring to Becks and Bosh as Thick and Thin. Given some of the nasty names you’ve called various Nats on her, your righteous indignation rings somewhat hollow.
But that was the MEDIA. Not the fucking PRIME MINISTER of New Zealand. Jesus it’s all about how it looked on the world stage.
Now David Beckham is a football star made his millions with his talent which was kicking a ball, (Unlike Key who made his millions Preying on the weak and poor.) And he made a lot, Six times Keys pile. And to have kept them and made more, is probably down to his missus, because everyone KNOWS he is as thick as pig shit They just don’t say it out loud. Along comes Shonky saying “duh David Beckhams as thick as batshit” What a dipstick.
A few column inches in the yellow press of the UK hardly counts as the “world stage”. It’s a piddle in the sea and no one cares. Get a sense of proportion.
We’ve got a dickhead for a Prime Minister. Seems quite important, surely.
Popuganda The BBC and the Guardian are read and watched world wide ie the world stage!
Key is just going to answer “I cannot recall a conversation that never happened”.
TSM key is thick as bat shit and homophobic probably trying to emulate a more successful celebrity
Who has captained England ! probably more demanding than Shonkeys photo opportunism.
At least I bet you Beckham is not suffering early onset Alzheimers!
Key is from the party that promotes personal responsibility.
Yet sets an opposite example of lying virtually all the time!
His leadership of the country is the joke!
Has anyone checked if David Beckham is alright?
Has anyone checked if our reputation as a sovereign nation has been flushed down the toilet, again?
Enhanced I would imagine.
What reputation would that be, its always been a mirage.
Imagine if the really juicy details about politicans, who have their arms up their back were ever leaked into the real world…
People would still call it BS, and keep wondering why the country continues to be represented by types who want to trash the place!
Why is Helen so high up at the UN again..
Primitive Primate he’s to posh to get involved in countries that barely have a turn over equivalent to his wealth!
Has he changed his story? I’m sure as I was skimming stories on this that he was claiming it was someone (ie, not a reporter) who had thought they heard him say…
Thing is ‘someone’ is you or I in terms of perception…an ordinary person… whereas ‘a reporter’ is some ‘other’ in terms of perception and identification. I’d be interested now, to hear from the actual people who ‘thought’ they heard him say something. And I hope it’s a bunch of 14 year old kids he’s dismissing and accusing of lying.
It is an insult to the intelligence of many avian species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batshit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guano
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=batshit
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bat-shit+crazy
http://flyingrodentfecalmatter.blogspot.co.nz/
http://us.myspace.com/flyingrodentfecalmatter
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/38354/where-did-the-phrase-batsht-crazy-come-from
http://www.psmueller.com/batshit.htm
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23batshit
http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/the-internaut/keys-thick-as-batshit-beckham-comments-win-international-headlines/
http://www.wvhighlands.org/Birds/MountaineerFinalAvianRpt-%203-15-04PKJK.pdf
http://www.csu.edu/cerc/researchreports/documents/HomeownersGuidetoNortheasternBats.pdf
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/grants/ScholarshipInfoWEB12.pdf
http://organizations.utep.edu/portals/1475/nagel_bat.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_(goddess)
Key believes that being a smart-arse is to be funny. Moreover he mistakes sarcastic put-downs for humour.
As Shakespeare says, “O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”
Tennyson, “Words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within.”
Abraham Lincoln, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
Perversely, one could argue that with things being dire for many after the Chch quake, the volcanic ‘burb’, and the economy – a clowning PM is a welcome distraction from unpleasant realities.
Quick, enrol Shearer in a clowning improv course somewhere !
Seems that Key for taking the piss out of Beckham for his intelligence or lack thereof.
From the article:
It appears that the ad would have been tapping into a public perception that Beckham isn’t the brightest candle in the cathederal. So, what Key has said probably wouldn’t surprise many.
TSM key is thick as bat shit and homophobic probably trying to emulate a more successful celebrity
Who has captained England ! probably more demanding than Shonkeys photo opportunism.
At least I bet you Beckham is not suffering early onset Alzheimers!
tsmithfield,
Key’s vulgar remark to the schoolgirls was not so much “things-the-pm-shouldn’t-say-because-they-might-not-be-true”, although he seems to have enough trouble with those.
No, this is more in the category of “things-that-are-not-particularly-controversial-but-still-shouldn’t-really-be-said-to-a-bunch-of-schoolgirls-in-a-sweary-way-by-the-head-of-govt-in-case-it-makes-us-look-like-a-nation-of-cunts.”
It’s quite a broad ranging category, but the lines around it are pretty clear and only a true fuckwit would cross them deliberately.
Do we have confirmation he was actually addressing a group of school girls?
Like I said – for all we know at the moment he could have been in the fucking carpark and was overheard by an adult
The most recent reports are saying it was inresponse to a question from the school girls as to what Beck s was like. He said “good looking but stupid as batshit” or something along those lines.you are right though. Until Key fronts up on it at the moment it’s all speculation.
That’s your speculation.
Way to miss the point…
Apparently, Key was having a “personal conversation” with the schoolkids at the photo-op. Should be charged with grooming (to be young nats).
Anyway, Key’s desperate attempts to fit in with plebs by using what he believes is their language is shown up in the same article: on a rural radio show he thought the word “gay” way an insult.
So, the world on planet Key: yoofs swear all the time, farmers are homophobic rednecks, and “whatever it takes” has a small budget and a short expiry date.
I wonder how much his salary would be worth if we deducted all the time he seems to spend on personal conversations, personal meetings, private cups of tea, celebrity rounds of golf and general joking around.
Not much I reckon. Probably just the hour or two in question time every couple of weeks.
Private huh. Plenty of journalists around as usual, but any tea pots this time?
Damned journalists, always eavesdropping when he invites them to media events…
Beckham is proof that you don’t need a Phd to earn several million dollars, charm, good looks and a common touch has made David Beckham the international star he is today. David gives hope to all those non academic types out there , proving that with the right amount of talent and timing you can achieve at the highest level.
John Key owes David Beckham an apology for his insulting and ignorant remark.
So it’s ok to be thick so long as you’re good at sports and/or pretty.
Wow, what a smart ass elitist remark.
Says the bourgeois parasite whose every second utterance is a pontification on what the working classes really need and how awful things like reality television are, and how stupid most New Zealanders are etc etc…
By the way, is that use of “ass” instead of “arse” an admission that you work for the CIA – you used to apply that logic to me all the time.
Oh P1, you’re such a effette snob!
Look out. He has done it again!
Key jokingly criticised a red top worn by presenter Jamie Mackay throughout an interview on The Farming Show last week. …
“You’re munted mate you’re never going to make it. You’ve got that gay red top on.”
An expression used by kids to put down other kids? But for a PM????
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10845253
It would seem Key didn’t actually say it too children but that he was overheard by someone else. And if he was talking to a friend or colleague then he is allowed to express his view.
Hell, imagine some of the shit MP’s say about each in private
It would seem that Key was trying to show off to teenage girls that he knew David Beckham, and on an official visit as PM and Parliamentarian he shouldn’t be talking in front of kids as if he were at the pub.
Totally inappropriate.
“It would seem that Key was trying to show off to teenage girls that he knew David Beckham, and on an official visit as PM and Parliamentarian he shouldn’t be talking in front of kids as if he were at the pub.”
Well considering we don’t know if he was in fact talking in front of kids (hell, it could have been in the fucking carpark for all you know) or if any kids heard him don’t think you’re being a little presumptuous? Don’t think the news and teachers would be complaining about John key swearing in front of children if that were the case.
If he’s on the job it’s not private.
Well, since we don’t know the situation, who heard it and in what capacity then it is all speculation.
Was he visiting the school on his day off? Or was he visiting as PM?
If it was as PM then he was on the job.
I don’t care in what capacity he was visiting as.
If he swore in front of school children that is one thing but if it was a comment to a friend or co-worker and was overheard then who gives a shit?
“John Key swears in front of schoolchildren” is a headline.
“John Key tells a friend he thinks Beckham is thick” is not much of a story
Contrarian on one hand you say the capacity / situation is relevant and on the other you say the capacity / situation is irrelevant.
Better watch out you don’t lose all your relevants
It’s all internal, this contrarianism.
Yeah it is, because he’s the P fucking M, and while he’s doing his P fucking M job he’s supposed to be conducting himself with a bit of dignity, decorum, and diplomacy.
If he wants to be a BBQ dickhead all day every day he can fuck off back to Hawaii and do it on his own time.
Why do mad today Felix? Your period?
I’m ok. Why do you ask?
You seem tense
[lprent: Are you talking to yourself? This appears to be a reply to yourself. ]
A classic Key-esque Comment!
While talking to students. At one of the more conservative girls’ schools in town. Much lolz.
Tell me, cont, are you living up to your self-professed apolitical status by arguing on KB that he should apologise for speaking like that to kids while working as our PM?
They are complaining mate, Keys lost a shit load of votes, but doesn’t care. As for the news, Key could set his farts on fire and the NZ Herald would run a story on the PM supporting alternative fuels.
meh, personally if he was addressing student specifically when he said i can see how that is a problem but if he was discussing something with a friend or colleague then he is entitled to an opinion and it is pretty pale in comparison to what MP’s scream at other in the house.
He wanted to show off to the young girls that he and his son had met David Beckham. Sorta lame and juvenile.
“He wanted to show off to the young girls that he and his son had met David Beckham. ”
What unsubstantiated crap
It makes sense, Key wanting to be the cool guy in front of some teenage girls, dissing some famous sports star by talking some trash.
Why would Key be trying to impress some young girls?
No it doesn’t – it doesn’t make any sense that a married man in his 50’s would be trying to impress teenage girls unless you are insinuating Key has tendancies towards you girls
Yawn.
Yes, Key has tendencies toward young girls. The abnormal bit is thinking it’s ok to get sweary with them.
Really, Key likes young girls? Wanna back up that particular piece of slander?
I don’t need to, it’s entirely uncontroversial.
So saying the PM has a liking towards teenage girls is uncontroversial?
I don’t think so, no. Why would it be?
edit: controversial, I mean.
Tendencies towards you girls… Who are you calling a girl?
Besides the fun of watching you guys trying to imply meanings to ambiguous euphemisms, the easy non-controversial answer to “why was key trying to impress schoolgirls” is simple: he’s a vacuous jerk who likes being treated like a big man: new limos, DPS entourage, Letterman, name-dropping, and the synthetic bonding with an audience by implying closeness and trust through the use of naughty words.
Spoilsport :p
lol
To be fair, it’s possible that Key prefers animals to schoolgirls.
Celebrity over substance how the young view the world but the substance (lack of)got in the way!
terrible stuff bat shit!
Never mind. David Shearer will have a tape recording of what he actually said. Oh, wait…
Very pithy.
Why do I get the feeling the Labour party is involved in this beat up.
Boringly Mundane Doh because Key is handing them all the ammunition they need!
I reckon Clare Curran may have something to do with this.
I reckon she didn’t. So where are we now?
Wait a week and see what comes out.
Doesn’t this strike you as another Labour driven attempt to slag of the PM also that Shearer refuses to comment on it , does he know something?
Yea what in the hell are the opposition doing pointing out when the PM is doing things wrong? What the hell has this world come too?
But this is a RNZ reprot based on what the reporter heard. What’s that got to do with Labour?
And why would Labour make up a story that Key talked incoherent smack about David Beckham to some private school girls in Dunedin? No-one would ever believe them.
Why do we demand that people who are good at sport also be smart?
No-one says: that Enrico Fermi may be sharp as a tack, but he is shit at rugger.
Stephen Hawking is brilliant but he is fucking hopeless at water-polo
More an underwater hockey guy
I don’t know Ole, but I think the real question is “Why do we demand that people who are representing us as a nation behave in a diplomatic and dignified manner in public rather than being dickheads 24/7?”
I don’t know, Felix. I think I would prefer that people representing us said what they think, rather than considering their primary responsibility not to offend people. I think the modern fashion for avoiding causing offence is a little tiresome.
Yeah, fuck it. What makes the job so bloody important anyway?
Yeah except when you’re leader of a country, wars happen.
I didn’t realise Posh and Becks were preparing to invade us.
Heard of custard pie wars? Key is a sitter for one ………………….
Be quite cool though. King Becks and Queen Posh. Armani for everyone.
Eh? Are they not royals?
It seems to me the only thing Key is guilty of is insulting bat shit. 🙂
Yeah, you already tried that.
Like I said, it’s nothing to do with the accuracy of the remark, just the appropriateness.
Yes I remember how angry you got when Helen Clark called all residents of the West Coast “feral inbreds”.
Keys comments are probably not as offensive but he still deserves your wrath.
Except she didn’t.
Yes she did. I overheard it. She was speaking privately to a group of intellectually handicap preteens who had all been the victims of incest.
Absolutely disgraceful. I remember at the time how the indignant, but made up anger, came flowing out of me like a volcano. “She’s the P fucking M” I howled.
Joke all you like, you’re still lying.
If I’m wrong, prove it with a source, a reference, a link, anything you can find that shows that Helen Clark “called all residents of the West Coast feral inbreds”.
Hint: we’ve done this all before, and there isn’t one, because she didn’t say it.
How about Clark calling New Zealanders “deeply racist”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/features/3751531/Acting-giant-reflects-on-NZ-society
Or calling John Campbell a “sanctimonious little creep”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dET78Z5b5s
Well, at a guess there are a few hundred thousand NZers out there who ARE deeply racist. Mostly against Maori and Pasifika in my experience.
Ah, but is it (a) any less true than Becks not being the brightest crayon in the box, and (b) any less likely to hurt people’s feelings?
The PM’s a dick, his dickhead statements prove it, what does that make you, running irrelevancies as cover for his poor representation of NZ?
She didn’t say that either.
Here’s the quote, from Sir Ian McKellan, from your own frickin link: “She said to me that New Zealand was really a very racist country, and she was determined to do everything she could as prime minister to change that.”
The way you phrased it you made it look like you were quoting Helen Clark saying “New Zealanders are deeply racist” when you have no record whatsoever of such words being used. It may well be Sir Ian’s summary of an hour-long conversation ffs.
Bit deceptive, mate.
Feeling a bit irony deficient, felix? Key was presented as if he was being quoted directly, although we have no idea of the circumstances.
Interesting that no one has bothered to contradict the John Campbell incident. Predictable.
I refer you to McFlock’s earlier pointing-out-of-the-obvious-to-idiots here: http://thestandard.org.nz/clear-as-batshit/comment-page-1/#comment-543231
According to the reporter present, Key made the comments “while talking to students at Dunedin’s St Hilda’s Collegiate on Friday”.
Seems a pretty clear description of the circumstances. What’s confusing you?
ps I note that you didn’t dispute that you made up the Clark quote.
And to absolutely explicit, the RNZ report here actually states that “Key joked with a group of pupils” when he used the phrase. 10sec in, within even a tory’s attention span.
Apparently, when Key is taking reporters on a photo-op with schoolkids, anything he says during that photo-op is an off the record “personal conversation”.
But keep polishing that turd.
Are you calling Sir Ian a liar?
Nope. Either Key or RadioNZ.
Based on past form, my money’s on Key being a lying prick to cover his arse.
And your gandalf-line was a bit loose with strict reality yourself.
Thanks for your grateful informations, this blogs will be really help for freshers jobs.
He’s hedging his bets becasue he thinks maybe Radio NZ’s reporter actually has the recording of him saying it …but is choosing to hold onto that tape …
Always a risk-taker. Taking a long time to learn that you can’t wing it ALL the time when you are PM
GG
Anything this bl—y nact govt touches turns to ‘batshit’
Change regulations,turns to ‘batshit’
Changes to policy, turns to ‘batshit’
The ‘batshit’ leader and his ‘batshit’ ministers should all
resign,to save NZ from any more ‘batshit’ madness.