Comments on: Creative pitch

By: Tane

Tane — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:56:55 +0000

Hilarious. John, you’re probably just misentering the captcha. We haven’t censored you, if anything we were looking forward to having you back for a yarn.

By: Robinsod

Robinsod — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:48:36 +0000

But then again maybe JA was trying to access the Australian standard…

By: Robinsod

Robinsod — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:47:23 +0000

Yes definitely a clarification. Do you think they should bother with the journo or just go straight to Coleman?

By: Pascal's bookie

Pascal's bookie — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:31:20 +0000

I see John Ansell is crying in the NBR this morning.

He rejects claims by Labour-leaning blog The Standard that he would not get the National advertising contract in 2008.

“This is absolutely not true, and three times I have tried to correct this, and each time I have been refused access. They have censored me.”

If that’s true, (and I doubt it), Naughty Standard.

If he just can’t work the captcha, you should ask for a ‘clarification’.

By: Rexel

Rexel — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:48:21 +0000

Who is that lady on the Labour side of the poster. Has the Prime Minister got a stunt double or has she finally got those wretched teeth fixed.

By: Steve Pierson

Steve Pierson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:06:38 +0000

to be fair Phil. we’re not fulltime statisticans and we’re trying to communicate statistical information (unemployment rates and wages over time, for example) in a manner that is accesible to those with less statistical nous than your good self.

By: Nevermind » Briefly: Well, I Guess That’s a Policy…

Nevermind » Briefly: Well, I Guess That’s a Policy… — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:01:10 +0000

[...] The Standard. [...]

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:00:18 +0000

Crime;
Yes, the rate of minor crimes do tend to rise during periods of downturn. However, the incidence of reporting those crimes tends to fall.
Conversly, I fully expect to see a rise in the reporting of domestic abuse, rape and other ‘in-home’ crime over the coming years as the “it’s not OK” campaign sinks in.
As such, it’s very difficult to make any kind of claim about the real level of crime simply by looking at data on that which is reported.

Wages;
The level of analysis at TheStandard/Kiwiblog et al has not been statistical – it has used statistics, which is a step in the right direction and to be supported – but not been “statistical” in any real sense.

Increasing the minimum wage has, in my view, zero impact on real income for the vast majority of workers. For your claim to be true you would have to subscribe to the notion of complete lack of labour mobility or skills improvement. The analysis here has usually failed to take into account the even a portion of the raft of economic factors at play in these dynamics.

By: Steve Pierson

Steve Pierson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:15:34 +0000

Phil. minor crimes, especially theft, increase during periods of economic trauma. Crime, after all, is partially a symptom of socio-economic problems

And I don’t think I claimed that any of the above was down to the government. I was refuting Murray’s assertion that we’re in the ‘effing shit’.

Of course, if pressed, I would point out our posts with statistical analyses showing the centre-left goverments have a stronger record on these measures than National.. especially wages, which is strongly driven, let’s not forget, by government labour policy, public sector employment policy, and government minimum wage movements (or lack thereof)

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:52 +0000

unemployment is at a record low/wages are rising quickly?
Not because of the actions of the Govt – it’s all demand driven from employers

because the terms of trade are the best they’ve been?
Not because of the actions of the Govt, not even slightly!

because the current account deficit is reducing?
You can have this one.

because the government is working to reduce housing costs?
Really? How many first home buyers BUILD? Shane Jones’ policy seems to be nothing more than a transfer of costs from the builder to the ratepayer. Not cool.

because business taxes are coming down and so will income taxes?
Both partys are singing the same tune here…

because crime is down?
Crime statistics are quite unique in reported/unreported occurences. I suspect that changes to methodology for treatment of data have just as much (if not more) to do with any fundamental shift up or down than actual govt policy.
Also; international data suggest the level of reported minor crime has a tendancy to fall in times of economic downturn – especially recession/depression

because life expectancy is up?
Is up everywhere (expect maybe iraq…)
Show me evidence that govt policy is causing life expectancy to increase more than our international peers, and then you might have a case.

By: Steve Pierson

Steve Pierson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:53:20 +0000

Murray. are we in the ‘effing shit’ because unemployment is at a record low?
because wages are rising quickly?
because the terms of trade are the best they’ve been?
because the current account deficit is reducing?
because the government is working to reduce housing costs?
because business taxes are coming down and so will income taxes?
because crime is down?
because life expectancy is up?

By: Murray

Murray — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:08:20 +0000

The caption on the left should read “bad policy”. Have you seen the Herald today. Can’t you effing idiots see this country is seriously in the shit.

By: Lifting the Standard « KiwiBlogBlog

Lifting the Standard « KiwiBlogBlog — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:50:20 +0000

[...] was a 60s pop/rock band, all_your_base would be ‘the funny one’, and he’s really out-done himself this time with his pitch to replace John Ansell as National’s propaganda [...]

By: out of bed

out of bed — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:47:06 +0000

I might get a few hundred stickers printed

By: Steve Pierson

Steve Pierson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:40:02 +0000

brilliant. i can’t type for laughing.