Open mike 09/06/2011

66 comments on “Open mike 09/06/2011 ”

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1. Penny Bright 1

   9 June 2011 at 7:28 am

   8 June 2011
   PRESS RELEASE: Penny Bright ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’:

   “Is the Solicitor-General maliciously abusing his position, as the second-highest ‘lawyer in the land’ by persecuting/ prosecuting Vince Siemer (AGAIN) for ‘contempt of Court’? ”

   Vince Siemer – is facing jail for contempt of court (AGAIN!), through proceedings initiated (AGAIN) by the Solicitor -General for telling the public J Winkelman’s decision that the people arrested in the state terror raids of 15th October 2007 were not only denied a jury trial, but that the public were being denied the right to know that information.

   (There will be a protest outside the Wellington High Court
   2 Molesworth St (opposite Parliament)
   Thursday 9 June 2011 from 9 – 10am, then for those who are able – quiet support inside the court room.

   Well-known human rights lawyer Tony Ellis will be defending Vince Siemer).

   In my considered opinion, Vince Siemer is NZ’s leading ‘Public Watchdog’ / ‘Whistleblower’ on the lack of transparency and accountability and ‘conflicts of interest’ in the NZ Judiciary.
   http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz )

   Why is the Solicitor-General David Collins QC himself not facing an investigation for ‘contempt of the House’ – given his role – in my considered opinion, of helping to ‘mislead’ the former Justice and Electoral Select Committee, which resulted in the matters raised in Petition 2005/142 being declared ‘subjudice’, at a time they clearly were NOT?

   (Petition 2005/142 presented to the House by Mr Hide MP on 24 July 2007 “requesting that Parliament conduct an inquiry into the comittal for imprisonment of Mr Vincent Ross Siemer for contempt of court”)

   Was the former Justice and Electoral Select Committee ‘misled’ – not only by the Solicitor-General David Collins QC (‘the highest acting law officer in the land’); but also by the former Clerk of the House David McGee QC (now an Ombudsman) ; and the former Acting Deputy Solicitor-General (Public Law) Grant Liddell (who later became the CEO of the NZ Serious Fraud Office (SFO)?

   Read the following information for yourself – and you be the judge…….”

   (Full post on http://waterpressure.wordpress.com )

   Penny Bright
2. logie97 2

   9 June 2011 at 7:51 am

   So now many of the ordinary mums and dads are being subtly cast again as “pariahs” of the state – you know, the ones who belong to unions or are public service employees. Now, let’s list a few other average mums and dads who, with the stroke of their pens, have shunted inordinate amounts of the New Zealand cake offshore – family names like Myers, Douglas, Fay, Aldgate-Whitechapel, Hart, Richwhite, … makes you wonder who the real Kiwis are doesn’t it?
   • ZeeBop 2.1

     9 June 2011 at 8:50 am

     Oh, its far worse, the typically civilisation killer is here. Where the language of debate, if its allowed to happen (in the public eye), is restricted to the needs of the exploiters continued exploitation. Where the only justified work lifestyle has to be in some industry that exploits its workers and its environment, and where if you do have standards to meet the taxpayer not the polluter has to pay. Imagine the markets as a massive bragging competition, we’re made this much money using up this much soil, putting this much high density ore into refuse dumps globally, so we can produce some high end product for the few who braggers who brag the best.
     Its not surprising Key is loved by one and all, he is a hero of the brag to make money brigade, what your kids should grow up to be like.
3. tc 3

   9 June 2011 at 7:51 am

   What’s the story with Fiji at the RWC? Articles I’ve read seem confusing as to who can and can’t come and I got the impression the IRB seemed to be thinking it could let in who it liked……ignoring any bans we may have.
   • Colonial Viper 3.1

     9 June 2011 at 8:39 am

     That’s probably because McCully has promised the IRB that any such existing bans will not be enforced for the purposes of the RWC.
     • William Joyce 3.1.1

       9 June 2011 at 10:52 am

       So it’s another case of us surrendering sovereignty to some external transnational body? – again!
       Thanks Murray! You bring the KY and we will assume the position – again!
4. Pascal's bookie 4

   9 June 2011 at 8:01 am

   Glenn Greenwald finds a(nother) classic example of one his favorite bugbears; ridiculously inappropriate use of anonymous sourcing.

   http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/06/02/hersh/index.html

   Shorter: Dear journo’s, when officials are feeding you the official line, they don’t need anonymity, and shouldn’t get it.
5. mickysavage 5

   9 June 2011 at 8:27 am

   What is it with Key and planking?  He is now busily trying to reform labour laws to make protection for workers a joke and describes this as a “campaign plank” …
    
   Plonker.
    
   • Cin77 5.1

     9 June 2011 at 1:23 pm

     Probably think he’s “cool”
6. M 6

   9 June 2011 at 10:27 am

   Interesting flick – it’s long though at nearly three hours

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w
   • Colonial Viper 6.1

     9 June 2011 at 11:21 am

     Haha they said “a NZ study done in a town called Doo-Ned-In”
7. Draco T Bastard 7

   9 June 2011 at 11:09 am

   Hmmmm…

   Focus on the red line, and you’ll see that the recession began in the final quarter of 2006, not the end of 2007.

   So, some indications show that the US went into recession in 2006 and still hasn’t come out. That’s gotta hurt.
8. Morrissey 8

   9 June 2011 at 11:45 am

   Closing down debate quickly on National Radio—again
   Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan, Thursday June 9, 2011

   In a discussion about deep sea oil and gas exploration off New Zealand’s coasts, Simon Boxer of Greenpeace mentioned that both the Brazilian government and Petrobras were angry with the New Zealand government for making public announcements about oil-prospecting deals, without having consulted local people.

   Incredibly, Kathryn Ryan sternly warned him away: “Well, we had the Associate Minister disputing that the other day. I don’t want that dragged up again. Let’s move on.”

   A couple of weeks ago, an equally nervous Jim Mora stopped Richard Langstone and Bomber Bradbury from going after Professor Stephen Hoadley, who had made a couple of preposterous statements asserting the “legality” of the American carpet-bombing of Indo-China, and claiming that it conformed with the Geneva Conventions. Like Ryan, Mora insisted that there was no time to go “off topic” like that. (“The Panel”, May 27, 2011)

   These are by no means isolated instances.

   It’s clear that, in addition to the highly partisan, unapologetically pro-National-government New Zealand Herald and NewstalkZB, we have a public radio station that is afraid of incurring government wrath by letting critics have a say.

   That’s a worry for democracy, as well as a blow for the prospects of interesting or stimulating discussions on the radio.
   • prism 8.1

     9 June 2011 at 1:35 pm

     Morrissey – Be fair, the interviewers must offer their audience a broad view of their subject, and only Mary Wilson, of those I listen to, hammers one aspect into the ground. She doesn’t give up. Sometimes it even seems pointless and I turn the radio off. Interviewers can’t get into the argy-bargy that goes on here sometimes with endless assertions being countered continuously with a lot of rancour and little illumination or new facets being revealed, and other relevant info getting sidelined.
     • Morrissey 8.1.1

       9 June 2011 at 7:06 pm

       …only Mary Wilson…hammers one aspect into the ground. She doesn’t give up.

       Eva Radich is another determined interviewer. When Tony Blair had the hide to make a state visit here some years ago, she went after him about the illegality of the Iraq invasion and his bogus “45 minute” claim. She would not let him evade her questions or divert the focus of the interview. In the end, of course, he just resorted to his usual insulting menu of vague platitudes. But she had discomfited that creep, in a way he rarely faced back in the U.K. And what a great contrast between her interview with Blair and the hesitant treatment he got a day later by an overwhelmed John Campbell, who obviously detested Blair but lacked the fortitude to insist he respond seriously to his questions.

       Last year Kim Hill subjected ex-Australian prime minister John Howard to a thirty-five minute interrogation. The Great Man was clearly unsettled by her persistence, something he rarely if ever encountered back in Australia. But one person was even more upset by the interview than Howard was—the Wairarapa oenophile Karl Du Fresne was incensed by Kim’s lack of forelock-tugging, and slammed her “lack of balance” in a dyspeptic column in the Australian Spectator…
       http://karldufresne.blogspot.com/2010/11/howard-deserved-more-balanced-treatment.html

       Sometimes it even seems pointless and I turn the radio off.

       I think it’s a pity more interviewers haven’t got the courage, or are insufficiently prepared, to seriously hold politicians to account. When TV and radio stations assign people like John Campbell, Kathryn Ryan, Mike Hosking, and (God save us) Paul Holmes to interview powerful and intimidating politicians, it’s a missed opportunity.
       • Pascal's bookie 8.1.1.1

         9 June 2011 at 7:29 pm

         I generally reckon that when the press isn’t being combative they are missing the point of their freedom.

         I like seeing all pollies getting their feet held to the fire, particularly when they are ones that I have voted for or are thinking of voting for. Fucking nail them.

         I don’t care if a journo ‘gets it wrong’, or asks ‘stupid questions’ or is ‘rude’. That’s ‘doing their job’ as far as I see it.

         One of the US founders said (paraphrase) that given the choice between a free press and free elections, he’d take the former every time. And this was in a time when the press was vicious. His point was that a combative and free press lets the public know things by forcing pollies to confront things. Without that knowledge, elections are useless. With that knowledge, even absent elections, remedies are available.

         The public is capable of deciding if a journo has been an arsehole, and an arsehole journo at the end of the day, is just a twatcock asking questions and printing the answers. Those answers will always be of some value.
   • Vicky32 8.2

     9 June 2011 at 6:55 pm

     I note that Ryan is often like that, ruthlessly cutting people off… either for time reasons, or for reasons of what seems to be clearly censorship…
9. prism 9

   9 June 2011 at 1:20 pm

   Some detail about the Ecoli outbreak. This has been ruinous for Spain and the wash has spread over all the EU. A British bacteriologist (I think) said that in fact it was a North German problem. All the people sickening outside Germany had contact from there. The researchers have concentrated on salad vegetables because most of those affected are women and probably health conscious, but what about bottled water, or natural beauty preparations? (Light bulb – they need to call House.)

   With all the sophisticated, easily accessed labs they have in Germany and Europe, they have not been able to source this thing. Imagine our country affected by a blow to its agriculture like this. It does not even have to be true, just suspected. We have closed down so much of our manufacturing and employment-rich businesses separate from the farming economy. We would be back to slave camps, that’s what they called the work camps during the Depression. And glad to get something no doubt.

   From google listings –
   1 The EHEC strain may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is characterised by acute kidney failure and can lead to seizures, strokes and coma.
   Reinhard Burger, head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute which monitors epidemics, said the country usually saw between 50 and 60 cases of HUS annually, whereas it had recorded about 80 during the current outbreak.
   Earlier –
   2 Ten people have been hospitalized in Frankfurt with another 50 experiencing mild symptoms. In Hamburg, another forty patients are being treated for EHEC as well. Other cases have been confirmed in the Northern part of Germany including Rostock, Lower Saxony, Bremen and Schleswig Holstein. There are up to 600 suspected cases across Germany.

   3 The latest cases in the U.K. involve three people with bloody diarrhea and one person who has developed the potentially fatal form of the condition known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
   Three of the four new cases are in U.K. residents who have recently returned from Germany, and the other involves a person from Germany who is on vacation in England.

   Recent news 8/6 http://news.uk.msn.com/world/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=158154499
   4 Another person has died in Germany from the infection, raising the toll to 24 in Germany, plus one in Sweden.
   The number of reported cases is up by more than 300 over the previous day to 2,648, including nearly 700 suffering from a serious complication that can cause kidney failure.
   Interesting, the photo accompanying the above article showed a laboratory worker? not wearing gloves with an opened bean sprout packet which the caption said was to be tested. Surely a file photo. I wouldn’t want to put my flesh anywhere near something as possibly infective as that.
   • Lanthanide 9.1

     9 June 2011 at 1:33 pm

     “Imagine our country affected by a blow to its agriculture like this. It does not even have to be true, just suspected.”
      
     This is why the American beef industry does their own management of testing for mad cow disease, and deliberately do a very poor job of it while covering up any actual infections detected (any cows ‘suspected’ of having it are killed and incinerated before samples can be taken for proper testing). That way they can be sure that if there is actually a problem with mad cow disease, it would have to be quite widespread before the public became aware of it.
     • Jim Nald 9.1.1

       9 June 2011 at 1:57 pm

       In milk we trust.
       Solely, absolutely and forever and ever.
       Kiss goodbye to rail and engineering technology (Kevin Welsh @ 1:44pm).
       May the sacredness of our milk always prevail over all disasters – national or National.
       And may our milk be always completely free from health scares.

       If you’re not keen about being a milk slave, erm, farmer or dairy maid, please take the next one-way flight out of Milkland.
       • PeteG 9.1.1.1

         9 June 2011 at 3:06 pm

         In milk we trust.

         I don’t know if I would trust all milk, there was something on TV news last night about modified cows producing “human ” milk. Curdled thoughts on that.
         • Colonial Viper 9.1.1.1.1

           9 June 2011 at 5:18 pm

           Hey PeteG, maybe National can now find a productive use for all those DPB mums eh?
           • Jum 9.1.1.1.1.1

             9 June 2011 at 5:55 pm

             Careful, Colonial Viper; I don’t think the NActs understand satire. At least I hope it was satire…
             • Colonial Viper …

               9 June 2011 at 6:30 pm

               😛
     • prism 9.1.2

       9 June 2011 at 2:29 pm

       lanthanide – Gosh! The usa beef lobby is powerful – remember them suing Oprah for saying she wouldn’t eat hamburger or similar. I think that was at the mad cow disease outbreak. Also I remember a couple of journalists being harrassed by the usa dairy lobby who managed to get control of the wording of legislation about quality of milk so they could ensure that people remained unaware of possible problems. The ‘What you don’t know, won’t hurt you’ approach. This was another scare, back a decade or two.

       You can imagine how tough the usa lobby is when you hear Federated Farmers leaders like Don Nicholson talking about farmers’ interests.
   • freedom 9.2

     9 June 2011 at 7:04 pm

     http://beforeitsnews.com/story/693/134/Forensic_Evidence_Emerges_that_European_E.Coli_Superbug_was_Bioengineered_to_Produce_Human_Fatalities.html

     according to some very smart people, including the Koch Institute mentioned above, Mother Nature simply does not work in the manner the Bankers would like us to believe. No naturally occuring process can achieve this level of resistance complexity and then magically appear simulaneously in multiple links on the food chain. It does not happen, not without a concerted level of assistance.

     The very complex questions, often have very simple answers.
     • wtl 9.2.1

       9 June 2011 at 7:41 pm

       What a load of BS. Bacteria such as E. coli typically acquire multidrug resistance via horizontal gene transfer from other bacteria, and not via multiple rounds of selection. And bacterial contamination is easy spread given the right conditions (and of course that all the cases are linked to a single country anyway). Mother nature is not benevolent.

       And the theory of how the strain was ‘engineered’ is just as dumb. If I was going to engineer a deadly strain of bacteria, it wouldn’t be via that method.
10. Kevin Welsh 10

    9 June 2011 at 1:44 pm

    Just another kick in the guts for what is left of New Zealand’s heavy engineering industry.
    • Colonial Viper 10.1

      9 June 2011 at 2:21 pm

      This is shocking. But this Government prefers to purchase Chinese workers and have our own as unemployed on the street and on the dole because it is more “efficient”.
    • Draco T Bastard 10.2

      9 June 2011 at 3:44 pm

      …and they believed their loyalty to the company now counted for nothing, Kelly said.

      Loyalty to a company never amounts to anything. The directors/owners ask for it all the time but never extend it themselves.

      And yes, this act is just another way that NAct are undermining our economy.
    • millsy 10.3

      10 June 2011 at 12:51 am

      I dont think we should be suprised about this one. And we shouldnt blame the current administration.

      This has been happening for about the past 25 years or so, with NZR, TranzRail and then Toll running down the railway workshops, that provided NZ with a lot of skill, expertise and engineering infrastructure for the past century or so. Eastown, Otahuhu, Addington (now replaced by a shopping mall), all gone, and Hutt, along with Hillside, running at a fraction of its orginal capacity.

      If you want to blame anyone for this, blame Richard Prebble. He was the one who stripped NZR to the bone for it to be flogged off.
      • Colonial Viper 10.3.1

        10 June 2011 at 1:12 am

        NZ has been going down the wrong road for a very long time.
        • Draco T Bastard 10.3.1.1

          10 June 2011 at 1:22 am

          Yep and, unfortunately, neither of the two main parties are willing to change the direction just yet. One because of the ideology – they actually want NZ to go the wrong way because it directly benefits them and they don’t care what it does to everyone else. The other doesn’t seem to want to admit that it got it wrong three decades ago and some of them even want to continue going the wrong way as well.

          Choice: A) Wrong way or b) Wrong way with conditions.

          Not really all that appertising and none of the minor parties are talking about the necessary changes needed to make us sustainable/more egalatarian either. They’re sayijg that’s what they want but not how to go about doing it.
11. prism 11

    9 June 2011 at 2:13 pm

    Some thoughts on religion, the good, the bad and the ugly.
    The good ideas and ideals from religion can get dereailed after the ambitious and the fanatical and the dogmatic pedants and the supernaturally moral (in theory) get their hold on it and find a hopefully, comfortable position within it and a hopefully decent income and elevated position in society. It’s true that men have dominated in the past, but in the Catholic church some of the nuns have been remarkably bold in setting up an Order in a new place. And Anglican nuns as well I think. The belief of a woman in the goodness of Christ and his life as a shining example to follow led her into an adventurous and strenuous life. Read about Gladys Aylward in The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. Often comes up on Trademe. Religion has been a comfort, a scourge, a challenge. Here is a link I’ve got – can’t remember exactly what’s on it. http://www.bdcconline.net/en/stories/a/aylward-gladys.php

    And if you are a leftie then you will have heard of The Tolpuddle Martyrs – basically one family of godly men who started the farm union movement in southern England, got punished by being sent as convicts to Australia, and by popular acclaim of British crowds who supported them, were pardoned and allowed back to England. It was their Methodism that kept them sane in their souls, and gave them strength to endure the very nasty privations they bore.

    For the rest of us, it is sometimes just comfortable to front up and gabble the responses, kneel and rise if that’s how they do it in Rome, sing a few good songs, and hopefully be better people for a while. There are worse things than meeting with others who have shared beliefs in trying to be kind and think of others before ourselves sometimes. But as M says in the blog for Key’s Destiny it doesn’t last beyond Sunday morning for some people.
    • M 11.1

      9 June 2011 at 2:49 pm

      Nice one prism and I don’t down people for having faith having being raised a Catholic but I don’t like it where religion is misused to keep people down, for example Joseph Ratzinger aka God’s policeman describing homosexuals as backyard mongrels.

      As a teenager it began to chafe the way I saw women very much in the background with their worth seeming to be in motherhood or the religious life instead of the human flawed beings like their male counterparts.

      I’m lapsed for many years now but take with me the social justice aspect of my upbringing and try to effect change where I can or speak out in defence of those under nasty yokes and I think many other lapsers do too.

      Don’t have a problem with people being churchgoers or talking about their faith as I have friends from all over the spectrum from hardened atheists to the most ardent believers and when faith or religion is put to use for the good like say the sisters of the Home of Compassion I’m their most vehement supporter.
      • swordfish 11.1.1

        9 June 2011 at 5:12 pm

        My old Grandmother – a life-long Athiest and left-wing Labour Party activist – always said Lapsed Catholics made the best, most passionate, most committed Lefties.
        • mickysavage 11.1.1.1

          9 June 2011 at 5:25 pm

          Agreed swordfish.  My grandmother had a picture of Jesus Christ the sacred heart on one side of her mantlepiece and Micky Savage on the other.  Both pictures were about the same size and of an identical height!
          • freedom 11.1.1.1.1

            9 June 2011 at 7:07 pm

            May i suggest that lapsed Catholics make good lefties because the good hearts of these people were still beating after realising the Church was one big lie and they really really wanted to believe that there is a way for Humans to help each other live a better life without the endless deference to greed and brutality
      • Vicky32 11.1.2

        9 June 2011 at 7:10 pm

        Nice one prism and I don’t down people for having faith having being raised a Catholic but I don’t like it where religion is misused to keep people down, for example Joseph Ratzinger aka God’s policeman describing homosexuals as backyard mongrels.
         

        I have come to believe that I had a huge advantage by being raised by parents who were atheist and agnostic/apathetic.. (although afaik they didn’t stay that way.) I didn’t learn anything about God/religion/church until I was 19. I started as a fundamentalist, and have become an Anglo-Catholic.
        I’ve heard that Benedict said that, but I’d like ‘chapter and verse’, simply because from what I know of him (which was nothing,  until recently my dear beloved Italian teacher, sent me his latest book as a Christmas present) it does not sound like the sort of thing he would say! When I am not here, I spend far too long on ATS, talking about politics which is fine, and ‘debating’ with atheists, which is not – because said atheists are much more into personal abuse than all but a few here (you know who  you are! 😀 ) It just makes me completely exhausted to see all the same old techniques – the old assertiveness training ‘broken record’ is a favourite…. Sadly, so is citing the most rage-inducing quotes, without sources, and then when the sources are tracked down, turns out to have been something interpreted very creatively! Having the same problem convincing Americans that Admadinejad never said he wanted to nuke Israel, not even ‘wipe it off the map’ – I can’t understand why lefties are quite happy to use right wing techniques such as mis-quoting, etc against we religious… 🙁
12. jackal 12

    9 June 2011 at 2:41 pm

    More Questions Than Answers

    Yesterday, the Green Party co-leader Dr Russel Norman asked the Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key a number of pertinent questions concerning Ministers receiving “corporate hospitality.” As usual John Key was evasive and did not answer appropriately continuing to obfuscate and deliberately withhold relevant information. The current Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith then protected John Key by implementing procedural trivialities in an appalling display of arrogance that perverted Parliamentary justice from being served.
13. ZeeBop 13

    9 June 2011 at 3:09 pm

    Easy street, insulated by their wealth, are up in arms over loss of free weather reports for pilots.
    Unlike boaties, rock anglers, etc, anyone, who can jump off anywhere to get on the ocean, not just anyone can jump in a plane, or hellicopter.
    What exactly were they thinking when they thought cuts would be on the poor singularly?
    What did they understand to mean back office cuts and privatization?
    Of course it would mean less generosity towards their luxuries hobbies.
    What comes around goes around, we can be generous, grow the economy by providing incentives in real growth rather than exporting people, profits and future opportunities.
    Capital farming is an attack on capitalism, since it rewards those with massive wealth to keep it and shut out new hard working citizens entering their industry, or the home ownership club.
    Oh, and when did free market come to mean free for all? Markets aren’t fair, uniform, unless well regulated by government and society. When the cultural norms break down in punishing criminals, and short cut takers, then government needs to step up its game rather than rush to join up with the government hands off driving.
    Economic outlook is uncertain, but what is certain is energy will cost more, transport cost will rise.
14. Cin77 14

    9 June 2011 at 3:46 pm

    Ugh I just found WhaleOil. I need to go and scrub myself now. I feel dirty.
    • Colonial Viper 14.1

      9 June 2011 at 4:25 pm

      I recommend paumice and hospital strength disinfectant.
    • mickysavage 14.2

      9 June 2011 at 5:26 pm

      And beer and whisky.  Then go and deliver 500 pamphlets and erect 10 billboards and you will feel better …
      • jackal 14.2.1

        9 June 2011 at 7:55 pm

        That reminds me… I’ve been meaning to tell everyone that DF has reinstalled his LSO cookie.

        The best way to combat it is to install Better Privacy and restart your browser each time you visit Kiwibog. Whaleoil has also recently implemented the technology on his site.

        You can learn a little bit more about the DF LSO in this Jackal blog post.
    • R 14.3

      9 June 2011 at 11:02 pm

      ugh, feel your pain, I did the same a couple of days ago. Still de-Oiling.
15. seeker 15

    9 June 2011 at 3:52 pm

    I read this extract from Hansard (dated 7-6-11) on Red Alert a few minutes ago.It was posted by Trevor M.under “Late Play Annie to the Leader of the National Party.” It was about the contract given to Parents Inc not being put out for tender.

    “Hon Annette King: What evidence and scientific advice did he seek before agreeing to allocate $2.4 million to Parents Inc. for a parenting programme that even the Minister for Social Development and Employment said she had neither sought nor received advice on, or was she carrying out his promise that he made before the election that he would make sure that Parents Inc. got money?

    Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Members will accept that, as Prime Minister, I am not responsible for the allocation of that contract; that actually goes through the Ministry of Social Development. But I would say I have seen that Toolbox; I have seen the programme. In my opinion it is a very, very successful programme that is helping New Zealand parents, and we do need to help parents in New Zealand.”

    Is there not something very wrong about this? John Key did not deny that he had made a promise before the election! More arbitrary government from Mr.’if i ruled the world,forget democratic procedures’ K.ey? Is this not similar to PEDA and Bill English the budget before last, or perhaps worse as it was promised bfore the election?

    In Britain, arbitrary government under Charles 1,caused a civil war and Charles, thinking he had “divine right” as king to make decisions off the top off his head, lost said head to the executioner(1649). At least in the case of Charles he was leader and king, but Mr. Key apparently made a promise before he became leader! How many other promises did he make and why? And he often makes decicisions of his head.
    • Carol 15.1

      9 June 2011 at 4:04 pm

      According to Speake’s rules, if there is more than one question asked in Question Time, the minister or PM addressed only needs to answer one. So the fact that Key didn’t answer the question on promises, doesn’t mean he DID make a promise. He just chose to answer the first question.
      • ianmac 15.1.1

        9 June 2011 at 4:20 pm

        But if the answer was in the negative then Mr Key would have said so, and thus closed off the issue. To avoid answering does increase the possibility that Key made a promise that was outside the tendering rules. Unlawful? But Key can do that because who can stop him. And the MSM are not going to question the ethics of it are they?
16. Lanthanide 16

    9 June 2011 at 4:36 pm

    Labour finance spokesman David Conifer said he hoped interest rates would remain low because “God knows there’s enough challenges ahead of us”.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5120337/Reserve-Bank-keeps-official-cash-rate-steady
    • Pascal's bookie 16.1

      9 June 2011 at 4:57 pm

      We don’t need no stinkin sub-editors.
      • Tigger 16.1.1

        9 June 2011 at 5:41 pm

        Isn’t it all done out of Aussie now? Or not done as the case may be…

        Still there as I write this btw…
        • Sookie 16.1.1.1

          9 June 2011 at 6:48 pm

          I’ve noticed a lot of epic spelling mistakes on Stuff lately. They’re probably employing some minimum wage slave who’s in constant fear of being fired before 90 days is up. It would be their style.
          • McFlock 16.1.1.1.1

            9 June 2011 at 7:03 pm

            That’s the efficiency gain of privatisation the NACTs want to bring to the public sector, I guess…
    • The Voice of Reason 16.2

      9 June 2011 at 7:57 pm

      A Fairfax exec told me a couple of years ago that the occasional payoff to an accidentally libelled member of the public was still going to be cheaper than employing subbies. He wasn’t sure that they had an obligation to always be accurate anyway, but he did reckon they were obliged to correct their mistakes, but only if they were pointed out to them.
17. Jum 17

    9 June 2011 at 5:49 pm

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1106/S00142/new-parole-board-appointments-announced.htm

    So, are these people objective judges of individual’s right to regain some freedom or just rightwing ringins this government has put in place to control people?
    • seeker 17.1

      9 June 2011 at 5:59 pm

      An excellent question Jum.
18. gobsmacked 18

    9 June 2011 at 7:44 pm

    For the first time in a while, the latest Morgan poll shows a major shift – to the opposition:

    http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2011/4675/

    What’s significant here is that the overall confidence rating hasn’t changed, but party vote preferences have. So that “disconnect” (i.e. people not happy but supporting status quo) has been reduced. Good.

    I wouldn’t read much into the minor party results – Morgan has always been funny on those. But overall, it’s encouraging for those (like me!) who had started to give up on under-performing Labour.

    I’m still gonna vote Green though.
    • Pascal's bookie 18.1

      9 June 2011 at 8:10 pm

      heh. That would be an interesting parliament. Act potentially out, Mana in.
    • The Voice of Reason 18.2

      9 June 2011 at 8:11 pm

      Yep, that’s a good result for the left. A nominal 7 point gap between Team Key and the opposition, the smallest it’s been since the start of the year. Factor in the likely electoral neutering of ACT and the maori party and it’s getting down to a seat or three. Continuous job losses, a moribund economy and no fucken idea what to do about either are starting to kill Key’s chances in November. And did I mention Kiwisaver and asset sales?
       
      Interesting that Tariana Turia was all over the news today bigging up Darren Hughes. A olive branch of sorts to Labour?
    • ianmac 18.3

      9 June 2011 at 9:09 pm

      9.5% undecided. Up 2%. That may be a good sign for the Opposition too as maybe a few are not so sure about the Nacts.
19. Jim Nald 19

    9 June 2011 at 8:51 pm

    Newsflash

    ~ ~ In Search of 170,000 jobs ~ ~

    Fantastic! John Key’s Government has overexceeded his aspirational bullshit and is now taking up residence in political fantasy islands:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5123165/Ministry-unsure-about-Budgets-job-promise

    It gets even better – “the Budget” is an organism separate and independent from the Government as Acting (good actor?) Economic Decimation, erm, Development Minister David Carter told the commerce select committee today he was not aware that any analysis had been done …

    “Bear in mind the Government hasn’t said it will create the 170,000 new jobs – the Budget said there will be 170,000 jobs,” he said.

    The Budget said. The Government hasn’t said. The Budget said. The Government hasn’t said.
    Oh yes yes yes, we understand.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5123165/Ministry-unsure-about-Budgets-job-promise
20. M 20

    9 June 2011 at 9:02 pm

    Time to blame the peasants and boy sells kidney to buy iPad – gotta love Max Keiser:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9OjTI66Wpc
21. Deadly_NZ 21

    9 June 2011 at 11:08 pm

    At the risk of saying something unpopular for me, this was a bit of a WTF moment

    The heritage advisor for Auckland’s main iwi hadn’t heard of an inner-city taniwha before yesterday, but he says the point about consultation over the CBD Rail Link project is valid.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10731219

    I am sorry but the last time I remember hearing about a Taniwha was a few years ago, and it caused all sorts of problems. But this one, is one, that few people seem to have heard of.

    But it’s very handy for Steven Joyce, who we all know is so in favour of the Britomart rail link, NOT
    • Draco T Bastard 21.1

      9 June 2011 at 11:41 pm

      http://www.imperatorfish.com/2011/06/guest-post-from-horotiu-taniwha.html
    • millsy 21.2

      10 June 2011 at 12:37 am

      I imagine the right’s silence over this issue would be quite deafening, simply because that the ‘taniwha’ lies in the path of a railway line, not a road.

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