Anyway

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/business/3154603/Global-drug-firm-eyes-Southland-for-refinery

There you go – 200 ‘potential’ jobs – lots of processors and cleaners i’d say, all for 3 million cubic metres of water from our rivers every year.

Tough choice?

As they say, “It is not known what the products might be but, when pressed, Mr Canny jokingly suggested it might involve turning “afterbirth into perfume”.”

Nice freudian slip canny

What Chang and Amsden ( and I would add, Dani Rodrik of Harvard University) have found is this : “The most successful countries were (a) those with more equitable land and income distribution, achieved through state intervention, (b) those who decided to “make’ technology domestically and rather than “buy’ or simply import it, and who used domestic savings or bilateral loans to finance development rather than foreign direct investment,( c) those who successfully enforced a reciprocal control mechanism of government protection in return for monitorable performance.’

What New Zealand has done instead over the past 30 years has failed where-ever it has been tried : “On the other hand, countries that underwent rapid (trade and financial market) liberalization, deregulation, and privatization have witnessed disappointing results. There is a depressingly large literature on this, documenting, among other aspects such as lower growth and increased inequalities, the periodic crises following capital account liberalization.

It’s time we got back to manufacturing our own success and not trying to import it from other countries.

The point is, they’re not only people. At this level they are nations. If the American Ambassador to New Zealand refused an invitation to dine with the Governor General because it was inconvenient, it would be a diplomatic insult. It would be the US slighting New Zealand. If John Key as Prime Minister of New Zealand refuses an invitation to dine with the King and Queen of Denmark it is the diplomatic equivalent of New Zealand giving Denmark the finger.

The Danes should not have put Key in this position. Key’s people should have gone back quietly to the Danes and said, “Hey, this would put our chap in an awkward position domestically. Is there a way around it?” I don’t know who screwed up but someone did.

Unless it can be shown that Key (of whom I am no fan) CHOSE to attend this dinner just for the ‘photo op I’m chary of starting to fling mud just because I believe he’s a pratt.

But we have to get started because this is about kids failing in the system. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work.

Except that she’s doing everything possible to ensure even more children fail at school. National standards don’t improve scholarly outcomes – better education methods do and she’s removed funding for those.

Of course Key could have refused. ‘Sorry, I can’t make dinner, I’m working that night. Can we reschedule’. They’re only people, I’m sure they’d understand.

Mind you will he last? A bit of late night texting might just put poor weak MR Donkey over the edge. Poor John!