Comments on: The story Bill English doesn’t want you to see

By: Crimestoppers! at The Standard

Crimestoppers! at The Standard — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:14:10 +0000

[...] theft of $400,000 in housing [...]

By: lprent

lprent — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:40:26 +0000

Been on holiday?

By: luva

luva — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:08:47 +0000

lprent,

I am based on the other side of the world so get most of my NZ news through blogs like this and stuff. You have said the story isn’t going away. However the only place it isn’t going away is on the partisan blogs.

Stuff and NZ Herald do not seem to be following this story in any great depth. After Garners initial story there isn’t much follow up really.

I hope Bill does the honourable thing to give the government some credit.

I doubt he will though as that time has already passed. And as the media seems more interested in Letterman and GDP growth I think he has got through the real heat in this rort.

Thats my view from a million miles away.

By: marco

marco — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:39:59 +0000

A healthy democracy needs an effective, well funded and strong public broadcasting service. A service that does not require private funding and one that can be as politically independent as possible.

I know that this sounds like a regressive ideal, but it’s the only way to ensure that impartiality is again part of the news we see and read.

By: Marty G

Marty G — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:55:07 +0000

And what’s Bill English’s word on the matter, genius?

Has he denied the phone calls? No.

So, it’s two political editors whose careers would be over if they made this stuff up vs Brett with his fingers in his ears going ‘nah nah nah nah, it isn’t true, it isn’t true’

By: What is the test, John? « g.blog

What is the test, John? « g.blog — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:00:23 +0000

[...] in video deleted from TVNZ’s website, but recovered by The Standard Key expresses confidence in Bill English despite his Ministerial expenses rort, stating: It’s [...]

By: Anthony Karinski

Anthony Karinski — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:58:16 +0000

Good luck with that conspiracy theory. You may get about .1% of people to buy into it. And I suppose there would be the case of a very angry English in the news today accusing two senior jurnos from different news organisations conspiring and telling lies about him. More than enough to get them sacked.

By: BLiP

BLiP — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:51:37 +0000

Blinglish hasn’t denied it – so its the media’s word against . . . ummm . . . well, no one really. Except you.

By: Brett Dale

Brett Dale — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:40:46 +0000

Bright Red:

Yes, they should release word for word what he said, otherwise its Bill word against Brian Edwards.

By: Rex Widerstrom

Rex Widerstrom — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:53:42 +0000

Or such is the hubris (ref comment by TVOR above) that it was thought that a reprimand from a press secretary might be both ignored and reported, but that one delivered from the lofty heights of an actual Minister would shock the trembling journos into immediate acquiesence, and a chastened silence as they pondered on their lack of manners in having dared criticise one so mighty.

Having said that, he’s just the latest in a long line of people who think the votes of a few thousand people (or, worse still, a round of concerted ass-kissing to secure a list place) imbues them with both omniscience and omnipotence.

By: Aj

Aj — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:28:24 +0000

Micael Lhawes disease.

By: Zaphod Beeblebrox

Zaphod Beeblebrox — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:06:20 +0000

To lower taxes, they would need to take out some welfare spending- I doubt that they have the intellectual capacity to cope with that.
What about Key’s backing away from a CGT? After all the big talk about tax reform, it turns out they really have no ability to develop a conversation in order to promote productive investment.
Their law and order policies mean police and corrections are going to cost them plenty, their ETS pay off to farmers and polluters will cost a fortune and there roads budget ($3 bill to double lane SH1 Puhoi-Wellsford??why??) mean that government spending is likely to be higher than ever.

High personal tax and big government- they are going to disappoint the voters terribly

By: Luc Hansen

Luc Hansen — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:27:21 +0000

Indeed. I find it interesting that after years of espousing how good lower taxes are for the economy, when National finally gets the power to do so at a time when the economy needs a LOT of good, all of a sudden, tax cuts aren’t a good idea.

I remarked to my wife before the election that I really wouldn’t mind National/ACT doing well so we could give the tax cutting gospel a decent run and either see it work, in which case we could celebrate, or watch it collapse into a screaming heap!!

It turned out the disciples of that ideology had no faith, after all, and even Rodney Hide would, I suspect, now qualify as a member of Redbaiter/Fox News’ Far Left.

Where to now, for the not-so-far right?

By: BLiP

BLiP — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:18:55 +0000

I can just see him now. Sitting back in his leather lazy-boy all alone, slugging away at the bottle after another grueling day in the House, and festering as he replays over and over again recordings of the news clips until late into the night. The realisation that he never, ever will be PM and his Finance Minister job about to go down the toilet dawning over his clouded mind, never considering for a moment he might have had something to do with it himself and absolutely furious, he picks up the phone and makes the calls. Almost the actions of a narcissist.

By: felix

felix — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:05:28 +0000

Never drink and dial. That’s all I’m saying.