Open mike 09/06/2010
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6:00 am, June 9th, 2010 - 32 comments
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- Child Protection Investigation Unit established
A new Child Protection Investigation Unit is being established to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in care, Minister for Children Karen Chhour says. “The report released by the Royal Commission into abuse in state care shows us all the risk of not acting immediately when there are serious ...9 hours ago - Speech at United States Business Summit 2024
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Ka mihi ki te mana whenua ko Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. Kia ora and good morning everyone. Thank you Fran and Simon for inviting me here today, and importantly your leadership of this forum over several years now. I want to acknowledge David Gehrenbeck, Deputy ...9 hours ago
- Record number of submissions received on granny flat proposal
Nearly 2,000 submissions have been received on the Government’s proposals aimed at making it easier to build a granny flat of up to 60 square metres without a resource or building consent, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk say. “This is the highest number ...11 hours ago
- District Court Judge appointed
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Rebecca Guthrie as a District Court Judge. Judge Guthrie was admitted to the bar in 1997 following her graduation from the University of Canterbury in 1996 (LLB, BA). She commenced her legal career in Hastings in 1997 before moving to London in ...11 hours ago
- Appointments strengthen Predator Free 2050
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- New facility in Christchurch will improve the lives of young New Zealanders
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- Driver safety screens to be installed on Auckland buses
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) that bus driver protection screens will be installed across Auckland’s bus fleet by 2026.“The Government is committed to improving the safety of working environments for bus drivers, and Budget 2024 allocated $15 million of Crown funding over ...13 hours ago
- Government action provides Southland farmers more time to meet plan requirements
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- Bill reaffirms Government’s commitment to crack down on serious youth offending
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- Critical milestones for earthquake buildings review
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- State of the art radiology machine for Auckland
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- Foreign Minister to visit Europe
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Europe for high-level talks with France, Germany and the United Kingdom next week. "Since taking office almost a year ago, the Coalition Government has emphasised the importance we place on New Zealand's traditional and likeminded diplomatic and ...1 day ago
- First arrests made under gang patch ban
Police have made their first arrests under the new gang patch legislation, with two gang members arrested, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Just before 11 this morning, Police in Wairoa apprehended a gang member for wearing a patch to the supermarket. He has been arrested and will now face enforcement ...1 day ago
- Better support for victims of sexual violence
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- Government moving forward with Regional Deals
Cabinet has agreed to invite all regions to submit proposals for Regional Deals between central and local government that drive economic growth and deliver the infrastructure our country needs, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop say. Inviting all regions to propose a Regional Deal that boosts ...1 day ago
- MSA pilot participant update
One of the ten young men selected to participate in the Military-Style Academy Pilot has allegedly reoffended. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour is disappointed but says it would be naïve to think that none of these young men would reoffend. “I’m saddened that this young person has not taken this opportunity ...1 day ago
- Fighting for Kiwis in Trade
Delivered at Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School Good morning and thank you Deputy Vice Chancellor Lithander for your warm welcome and for inviting me to open Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School today. A Special thanks to the University of Auckland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and ...1 day ago
- Attendance rates increase, again
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that school attendance is continuing to rise. In Term 3 of 2024 51.3 per cent of students attended school regularly, an increase of 5.3 percentage points from 46 per cent in Term 3 of 2023. “This Government has prioritised student attendance and it is ...2 days ago
- Improving the lives of young New Zealanders
Ensuring New Zealand is the best place in the world for children and young people is the vision at the heart of the Government’s new Child and Youth Strategy, Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston says. “Childhood represents a huge opportunity to set people on a positive path towards living ...2 days ago
- Government continues work to reinstate livestock exports by sea
The Government is reinstating the trade of livestock exports by sea while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, says Associate Minister of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard.“The Government will introduce legislation changes to reinstate the trade, enhance oversight, and strengthen requirements for exporters to identify risks and manage the welfare of ...2 days ago
- Speech to the National Quality Forum 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand’s COP29 National Statement
Tēnā koutou katoa. Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. New Zealand, and all nations represented here today, are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. Our households, businesses, and economies are bearing the costs of its effects. The choices we make now will shape the severity of these impacts for generations ...3 days ago
- Latest Quarterly Investment Report released
The Government has released its second Quarterly Investment Report (QIR) which shows substantial work still to be done by agencies to improve investment reporting and meet the Government’s expectations, Infrastructure and Acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “New Zealand has significant infrastructure and investment needs. The Government is determined to get ...3 days ago
- New Zealand supporting loss and damage fund
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$10 million to the new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage while at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. “New Zealand is joining the global effort to address the significant challenge of responding to ...3 days ago
- Gang crackdown begins at stroke of midnight
The free ride for gangs is over when the clock strikes midnight tonight, with tough new laws officially coming into effect, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say. “Gang patches will no longer be able to be worn in public. To earn the right to wear a ...3 days ago
- LGFA increases borrowing capacity to support high growth councils
The Government is welcoming the decision by the Local Government Funding Agency to increase access to financing tools for fast growing councils to support greater investment in critical infrastructure, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.“Communities across the country are facing an infrastructure deficit and significant population growth is projected in ...3 days ago
- Temporary Traffic Management costs revealed
The Government has revealed that over the past three years, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has spent an eyewatering $786 million of taxpayers’ money on road cones and temporary traffic management (TTM), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“When I became Minister, I was surprised to learn that that NZTA did ...3 days ago
- Jurisdiction of Disputes Tribunal to double
Legislation that will double the financial jurisdiction of the Disputes Tribunal from $30,000 to $60,000 has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We need to improve court timeliness and access to justice so that Kiwis and get on with their lives. Court delays affect everyone, the ...3 days ago
- Protecting New Zealand from foreign interference
Legislation that will specifically criminalise foreign interference and strengthen espionage offences has passed first reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “It is normal and appropriate for states to interact and work to influence one another. This encourages cooperation and can have mutually beneficial outcomes. “However, the reality ...3 days ago
- Significant milestone for Canterbury Road of National Significance
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news that the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has approved funding towards pre-implementation and early works on the State Highway 1 (SH1) Belfast to Pegasus Motorway and Woodend Bypass Road of National Significance (RoNS). “Reaching this significant milestone is a reflection of our Government’s ...3 days ago
- Health survey results to help drive change
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says findings from the annual Health Survey highlight the need to continue driving better health outcomes for New Zealanders. The New Zealand Health Survey is an annual snapshot of key metrics measured from July 2023 – July 2024. Findings released this morning include: In 2023/24, ...3 days ago
- Final push needed to get to Smokefree 2025
A renewed effort to get people to quit smoking will build on what has worked to date and target the groups who most need support, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said today. “The latest New Zealand Health Survey results show the daily smoking rate at 6.9 per cent and we ...3 days ago
- New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced four new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign ...4 days ago
- Next steps for Regulatory Standards Bill
Regulation Minister David Seymour has today announced the next steps in the Government’s plan improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. ...4 days ago
- Red Tape Tipline goes live
Minister for Regulation David Seymour has today announced that the Ministry for Regulation’s Red Tape Tipline is now live. “We want to hear about your red tape horror stories. From today, New Zealanders will have a say on how they are regulated through an online portal,” says Mr Seymour. The ...4 days ago
- Youth Parliament 2025 announced
The Minister for Youth Matt Doocey has today announced the eleventh Youth Parliament will be taking place in 2025. “Youth Parliament offers a unique youth development opportunity to young people from across New Zealand to experience the political process and learn about how government works,” says Mr Doocey. “The two-day ...4 days ago
- Police stats show promising change
After nearly a year in Government, Kiwis have seen significant change across law and order with promising early results shown across some Police statistics, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “In August 2023, I told New Zealanders that if they had not started to see a change in public safety within ...4 days ago
- Better coordination of anti-scam efforts
With the launch of Fraud Awareness Week, the Government is committing to new coordination efforts across industry and government to combat online scams, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Online financial scams are a growing problem for New Zealand. New data released today shows that Kiwis lost nearly ...4 days ago
- Minister to consider 7AA select committee report
Minister for Children Karen Chhour will consider the recommendations made by the Social Services and Community Committee in its report back to Parliament on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill. “I want to thank the people who made submissions and those who appeared before the committee in ...5 days ago
- Defence Minister to attend ASEAN meeting
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Vientiane, Laos. “We need to take every opportunity to engage with our international partners, given the increasingly unstable geo-political situation,” Ms Collins says. “New Zealand has a long-standing commitment to this ...5 days ago
- Maritime Union joins opposition to live export shipments
The Maritime Union also has zero faith in government assurances of a gold standard for ships used for the trade. ...2 hours ago - Offshore oil and gas ban ‘worst political decision’, Shane Jones says
Shane Jones says the offshore oil and gas ban is "the worst political decision" he has ever been involved with. ...2 hours ago
- Andrew Bayly ‘loser’ incident: Frantic texts, thumbs-up from PM, photo of drinking from ...
A series of frantic text messages from Andrew Bayly to government staffers amid scrutiny over his actions at a winery have been revealed. ...3 hours ago
- ACT’s David Seymour won’t ‘bow down’ to his hapū leaders
They have pleaded with the ACT leader to stop what they say are abusive violations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...5 hours ago
- Former political figure who abused teens loses name suppression
However, his name remains under wraps as he has already indicated he will appeal. ...6 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Grantham, Lecturer in Communication, Griffith University Shutterstock The federal government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked widespread debate, affecting millions of young Australians, their families and educators. But will it actually work? While the aim behind this ban ...6 hours ago - Ant stings can be painful. Here’s how to avoid getting stung this summer (and what to do if you do...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Robinson, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland AG-PHOTOS/Shutterstock With the start of summer just days away, many of us will be looking forward to long sunny days spent at the beach, by the pool, out ...6 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Crosby, Professor, Monash University Chichimaru/Shutterstock Australia has a seriously big “nest egg”. The Future Fund – our sovereign wealth fund set up in 2006 – now manages about $230 billion. Specifically, its remit is to “invest for the benefit ...6 hours ago
- Women are less likely to receive CPR than men. Training on manikins with breasts could help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Stokes-Parish, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Bond University Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock If someone’s heart suddenly stops beating, they may only have minutes to live. Doing CPR (cardiopulmonary resusciation) can increase their chances of survival. CPR makes sure blood keeps pumping, providing oxygen to ...7 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Boyhood’ by Art Nahill
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The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Jonathan Cape, $26) The slight, superb winner of the Booker Prize ...9 hours ago
- ‘Wanted’ for war crimes over Gaza: Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant face ICC arrest warrants
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- New Child Protection Investigation Unit announced by Children’s Minister
The unit will be up and running by early next year, Children's Minister Karen Chhour says. ...10 hours ago
- In-person submissions on Treaty Principles Bill to be at Parliament or by video call
In-person submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill will all be held at Parliament or by video call. ...10 hours ago
- ‘Got my support’ – Christopher Luxon stands by Erica Stanford after ‘stupid ...
The prime minister says it wasn't appropriate behaviour but that Erica Stanford had apologised. ...10 hours ago
- Gang chapter president’s patch seized in first 24 hours of ban
The first arrest was made just three minutes after midnight, with 11 more to come. ...10 hours ago
- Government slammed for pushing on with boot camps amid trial
Labour has accused National of ignoring the evidence. ...10 hours ago
- The unspoken rule of conversation that explains why AI chatbots feel so human
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Chair of Linguistics and Director of Language Lab, The University of Western Australia Rroselavy / Shutterstock Earlier this year, a Hong Kong finance worker was tricked into paying US$25 million to scammers who had used deepfake technology to ...10 hours ago
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- Gang patch ban: The first 24 hours
The first arrest was made just three minutes after midnight, with 11 more to come. ...11 hours ago
- New Zealand Government Urged To Back ICC Arrest Warrants For Israeli Leaders Without Equivocation
“We are waiting for our government to announce it will arrest Netanyahu and Gallant immediately if they set foot in Aotearoa New Zealand” says PSNA National Chair John Minto. ...11 hours ago - Justice Committee Makes Further Decisions About Submissions Process For The Principles Of The Treaty...
The committee plans to hold hearings in the week starting Monday, 27 January and the weeks starting 10, 17 and 24 February 2025. ...12 hours ago
- Watch live: Christopher Luxon faces questions during power station visit
It comes as Labour accuses National of not listening to evidence about boot camps. ...12 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Winter, Associate Professor in Political Theory, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images When Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stood in Parliament last week to apologise to survivors of abuse in care, his words were among many fine speeches by ...12 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matej Lipar, Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University Author provided/Google Earth Earlier this year, a caver was poring over satellite images of the Nullarbor Plain when he came across something unexpected: an enormous, mysterious scar etched ...14 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney Once located 250 metres to the east of the Art Gallery of South Australia, the grand beaux-arts style Jubilee Exhibition Building was constructed to house the ...14 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Greenhow, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Bond University Linda George/Shutterstock The ten-year anniversary of the death of much-loved Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes falls on November 27. The 25-year-old’s life was tragically cut short in 2014 when a bouncer ...14 hours ago
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Treasury likely to downgrade economic forecast while Chris Bishop says the government won’t be ‘a slave to a surplus’, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Recession will be deeper and last longer — Treasury At a recent Spinoff ...15 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Gomes-Ng, Senior Lecturer of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Former New Zealand prime minister John Key has three white rabbits painted on his helicopter, a nod to his “massively superstitious” habit of repeating “white rabbits” three times at ...16 hours ago
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The coalition has "absolutely no intention of listening to the evidence that comes out of their experiment", Labour MP says. ...17 hours ago
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Labour claims Government is ‘cherry-picking’ smoking trends data to hide decade-first increase in daily smokers The post Smoke and mirrors in tobacco debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago - Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate
Labour claims Government is ‘cherry-picking’ smoking trends data to hide decade-first increase in daily smokers The post Smoke and mirrors in heated tobacco debate appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
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The Government’s economic adviser is sending a message it doesn’t want to hear – superannuation is increasingly unaffordable The post Treasury bangs the drum on ‘unsustainable’ superannuation appeared first on Newsroom. ...17 hours ago
- Victims of sex offending welcome shift on name suppression laws
A man abused by a former political figure is "immensely relieved" at a government proposal to end secrecy around sex offenders' identities. ...17 hours ago
- This week three parties stood together – can they withstand the storm to come?
There is plenty yet to play out, but the next election is at this rate shaping up as trio versus trio, writes Toby Manhire. A subplot of this week’s historic hīkoi mō te Tiriti has been the sight of the three opposition parties presenting a unified front. Te Pāti Māori ...18 hours ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
I see farrar’s fantasy wife is in strife
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/lnp-drops-glamour-candidate-20100608-xra5.html
Daily Mash: Pretty much true I’m picking.
Would be pretty much true here too I reckon…also it’s hilarious.
The rhetoric on the Foreshore and Seabed is heating up.
Mark Solomon of the Iwi Leaders’ Group was pretty emphatic on Morning Report. They won’t accept National’s proposals as they stand (and the rejection was unanimous, he said)
Meanwhile Key says he won’t do a deal without the Maori Party. That lets Labour off the hook.
It’s D-Day for the Maori Party MPs. Looks like a split is inevitable, one way or the other – either between National and the Maori Party, or within the Maori Party itself.
I’m guessing it’ll be the latter. Stay tuned …
All very amusing, lets see if one side can avoid losing face. Betcha the Maoris get dished up some cold sick, and Turiana dutifully eats it.
Oooh!
The Maori Party is John Key’s bitch – he can slap them around all he likes and they’ll always come crawling back, saying how it was really all their fault and begging to be allowed back in.
It’s tempting to enjoy the Schadenfreude, but mostly it’s just very sad.
The self-delusion of the Maori Party (or at least, its leaders) has been remarkable. For a year and a half they’ve been celebrating something they didn’t have – like this:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/78589/sharples-govt-will-repeal-foreshore-act
Do they really not understand politics?
It’s real when it’s happened. When it’s passed into law. Until then, you can call it all the nice things you like – a promise, a commitment, an agreement, a dream – but those all mean the same thing …
You haven’t got it yet.
An aspiration?
Seems a major sticking point is the status of 12,500 freehold titles of foreshore land, 3000 of which are Maori.
Did Solomon mean that these titles should be extinguished so all foreshore is included in the new ownership deal?
If so there’s no way Key will agree because one such title is Great Mercury Island owned by the King of Casino Capitalism Michael Fay.
It seems that Mark Solomon was pointing out that 12,500 titles exist under private title holdings belonging to various people, in contrast Maori as tangata whenua are denied a position appropriate to them as original inhabitants of the country. (Who had lived in the country and built a working society over thousands of years and believed that they should have rights overarching besides any given away to pakeha Johnnie-com-latelies. Sounds reasonable to me.)
There is a public meeting in Auckland tonight on the privitisation of water chaired by David Shearer MP
The meeting is being held at the Mt Albert Senior Citizens Hall (beside Rocket Park) at 7.30pm and will be hosted by Labour and the Greens, with MPs Phil Twyford, Carol Beaumont, Jacinda Ardern, Sue Kedgley and David Clendon
All welcome.
Hope it goes well, we have the same issue here in Wgtn, and Chch has the Ecan (2010) Ltd giving it to their mates…..then there is the prat who “runs” the NZSX (stock exchange) who wants to see more “private investment opportunities” (aka privatise public assets and rent them back at a profit). They want the water and everything else….so no narrow front on water only please, its everything that the neo feudalists want.
From The Press this morning re the ECan cost cutting to avoid a rates rise: “Other savings include $125,000 by not holding council elections this year and $150,000 through the Government’s new legislation for ECan that stops appeals to the Environment Court.”
Democracy, who needs it when we can save $275,000?
This is just the start for Ecan (2010) Ltd , Wodders wants it to have a capped income level so cost savings are everything, best thing is to get all the assets and tradables such as water off the ledger and give them to their mates….then theres nothing left to control or deliver, ergo no cost needed either. Great business if you can get it.
I guess there will be a few comments being made on the excellent interview this morning with Robert Ayres on nine to noon.
Two points come to my mind.
1. Yet again the scientist has to take a back seat to the high priests of economic orthodoxy to the detriment of us all.
2. Johnny Boy and his troupe of shitbags keep banging on about efficiency gains and looking for that to come from workers working smarter or longer for less pay or whatever.
And yet Ayres has done the scientific study and shown that 75% of all economic growth comes from energy efficiencies: that labour and capital account for only 13% of growth.
The Greens should be picking this up and hammering this relentlessly from now until the next election and beyond. But I’m not holding my breath.
here’s a you tube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lwOcTFZ_k8 as an alternative or in addition to the Nat radio interview
Ah, Pirate Pete getting disowned by Sea Shepherd, classic…..
It all might be a cunning plan to make the Japanese go easy on him.
Micky she gave him the flick as well.
What about the real pirates? You know, the ones that hijacked a humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean, diverting its cargo and killing nine of its crew?
This morning on Nine to Noon a Jim Bolger spoke clearly and succinctly about the problems facing postal deliveries. Wow! What a pleasant change to hear an exPM express himself so well! And what have National given us instead? Smile, Wave, and Duck! What a contrast! And I think that Jim Bolger has appeared more times on National Radio this year that Sir John.
I agree! Jim Bolger sounds so good. Capable and experienced, makes his points well, and thinks things through, trustworthy and dedicated to finding the best solution to ‘moving forward’ (my term). Why did he get thrown over by Nats, was it for spinning jenny?
“Don’t it always seem to go, You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone!” Dah dah.
Indeed.
Doesn’t seem so long ago we thought Jim was the National Party’s dumb illiterate international embarrassment.
How about that knob Paul Henry being duped by a comedian. How embarrassing for the state broadcaster. Maybe he can help Buffoon out seeing as they have both share gullible as their middle names
Had a bullshit and begging letter from John Banks today, to help him become Super City Mayor. Anybody else get one?
Seems the credit card reports are going to be released tomorrow, not last week as forecast (was just wondering what happened with that, too).
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3791989/Credit-card-expenses-to-show-MPs-spending
From the NZPA report:
“Internal Affairs spokesman Allen Walley told NZPA the cost of the release was in excess of $50,000 and three staff had worked full-time on it since requests came in February, when the first release of credit card records for the National Government were made public.”
I wonder at what point there will be more taxpayers’ money spent on revealing the spending than was actually (mis)spent!
Looks like Shane Jones has to do a bit of grovelling tomorrow , will be interesting to see who else and for what embarrassing items, not going to be a good day for Labour… are they releasing the nats spending over last nine years as well?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10650755
2003 onwards.
The MP’s who spent a tad too much on their public funded credit cards, what should happen to them and Im guessing peiople here will be outraged at these funds being wasted.
Any MP that used their Ministerial credit cards for personal use should front up to the media and apologise. There shouldn’t be consequences other than for all money to be paid back. That shouldn’t be the case. Unfortunately with both the Labour government of 1999-2008 and this government a clear precedent has been set where one can abuse the use of taxpayers money and it simply gets paid back and there is barely any consequence other than the public thinking politicians are shit.
As for outrage. Partisans are nearly always only outraged when it involves the opposite side. Look at the most recent example. Mayor of South Auckland uses ratepayers money for personal use by abusing his mayoralty credit card. On the right-wing blogs its all outrage and what a fucking trougher the mayor is. There is barely anything even mentioned on the left-wing blogs except for Eddie’s post where he call its all dirty smears. Even though had that been a right-wing mayor/politician it wouldn’t be a dirty smear. Oh no it’d be, “justification for democracy” bullshit.
If we’re perfectly honest. When its our side that’s been dirty. The most we’ll feel is disappointment but then if the other side does it we’re outraged. A small few and its only a small few are ever outraged most of the time. Even those people are bound to be a hypocrite at least some of the time.
“Unfortunately with both the Labour government of 1999-2008 and this government a clear precedent has been set where one can abuse the use of taxpayers money and it simply gets paid back”…….
GC I think you do us a favour with this statement. I dont care who does it, left or right, its just not on. It deserves opprobrium from everyone. Well said.