Open Mike 12/03/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 12th, 2017 - 38 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

38 comments on “Open Mike 12/03/2017 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. mickysavage 1
    12 March 2017 at 8:13 am

    Labor in Western Australia has trounced the Liberals and the vote for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party collapsed.

    Good times …

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/it-was-a-mistake-pauline-hanson-admits-preference-error-after-one-nation-votes-collapses-20170311-guw5cv.html

  2. Cinny 2
    12 March 2017 at 9:03 am

    The outgoing PM is currently being interviewed on Q+A live stream here

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/content/tvnz/onenews/story/2015/07/20/live-stream–q-a.html

  3. ianmac 3
    12 March 2017 at 10:10 am

    Just read the article about Colin Meads. Great bloke but I found this bit a bit disturbing”
    “But a phone call from a Taranaki farmer would transform Meads’ quality of life.

    Vernon Coxhead, an organic dairy farmer, says: “I knew I could help him. It broke my heart to see him like that. He is such a great Kiwi.”

    Coxhead advocates natural remedies and his company Purecure produces Te Kiri Gold, a special water he believes could be a “game changer” for cancer.

    “I’ve changed the molecular structure of the immune system so the water can penetrate through bone, and I believe that it can penetrate into the cancer cells.”

    I suppose everyone is entitled to hope but such a “cure” sounds like quackery to me and is likely to send many other sufferers on wild goose chases.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11816620

    • Red Hand 3.1
      12 March 2017 at 1:54 pm

      I hope it works for him and that he can finally claim to have “beaten the bastard”.

      He crippled Ken Catchpole in 1968 without censure and was not above kicking an opposing player as he lay on the ground.

      https://www.balls.ie/rugby/new-zealand-red-card-352276-352276

      This will be remembered long after he sold his public image to con naïve investors into putting their money in failed Capital + Merchant Finance debentures.

      https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/capital-merchant-debenture-holders-get-second-payment-march-b-199180

      • greywarshark 3.1.1
        12 March 2017 at 2:21 pm

        That was an interesting link Red Hand, on Capital-Merchant finaglingfinance.
        And I copied the comments from angry investors which tell the story that echoes that of the whole country.
        From NBR 7/2/17:

        #1 by Chin Dynasty 1 month ago

        “Theft on a grand scale”?

        In May 2015, former Capital + Merchant Finance directors were granted parole less than three years into their more than eight-year sentence.

        More like “Encouraging theft on a grand scale” to the victims who were swindled out of tens of millions of dollars.
        Reply

        #2 by Ivan 1 month ago

        There’s one thing that I have learned as an investor in Cap and merch, apart from losing over 95 pc of my investment, is that if I’m ever involved in another business collapse in this country, I will know what to expect. Firstly, I will have no rights. Secondly, treated with contempt by whoever is managing the receivership. Thirdly, whoever is the current govt watchdog at the time, don’t want to know, and fourthly, and most annoyingly of the lot all the experts in hindsight that know everything now, that you never heard a word from before the companies went under.
        Plus a little mention of the business reporters at the time that just loved to add petrol to the flames every single night on the news. Yeah thanks for that.
        Reply

        by NZXXX 1 month ago in reply to Ivan

        And don’t forget the Colin Meads, Richard Longs, Sir Tipene O’Regan and Sir Doug Graham who willingly lent their names to entice the ever trusting Mums and Dads to ‘invest’ with the finance companies.

        For ‘thirty pieces of silver’, they sold their names. Another 10 pieces, they would have sold their souls?
        Reply

        #3 by My Fat Fees 1 month ago

        Terrible for the investors: bleached by C+M then rinsed by Kordies
        Reply

        #4 by Ivan 1 month ago

        Something that also disappointed me a few years after these events occurred, was hearing the words “Oh that was in the past, and we’ve moved on since then” from John Key, in response to a question from a reporter about whether or not investors in collapsed finance companies could expect any help from the govt with action against the bosses of those companies in regards to getting their money back.
        Yeah thanks for that John. I know it wasn’t personally your of the previous govt’s fault. But there was a govt department set-up to keep an eye out on companies like this, and everyone knows that they did nothing while $3 billion dollars of peoples savings were lost.
        But as John says, we’re just moved on. Swept it under the rug so to speak.

        • gsays 3.1.1.1
          12 March 2017 at 6:12 pm

          Hi grey, at the risk of upsetting folk, I find it hard to have sympathy for folk who get burnt when financial companies go under.
          They want something for nothing, which equals greedy.
          Plus they choose to do this with richer greedier folk, who always appear to emerge unscathed.

          The other part that sticks in the craw, there always seems to be enough money to pay for the ‘recievers’ and yet wages or suppliers are left high and dry.

          • greywarshark 3.1.1.1.1
            14 March 2017 at 11:03 am

            gsays
            I thought it was interesting to see how people who follow the meme that it is good to invest and helps the country to do good business under capitalism, feel when they get what c-ism chooses to dish out, and find its yesterday’s sweepings. No doubt they think it’s a one-off, or a bad patch and don’t take time to actually consider what c-ism is about, and look at the way that so many creditors have actually been defrauded, legally.

            • gsays 3.1.1.1.1.1
              14 March 2017 at 12:33 pm

              it is often through extreme adversity that one’s attitude can change.

              now, i realise that a well heeled ‘mum and dad’ invester losing 10s of thousands in an investment gone wrong, ain’t extreme adversity, but it will seem like it to them.
              maybe, just maybe, this is the fertile environment for empathy to grow.

  4. Pete George 4
    12 March 2017 at 11:16 am

    If we want a sustainable long term solution to Super it should involve engagement with the public and a cross party conscience approach in Parliament.

    Suggestion – s soon as practical after this year’s election (next year) we should have a survey type referendum (non-binding)that asks us the public what we want. It should ask questions on:

    – age of eligibility
    – set age or flexible
    – means testing
    – rate of payment – indexed or otherwise
    – Super fund contributions locked in or not
    – targeted assistance for those who have to retire younger for health reasons
    anything else?

    Then all parties MPs in Parliament, using the help of an expert group, should work together to come up with a legislative package based on public preferences plus fiscal prudence and social responsibility. Any votes should be on a conscience basis.

    The resulting package should then go to the public for a binding referendum vote.

    Parliament should abide be this and pass the legislation if required.

    Included in the legislation there should be a higher vote threshold required to overturn any parts of the Super legislation to minimise the chances of Super becoming a political football again. Suggested somewhere in the range of 60-75% required to overturn.

    Then we would have future certainty based on public preference and Parliamentary consensus.

    I think this would be a good model for effective public participation in important issues.

    While referendums have typically only had simple response questions the only way of getting detailed public feedback is by using a more detailed type of survey. People shouldn’t be treated as simpletons who should only nod or shake their heads.

    • millsy 4.1
      12 March 2017 at 11:33 am

      This ‘expert group’ will probably consist of people from the financial sector. They know that a generous National Super scheme is their biggest competitor.

    • RedBaronCV 4.2
      12 March 2017 at 12:09 pm

      This type of survey usually consists of loaded questions to get the outcome desired by the promoter.
      Anyway the Nacts could have promoted a cross party accord but did they ? No they tore up the old one.

      • Cinny 4.2.1
        12 March 2017 at 6:13 pm

        The outgoing government aren’t into cross party groups, due to their lack of communication skills among other things.

  5. millsy 5
    12 March 2017 at 11:30 am

    The agenda of the financial services industry regarding National Superannuation (and what the government secretly wants):

    1) Cumplosory Kiwisaver that is the main source of retirement income
    2) National Super reduced to a means tested payment which is the same level as the Supported Living Allowance (the old Invalid’s Benefit), linked the prices rather than wages. You pretty much have to be living under a bridge to get it.
    3) Age of eligibiliy for #2 increased to 70.

    This is what we have been softened up for over the past few years, make no mistake.

  6. Cynical jester 6
    12 March 2017 at 11:39 am

    Holy shit were Andrew and Jacinda terrific on Q and A or whaaat? They are the best team to lead the party since clark / Cullen, because of their differences they compliment each other well and between them are exactly what a modern labour party needs to be. Andrew was relaxed and looked a leader, Jacinda was a great voice for young people.

    English was a flaming shambles and will flail and come apart during tough scrutiny.

    This is going to be a fierce team on top of the fact we have an mou with our mates the greens and will be working with each other this election. I’m hopeful…. may have to change my name….

    English is a clown and noone likes him
    Noone likes Paula either. Team Andrew / Jacinda a mix of everything that makes me like labour.

    Maybe there still is hope for team red yet.

    • Cinny 6.1
      12 March 2017 at 6:24 pm

      IKR, they were da bomb, was like dang, you fellas have really got it going on, stellar interview.

      Watched it with a critical friend well versed in politics, he was way impressed with their team work and how they came across together.

      Here’s the link for the interview in case any missed it.

      The panel had many good things to say about team “A+J”

      • Jenny Kirk 6.1.1
        12 March 2017 at 9:26 pm

        Yes – I watched it a bit latter – having recorded it. The two of them were very good – but the part I found really interesting was how Corin Dann really pushed at Blingish, and he did the same to Andrew Little – and I thought AL came out top !.
        This was a much better show than the Lisa Owens push/interrupt-all-the-time type of interview on The Nation. Much more substantial.

    • James 6.2
      13 March 2017 at 8:22 am

      No one likes him ? Yet he’s still far out in front as preferred on and national are polling miles in front of labour.

      Next poll little could be 4th in the preferred pm stakes.

  7. Morrissey 7
    12 March 2017 at 12:05 pm

    What doctors would be like if ACT was in charge….

    http://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/a15625

  8. bwaghorn 8
    12 March 2017 at 1:10 pm

    on te netflix there is a series called ‘Islands of the Future’
    for anyone interested/involved in green energy it’s a must.
    the orkney island one (3rd ep) pointed out how much work could be created ‘

  9. Glenn 9
    12 March 2017 at 2:47 pm

    Another great New Zealander passes on..

    Footrot Flats creator Murray Ball has died. He was aged 78.

    Longtime friend and collaborator Tom Scott said he received a call around 1pm on Sunday to say Ball had passed away.

    It’s understood Ball had been suffering from Alzheimer’s and had been nursed at his Gisborne home for some time. He is survived by his wife Pam, and children.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/90340548/footrot-flats-creator-murray-ball-has-died

    • Antoine 9.1
      12 March 2017 at 2:51 pm

      Will be missed

      I grew up on Footrot Flats and have recently been introducing my kid to it. He loves it

    • Dan 9.2
      12 March 2017 at 2:58 pm

      That is so sad. It has not been a good week for cartoonists with Aussie Bill Leak dying a few days ago.

    • gsays 9.3
      12 March 2017 at 6:17 pm

      Thanks for posting that Glenn, one of Feilding’s finest.

      Cooch windgrass, horse, rangi, cheeky hobson… Great characters.

      • Cricklewood 9.3.1
        12 March 2017 at 7:22 pm

        Ha sounds like another friendly filly contributo. Good to see im not the only one. My grandparents woolshed featured in some of Murrays cartoons.

  10. adam 10
    12 March 2017 at 3:48 pm

    How to oppose a Mafia State.

  12. Sacha 12
    12 March 2017 at 9:46 pm

    Latest Labour-commissioned UMR poll shows that the voting public’s understanding of housing policy factors is better than I thought: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/90244287/the-nz-homeowners-who-hate-high-house-prices-are-revealed-in-labour-polling

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.