Open mike 16/07/2010

32 comments on “Open mike 16/07/2010 ”

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1. mickysavage 1

   16 July 2010 at 7:42 am

   Something for the Herald is making it up again file.

   A headline in today’s Herald says “Six boatloads of refugees headed for NZ”

   The text then says this:

   At least six boatloads of asylum seekers have considered heading for New Zealand in the past year, and those who don’t believe a ship could one day reach these shores are “deluding themselves”, Prime Minister John Key says.

   Our PM has the super ability to read the minds of overseas people smugglers! And “heading for New Zealand” becomes “considered heading for New Zealand”.

   I bet the CT dog whistle is getting polished and ready to blow.
   • Tigger 1.1

     16 July 2010 at 8:03 am

     Oh noes, how would we ever deal with a single boat of refugees? Quick, round them up in an East Timor facility stat!

     This has to be one of the more bizarre pieces of tory spin this year… Someone is deluded but it ain’t us, Mr Key. That said, clearly he has a future in psychic readings…
     • pollywog 1.1.1

       16 July 2010 at 9:30 am

       I’ll organise a powhiri and a bit of a feed then eh ?

       …they’ll be starving by the time they get here and as guests, it’d be rude not to show them some good honest Pasifikan hospitality.

       Just like my forbears. If they’re willing to chance the high seas and can find their way here in the hope of a better life. They’re more than welcome in my books…
2. Bored 2

   16 July 2010 at 8:14 am

   Just scanned the MSM and saw a couple of headlines (paraphrased)….

   National to allow employers 90 day trial for all workers, and to allow employers to prevent Union access to workplace
   and then
   Joyce announces plans to link course funding for tertiary studies to employment uptake.

   Nice, its attack attack attack. Get rid of any advances made by the Union movement over the last century, break workers rights. Then make education funding only available for vocational parrot subjects, no independent or broad thinking allowed.

   Meanwhile Joe Pillock, member of general public who in polls gives Nact 60% approval meakly accepts the diminution of his / her place in society, what a pathetic bunch we (collectively) are.
   • prism 2.1

     16 July 2010 at 9:46 am

     The most wealthy business leaders often don’t see the use of a wide education – why not turn universities into advanced technology institutes. All that old learning and tradition of thinking and studying the subject of discussion is just a waste of time to them. They have made money, they have run some entity, they see themselves as exemplars of the finest and most intelligent. Everyone should be a near-clone of Steven Joyce et al. Their direction is towards universities dumbed down, different views, dissenting comment abolished even book libraries diminished or made more expensive.

     The trend towards repressing our humanity towards controlling and limiting us towards a machine-like focus. is a worry. The ultimate is to influence us and our children to parallel money-aspirational machines.

     (Humans watch out. Now robot teachers are being used in Korea etc to read to littlies – item on 9tonoon NzRadio Thursday I think. They are also being trialled to work with severely autistic children, who with their repetitive traits are a bit machine-like themselves. The trial looked promising too.)
     • Bored 2.1.1

       16 July 2010 at 9:58 am

       The collective dumbing down seems to be well advanced, the bit which worries me most is that if we dont have intellectual breadth encouraged by non specific education we become as you say autistic robots. The truly terrifying part is that even the wealthy elite will become mono focused, we end up with a circumscribed intellectual poverty from top to bottom.
3. Janice 3

   16 July 2010 at 8:22 am

   So our water quality checking is to be curtailed to the standard adopted by Ontario, which resulted in several deaths due to e-coli. This of course will make the water supply infrastructure more attractive to investors (and blind trusts) due to the costs of supplying water being reduced because there are not the same standards to maintain.
4. Adrian 4

   16 July 2010 at 8:22 am

   Here’s an election tagline for whoever wants ( on the left ) to use it, because the truth is becoming ever more clear. Over an image of a smirking Key ( plenty of those to chose from ) ” YOU MIGHT LIKE HIM, BUT HE DOESN’T LIKE YOU !
   • Bored 4.1

     16 July 2010 at 9:05 am

     Pretty much sums up what I said above, good line.
5. Butyeahbutnahyeahnah 5

   16 July 2010 at 8:36 am

   Good Morning (yes esp. to you Pascal, I hope you stick around too),
   Further reasons why “we” shouldn’t let direct marketing of medicine in NZ.

   http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Marketing-Serotonin-Defici-by-Dr-Stuart-Jeanne-B-100713-513.html
   • Pascal's bookie 5.1

     16 July 2010 at 9:02 am

     Mate. I’ve been here pretty much since the get go, slicing, dicing, throwing batteries.
     • Butyeahbutnahyeahnah 5.1.1

       16 July 2010 at 10:38 am

       Play nice – I am. ( I was trying to return your sweet comments at the begining of our last interaction, if I come across a little strong for you, I appologise, I have worked an awful amount of OT this month and it does take it toll).
       • Pascal's bookie 5.1.1.1

         16 July 2010 at 10:55 am

         All good Buty.
6. Clarke 6

   16 July 2010 at 8:36 am

   I see the hard-working Dr Brash has blown the budget for the 2025 Taskforce by poking his nose too deep into the trough:

   The controversial 2025 Task Force which recommended slashing government spending blew its entire three-year budget for chairman Don Brash’s meeting fees in just one year.

   Dr Brash was paid $1200 a day to chair the commission, and the Government expected to pay him for eight full days of meetings and preparation in 2009-10 and four days for the following two years.

   But documents made public by Treasury show Dr Brash received $39,450 in the first year four times the amount earmarked for his first year on the taskforce.

   So like most righties, Brash is lecturing us on fiscal restraint whilst hosing money against the wall – another case of “do as I say, not as I do”. But the best part of the article was this:

   The task force came in under budget, however, because it did not spend as much as anticipated on outside experts out of a $100,000 budget just $18,913 was spent.

   That makes perfect sense – Brash already knows what he thinks, so why should he spend money on experts who might disagree with his pre-determined outcome?
   • Pete 6.1

     16 July 2010 at 8:53 am

     And THIS is one of the main reasons why people do not trust politicians – because those like Brash line their pockets and close their minds!
   • Pascal's bookie 6.2

     16 July 2010 at 9:08 am

     ha!

     Fucking vampire squid.

     So they have a taskforce to find out what to do, because apparently the elected pollies don’t have any clues, and the pollie they appointed to run the thing, whose ideas have already been rejected by the electorate, blows the research dosh on himself.

     Wingnut welfare 101.
   • ianmac 6.3

     16 July 2010 at 10:28 am

     And the list of reccommendations from Brash are a bit…

     “Its first report called for the Government to slash spending by $9 billion, reform welfare, scrap the NZ Superannuation Fund, raise the pension age, cut subsidies for health and education and reform employment law.”
     • prism 6.3.1

       16 July 2010 at 10:58 am

       Crumbs, I could have suggested those for half the money. Anyone in govt want to hire an economic mercenary from the suburbs, (willing to negotiate provided there are enough noughts behind the initial number)? What’s new from Brash we have heard this before, it’s like yesterday’s cold porridge and made with water too, more like Oliver’s gruel.
7. G8 7

   16 July 2010 at 9:05 am

   Herald article today on SuperCity Canidates debate finishes with:

   “Why I should be the mayor

   Len Brown:

   “Every day I wake up and, for one thing, I’m thankful I do wake up. But secondly, I have the greatest job in the world and it’s a job that enables me to make a difference, to really change people’s lives, to deliver change, new direction and positive growth in the community. I can sort of perform little miracles around our place. When the change occurred I wondered whether I could shift this position to the community that has raised me since I was 7. I have very quickly found that passion. It has been an extraordinary journey thus far and the opportunity to deliver something by the way of step change and extraordinary redirection of Auckland and taking up of its potential, a marrying of our business dynamic with our community aroha and love is something I believe is an extraordinary opportunity, and I would like to take that opportunity.”

   John Banks

   At age 18, I decided that I would balance the family ledger by joining the police. The Auckland police told me in no uncertain terms that I was a lowlife son of two shitbags and there was no place for me in the New Zealand police. Twenty-five years later, I became the Minister of Police. I’m doing this to balance the family ledger.

   By Bernard Orsman | Email Bernard

   Well we now know from the horses mouth why Banks is in it. Just for himself as he needs to balance the family ledger – yep we know how he will do this.

   The real reason he didnt get in the police is he didnt have School Certificate.
   • Right On 7.1

     16 July 2010 at 10:35 am

     The police had it right “It’s in the blood!”

     Hopefully Auckland gets it right and votes Brown.
     • prism 7.1.1

       16 July 2010 at 11:05 am

       Right On
       I suppose you know what the police were referring to concerning JB’s background? His parents were in medical social services – carrying out abortions when they were regarded as murder in the extreme and anyone involved was despicable. I think JB as a child was exposed to the sight of blood in connection with this. That would be shocking for him, I have heard of grown men fainting in an operating theatre. So blood is an emotive word here.
   • Lindsey 7.2

     16 July 2010 at 1:35 pm

     And they do have height requirements for the Police Force!
     • G8 7.2.1

       16 July 2010 at 3:37 pm

       Height doesn’t matter in the world of Banks, he has even been caught out lying about that. The ego is alive and well.
8. prism 8

   16 July 2010 at 10:14 am

   Listening to the discussion on the probable new employment laws it seems a large hammer to open a nut. I have been an employer and employee so that gives me some insight. It is helpful for those wanting work experience to give up some advantages to do so but to work a quarter of a year on trial is excessive. The length of time should be less, more like 30 days and there is no reason why the employee should not have the right to complain about conditions. A mediation and responsible employer advisor should be able to quickly step in, could be a union specialist.

   The government could set up a SOE temp agency run on private lines through which these employees would pass and which would receive reports on their prowess and monitor the companies using them. Support and help from it would be likely to improve on WINZ which has a government influenced, welfare approach that often discourages and diminishes the participant.

   New limits on unions – employers whose workers most need union help will be less able to access that. Interesting to hear speakers from business stating that there had been a few problems with the unions, apparently any problem mean increased controls for all instead of mediation and advice from government to achieve better run businesses with less friction.

   There have been few reported problems over the 90 day practice so that means it is a success? How do they know, all comments seem anecdotal. There is limited hard data being reported on how well the systems are working, and apparently no desire to monitor it for fairness and effectiveness for both parties.
   • Bored 8.1

     16 July 2010 at 12:16 pm

     Prism, maybe one of the reasons they dont want subjects like history taught is that it undermines the real agenda which is to cut wages and lower working conditions. Union and Labour history was never high on the agenda and never more relevant.
9. Carol 9

   16 July 2010 at 11:06 am

   This may be slightly off topic, even for open mike. But it’s about politics and history, or at least the way it’s represented on the History Channel:

   It’s starts by commenting on the totally unbelievanility of, and plot holes in Doctor Who, then it goes on to the History Channel ….

   http://squid314.livejournal.com/275614.html

   I think the worst offender here is the History Channel and all their programs on the so-called “World War II”.

   Let’s start with the bad guys. Battalions of stormtroopers dressed in all black, check. Secret police, check. Determination to brutally kill everyone who doesn’t look like them, check. Leader with a tiny villain mustache and a tendency to go into apopleptic rage when he doesn’t get his way, check. All this from a country that was ordinary, believable, and dare I say it sometimes even sympathetic in previous seasons.

   I wouldn’t even mind the lack of originality if they weren’t so heavy-handed about it. Apparently we’re supposed to believe that in the middle of the war the Germans attacked their allies the Russians, starting an unwinnable conflict on two fronts, just to show how sneaky and untrustworthy they could be? And that they diverted all their resources to use in making ever bigger and scarier death camps, even in the middle of a huge war? Real people just aren’t that evil. And that’s not even counting the part where as soon as the plot requires it, they instantly forget about all the racism nonsense and become best buddies with the definitely non-Aryan Japanese.

   Not that the good guys are much better. Their leader, Churchill, appeared in a grand total of one episode before, where he was a bumbling general who suffered an embarrassing defeat to the Ottomans of all people in the Battle of Gallipoli. Now, all of a sudden, he’s not only Prime Minister, he’s not only a brilliant military commander, he’s not only the greatest orator of the twentieth century who can convince the British to keep going against all odds, he’s also a natural wit who is able to pull out hilarious one-liners practically on demand.

   And it goes on….

   But is this so different from the credibility of some of our MSM, that seem to forget the plot and characters they’ve used in previous episodes?
   • prism 9.1

     16 July 2010 at 11:19 am

     Insanely clever those satirists – on Churchill’s humour I like the well-known one
     about Lady Astor and their exchange.
     She (apparently exasperated with him) – If I was your wife I’d put poison in your tea/coffee.
     He (impertinently) – If I was your husband I would drink it.

     As to all that about World War 2 and toothbrush moustaches, who could believe it? Every time I read about it I am more amazed – I am reading stories of the intelligence people mounting covert campaigns behind the lines. Am just going to read the newer Nancy Wake book. Someone who deserves a civilian salute.
     • Bored 9.1.1

       16 July 2010 at 12:29 pm

       Apparently Nial Fergusson series about the War of the Century is about to show: much as I enjoy watching and reading Fergusson one has to be very aware that his basic premise is that Imperialism is both unavoidable and benign. His book upon the US as an imperial power was just a straight apology for the abuse of US financial and military power.

       So warning bells, as you watch it put on the shit filters: his presentation of the Russian experience with totalitarian dictatorship may not lack in factual evidence, the analysis is however biased toward pro capitalist imperialism as the only plausible (in his view) alternative. From his privileged lofty heights as the pin up boy of establishment history Fergusson does not incline towards any “peoples’ view as do the likes of Howard Zin. In summary BEWARE.
10. Carol 10

    16 July 2010 at 6:21 pm

    Patrick Gower on TV3 News reported on Key’s popularity going into the Nat Party Conference. He concluded that the opposition probably wouldn’t be able to dent key’s current popularity.

    However, along the way, Gower looked back to some of Key’s campaign footage to compare that with his achievements:
    So Key promised tax cuts, but didn’t mention raising GST.
    Key was happy to welcome people who chose to come to NZ.
    He mentioned a lot about a better future for his children – but he seems to have lost interest in his children in relation to what he’s done in office. (I always thought that children stuff was a bit of a dof whistle about him having childeren, unlike Clark).
    He was ambitious for NZ to develop an economy like that of Ireland (good call!)
    He promised a brighter future for NZ.
11. Carol 11

    16 July 2010 at 6:29 pm

    Oh, and Key promised to improve the quality of news coverage in NZ… (?)
12. john 12

    18 July 2010 at 12:33 pm

    A very good article about Predatory financial lending causing the current Global crisis and the cruel destructive imposition of IMF austerity programs on peoples to pay back the bankers. But Argentina rejected all of the above and gave their creditors a haircut and its economy has been growing by 10% a year compared with say the Phillipines thrown into permanent poverty by accepting the IMF Neo-Liberal package which sucks the financial blood out of ordinary people to pay for the banker’s bets that went wrong!
    http://www.zcommunications.org/greece-same-tragedy-different-scripts-by-walden-bello

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1. The Standard: posted on 15 July 2010 at 6:10 pm

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