Open mike 21/03/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 21st, 2011 - 40 comments
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40 comments on “Open mike 21/03/2011 ”

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  2. millsy 2
    21 March 2011 at 7:33 am

    As daylight saving draws to a close, and the nights and mornings go colder, the realisation comes that those plans that have been lying round in a drawer somewhere are going to be taken out.

    This government is going to use Christchurch as an excuse to implement some pretty tough austerity measures, which will probably include chopping at what is left of the welfare state and outsourcing the vast bulk of public functions, from welfare benefits, to defence.

    We will probably find out what exactly will happen when the Budget comes out, but this government is hell bent on pulling things down, and not building them up.

    It might just be that those solo mothers are going to have to become scrubbers after all

    • Jim Nald 2.1
      21 March 2011 at 12:57 pm

      Vote the vandals out

    • prism 2.2
      21 March 2011 at 2:02 pm

      They always were scrubbers! Because they do housework, and that is one of the techniques for getting it done which probably hasn’t become part of the work experience of the male (female?) upper set in government. Though they might experience it when cleaning their boats to limit spreading didymo, but no, blokes use water pressure for that as a rule.

  3. happynz 3
    21 March 2011 at 8:14 am

    Just saw on the news that Labour MP Trevor Mallard sustained some injuries in a bike accident. He broke his femur and right shoulder blade. A plate and screw were inserted into his femur below his hip. Ouch. I’ve had the carpenters at the bone shop cobble together my leg too and they did a great job, but damn, the leg hurt for a while. Safe to say that Mr Mallard is going to have more than a bit of discomfort over the next half year.

    Get well soon.

  4. KINTO 4
    21 March 2011 at 11:01 am

    Ahem…

    As readers will know, David Farrar has never ever said that he thinks it is wrong to fuck pigs.

    • 3Y 4.1
      21 March 2011 at 12:37 pm

      or eat pies

    • Mac1 4.2
      21 March 2011 at 12:52 pm

      Farrar certainly understated the position of Field and the Labour Party. His introduction is very selective and weasel-worded.

      A short Google expedition finds that Field was expelled from the Labour Party in February 2007 and after conviction for fraud and corruption Annette King was quoted, “This sentence demonstrates that all New Zealanders are equal under the law.
      “Taito Phillip Field has been judged by his peers. He must now serve the sentence handed down in the Auckland High Court.”
      She said the party would not be commenting further.”

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2934748/Taito-Phillip-Field-jailed-for-six-years

      Pretty clear I would have thought- short, to the point, manageable even for Farrar to digest.

  5. randal 5
    21 March 2011 at 12:05 pm

    saturday dompost letters is becoming very fruitful.
    one siad this week that goldman sachs has said that selling soe’s will be good for the economy.
    I didnt see the original article but I take it on faith, so Goldman sachs, just how will it be good for the economy?
    for the last 10 years we have had roger kerr pushing his nonsense neo liberal arguments without being challenged so it is about time he was made to expalin himself along with goldman sachs being challenged too.
    why dont the labour party research unit get inot this stuff instead of spending all their time on the minutae of death by a thousand cuts in parliament.
    both kerr and goldman sachs need a thourogh examination and continual questioning to provide justification for their poinnts of view which comprise churning the market (goldmans) and looting the public treasutry (kerr).
    time for these people to step up.

    • uke 5.1
      21 March 2011 at 12:16 pm

      To my mind the SIS should be investigating the likes of Kerr etc. as potential economic terrorists.

      • Bored 5.1.1
        21 March 2011 at 12:32 pm

        potential?????????

        • uke 5.1.1.1
          21 March 2011 at 12:38 pm

          Yeah, okay, just testing the water. Still I think we need some kind of “Economic Terrorism and Sedition Act”, just to define it proper like. (Maybe something along these lines already exists?)

          • grumpy 5.1.1.1.1
            21 March 2011 at 12:47 pm

            Personally, I would like to see something to “sort out” the Bernard Whimps of this world.

          • Jim Nald 5.1.1.1.2
            21 March 2011 at 12:52 pm

            not enough.
            need to have the equivalent of a war crimes tribunal, i.e. a national economic crimes tribunal, inquiring into the damage that roger douglas, ruth richardson, and the former reserve bank governor don brash inflicted the country.
            also, need to criminalise and incarcerate or throw into exile the current lot of economic vandals on the government benches who have hijacked parliamentary democracy.

            • Nick 5.1.1.1.2.1
              21 March 2011 at 1:20 pm

              The subtle clack of knitting needles as the heads roll…..where do we stop? History will record these people as at best sociopaths, we dont want to be recorded as anything like them. The best solution to their criminality would be a total stripping of their assets and incomes, to be made to live on benefits or minimum wages.

    • Lanthanide 5.2
      21 March 2011 at 12:30 pm

      I saw the original article, it was linked here at some point, probably from an open mike post. About a week to 10 days ago?

      Basically their maths showed that interest costs if we borrow money is something like $567m, and the return on the assets as we hold them is $506m. Essentially by selling the assets we reduce the interest expenditure. I’m not sure how they came up with their numbers to show that the interest costs were higher, as everyone else basically has it the other way around.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1
        21 March 2011 at 12:49 pm

        Which must actually be wrong as the return from the SoEs is higher than the cost of borrowing.

  6. the sprout 6
    21 March 2011 at 12:05 pm

    no disrespect to the victim, but can anyone tell me why this is a story in the NZ Herald?
    seems very odd…

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10713960

  7. Nick 7
    21 March 2011 at 12:44 pm

    I had the misfortune to be in Chch for a few days, its terrible for the people who are awaiting official responses, help etc. Lots of very stressed anxious people. In the Saturday paper there was a big article about rebuilding. One person questioned was a Libertarianz (Osborne?) who basically said that the government should go away and leave everything to the market.

    I then had the wonderfully illuminating experience of hearing a local big bucks business type explaining to me the opportunities the whole disaster represented for him to make lots of cash.

    It seems to me that the cash principle of both of the above people is alive and well. It transcends what the people want, those who have capital will decide for the rest of us. They would claim that that is in the public good.

    Seems to me that the dominance of cash over democratic decision needs to be resisted or we will end up with more short term profit driven blots on the landscape.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1
      21 March 2011 at 12:53 pm

      Make no mistake about it – those two people are psychopaths and, yes, we do need to ensure democratic decision making takes precedence over cash deals.

    • Jim Nald 7.2
      21 March 2011 at 1:09 pm

      On a good day, I think the Nat Party is no longer what it was and has been turning into a plague of rats.
      This current horde thrive on things turning into a wild west.
      Seems to be in their interest to let their cronies and cowboys run the show.
      And they play smiling sheriffs, waving them on.

    • Colonial Viper 7.3
      21 March 2011 at 1:28 pm

      Since when did individualised commercial private interest add up to the best solution for the public good?

      Nuts.

      • Jim Nald 7.3.1
        21 March 2011 at 1:45 pm

        Or ‘Nats’ ?

        Answer: never but that won’t stop John Key and cronies from trying and unleashing it on us.

  8. 3Y 8
    21 March 2011 at 1:32 pm

    “Eh, senor, why you run over our church?”

    “This here is railway land, you hear. Anyone with a problem can take it up with Mr. Brownlee! Show ’em what we mean, Lefty…”

  9. Draco T Bastard 9
    21 March 2011 at 3:45 pm

    I/S has been his usual busy self and noticed some stats by the New Zealand Centre for Public Law in one of their submissions.

    Proof of National’s systematic abuse of urgency

    One thing it shows conclusively is that the current government is on track to become the worst ever in its abuse of urgency.

    So, righties, how are you going to defend Nationals undermining of democracy this time?

  10. the pink postman 10
    21 March 2011 at 4:21 pm

    I wonder how many of the present Nat and Act MPs and officials are hoping that their comments regarding nuclear power are not remembered .
    I well remember Lockwood Smith saying in Parliament that there was more radio-activity in his wristwatch than from nuclear ships . Lets not forget “gone by lunch time” Many Nats have shown a desire for Nuclear Power.It’s in their DNA after all its big business.Because of the Christchurch disaster its time to remind the voters out there that if it was not for Labour Party members demanding a Nuclear Free NZ its more than possible Christchurch may have had its own Nuclear Power station or Nuclear ships in its port,. Just think!!

  12. William Joyce 12
    21 March 2011 at 7:13 pm

    What do we call the new ministry for Christchurch recovery
    – The Shadow Development Ministry
    – The Ministry for Gastronomic Development
    – The Ministry of For more Eclairs
    – The Ministry of Fripperies
    – The Ministry of Civil Pretence

  13. lprent 13
    21 March 2011 at 10:07 pm

    Been out at the Labour Auckland-Northland list candidates meeting. A pretty impressive lineup compared to previous elections. I think I’ll go along on the weekend.

    Feels rather strange with people complimenting me on being alive. For most of them it is the first time they will have seen me since hitting the hospital.

    • Lanthanide 13.1
      21 March 2011 at 10:11 pm

      “Feels rather strange with people complimenting me on being alive. ”

      I felt the same at my 21st birthday.
      “Congratulations, you’re 21!”
      “You’re congratulating me for not having died?”

      In your case it’s a bit more warranted, but still kinda a weird thing to say.