Open mike 23/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 23rd, 2011 - 118 comments
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

118 comments on “Open mike 23/11/2011 ”

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  1. Pete George 1
    23 November 2011 at 6:39 am

    Every party complains about the media coverage they get, but not too loudly in case they lose favour and coverage. Media reports commonly don’t seem accurate to those being reported on. Mostly that is a natural effect of someone else looking at things differently.

    In our democratic system the media hold a lot of power.

    Just as most politicians mean well and work hard, the same for journalists. Personal views and preferences must influence how stories are chosen and covered but most journalists try to provide width and balance to their coverage.

    Some journalists abuse their power, framing stories and promoting their own agendas and egos way beyond normal journalistic boundaries.

    • tc 1.1
      23 November 2011 at 7:07 am

      Actually Peter it’s down to the management editing and controlling what’s published by setting agendas and employing kids just look at the fresh young faces doing stories on drunken sport heads on the TV.

      To quote a good mate, also a senior experienced journo, ‘too few employers and the editors have preconceived yarns to get out there, cross them and you’re out of a job’

      Games is rigged dude…..watch Oz news to get a stark contrast in how balanced reporting is done.

      • Pete George 1.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 7:19 am

        I know it’s rigged. A few people are looking at what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least. Power of the ‘net may be able to apply some pressure.

        • mickysavage 1.1.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 8:35 am

          what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least.

          Geez Pete. You are standing for a party headed by a hairpiece that backs this current rabble like a bad smell. This is not “holding them to account”. Your party is part of the problem.

          It is part of this contrived gerrymander that gives the right an undue advantage. Basically if the hairpiece wins National gets 1.2% more of the party vote than it actually won.

          Your comments are hypocritical. If you truly want to “hold them to account” then resign and join a real party, one determined to do something for ordinary people, not for millionaires.

          • aerobubble 1.1.1.1.1
            23 November 2011 at 10:07 am

            But that’s the problem, the millionaries are loosing their shirts because they are running the country so badly.

            But worse they’ve locked in the tax system to make any company that grows (or farm, crafer) into a target for foreign take over.

            NZ is digging itself faster into serfdom, and that’s what’s so astonishing about the elite here, that they really are that incredibly self-destructive.

            The culture is set by media and the jerk elite has decided it doesn’t care what nonsense is peddled, or by whom.

            Murdoch is an Australian.

    • Ben 1.2
      23 November 2011 at 8:43 am

      Are you complaining about the latest FairFax poll in which UF polls at one tenth of one percent?

    • felix 1.3
      23 November 2011 at 8:44 am

      Pete, I read your article and I must say I’m surprised.

      11 paragraphs about parties conniving to assist each other into seats and not one mention of United Future’s deal with National.

  2. jaymam 2
    23 November 2011 at 6:41 am

    Banks and Brash under attack at Epsom candidate meeting last night:
    http://i41.tinypic.com/4sbqmo.jpg
    I guess TVNZ will be showing some footage:
    http://i43.tinypic.com/2816f49.jpg

    More pics at:
    http://thestandard.org.nz/new-goldsmith-signs-go-up/#comment-405247

    • Penny Bright 2.1
      23 November 2011 at 9:00 am

      Thanks for that ‘Jayman’! 🙂

      22 November 2011 Epsom candidates meeting at the Parnell Jubliee Building 545 Parnell Rd.

      I recommended to Epsom voters last night that they do not vote for yet- to- be- charged or convicted ‘white collar’ crook – John Banks.

      http://i39.tinypic.com/xkohly.jpg

      Am STILL awaiting a ‘progress report’ (promised Friday morning 18 November 2011) from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

      ARE THE NZ SFO GOING TO EQUALLY LAY CHARGES AGAINST ACT CANDIDATE FOR EPSOM JOHN BANKS, AND ACT LEADER DON BRASH, AS WERE LAID AGAINST FORMER FELLOW DIRECTOR OF HULJICH WEALTH MANAGEMENT (NZ) LTD – PETER HULJICH FOR SIGNING ‘REGISTERED PROSPECTUSES’ WHICH CONTAINED UNTRUE STATEMENTS – OR NOT?

      IF NOT – WHY NOT?

      How come ACT’s ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’ – apparently doesn’t apply to the ACT Leader Don Brash, and ACT candidate for Epsom John Banks?

      Where’s ACT’s ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ for ‘white collar’ CRIME?

      Will be following up with the SFO this morning
..

      Of course this issue is being given the mainstream media coverage one would expect in election year



      Not.

      (Situation normal)

      Penny Bright
      CENSORED
      Independent Candidate for Epsom
      Campaigning against ‘white collar’ CRIME, CORRUPTION (and its root cause – PRIVATISATION) and ‘CORPORATE WELFARE’
      [email deleted]

  3. tsmithfield 3
    23 November 2011 at 6:56 am

    Bugger the polls. My Ipredict short against National winning isn’t looking too healthy now. 🙂

    • Salsy 3.1
      23 November 2011 at 7:11 am

      16.2 % undecided…!

    • chris73 3.2
      23 November 2011 at 7:16 am

      Now just hang on a minute:

      The teapot scandal will break National
      Rena will scupper them
      Labours policys will bring them back
      NZ will have a collective wakening to what John Keys about
      The Greens, Mana, Winston First and Labour will get enough votes
      The worm turned
      Attacking the Mad Butcher will get votes
      Playing the personality politics is the way to go (not that Labours doing that of course)

      Any one of the above is a game changer so don’t give up hope just yet

      • Colonial Viper 3.2.1
        23 November 2011 at 8:03 am

        You were one of those chumps who thought the All Blacks would win the final by 20 points, weren’t you?

        • chris73 3.2.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 12:12 pm

          Oh yeah sorry I also should add:

          Assett sales

          A win by 20 or a win by 1 is still a win (I will admit to some nerves during the match)

  4. Jim Nald 4
    23 November 2011 at 7:13 am

    Bill English now bullshitting on Morning Report

  5. Hilary 5
    23 November 2011 at 8:05 am

    Strange lack of empathy from Joanne Black, in the latest Listener, for Bradley Ambrose. Remember she has admitted to leaving a tape running hidden behind a bunch of flowers after a press conference with then PM Geoffrey Palmer. Then she played it to other journalists and possibly politicians including Ruth Richardson who then used it in the house to mock the PM.

    Bradley Ambrose was pushed away, with a scrum of other journalists, from a public meeting in a cafe, to a position a few feet away. Whether or not it was accidental, he left the mike in full view of several DPS staff and the two politicians, none of whom noticed it. When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.

  6. Adrian 6
    23 November 2011 at 8:38 am

    Joanne Blacks husband is one of Key’s advisors. Says it all.

  7. Willie Maley 7
    23 November 2011 at 9:01 am

    Interesting chart……..
    http://tiny.cc/dpjbg

  8. Jimmie 8
    23 November 2011 at 9:03 am

    When he realized it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.

    Hmm more like he rubbed his hands together and thought ha ha pay day is coming!

    Deleted it – don’t you mean copied it and sold to who ever would buy it?

    His argument that it was all an accident and he didn’t mean to tape the conversation would be like you or me walking out of a supermarket with groceries without paying for them, going home and eating the groceries.

    When Plod comes around to have a chat you say, oh yes I realized after I got home that I hadn’t paid for the groceries so it wasn’t stealing – but I decided to eat them anyway as it was ok to.

    Wouldn’t hold up in court as the consumption proves the intent. I think Mr Ambrose is going to find out this afternoon that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.

    • The Voice of Reason 8.1
      23 November 2011 at 9:22 am

      Your last point is incorrect, Jimmie, because the judge is not being asked to rule on the question of the selling of the conversation, just whether it was a private conversation or not. If not, that lets the cameraman off the hook, if it is private, then the cops have to then make the decision about prosecution.

      By the way, who said he sold the tape? I haven’t seen it reported anywhere that he was paid for it.

    • Lanthanide 8.2
      23 November 2011 at 10:44 am

      These sorts of comments are why he now has a defamation case against Key.

    • Vicky32 8.3
      23 November 2011 at 7:08 pm

      “that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.”

      But as we now know, she didn’t… 🙂

  9. Campbell Larsen 9
    23 November 2011 at 9:04 am

    Granny Herald has returned to form pushing propaganda and disinformation for the Nats in on it’s front page with article from chief cheerleader John sycophant Armstrong. The editor busied himself with talking up the dangers of earthquakes prone buildings in Auckland (FFS!) demanding ‘the public have a right to know’ but has nothing to say on the suppression of information involved in the ombudsman withholding advice that the government received from treasury wrt asset sales, or the lack of any concrete evidence to back up Nationals claim that ownership will be retained by
    New Zealanders.
    Inside the political pages the talk (excepting Rudman) was all about how Shonkeys charm is like the sun and without it we would all surely wither and die.

  10. Huginn 10
    23 November 2011 at 9:07 am

    Homebrew + Tourrettes’ song ‘Listen to us’ has had almost ten thousand plays in a week.

    listen to it here on:
    http://soundcloud.com/homebrewcrew/home-brew-listen-to-us-feat

    Vote for this song on the bFM top ten here:
    http://www.95bfm.com/default,top10.sm

    — let’s make the #1 MEAN SOMETHING this year…

  11. freedom 11
    23 November 2011 at 9:14 am

    Key on RNZ right now, getting all flustered and talking over the host

    • insider 11.1
      23 November 2011 at 9:25 am

      And Kathryn Ryan gets bored quickly has an idea she just has to express right then and talks over the top of Key rather than waiting for a natural pause. Just done it 3 times in 30 seconds. (it’s not just Key she does it all the time as does Kim Hill end rant. RANt continues – she also talks way too quick. It’s like dealing with an 8 year old who has to blurt everything out in one go. Key and Goff have a much more moderate pace and the contrast really grates).

      Key said something really interesting right up front after the introduction when Ryan said that Nats could govern alone based on recent polls, the first party to do so under MMP. He then said something like ‘that [Fairfax] poll could be overstating things’.

      • felix 11.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 9:31 am

        It’s an interview, not a party political broadcast.

        Not that Key would know the difference.

        • ianmac 11.1.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 10:00 am

          Katherine is the interviewer. She asks the question. Key goes off on a tangent and avoids the question. Katherine attempts to return to the question. Key shouts over her and continues to avoid.
          Pity. Key could have answered some good questions but failed.

        • insider 11.1.1.2
          23 November 2011 at 10:15 am

          It’s a long form interview – she doesn’t have to rush. But she does it all the time. No doubt she’ll be as irritating with Goff tomorrow. It appears like it is more about her and her voice getting airspace. Kim Hill has developed the same problem.

          • Lanthanide 11.1.1.2.1
            23 November 2011 at 10:47 am

            I didn’t hear the whole interview, but a part of it I did hear, Key was wandering off the question that was asked and started talking about Goff, so Kathryn had to interrupt to get him back on track.

  13. felix 13
    23 November 2011 at 9:38 am

    National Front at Christchurch candidates meeting: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=209559

  14. freedom 14
    23 November 2011 at 9:39 am

    In the interview Key admitted that they are planning to spend 4 billion dollars on the power grid/network.

    So let’s get this straight. He is going to spend billions upgrading the lines and wants to sell the power generation plants that need the lines to deliver their product.

    We are paying to build the trucks, and the roads, that takes their goods to market for us to buy

    ================

    How can the host not have the basic treasury and budget figures on hand.

    Key says National just delivered a zero budget – i hear crickets-
    key says labour left hundreds of billions of debt – more crickets –
    Key said they have not lumped NZ with new debt – i swear i heard a black hole open up –

    • insider 14.1
      23 November 2011 at 10:22 am

      The 4b is old news and probably accounted for as it is 100% funded by consumers. It has meant Transpower has not been giving the govt a dividend in recent years despite making 100m or so a year. I think Labour started the ball rolling in about 2007. Oh and Labour allowed Transpower to ‘sell’ the national grid to Wachovia in a buy and lease back arrangement to rort US taxpayers.

      But your analogy doesn’t hold. The govt already builds and owns the roads. But it doesn’t try and own the cars and trucks that run on them, or the factories that fill the trucks, or the office blocks filled by people who drive their cars on the roads. Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?

      • freedom 14.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 2:41 pm

        it is a very clear and simple metaphor of what is represented by NZ paying to build new power grid systems and transmission lines and then selling the companies that produce the electricity that will use those very lines to sell power back to NZ. or were you just wanting to waste my time?

        the whole structure is corrupt and the more we all look into it the murkier the whole story becomes.
        Left , Right, doesn’t matter, the deals done in NZ the last thirty years have to be brought to light and those responsible have to be held to account.

        Even this single phone call raises more than a few questions as to the legitimacy of the status quo.

        • insider 14.1.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 5:25 pm

          It’s a completely odd ‘metaphor’ because it’s not one.

          But that aside, what you are saying is that it is strange and illegitimate for the government to build a road to develop some crown land at the end of it, and then sell that land to private enterprises (like farmers, builders and developers), who will then turn it into a housing estate or warehousing or farms and use that same crown owned road to service the area and bring produce and people out of it to other places served by the same crown owned roading network. Strange, because that is how much of NZ was developed and they are still doing it today http://www.primecommercial.co.nz/1657269

      • Vicky32 14.1.2
        23 November 2011 at 7:19 pm

        “Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?”

        Why not? The idea probably gives you an aneurysm, but as my late brother used to say “If you’re going to sin, might as well make it an original one!” 😀
        (PS I think you meant wholesale though wholescale is orignal, and almost fits!)

  15. Draco T Bastard 15
    23 November 2011 at 9:41 am

    Lew has an interesting observation over on Kiwipolitico:

    The other day David Farrar got in a pre-emptive whinge about Bryan Bruce’s Inside New Zealand documentary on child poverty that aired last night on TV3.

    Yeah, it’s election week, and yeah, Labour are emphasising their poverty alleviation focus on the back of this documentary. But isn’t it more telling that National and its proxies immediately and reflexively go on the defensive, rather than acknowledging the problems of child poverty and renewing its commitment to resolving them?

    But National are the government now, and their defensiveness, I think, signals that they know they bear some responsibility for child poverty. And yet they’re not willing to do much about it, beyond the tired old saw of “a rising tide lifts all boats”, and announcements that they will further constrict the welfare state to force the parents of these sick children to seek jobs that aren’t there. (And yes; National bought time during the documentary as well: the “cracking down on benefit fraud” ad was a particularly cynical form of irony.)

    So, when the psychopaths in National heard that there was a documentary showing just how bad the poverty in NZ had become over the last three decades of neo-liberalism they called it a Labour advert, said it wasn’t their fault and then promised to make it worse by cracking down on beneficiaries?

    Yeah, National, really helpful – not.

    • insider 15.1
      23 November 2011 at 10:27 am

      The other side of that is that most of the poverty statistics you see variously quoted as appalling, third world etc date from Labour’s time in power, a period of apparantly massive growth and success. That’s just the nature of the time it takes to collate and analyse this stuff. We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.

      • Lanthanide 15.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 10:50 am

        “We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.”

        No, but we can make some very educated guesses about whether it’s going to be better, worse, or the same…

      • Draco T Bastard 15.1.2
        23 November 2011 at 11:00 am

        Did you see the bit where I mentioned the last three decades of neo-liberalism? Yes, Labour’s to blame as well.

        The point was that, given the evidence, National whinge and whine and don’t do anything to get rid of the poverty. Of course, they don’t want to because having large amounts of poverty pushes wages down just as John Key said he wanted.

  16. ianmac 16
    23 November 2011 at 9:47 am

    Key was interviewed by Katherine Nine to Noon. (Try hard to be open minded.)
    Katherine shouted down.
    Key: Slippery. Evasive. Devious.
    (Comparing his performance with that of other leaders in terms of honesty credibility trust. Awful!)

    • Tiger Mountain 16.1
      23 November 2011 at 9:53 am

      Shonkey could get caught with two 13 year old girls in the back of the limo and his fan club would still be relaxed. The rabid and rapid response of the Kiwiblog gargoyle re one widely perceived advantage to Phil Goff following the TV3 debate shows these people are on maximum wind.

      Judge Helen Winkelmann’s phone would possibly have been busy last nite.

      Really the likes of Key, Farrar and Joyce can only be considered as traitorous swine running a continuous ‘dark op’ on behalf of capital in NZ.

      • Bored 16.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 10:49 am

        You are spot on, Key could do anything and it would not matter. The basic issue is that NZers (as pointed out in Trotters latest column) want reassurance and parenting from their lovely leader. Facts and policies are of no real issue, we just want to be lead by nice daddy John.

        Upshot is that we will as a nation ignore that nice daddy John will sell of the house and then have an affair with a merchant bankster mistress, all so long as we feel reassured. And in 3 years we will wont get letters from Hawaii from runaway daddy because we wont have our own address, we will be out in the street.

        Which begs the question: when will we grow up and become adults assessing our own futures? When will we leave political infancy?

        • tom 16.1.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 6:51 pm

          Any chance you explaining to me the point and its value of always attacking the PM. Hasn’t he also gotten a heap of ministers and MPs running things.. so what’s with the obsession.. don’t you see how counter-productive this is.. and how excellent JK is fending it off.. looks to me a lot of the time like he’s inviting it so he can deflect scrutiny from the others..

  17. The Voice of Reason 17
    23 November 2011 at 10:32 am

    Quick note for LP: WYSIWYG and the name and email cookies are no longer working on Firefox.

    Edit: or IE.

    • Lanthanide 17.1
      23 November 2011 at 10:51 am

      Lynn’s aware. I thought he was going to fix it but evidently hasn’t done so yet.

      • The Voice of Reason 17.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 11:09 am

        Cheers, I’ve got so used to the tags and automatic logons that I even forgot to re-enter the data on the comment above and had to go back and reload it.

      • lprent 17.1.2
        24 November 2011 at 2:30 am

        Yep. Unfortunately I’ve spent the last week pushing data for election day targeting which is more time dependent.

        I know how to fix the problem to get around the new cache, but it takes time to dig out the old code from javascript. I just haven’t had time to do so. But I’m almost done. However I also have to stop my holiday and go back to the paying job…

        I’d revert it back to the normal system, but we’re getting read peaks that are quite high. Tonight for instance we did about a quarter of the days page views in just over an hour after the debate (and surprise surprise we just made another record for highest page view day and highest visitor day – the second this week). The cache was the only thing that made the system operate without falling unresponsive. It was feeding the same cached page to multiple readers rather than regenerating it for each reader.

        Best suggestion – register and login.

        That generates a separate page for each logged in user (whilst serving up cached copies for non-logged in) and therefore has all of that stuff operational without issues (it is the readers that cause the peak issues)

  18. Jackal 18
    23 November 2011 at 10:39 am

    Another broken promise

    Prior to the last election in 2008, National promised that New Zealander’s would Wave goodbye to higher taxes
 however National increased GST to 15%. The broken promise ensured that socially negative statistics kept growing.

    National’s pledge card also said: Not your loved ones
 meaning that New Zealander’s would stop leaving en mass. However we‘ve seen the first net migration loss in ten years and the increasing exodus has continued to grow under National over the last three years.

    Some people have argued that the Christchurch earthquakes are the reason for the continued exodus
 however only a small percentage of those leaving come from Christchurch. The vast majority of people are leaving because National has mismanaged the economy and things are getting worse here in New Zealand.

    • Bored 18.1
      23 November 2011 at 11:01 am

      Get it right Jackal, National did not mismanage the economy, they did not even attempt to do anything other than transfer wealth to their mates, scrap social expenditure and plan to sell off the silver to themselves.

    • ropata 18.2
      23 November 2011 at 12:19 pm

      “National has mismanaged the economy”

      Incorrect. National has
      – deliberately skewed the economy in favour of the wealthy elite,
      – generated a massive government debt
      – overseen an embarrassing credit downgrade

      All in preparation for the privatisation of our juicy public assets.
      Another wealth grab by the insatiable banksters and their useful idiots…

      • mik e 18.2.1
        23 November 2011 at 5:57 pm

        people leaving en masse because they are worried we are going to get another 3years of Shonkey .

    • tom 18.3
      23 November 2011 at 6:57 pm

      That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.. try for more REAL in your comments please.

      • Vicky32 18.3.1
        23 November 2011 at 7:26 pm

        “That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.”

        That’s gurble, really! What does ” fiscally risk neutral” even mean? It’s jargon of some sort, each of the words makes sense on its own, but together? No… ?????

  19. Bill 19
    23 November 2011 at 10:42 am

    More great Poll results for National despite all the personal Mudslinging from Labour. I know Iprent is not in favour of this as I have read his comments on it before. That the Election should always be fought on a Policy basis. There are two real problems for Labour in this Election that I see.
    1) The associated link with Winston Peters as shown by the contrived worm,and polls the Public dont trust him even though Phil Goff says he does.
    2) The rise of the Greens this party is appearing as fresh full of new ideas and the voters choice for the left vote. While Labour throws out its same old same old. I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.

    To do that they need to attract some smart Business people to their ranks who can show some comercial nouse. This means there will be a direct or indirect conflict with the Union power base in Labour.At the moment they cant show any credible way how they are going to grow the Economy without over taxing a smaller ,and smaller base of people. Sooner or later the leaves all fall off the money tree, and labour has no plans to show how it can create wealth in the Economy so Businesses will invest money ,and hire more people

    • Bill 19.1
      23 November 2011 at 10:45 am

      Please choose or use a different ‘log in’ name. Cheers.

    • just saying 19.2
      23 November 2011 at 10:50 am

      Hi Bill,
      I just spent a couple of minutes puzzling how the ‘Bill of old’ could have changed his attitude so drastically, and concluded that you are a new commenter. I think you need a new handle.

      At least I assume it’s not you Bill – Standard author and parecon proponent?

      • Bill 19.2.1
        23 November 2011 at 12:09 pm

        At least I assume it’s not you Bill – Standard author and parecon proponent?

        Yep….I mean no. Not me. And the person signing in as ‘bill’ on another thread isn’t me either. (Have commented beneath the comments with those handles asking that the handles be changed.)

        • I dreamed a dream 19.2.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 2:11 pm

          I don’t think Bill actually logged in to comment. That’s the problem. You can comment without logging in, all you need to do is provide a name (say “Bill”) and an email address.

          Probably the only way to avoid this is to require commenters to log-in, because I believe all login usernames are unique.

    • Draco T Bastard 19.3
      23 November 2011 at 11:07 am

      I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.

      That I kinda agree with. The rest of your comment was complete delusional BS. With Peak Oil already here the economy can’t be grown so all we’re left with is correcting the misallocation of resources that capitalism has caused. NAct, wants to do the opposite and make things worse.

  20. marty mars 20
    23 November 2011 at 10:55 am

    big ups to Rob Guyton – constantly posting on good green issues and with a wicked sense of humour – exhibit 1 this headline – “This man suffers from worms” guess who?

    http://robertguyton.blogspot.com/2011/11/this-man-suffers-from-worms.html

    • uke 21.1
      23 November 2011 at 12:24 pm

      That article should be read by every NZer.

      It has many in-text links, which I intend to follow up on. One crucial aspect is the recent disclosure of a 1987 EPA report which found:

      ‘…fracking contaminated well and groundwater in West Virginia. For decades, the industry had been able to deny this critical case study and insist fracking was perfectly safe because, as the New York Times notes, the case’s details “were sealed from the public when energy companies settled lawsuits with landowners.” Now, though, the oil and gas industry cannot issue such denials with impunity…’

      • insider 21.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 1:40 pm

        I’m not sure what you are getting excited about. The report interesting and well written but comes pretty much to the same conclusion as others – it’s the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process. This is a known issue and applies to any well of any sort going through ground water. The report is very clear that the fracked zone does not directly affect the aquifer.

        • Draco T Bastard 21.1.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 5:08 pm

          
it’s the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process.

          /facepalm

          The fracking process forces apart the rock so we can assume that “the integrity of the casings” has no bearing whatsoever on if the fracking compound enters the ground water. Physics ensures that it will.

          • insider 21.1.1.1.1
            23 November 2011 at 5:34 pm

            No because the fracking (usually) happens thousands of feet below any ground water. The fractures themselves are millimetres wide which is why sand is use as a proppant to keep the cracks open. and they wouldn’t/shouldn’t intersect say with an aquifer in these circumstances because they primarily travel laterally within a geological formatin rather than vertically between formations.

            The casings are supposed to contain fluids and gas as they pass through other geological formations from the source rock to the well head. It is these failing that seem to be the issue. Like a hose getting a hole in it while you are running a siphon. If you’ve done it a thousand times before and it fails once, it’s likely the hose is the problem not the siphoning method.

  22. Jackal 22
    23 November 2011 at 12:05 pm

    Toxins to blame for increased whale stranding’s?

    There’s also been an increase in stranding’s closer to the MV Rena disaster, which is known to have released over 2000 barrels of heavy crude oil into the ocean. 3150 Litres of Corexit 9500 was also applied throughout the cleanup operation and 23,240 kgs of Alkylsulphonic Acid was lost overboard.

  23. insider 23
    23 November 2011 at 1:12 pm

    Quick question to moderators : why am I having to type in user name and mail address for every comment? It used to store them. Problem at my end or yours?

  24. joe90 24
    23 November 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Collective disorder tracks Occupy facebook pages, twitter accounts and Reddit subs.

  25. randal 25
    23 November 2011 at 1:31 pm

    so kweewee is going to sell Kiwibank.
    it doesnt belong to him or his party either (the john kee and matthew hooton party).
    It belongs to New Zealanders and Phill Goff should make that quite clear to New Zealanders tonight on teevee.

  27. Brett Dale 27
    23 November 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Actually Key is not selling kiwibank, thats a big lie.

  28. Brett Dale 28
    23 November 2011 at 1:47 pm

    Is it true or is just bs that Bradley Ambrose has ties to Kyle Chapman?

      • felix 28.1.1
        24 November 2011 at 5:06 am

        Reading things that aren’t there again Pete. He doesn’t say, but he does say to vote for one of the small parties.

        Perhaps he means UF. You’re all white aren’t you?

        • Pete George 28.1.1.1
          24 November 2011 at 6:29 am

          They have edited their site. What they had (up until yesterday afternoon) was:

          National and Labour serve foreign interests not New Zealand. They will both swamp us with immigration, they will both serve the wealthy on the backs of the poor, don’t be fooled by them again, vote for the other parties. get blue and red out. If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.

          “In this country we must vote for the smaller parties…” replaced “If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.”

  29. Brett Dale 29
    23 November 2011 at 2:08 pm

    Pete:

    Well they anit voting for national and please give me a headsup, I dont want to go to that
    hate site again.

    Back to my original question is it true that Bradley Ambrose has ties to this group?

  30. Deuto 30
    23 November 2011 at 2:19 pm

    Over the last week or so, it has been reported in several media articles that he is a National supporter – that probably should now be “was” in the past tense.

  31. vto 31
    23 November 2011 at 2:20 pm

    Bugger all this election nonsense – I’m going bush. Out after the event so will keep fingers crossed ……

  32. Draco T Bastard 32
    23 November 2011 at 2:59 pm

    Well, as of this time it looks like most people have considered leaving for Australia*.

    * If you believe those really stupid online polls.

  34. Randle 34
    23 November 2011 at 3:52 pm

    Can everyone please post this to their social network of choice, please get justice against police brutality in NZ.

    Video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQ3XA7KgrY

    [Quote]

    WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2011

    [b]where is the humanity?[/b]

    I feel, especially in these last days leading up to our elections, that it is vital that New Zealanders see this. Actually, stuff the elections, this is something that every person in Aotearoa needs to watch and think about because this is about us as a community, this is about us taking responsibility as human beings. This is about us putting people before corporations and profits.

    After my initial surge of rage, disgust, and extreme sadness at watching this clip, my main three questions are these:

    Firstly, what on EARTH are they teaching at the police colleges that produce policepeople that are so eager to inflict serious harm on other humans? When I was at primary school, even at high school, to want to become a policeperson came out of a desire to help, protect and generally do good in a community. Not sit on a desperate and upset man and calmly beat him around the head and ribs with a police-issue baton in front of his extremely pregnant partner SO THAT A LUCRATIVE POWER COMPANY WHO TURNS OVER MILLIONS EACH YEAR CAN SAVE A FEW BUCKS!! (which turned out to be a mistake on the power company’s part anyway!)

    Secondly, what lack of humanity allows contractors to carry on their job when they can see the result it is having? What is this crazy hold over people that lets them use the excuse ‘I was just doing my job’ when they can see that doing their job is causing a man to receive head injuries? When it is causing immense distress to a woman who is overdue to give birth?

    And, in conclusion to the first two questions I guess, as it was so VERY obvious that things weren’t going so well in this situation (to put it lightly) why on earth could the police and contractors not take the sensible approach, pull back, and reassess the situation?? I cannot think of any reason why the disconnection of power had to happen at that specific time, given the resulting circumstances. Not exactly a life-or-death situation for the power company was it? Are we really the type of society who would rather see another human beaten till they bleed rather than have a company lose out on a few profits?? Do we truly worship money that much? Should we really let it control us in that way?

    To those of you who say, regarding the police, that they were only doing their jobs, then I say – well, if that is their job, then I think it’s time we thought about what sort of system we’re living under. Because I don’t want any part of it.

    [/quote]

    http://commonbravery.blogspot.com/2011/11/where-is-humanity.html

    • rosy 34.1
      23 November 2011 at 9:50 pm

      OMG! That is one of the most outrageous abuses of police plus corporate power toward an individual in NZ that I have ever seen – and all this is completely legal???? (call me sheltered, but Wow!). There was no crime that warranted that sort of treatment (and not even an unpaid power bill, in the end).

  35. kriswgtn 35
    23 November 2011 at 4:37 pm

    John Key/Nathan Guy must be panicking re holding the seat of Otaki
    I spotted added to most of his billboards in orange

    Your vote is crucial this sat

    hahaha so dont believe the polls that are cintinuly paraded on tv by the media

    Lefties get out there and vote

  36. Herodotus 36
    23 November 2011 at 5:09 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10768051
    So we had Lab MP’s including Phil Goff support this, now as this would have been for me a great green/environmential policy. Not a mention, I even commented that the up comming Labour weekend would have been a great time to promote this. Perhaps this was all just Phil’s opportunity for a smile and wave photo.
    Does The Labour party really act on saving our environment, or as I am comming to believe AFKTT, Labour is as indebted to the system as Nation is ;-(
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/4510990/Coromandel-beach-friends-spell-out-their-opposition
    http://blog.labour.org.nz/2011/01/04/preserve-new-chum-wainuiototo-beach-for-everyone/

  37. freedom 37
    23 November 2011 at 5:11 pm

    today is an historic day, and it is the smallest step that can lead the longest march
    http://www.presstv.ir/detail/211548.html

    • ianmac 37.1
      23 November 2011 at 5:22 pm

      Should be true but is it?

      • freedom 37.1.1
        23 November 2011 at 5:58 pm

        yes yes yes it is true

        downloaded and watched a dozen times. it keeps getting better and better every time

        fact is Fact and The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal
        has now shown the world what real strength is all about.

        • freedom 37.1.1.1
          23 November 2011 at 6:19 pm

          seeing a lot of calls for the death penalty, if any country ever commits to arresting them.
          I say no to the death penalty for these architects of misery.
          Incarceration in a penitentiary, life sentences, no house arrest, no quick deaths, no easy out for these murderers, let their long final days be spent in fear and regret.

  38. Penny Bright 38
    23 November 2011 at 5:29 pm

    What do folks think about this info?

    You certainly won’t get to read it in mainstream media!

    Why Epsom voters whouldn’t support ‘white collar’ CRIMINALS?

    😉

    http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz/

    Penny Bright
    Independent Candidate (CENSORED) for Epsom

  39. logie97 39
    23 November 2011 at 5:50 pm

    Editorial: Trust parents with the facts about schools
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10767804

    Good God. We have had 20 plus years now of “Tomorrow’s Schools” and ERO.
    Parents have been free to join boards of trustees in open and free elections.
    They have had screeds of information available to them.
    One has to wonder just who is driving this attitude.

    One thing is for certain – Delorus Umbridge is going to create an extremely demoralised teaching profession. Of course, she is a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician and will not be subject to any scrutiny herself – in fact apart from the infamous Merv Wellington and David Lange, people would be hard pressed to name the succession of Ministers of Education.

    Why has she got such a snitch on teachers? Is she holding a grudge against her 1960’s teachers and schools. Did she fail School Cert?

    Did a teacher guest in one of her hotels do something untoward in a room?

    What is it with her?

  40. sweetd 40
    23 November 2011 at 6:23 pm

    Not really, Greens will only grow until they risk leaving behind the activist base. So the question for the Greens is; are you an activist party or one for the middle classes?

  41. weka 41
    23 November 2011 at 7:31 pm

    Why is there an ad for Vote for Change at the top of The Standard? “give MMP the boot”.

  42. randal 42
    23 November 2011 at 7:53 pm

    Epsom voters could not look themselves in the eye if they voted in “that” man.
    bye bye binky.

  43. NickS 43
    23 November 2011 at 8:45 pm

    Oh fuck, we’ve got ads from the anti-MMP brigade playing at the top of the page. They’re really going all out now in splurging on ads focusing on Winston, even stooping as low as to buy ads on facebook.

  44. Jim Nald 44
    23 November 2011 at 9:05 pm

    Key: “National is rolling out ultra fast broadband”

    Kiwis leaving for Australia: We’re rolling out ultra fast

  45. Brett Dale 45
    23 November 2011 at 10:57 pm

    Out of interest, are you allowed to blog or post on blogs on election day about the election??????

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