Open mike 27/12/2014

27 comments on “Open mike 27/12/2014 ”

• Comments are now closed

1. phillip ure 1

   27 December 2014 at 7:48 am

   interesting rightwing stuff..

   ..o’sullivan muses on which vested-interests might reward key for his services on their behalf..post p.m.-time..

   ..and roughan turns against the casino convention-centre….
   • phillip ure 1.1

     27 December 2014 at 8:23 am

     and o’sullivan the other day told joyce to just ‘walk away’ from the casino deal/stitch-up…

     ..telling him that he (and us..).. was the one being ‘played’..

     ..in this particular game of chance..
     • Skinny 1.1.1

       27 December 2014 at 8:48 am

       Joyce should not be allowed to get away with duping the tax/rate payer into giving any financial support to build the convention centre. He will just be spinning snake oil so the National Party gain further ‘kick backs’.

       SkyCity will benefit hansomely with the convention centre right on the door steps of their dirty casino. This whole shady deal should be shutdown, Wellington is looking to take up the void by building a national convention centre, minus the leeching gambling den.
       • phillip ure 1.1.1.1

         27 December 2014 at 9:08 am

         nationalise the bastards..!..that’s what i say..

         ..nationalise all the ‘sin’-industries…

         ..nationalise gambling..

         ..nationalise the booze industry..

         ..nationalise the tobacco industry..(then close it down..)

         ..better that ‘sin’-money be spent into govt-coffers..

         ..then it can be recycled..

         ..instead of being siphoned-off oversees/into private-pockets..

         ..(and of course..gummint-control of that other ‘sin’..pot..

         ..in the uraguayan-model..where the state grows (employment-creation)..and supplies at a fixed low-price..to keep out crime..)
         • The Al1en 1.1.1.1.1

           27 December 2014 at 9:33 am

           “..nationalise the tobacco industry..(then close it down..)”

           Why would you pay the corporations state cash to buy the industry only to close it down when you can legislate it away and just ban it? Hope you’re not going for the finance portfolio when you start your animal rights party. It’ll be a CATastrophe.

           But why would you allow cannabis to be sold and smoked and not tobacco when they both contain carcinogens and are both responsible for preventable diseases?
           That’s truly a double standard and hypocrisy exposer.

           “..in the uraguayan-model..where the state grows (employment-creation)..and supplies at a fixed low-price..to keep out crime..)”

           But you’ve been on ts saying it would be good for private start ups to be involved and a way to create jobs. Which business model are you going to favour tomorrow?

           Seriously though, don’t bother, I’m just playing with you.
           After last nights ‘episode’ and this mornings continuation, slagging of a DR in a series of foul rants, it’s quite clear that one cannabis user sucks and blows at the same time. And no good can ever come from that.
         • phillip ure 1.1.1.1.2

           27 December 2014 at 10:49 am

           of course another softer version of that ‘nationalise!-model..

           ..would be to turn the rightwing partial-privatisation idea on its’ head…

           ..in a partial-nationalising for those sin-industries..

           ..where the state takes a 51% controlling share in those sin-industries..

           ..that way the wheel dosen’t have to be re-invented..

           ..the necessary control is achieved..

           ..and the private industry infrastructural-expertise is retained…

           ..what is not to love about that..?
           • Scheherazade 1.1.1.1.2.1

             27 December 2014 at 10:52 am

             I have to go out, I will see you later, thanks. xxxx
           • The Al1en 1.1.1.1.2.2

             27 December 2014 at 11:22 am

             I don’t believe in partial asset sales, but interesting to note your national/act party conversion.
       • Molly 1.1.1.2

         27 December 2014 at 10:38 am

         SkyCity also benefit from the proposed CRL, with a station directly beneath them. Prime location and minimum effort for capturing commuters.

         It appals me that via taxes, rates and fares we will be delivering customers to a gambling establishment.
   • Saarbo 1.2

     27 December 2014 at 8:43 am

     Yes, despite understanding that Fran O Sullivan is a supporter of the unadulterated free market, I still normally enjoy reading what she has to write. This is certainly not one of her better articles, where she seems to have manufactured a theme that Key has worked to replicate Clarks success on the international stage. Some serious sucking up going on….must be some paying back for some goodies Key has shard with her of late.

     Interestedly I think there is a Typo, this sentence:

     Howard is “half a click” ahead of Key in the seniority stakes.

     should read

     Howard is “half a dick” ahead of Key in the seniority stakes.
     • Anne 1.2.1

       27 December 2014 at 3:41 pm

       Two minds thought alike. 🙂
   • Saarbo 1.3

     27 December 2014 at 9:10 am

     This article provides a more accurate description of Key:

     http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11379411

     And, of course, New Zealand’s most supercilious man, good for nothing except a kicking now and then, the walker of a crooked path, our Nixon – there was a moment in 2014 when I thought how much I’d miss John Key if he lost the election. Things just wouldn’t be the same. They’d be better…
   • Tracey 1.4

     27 December 2014 at 3:17 pm

     Very revealling about what motivates Key

     “… He once quipped to me – with just the slightest tinge of envy – that one of the things he most admired about Clark was “she has the Rolodex from heaven” built from the international relationships she made as prime minister….”

     Who he knows is most important, or who knows him…
2. AsleepWhileWalking 2

   27 December 2014 at 8:00 am

   Facebook may soon be paying users up to 10,000 USD each for violation of privacy. Pity we can’t just get them to pay appropriate corporate taxes.

   http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2014/12/26/facebook-sued-for-scanning-your-private-messages-for-their-profit/
3. Weepus beard 3

   27 December 2014 at 11:09 am

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/64485699/safety-concerns-close-lyttelton-port-at-night

   The writer of this article appear to have left out important background information. There have been three fatalities at Lyttelton Port in the last year.

   I may be reading too much into it (you have to because there is precious little information in the article itself) but it reads like the RMTU is responsible for the safety concerns at the site because they are on strike. The irony being that they are on strike to get (among other things) better safety conditions.

   That’s business reporting in today’s NZ I guess.
4. Penny Bright 4

   27 December 2014 at 3:10 pm

   Hi folks!

   Thought some of you might enjoy this piece of face-slapping ‘whistle-blowing’ on corruption in New Zealand – and how attempts are made, in my considered opinion, to sanitise and cover it up?

   WARNING! Not for the faint-hearted, or politically wilfully blind ….

   http://www.kiwisfirst.com/new-face-corruption-new-zealand/

   The New Face of Corruption in New Zealand

   By Vince Siemer / December 18, 2014

   Corruption comes in many forms.

   The local bureaucrat who requires a bribe to award a contract, a judge who abuses her position to protect a partner or mate or a government watchdog who ignores known corruption while trying to convince the public the corruption covered up does not exist.

   We now know Sir Justice Hugh Williams bragged to his mistresses about cases he threw in favour of his mates.

   What we shutter to consider is such conduct may constitute judicial street cred in New Zealand. Williams’ history did not derail his current appointment as President of the Electoral Commission after retirement. Quite possibly, it assisted him, bryce edwards as the Old Boys knew he could be counted on to deliver.

   Meet Bryce Edwards, a throwback to the prevailing academic philosophy in civilised countries that education is a passport to free thought, factual enlightenment and expression. Mr Edwards is the accidental political wag and university lecturer whose writings would be considered fluff if they contained accuracies.

   The real problem is Edwards has decided his best chance of career advancement lies in writing propaganda designed to cover up corruption. The latest example is his trite Herald article which the Herald editor ensured by its heading would reflect on its writer, “Bryce Edwards: Is New Zealand becoming more corrupt?”.

   An editor’s note also followed the article, “Disclosure: Bryce Edwards is on the Board of Directors of Transparency International New Zealand. However these comments are made in his personal capacity and should not in any way be seen as the view of Transparency International New Zealand.”

   Not all that surprising, Bryce Edwards’ article promoted TI-NZ’s official tack of ‘no perceived corruption in NZ’ and ‘facts do not matter’. Indeed, no mention of facts, let alone the Deliotte’s corruption survey disclosing twice as many New Zealand as Australian businesses have admitted to bribes.

   Even the proliferation of recent corruption scandals in New Zealand were dismissed by Edwards as the sad result of an increasing public thirst for contrived scandals. Mr Edwards warns the new ‘perception’ that corruption is increasing “doesn’t actually mean that New Zealand is becoming more corrupt”. Proving to be as much the contrarian as purveyor of drivel, he insists the old ‘perception’ still holds true in the factual void he has created.

   But this is not the worst of it. Two weeks before Edwards’ article ran, the Herald was sent evidence showing Edwards covered up ‘real’ corruption within TI-NZ.

   The evidence was in the form of emails and Board Minutes from February this year showing Mr Edwards was party to a cover-up of an investigation into alleged fraud by TI-NZ Chairperson Suzanne Snively.

   Ms Snively selected the ethics committee members to investigate her, EC members were instructed not to communicate with the complainants in their ‘investigation’, then EC Chairman Murray Sheard emailed Edwards and others on the best way to keep their process and their decision secret.

   …………………..
   __________________________________________________________________________________

   Kind regards

   Penny Bright

   (Who is proud to be a friend and associate of fellow anti-corruption
   ‘whistle-blower’ – Vince Siemer.)
   • Tracey 4.1

     27 December 2014 at 3:24 pm

     can you provide links to evidence of the various corruptions and allegations you make above?
     • Penny Bright 4.1.1

       27 December 2014 at 4:44 pm

       Tracey – try checking out for yourself – http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz

       I have reposted parts of an article written by Vince Siemer.

       These articles are in the public domain.

       I guess if anyone believes that the contents are untrue or defamatory – they can always sue Vince Siemer for defamation?

       Penny Bright

       Anti-corruption ‘whistle-blower’
       • Sacha 4.1.1.1

         27 December 2014 at 9:22 pm

         or they can sue this website for allowing you to repeat them.
   • Murray Rawshark 4.2

     27 December 2014 at 6:06 pm

     “Mr Edwards is the accidental political wag and university lecturer whose writings would be considered fluff if they contained accuracies.”

     I like that. He strikes me as a gossip columnist who just cuts and pastes from blogs. He offers no cogent analysis of his own and I really feel for any student who goes into debt to try and learn anything off him.
     • phillip ure 4.2.1

       27 December 2014 at 6:57 pm

       ..+ 1..

       ..it actually horrifies me he is teaching/moulding the minds of the gullible..

       ..and yep..!..he is pretty much an analysis-free zone..

       ..and is perhaps the most obvious in trying to prove his credentials to be an acceptable-gatekeeper for the powers-that-be..

       ..he may as well be standing under a streetlight..

       ..hiking up his dress..
5. Philip Ferguson 5

   27 December 2014 at 3:40 pm

   For decades now, rights of workers here have been under attack – we work longer hours, for relatively less pay, in worse conditions, with fewer legal rights, and a much, much weaker union movement.

   Although there are some very obvious exceptions, workers by and large have accepted this. They still vote for the parties which delivered this state of affairs, they don’t go on strike, they don’t storm any barricades or do anything much which indicates a will to resist.

   Since Redline, an independent Marxist blog, started in 2011 we’ve tried to come to grips with this reality, obviously a reality which is very different from the one that leftists want. However, you don’t change reality by refusing to face it, so it has to be faced.

   Check out the articles linked to in https://rdln.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=10353&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2

   Phil
6. karol 6

   27 December 2014 at 5:24 pm

   I’m so glad I am staying in Auckland as I read of the mass exodus of cars from the city, northwards and southwards.

   Now maybe the lightened summer public transport schedule won’t mean the infrequent buses on some routes pass me by because they are “full” – as happened to me yesterday. Though it turned out to have some health benefits as I ended up walking past several bus stops, in case the bus coming by in about half an hour was also full.
   • lprent 6.1

     27 December 2014 at 8:11 pm

     Xmas was in Otaki, so we started down on Xmas day at 1145ish. Flights to paraparumu were bloody expensive, and would take about 4+ hours point to point. Public transport from a wellington flight was high well nonexistent.

     Got caught in a traffic jam on the Auckland motorway, apparently from people going to other parts of Auckland. After that it was 6 hours of untrammelled driving pleasure and xmas dinner at 1900.

     Debloat yesterday. A brief diversion down to Wellington way to see a friend today. In Whanganui overnight.

     Probably heading off to New Plymouth, Te Kuiti and Rotorua. Target Hobbiton because Lyn has this urge to see it.
7. Tigerlily 7

   28 December 2014 at 1:36 am

   Goodnight.

   x
8. Macro 8

   28 December 2014 at 1:48 pm

   Five bits of research that shaped climate science in 2014:
   http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2014/12/five-pieces-of-research-that-shaped-climate-science-in-2014/

   1. Pacific winds drive surface warming slowdown
   2. West Antarctic glaciers show signs of collapsing
   3. Antarctic sea ice measurements hit record high (but why?)
   4. The link between Arctic sea-ice loss and extreme winters got a bit stronger. Maybe
   5. Record summer heatwaves are ten times more likely with climate change

   And it’s now pretty much official:
   2104 is the hottest year on record.
   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/dec/17/2014-will-be-the-hottest-year-on-record
9. aerobubble 9

   28 December 2014 at 1:58 pm

   where can i buy invasive bamboo plants in hamilton?

• Comments are now closed

• Log in
• Donate
• Contribute post

• Articles RSS