Open mike 28/01/2011

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1. just saying 1

   28 January 2011 at 7:17 am

   Unfu@#kingbelievable. Maori-corp standing shoulder to shoulder with their elite comrades in the ruling class, singing harmony from the crosby textor songbook.

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10702507

   Quote herald:

   “The Maori Party and at least one iwi have given a cautious blessing to the National Party’s plans to sell minority stakes in state owned enterprises – but say the assets must remain in New Zealand hands.

   Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said yesterday that iwi had long been interested in investing in infrastructure, given they had a vested interest in it…

   …Yesterday Waikato Tainui chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan called for iwi to be considered for significant stakes in the companies, saying iwi investment would be long-term, prevent the shares being sold into foreign ownership and help prevent price rises for easy profits…

   …The real benefit of iwi becoming cornerstone shareholders in these companies is that we are not going anywhere. We have nowhere to go. And dividends would stay in this country – not be repatriated overseas to be enjoyed by foreigners.”

   Iwi were also less likely to demand large profits at the expense of the consumer, because their own people would suffer from it

   Doesn’t that warm the cockles of the heart . Kaitiatitanga in practice. The rich and powerful as guardians of the interests of the poor.
   • jcuknz 1.1

     28 January 2011 at 8:23 am

     There is a slight warming but I’d be warmer if shares in these enterprises could only be held by New Zealand residents, and that doesn’t include companies whose offices are registered here.

     Who else are in a position to look after the poor but the rich and powerful … a facet of socialism I’d think that the rich and powerful have the means and do look after the poor. Such as the McKenzie Trust to name one while enjoying the fruits of their labour and enterprise..
   • Arto 1.2

     1 February 2011 at 12:27 am

     Too right, those fools should not be supporting Key’s big ripoff!
2. BLiP 2

   28 January 2011 at 7:24 am

   Julian Assange, the publisher of the Wikileaks memo, is now considered an enemy of the state. Politicians are calling for drastic punishment and even assassination and, sadly, the majority of the American people seem to support such moves. But why should we so fear the truth? Why should our government’s lies and mistakes be hidden from the American people in the name of “patriotism”?

   Once it becomes acceptable to equate truth with treason we can no longer call ourselves a free society.

   This from American Republican politician and libertarian Ron Paul. (Yes, really!) The memo he is referring to can be found here.

   Fuck You, Big Bruv!! Pay your debt.
3. andy (the other one) 3

   28 January 2011 at 7:36 am

   Emerson is on a roll:

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10702478
   • LynW 3.1

     28 January 2011 at 8:04 am

     Magnificent!
4. jcuknz 4

   28 January 2011 at 8:07 am

   Jesus has been evicted … claims a Catholic writer … after Bishop excomunicates a hospital for aborting a child to save the mothers life. Dogma at variance to humanity.
   http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/opinion/27kristof.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212
5. Pascal's bookie 5

   28 January 2011 at 8:21 am

   I see the lefty filth at RADIO PRAVDA are at it again:

   http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/67116/privatisation-of-public-assets-back-on-agenda

   Not far enough – Prebble

   Former Labour Party minister Richard Prebble says the Government should go further and sell the power companies outright.

   Mr Prebble says the state has made a mess of the energy sector and despite being blessed with hydro power, customers have faced power shortages and pay too much for electricity.

   He says the Government should go further, and sell the power companies outright.

   Mr Prebble says in New Zealand, and internationally, privately-owned companies do better than state-owned enterprises.

   Always dragging some old irrelevant lefty hasbeen out of the woodwork to comment on issues of the day. They just can’t help themselves. They is bias.
   • Draco T Bastard 5.1

     28 January 2011 at 8:35 am

     Ah, the Right Fucken Stupid Prebble saying that we should make ourselves even worse off. Hasn’t the fuckwit checked out how badly his privatisation of Telecom left us yet?

     Yes, the government, specifically the 4th National government, fucked up the power but they did it by putting “competition” into a natural monopoly.
6. Draco T Bastard 6

   28 January 2011 at 8:33 am

   As seen on Twitter

   Matthew Hooton: Finally! John Key outlines a programme http://tinyurl.com/4zwbxfw (paid)

   Although, as it’s behind the pay wall I don’t know which program he’s referring to but best guess is the transfer of NZs wealth to the rich foreigners.
   • QoT 6.1

     28 January 2011 at 9:55 pm

     Nah, it’s his pitch for a new reality series, “Survivor: Asset Sales”. Critics think that having 4 million contestants and playing out the hopeless starvation and descent into subsistence living over a whole generation may be stretching the audience’s attention a bit, but you have to admit it’s better than any other idea Hollywood’s resurrecting from the 80s.
7. ak 7

   28 January 2011 at 9:47 am

   Heck. Another swat in the mush for the Keyster as his annointed Maggie is dumped for an ugly haemorrhACToidish creep, and now even the Productive Economy Council is putting the boot in:

   the Crown is effectively subsidizing the ability for wealthy individuals to take a private stake in what used to be public assets

   removing wealth creation assets from a future government’s income stream are essentially intergenerational theft.

   the Prime Minster …… is at best mischievous and at worst dishonest.

   http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/opinion-selwyn-pellett-argues-john-keys-smile-and-wave-asset-sales-wont-cut-mustard

   Good night Johnboy.
   • Tigger 7.1

     28 January 2011 at 11:17 am

     Nice piece by Pellett here – bottom line Key has no idea how to create jobs without hawking off the silver…
     • orange whip? 7.1.1

       28 January 2011 at 11:52 am

       With or without actually.

       And it’s not so much that he doesn’t know how, it’s that he has no interest in doing so.

       To guys like Key unemployment isn’t a problem to be solved, it’s how they keep their wage bills down.
8. Lanthanide 8

   28 January 2011 at 9:50 am

   Key was on the start of Nine to Noon this morning with a rather long interview, the likes of which we didn’t get last year. Seems with election year up, he wants to be all over the place.

   I think he’s been studying up on all the topics required, because he was able to answer and deflect all of her questions neatly. He disagreed with her assertion that we’ve gone backwards compared to Australia – right after he said that I told my boyfriend “he’s lying, he’s about to say wages have gone up 8-9% in two years which is a lie”. Sure enough 20 seconds later he trotted the line out – I get the impression Kathryn didn’t believe him, but didn’t know how to challenge his statistics, so she let it go.

   At one point while talking about WFF (which he claims National originally implemented as child tax credits and that Labour just extended) he even said benefits with abatement rates of 100% are “communism by stealth”. My boyfriend remarked that he obviously doesn’t know what communism is.

   I think it would be instructive to take this interview apart section by section and rebut all of his claims.
   • ianmac 8.1

     28 January 2011 at 10:38 am

     Amazing that John Key fronted up! Have you noticed? Every time he is asked a searching question that he won’t/can’t answer he says, “Lets back up a moment. If we go back to x, y and z then I won’t have to answer your question and you Katherine are too dumb to notice.”
     Well. That’s what I hear. And the general thrust of his answers were very woolly. Somehow a PM in election year should be more dynamic. Phil Goff uses too many words in his answers but in a proper interview as in today’s effort, John Key is worse! Shows up the reason why he evades interviews.
     • Pete 8.1.1

       28 January 2011 at 10:51 am

       Phil Goff uses too many words in his answers

       Yes, he does, and too many of those words are tired old slogans. He needs to try and sound like an ordinary person, and then he may sound like he knows something other than poliwaffle.

       Of course Key works an interview, but he sounds more knowledgable and less evasive than most politicians, that is one reason why he retains an enviable level of popularity.
       • Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1

         28 January 2011 at 1:40 pm

         Ah, maintaining high levels of popularity on lies and deceit…

         WTF has become of our politics?
     • Lanthanide 8.1.2

       28 January 2011 at 11:02 am

       When Kathryn started to press him on GST, he diverted and started talking about Labour.

       To be honest I’ve never had a problem with Goff’s ‘wordiness’, but that’s just me personally and I really don’t represent the average NZer at all.
       • Anne 8.1.2.1

         28 January 2011 at 11:26 am

         “To be honest I’ve never had a problem with Goff’s ‘wordiness’,…”

         No I havn’t either Lanthanide, but we belong to that minority group who are reasonably politically informed. Unfortunately, the majority are not well informed and have no interest in detail. Goff loses them before he’s half way through his responses.

         Short, pithy responses that are worded in such a way they attract people’s attention is what he needs to learn to do. Helen Clark was good at it… David Lange was brilliant… even Jim Bolger learn’t the art. Rob Muldoon was a past master at it.
9. Tigger 9

   28 January 2011 at 10:09 am

   Leaky schools keeping Tolley awake at night…
   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/4591094/Huge-bill-for-leaky-schools

   And apparently it’s all Labour’s fault. Of course. Everything is.
   • ianmac 9.1

     28 January 2011 at 10:41 am

     And it wasn’t National in the 90s who relaxed the building laws which lead to leaks? Anne is strange. (By the way treated timber is irrelevant.)
     • Rosy 9.1.1

       28 January 2011 at 8:14 pm

       That article puts a nice little mental link to needing to find 1.5b to fix leaky schools and the sale of state assets to provide money to improve other state assets like schools etc… The timing is not conincidental methinks.
       (It also give Tolley profile away from the damage on national standards/NCEA).
10. Draco T Bastard 10

    28 January 2011 at 10:56 am

    In the course of some pro-democracy civil insurrections, such as those in Iran and Burma, Washington has strongly condemned the regime and provided strong words of encouragement for the pro-democracy activists challenging their repression. In a couple of cases, such as Serbia and Ukraine, the United States and other Western countries even provided limited amounts of economic assistance to pro-democracy groups. Most of the time, however, and particularly if the dictatorship is a US ally like Egypt, Washington has shown little enthusiasm for such freedom struggles.

    Get rid of that dictator because we don’t like him but keep this one because we do.

    Don’t you just love such blatantly open double-standards?
    • ianmac 10.1

      28 January 2011 at 11:39 am

      Robert Fisk wrote about the changes across the Arab world where the people seem to be demanding political change. They want to elect who they want! Strange idea? But this is bad news for the West as they do not want certain groups to gain power. Gaza for instance? Lebanon? (From No Right Turn.)
      http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-a-new-truth-dawns-on-the-arab-world-2194488.html
      • joe90 10.1.1

        28 January 2011 at 12:25 pm

        Suddenly the Algerian government is concerned that people get enough to eat.

        Algeria steps up grain imports, eyes Tunisia “virus”
    • KJT 10.2

      28 January 2011 at 2:27 pm

      The USA has always supported whatever Government who are willing to sell out their country to US business interests. Iran, Chile and Indonesia are just three of the many places where democratically elected Governments were toppled in favour of murderous dictators more friendly to US business interests.
      The first coup in Fiji was more about the Governments support for minimum wages and employment rights than ethnicity.
    • Anthony C 10.3

      28 January 2011 at 3:30 pm

      I suppose the problem in some of these countries is fear of an Islamist group using democracy to get elected then abolishing elections and instating a theocracy.
      • Colonial Viper 10.3.1

        28 January 2011 at 3:45 pm

        In other words, the idea that some western powers hold: we will only respect the democratic will of your people if it happens to be friendly to us.
      • KJT 10.3.2

        28 January 2011 at 4:05 pm

        Yeah. The democratic Governments of Iran. Chile and Indonesia were so Islamic before they were deposed in favour of ruthless right wing dictators. .
      • Vicky32 10.3.3

        28 January 2011 at 7:17 pm

        I must ask : exactly what does “Islamist” mean? Muslims who *we* oppose, as opposed to Muslims who keep their heads down and let us take the oil?
        Deb
11. Olwyn 11

    28 January 2011 at 11:43 am

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10702313

    Deborah Hill Cone has second thoughts about her former heroes.
    • logie97 11.1

      28 January 2011 at 12:15 pm

      Was just about to comment on the same issue. Is she including Key in the Wall street wheeling and dealing gang?
12. Pete 12

    28 January 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Strange timing?

    Labour bill to ‘Mondayise’ Anzac and Waitangi days

    Mr Goff Labour had not done so in its nine years in power because its focus was on passing through four weeks’ minimum annual leave.

    “We did that, this is something that builds on that progress. I think New Zealanders are feeling particularly aggrieved that this year they miss out on Anzac Day and Waitangi Day. They don’t get the day off to celebrate those days that they normally would.”

    Why did he not think it was important last year, when the same thing happened and he had plenty of spare focus time?

    After this year it isn’t an issue until 2015.

    I’m in favour of Waitangi Day being Mondayised, but I think Anzac Day is such an inconic day for New Zealand that it should remain on 25th April. It is supposed to be for commemorating those who have served and died for our country, that’s far more important than worrying about whether it’s a day off work or not.

    We should be able to sacrifice a day or two off every five or six years to show our respect.
    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      28 January 2011 at 3:10 pm

      Pete, Labour has finally got with the programme to give NZ’ers the stat days that they are supposed to have.

      Now, when are Bill and John going to do the same?

      We should be able to sacrifice a day or two off every five or six years to show our respect.

      Illogical. How is turning up to work as usual showing respect? That’s a real weird kind of ‘respect’.
      • Pete 12.1.1

        28 January 2011 at 3:53 pm

        I’m suggesting we shouldn’t turn up to work on the morning (at least) of the 25th April. That’s a strong tradition of respect and I’d like to see it stay that way.
        • orange whip? 12.1.1.1

          28 January 2011 at 4:17 pm

          How cute, Pete thinks people have a choice of whether to turn up to work or not.

          You don’t know what “mondayise” means do you Pete?
          • Pete 12.1.1.1.1

            28 January 2011 at 4:45 pm

            I do know what it means – I think we could forego one public holiday every few years. We survived last year without demanding things change. We will survive this year.

            I’m prepared to give up an occasional day off to show a little selflessness and respect for the many who gave up a lot for us. Everything doesn’t have to be driven by insisting we don’t miss out on something.

            Anzac Day is a special day for New Zealand, why not keep giving it a special status?
            • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1.1.1

              28 January 2011 at 5:00 pm

              I do know what it means – I think we could forego one public holiday every few years.

              Why? And what compensation should workers receive in return?

              We survived last year without demanding things change. We will survive this year.

              In case you hadn’t noticed, living is about more than trying to survive as the likes of you try and take away workers stat days.

              I’m prepared to give up an occasional day off to show a little selflessness and respect for the many who gave up a lot for us.

              This is pseudo-heroic bullshit.

              It was decided many years ago by people much closer to the situation than us that these days would be statutory holidays. It was decided by lawmakers that statutory holidays would be the best way of honouring these important days.

              And here you are telling us that you know better and its ok to ignore workers’ stat days off every few years.
              • Pete …

                28 January 2011 at 5:23 pm

                Why? And what compensation should workers receive in return?

                In return for what? they’re not giving up anything they had.

                It was decided many years ago by people much closer to the situation than us that these days would be statutory holidays.

                I’m not the one who wants to change it from how it is now.

                I’m not say I know better, I’m just saying I’d be prepared to not get an extra day holiday every now and then.

                As a society we seem to be getting too obsessed with trying to get every possible benefit we can but are not prepared to give any more than we can possibly get away with.
                • Pascal's bookie …

                  28 January 2011 at 5:28 pm

                  As a society we seem to be getting too obsessed with trying to get every possible benefit we can but are not prepared to give any more than we can possibly get away with.
                  

                  Tax cuts for the rich!
                  • Pete …

                    28 January 2011 at 6:16 pm

                    Not so much the tax cuts, but tax avoidance is rampant. Entitilitis runs right up the socioeconomic groups.

                    Most people alive today haven’t lived through really difficult times, we are the luckiest generations (probably ever) and as a society we pay it back with ever increasing selfishness.
                    • Colonial Viper …

                      28 January 2011 at 6:21 pm

                      Its so weird to hear Right Wingers complain about ‘selfishness’ and ‘difficult times’ when they are actually talking about the reluctance of the poor and the working class to give *even more* to the wealthy.

                      For what? So that the rich can step up from their new 6 cylinder BWM X5 to the dual turbo 8 cylinder version?

                      Whats a ‘difficult time’ for a wealthy person on holidays? Having to downgrade from the $9000 first class fare to the $4000 business class fare? Pinching pennies that is.

                      Cry me a frakking river.
            • Pascal's bookie 12.1.1.1.1.2

              28 January 2011 at 5:06 pm

              But how does ensuring we have a day off diminish its status?

              If it is somehow an insult to mondayise it, then why not just say that if people want to take ANZAC day off, then while they should have the legal right to, they should also have to work a day in lieu out of respect?
    • wtl 12.2

      28 January 2011 at 3:28 pm

      It appears you think that Mondayising means we’d commerate the Anzac day on the different day. So did you celebrate Christmas on the 27th last year?
      • Pete 12.2.1

        28 January 2011 at 3:51 pm

        No, I celebrate Christmas on the 25th December every year.
        I celebrate New Years Eve on the 31st December every year.

        And I think Anzac Day is best to be commemorated on the 25th April every year.
        • wtl 12.2.1.1

          28 January 2011 at 4:05 pm

          Exactly, just like Christmas and New Year’s Day, Anzac Day will be always commemorated on the 25th of April. However, if it the 25th of April falls on a weekend, there will be an Anzac Day holiday on the following Monday, just like there were holidays on the 27th and 28th of December last year and 3rd and 4th of Jan this year (but we still celebrated the days on the actual dates). That’s what Mondayising means. I don’t see what you point about not turning up to work on the 25th is – the whole point of Mondayising is that the April 25th falls on a weekend, so you don’t turn up for week as per normal, but miss out on a holiday. For those who would normal work on the weekend, Mondayising doesn’t apply.
    • Carol 12.3

      28 January 2011 at 4:38 pm

      And what will happen to the many people who work one or two of the weekend days, and not the Monday? Will we get less public holidays in the future?

      Sorry, should have read wtl’s comment before I posted.
13. Deadly_NZ 13

    28 January 2011 at 3:27 pm

    On the announcement if the Candidates to the Botany bay by election by TV 3 news at 12 the had an interview with Mb and the Nat poli and the end they name the labour candidate almost as an after thought , Also on their news page all i can find are videos to maggie barry and that jami guy. NOTHING for the labour candidate.
    http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/VideoAll/tabid/303/Default.aspx
    maybe something can be done about the one sided and biased reporting by TV3.
    • Colonial Viper 13.1

      28 January 2011 at 3:30 pm

      Buy them out. Or start an awareness campaign to sanction them.

      The Left needs its own multimillion dollar mainstream media channels.
14. Chris73 14

    28 January 2011 at 4:15 pm

    Maggie Barry not selected means to my mind that National have a 90% chance of winning relection (95 if she goes on the list or to another seat)

    And I’m glad that John Key learnt from Labours mistakes (selling state assets off) and will keep ownership 🙂
15. Pascal's bookie 15

    28 January 2011 at 5:13 pm

    Mums and dads etc.

    Treasury reckons ‘pffft’, sez it’s ‘pipe dream snakeoil and anyone repeating the mantra is either a sucker or complicit’. Pretty much.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/4594268/Foreigners-will-buy-asset-shares-Treasury
16. Colonial Viper 16

    28 January 2011 at 6:38 pm

    Japan crushes the hopes of its young professionals, drives them offshore

    Terrifying generational inequality favouring the old establishment.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/world/asia/28generation.html?_r=1&hp

    By failing to get such a job before graduating, Kyoko was forced to join the ranks of the “freeters” — an underclass of young people who hold transient, lower-paying irregular jobs. Since graduating in 2004 she has held six jobs, none of them paying unemployment insurance, pension or a monthly salary of more than 150,000 yen, or about $1,800.

    “I realized that wasn’t who I wanted to be,” recalled Kyoko, now 29. “But why has being myself cost me so dearly?”

    Maybe one of the Right Wingers would like to make a case for young Japanese professionals to work even harder and make all the right choices, so that *maybe* they too can have career success and wealth in Japan *yawn*
17. ak 17

    28 January 2011 at 8:00 pm

    You heard it here first, watch it evolve.

    All points: polling alert code Red or above. Action: immediate dump and erase any referent Asset Sales – key response: “needs (deserves, requires) consideration. Will listen to community opinion.
    Operation Hone-gone in immediate full force. Timing of releases strictly controlled from centre All Pita history permanently and comprehensively deleted from all files forthwith. Maximum distraction. Repeat. Maximum distraction. Operation Hone-gone priority One or above with full urgency. S.
18. aj 18

    29 January 2011 at 5:21 am

    Paul Krugman’s take on ratings agencies

    http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/japanese-bond-amnesia/

    captcha: balance

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