Open mike 31/03/2012

44 comments on “Open mike 31/03/2012”

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1. tc 1

   31 March 2012 at 7:21 am

   so what was the actual accident Puller meet with in 2002 that all the fuss is over and what events of note, if any surround it ?
   • Carol 1.1

     31 March 2012 at 7:33 am

     Brain injuries from a cycling accident. Do we need to know more?

     http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6616118/The-friend-and-activist-linked-to-Smiths-demise

     But in 2002 Ms Pullar suffered life-changing head injuries in a bicycle accident the day before she was due to complete a $22 million project for a client. She will never be able to work again at the high level she did before the accident.

     There but for the grace of fate go I. I’m grateful I only suffered permanent injuries to a limb in my accident. Head injuries must be devastating and very hard to adjust to the life change.
     • Dv 1.1.1

       31 March 2012 at 9:04 am

       Ha, so that ‘ explains’ the multimillion insurance claim.

       I was interested that tv3 ran keys mangled comment about an enquiry. I did not understand the words. It is the first time i have heard him so bad. I wonder if it would have been played last term?
     • just saying 1.1.2

       31 March 2012 at 9:32 am

       I think her injury has genuinely handicapped a potenitally stellar career. I did wonder, given her contacts, why she had continued to have problems with ACC, and then realised that most of her time as a long-term claimant has been under a Labour Government. Labour also set targets for reducing what ACC described as the “tail” of “stock”, and vulnerable groups, such as those with head injuries, repetitive strain injuries, those with modest means and few social advantages etc. were soft targets in the culls.

       I suspect Pullar would have managed this situation discretely and to her best advantage (as well as that of her class) if she was less affected by her injury, or if National had been in power throughout the period of incapacity.
     • prism 1.1.3

       31 March 2012 at 2:29 pm

       It would be good for people to know the cause of Ms Pullar’s injury ie that it was in a biking accident. I get annoyed at the constant drone from greenies about everyone getting out cars and biking because its so good for the planet. Yes. But for the individual, it can be very unsafe and some on bikes don’t seem to have the cautionary control of a toddler or any consideration for pedestrians comfort. Everywhere belongs to them, road, footpaths, footpaths in parks, green lawns in parks, berms, any space they can whisk through between walkers.
       • Vicky32 1.1.3.1

         1 April 2012 at 5:51 pm

         I get annoyed at the constant drone from greenies about everyone getting out cars and biking because its so good for the planet. Yes. But for the individual, it can be very unsafe and some on bikes don’t seem to have the cautionary control of a toddler

         What angers me most is that they don’t frickin’ wear helmets! A good example of the sheer selfish nature of some cyclists is the 35 year old man who came whizzing, helmetless, across Carrington Road outside Unitec, and down the street on the footpath, missing me by millimetres as he zoomed past me. I called out “idiot!” and he turned around, poked his tongue, screamed an insult about old ladies clogging up the footpath, ‘flipped me the bird’ as I believe the American expression is, and rode on laughing.
         Cycles are not legally allowed on footpaths. Many cyclists have told me that the law says they are allowed to not wear helmets if they ride on the footpath. So I made a point of checking with the police. (Who won’t enforce their own law even if an offender is pointed out to them as they are just too damned lazy).

         Cycling on footpaths is illegal.
         Riding helmetless is illegal.
         There is a cycle path on Carrington Road! There’s a big brass plaque pointing that fact out. It’s still ignored even by the Greenie tarts on bikes (I mean frocks on bikes isn’t it? One of them cycles around here, too proud of her expensive hair-do to wear a helmet.)
         Footpaths are for pedestrians, and with the Segar Ave residence for people with cerebral palsy and Rehab + for brain injured people both off Carrington Road, wheel chair users.
   • ianmac 1.2

     31 March 2012 at 9:20 am

     In a radio interview with I think a Compensation lawyer about 3 weeks ago, he said that it was quite common for brain injury people to become obsessional about matters especially as it relates to the accident. (Cannot remember where the interview was though it had to be National Radio.)
2. muzza 2

   31 March 2012 at 8:50 am

   So what is going to be done to stop this sort of thing then…
   • tc 2.1

     31 March 2012 at 9:42 am

     Nothing when you let the poacher play the part of the gamekeeper also, exactly the same culture that sees top execs pay scream away from average workers at a blistering speed and still get bonuses even when organisations don’t perform.

     If Treasury was paid on actual performance that would be interesting.
3. Te Reo Putake 3

   31 March 2012 at 9:06 am

   Bitter, tired and punch drunk. John Armstrong is pretty caustic on National’s meltdown.
   • Tiger Mountain 3.1

     31 March 2012 at 9:39 am

     Even the simpering Armstrong can’t spin his way out of such recent events, though he still manages to take a swipe at Labour in the last couple of paras
     http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10795672
     • tc 3.1.1

       31 March 2012 at 9:46 am

       Still, as always the Shonkey fanboy and lacking in credibility. The swipe at Labour shows what a shill he is…..focus on the issue JA which isn’t the opposition it’s the stench of NACT corruption the extractor fans aren’t coping with anymore.
   • ianmac 3.2

     31 March 2012 at 9:52 am

     And even National supporter Fran O’Sullivan, thinks that Mr Key should clear the air and set up an enquiry:

     John Key faces a stern test: Does he order a full inquiry into how ACC has managed all the privacy issues in the Bronwyn Pullar affair or sweep it aside in a misguided attempt to avert more reputational damage to his own party?……
     If Key wants to preserve the integrity of his own Government, he will opt for the former.

     I think the only approval that Fran gives is to Judith Collins.
     http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10795673
     • deuto 3.2.1

       31 March 2012 at 10:24 am

       The gloss is or seems to be coming off the teflon from O’Sullivan’s more recent columns, but I remain sceptical in view of her blinkered idolism of the last three years or so. Still, good to see her supporting the call for a full enquiry.

       Her support for Collins in this latest column is possibly an attempt to appease her remarks in her column last weekend when (in my honest opinion….) she virtually landed Collins in it re the leaking of Boag’s email:

       Any Cabinet minister sitting in “The Crusher’s” shoes – particularly a politician with as strong an instinct for self-preservation as Collins has – would quickly have worked out the impact of Boag’s email was they were also likely to be dragged into the same mud-pool which subsequently swallowed Nick Smith.

       The ACC Minister would quickly have reached the conclusion that all Boag’s email did was to compromise her.

       Hence she sent it to the ACC .

       Collins’ fingerprints will not be directly attached to the copy of the Boag email that was later leaked to the Herald on Sunday.

       http://www.nzherald.co.nz/fran-osullivan-on-business/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502864&objectid=10794249
4. muzza 4

   31 March 2012 at 10:28 am

   David Bellamy….Interesting!
   • Kotahi Tane Huna 4.1

     31 March 2012 at 10:47 am

     The botanist and climate denier? He has been hiding his archaeological expertise under a bushel perhaps.
     • muzza 4.1.1

       31 March 2012 at 11:05 am

       Lol – Was wondering who would be first to respond…good consistancy points Bloke!

       Loving continued use of “climate denier” as some sort of insult..I’m sure DB is very worried what you might think about his credentials. What classifies as “denier” status, so far as you are concerned?

       Its kind of like how you dont understand the world of money laundering, and therefore nor do I. I only give an opinion on things which I know about!
       • Kotahi Tane Huna 4.1.1.1

         31 March 2012 at 3:26 pm

         “some sort of insult”

         No. A simple statement of fact.

         Muzza, you failed to understand my point about money laundering, as though I really care what a conspiracy theorist thinks.
         • muzza 4.1.1.1.1

           31 March 2012 at 5:24 pm

           Actually I understood what you were saying just fine, the fact you had no idea what you were talking about is quite arrogant . and still provides me entertainment because you keep trying anyway…as does you not answering a question yet again, but let’s just label it all conspiracy theory in case I’m wrong, and my large online ego collapses inward!

           It’s possible to have an open mind without your brains falling out…in case you were going to repeat that , yet again!
     • Hateatea 4.1.2

       31 March 2012 at 12:18 pm

       Be fair, his credentials as an archaeologist are at least as credible as Noel Hilliam’s 😉
        
       • marty mars 4.1.2.1

         31 March 2012 at 7:44 pm

         hilliam is a graverobber so the bar is pretty low.

         http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/2010/11/dargy-dags.html
   • NickS 4.2

     31 March 2012 at 2:58 pm

     /facepalm

     http://archaeologyaotearoa.blogspot.co.nz/
     http://www.readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-cameron.html

     And it doesn’t take much googling and critical thinking to realise that not only is that book a giant pile of shit, but also that Bellamy has transformed into the classical crackpot scientist, which is what happens when the D-K Effect hits a scientist outside of their field. Particularly as they get older…

     Fortunately it’s a fairly rare condition, but thanks the media’s blindspot when it comes to science, crackpots like Bellamy are given plently of unwarranted positive attention.
5. Dave Kennedy 5

   31 March 2012 at 12:04 pm

   Laila Harre’s appointment to the Green Party’s growing staff further strengthens the party’s position as the dominant opposition party. http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/laila-harre-joins-greens.html
6. Draco T Bastard 6

   31 March 2012 at 12:34 pm

   Chart of the Day: Conservatives Don’t Trust Science

   This is not because conservatives are a bunch of undereducated yahoos. In fact, quite the opposite:

   Conservatives with high school degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and graduate degrees all experienced greater distrust in science over time….In addition…conservatives with college degrees decline more quickly than those with only a high school degree []. These results are quite profound, because they imply that conservative discontent with science was not attributable to the uneducated but to rising distrust among educated conservatives.

   I suppose the question then becomes: Just where did those delusional conservatives get their degrees?

   And locally we have National’s plan to gut councils.

   The government try to tell us that the increased spending is because councils are out of control and wasting money in areas they have no business being in, and that they’re proposing these changes to force councils to get back to core business.

   This is a lie.

   The National government will try to tell spin it, they’ll say that the problem is that councils are wasting money supporting festivals, public swimming pools, running social programmes, and on providing local art and culture.

   How do I know they’ll do this? Because they’ve already started.

   Yep, NACT already caught lying in support of the their plan to decrease local democracy.
   • muzza 6.1

     31 March 2012 at 12:53 pm

     What should be evidently clear to even the dimmest of bulbs is the following.

     There is a concerted effort globally , has been for decades to consolidate nations, via unions, treaties and agreements. Locally we see the efforts being focussed two fold, TPPA which will bind us internationally even further, and the Auckland Super City, which was of course the pilot scheme to be rolled out nationally. One can hear the calls. and see it in action via the attempts to legislate from Wellington.
     It is much “simpler” to control small numbers, so once you have consolidated the globe, EU/NAFTA/TPPA etc and removed sovereignty, well it becomes rather open to speculation at that stage. The cities must not be weasled into submission by the criminal government, whose agenda is crystal clear!
   • Blue 6.2

     31 March 2012 at 2:28 pm

     It depends on what you think ‘educated’ means. If you’ve ever seen how many creationists there are in first-year biology courses at university, you will know what I mean.

     There are plenty of ‘educated’ people who go into university with a closed mind and leave the same way they came in. They give the expected answers in order to pass the exams, but they don’t believe any of it. Their faith takes precedence.
7. Fortran 7

   31 March 2012 at 1:02 pm

   Is there not another woman in the Puller medley – the employee in ACC who released the list to Puller, and is it possible may have had a greater involvement than currently perceived.
   It appears from media stories that she may have had unauthorised access to the Puller files, as she apparently had been tracked having some form of access.
   There must be a greater inquiry than Privacy Commissioner.
   • KATY 7.1

     31 March 2012 at 2:44 pm

     Key gives his reasons for not having a fuller enquiry. at 4.55 into recording,

     http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/pm-fronts-acc-saga-video-4808883

     It appears that he thinks that by having an inquiry by the Privacy Commissioner will be enough. The problem is though the can of worms has been opened and they are fast slithering towards other matters far outside the nice little boxes that thinks he has under his control.
     A full open independent inquiry needs to be held by individuals that are in no way remotely associated with this government as there are already rumors of cronyism and corruption beginning to surface. Did we not learn any thing about deception from Nicky Hager and the Hollow Men.
   • the pink postman 7.2

     31 March 2012 at 4:00 pm

     Well Fortan . Its hard to believe that these files were sent to an active National supporter by accident is it not? The whole thing stinks of Tory sleaze and money grabbing, Mone and power the cement in the National Party,
8. happynz 8

   31 March 2012 at 1:53 pm

   Funny…I hold New Zealand citizenship, but when I open my mouth and speak it’s obvious that I wasn’t born and raised here. Maybe nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand I get asked if I’m Canadian.
   ‘Nope, not Canadian. I’m from California.’
   ‘Oh, erm…well, look at the time…see ya.’
   I’m definitely not a rah-rah ‘Go Team America’ kind of person. I find jingoism repulsive. Yet, the fact that I have US nationality somehow means to many people here that I am whatever stereotype they hold when it comes to Americans.
   I think maybe in the future I’ll say, ‘Oh yeah…maple syrup and hockey, you betcha, eh.’ That seems to put the locals at ease.
   • Uturn 8.1

     31 March 2012 at 3:52 pm

     Look at the bright side, happynz – you get to sift through the idiots faster. 1:1000 is a pretty good hit rate, there are potential social prejudices here that will jump that up to 1:100,000, accent, citizenship, or not. Welcome to NZ.
9. prism 9

   31 March 2012 at 2:18 pm

   The Air Force have worked hard to put on this Ohakea show and 50-60,000 expected to pay for attendance. Two people who couldn’t manage to drive safely have managed to stuff that up.

   The government will be paying for their injury management, for road management, and the losses caused by this crash to the Air Force. Plus there is the cost financial and in wellbeing and in time to people stuck on the road and others wishing to move through the area on their own business. The motor cyclist has head injuries. If he lives it is likely that he’ll require intensive care for much of his life.

   It is very sad and unsatisfactory. I believe that all car drivers should have to carry some personal liability insurance and that hospitals should be able to charge for emergency care, not all of it, but on a set scale so that some of the costs of road accidents can be recovered. Many of them are not accidents at all they are examples of malfunctioning immature carelessness. Keeping idiots off the road would be good. Identifying the most likely to meet this term would not be hard, and the number of accidents would plummet. Cutting alcohol outlets and hours would help too but there isn’t the strength of opinion for this enough to sway the pollies.
   • McFlock 9.1

     31 March 2012 at 3:18 pm

     Nope. Insurance, maybe. But hospitals charging for admission? Hell no.
     It’s hard enough getting people to see their GP. Putting a cost barrier on emergency rooms ill result in delays until the problem is deemed serious enough by the patient to consider professional care, and by that time it might be too late.
10. Draco T Bastard 10

    31 March 2012 at 2:55 pm

    The Secrets of China’s Economy: The Government Owns the Banks rather than the Reverse

    “In the UK and US, the financial sector is booming, while the world of normal people seems to be going from bad to worse, unemployment is high, businesses are folding and house foreclosures are still taking place. Wall Street and Main Street might as well be existing on different planets. And this is in large part because banks are still not lending money to the people. In the UK and US, banks have captured all the money from the taxpayers and the cheap money from quantitative easing from central banks. They are using it to shore up, and clean up their balance sheets rather than lend it to the people. The money has been hijacked by the banks, and our governments are doing absolutely nothing about that. In fact, they have been complicit in allowing this to happen.”

    Which is true, private mega corporations got a lot richer and more power via the bailouts while the majority of people got poorer and less powerful. But what’s really interesting is the sentences at the end of the article:

    If the word “nationalize” sounds un-American, think “publicly-owned and operated for the benefit of the public,” like public libraries, public parks, and public courts. We need to get our dollars out of Wall Street and back on Main Street, and we can do that only by and we can do that only by breaking up our out-of-control private banking monopoly and returning control over money and credit to the people themselves.

    Which is what a few of us here have been saying for the last few years. The private banking system is the biggest problem we face and the only way we can bring it under control is to nationalise it.
11. dave brownz 11

    31 March 2012 at 3:04 pm

    British Labour Party gets clobbered by Galloway victory
    http://leninology.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/galloway-wins.html
    • Uturn 11.1

      31 March 2012 at 5:47 pm

      Since Bradford has so many of the social issues associated with high unemployment, and also the clarity that the proletariat discover when they make an attempt to halt the demise of their communities themselves, I wonder if this isn’t going to be the beginning of a particularly nasty battle for them – even though they have the representation they want.

      I don’t know a whole lot about Galloway myself; I was first introduced to his rhetoric when he took on the government over the disappearance of certain funds during the Iraq invasion. If ever there was person qualified to fight the kind of battle that I see blowing Bradford’s way, it would be him, he’s a skilled scraper for sure. But there was also another side, admittedly these are stories from unsympathetic media sources, that was as dodgy as any politician, anywhere. The problem I see coming is that the groups that have tried to assist (we’ll be generous and say “assist”) Bradford’s social issues aren’t all of the left-leaning persuasion, and as Torys believe, if you take their support and don’t then pay it back by accepting their world view, thereby perpetuating your demise, just slower, they withdraw all the support and go on the attack. It’s not a reason to fold, or give up, but it is a concern.

      But if we take Galloway and the context of Bradford out of the picture, it is uncanny how the sentiment of the article mirrors our own nation’s issues over the past few months. If we then drop in the same concerns I see happening, it is a warning that just winning an election is only the start of the work. The battle, for real, starts immediately after that – and the opponent isn’t going to be beaten easily. Real change is the only option, none of the tinkering of the last 30 odd years.
      • Carol 11.1.1

        31 March 2012 at 7:00 pm

        It does look like the right wing dominance in media and politics, via the neoliberal narrative, is weakening here and abroad e.g. Murdock’s fall from grace etc.

        But I wonder if Sean Plunket has any comments on Galloway’s success in Bradford, or he will show the same avoidance behaviour he demonstrated in 2010:

        http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00314/galloway-disputes-claims-on-the-nation.htm

        Among the responses made by Mr Galloway are these:

        • “I’m stunned that such a collection of inaccuracies and downright lies, larded by overt bias, can be broadcast in New Zealand.”

        • “I’m not virulently anti-American [as claimed by Mr Plunket]… It’s their foreign policy I ‘virulently’ oppose.”

        • Mr Plunket’s allegation that Viva Palestina is “all about the fall of the capitalist system” is labelled by Mr Galloway as “piffle, poppycock and utterly preposterous”.

        • In response to Mr Plunket’s inference that the last Viva Palestina land convoy was turned away by Egypt, Mr Galloway states: “It successfully crossed into Gaza through Rafah after first a stand-off with Egyptian security forces and then an attack by them. The aid and vehicles were successfully delivered. Only coming out of Gaza was I seized and then deported.”

        • “Instead of defaming me behind my back Plunket could have put these wild allegations to my face. I invite him to do that now in a TV interview if he has the stomach for it.”

        Galloway has a bit of a Hone Harawira kind of relationship with the MSM, followed by electoral success standing on a left wing platform.
    • just saying 11.2

      31 March 2012 at 8:37 pm

      Of relevance here is the latest from TUMEKE blog:

      Did a Labour Party MP accidentally rumble the new fish and chip club 2014 in David Shearers office last month?

      Did the club consist of Pagani, Shearer, Parker, Nash and a well known right wing strategist?

      Did the Labour Party MP complain about the strategist being in Shearer’s office?

      What happened to the complaint?

      Obviously there is more to come, but this really doesn’t surprise me. Another twist in Labour’s death spiral. The right is happy for Labour to win the next election in its present configuration. With a dearth of suitable candidates to replace Key, NACT has settled on a suitable replacement; David Shearer.
12. the pink postman 12

    31 March 2012 at 3:52 pm

    The Bye election result in Bradford West UK is interesting and could well be a warning to our own Labour Party.A far Left candidate has won in a landslide in a “safe Labour seat. Tories whacked and the LibDems totally defeated .This could well be a caution to NZ labour not to move further to the centre or to the Right. If we are to recover those non-voters from the last election we need to start thinking more Left not Right or the Bradford result may well happen here .Take not Labour leaders now.
    • Olwyn 12.1

      31 March 2012 at 11:25 pm

      I agree, pink postman, especially when you look at Bradford alongside the Queensland rout. I think that Labour Parties who agree to be semi-tories so as to get corporate dollars to fight elections are doomed – the pendulum has swing too far.
13. Draco T Bastard 13

    31 March 2012 at 7:27 pm

    Self-drive car. Although, I suspect that it won’t get a lot of use due to the increasing cost of fuel as Peak Oil bites.
    • ianmac 13.1

      31 March 2012 at 7:46 pm

      I suppose you could just have a wee sleep after telling it where you want to end up. My Grandfather had a system like that. He would roll out of the pub, climb up the seat on the gig and say,”Home Neddie.” Then drop off for a little snooze. Chaff didn’t cost much either.
      • happynz 13.1.1

        1 April 2012 at 9:24 am

        🙂 Funny …
    • Muzza 13.2

      1 April 2012 at 10:22 am

      Google have had all kind of trouble with them, it’s been a long programme already. I could see where they might have a use, but it’s really just another way of taking people out the equation.

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