Rudman Likes Hookers

If Rudman was a conservative commentator rather than a well known shill for the Left, that would have been the Herald's headline.

Instead, one is delivered the rather anodine:-

Don't turn the clock back on prostitution

You don't believe me?

Well try this for size.

In the shadow of Think Big

With this accompanying photo.



Goebbels would have been proud of them.

Stompin At The Savoy?

Not for nothing do the armies of the world forbid their troops from marching across bridges. The rhythmic shock waves from many feet pounding in unison on the structure set up destructive 'aggregated' shock waves which bring about fatal collapse - no matter how well engineered might be the bridge.

So, dear readers, have a look at this story and ask yourselves some questions.

• Of how many decks do you know which might withstand the pounding of thirty pissed youngsters engaging in what today passes for dancing?
• How many decks on houses at Omaha do you imagine might be substandard?
  

For future reference

The mainstream media don't seem to have picked up on this (except as apuff piece in the Sunday News), so I'll put it on the blog in case anyone has something to say about Key's judgement, values, common sense or appeal to women voters between now and the election.

The puff piece is about the Prime Minister of New Zealand engaging in blokey arseholery in a public forum with a guy convicted for throwing his girlfriend down the stairs and giving her a kicking.

Among the treats Key brought out to humiliate his wife in front of the nation, the following:

"Obviously for the money I would be Tiger Woods. You get paid a truckload of money," he said, adding "there are other benefits that clearly come with the job" too.

The conversation took a sexy turn after Veitch asked the jovial PM if he'd like to be love-rat Warnie. "Yeah, well given his current liaisons with Liz Hurley," Key said.

"I like Liz Hurley actually. I reckon she is hot." Key, who has two teenagers, Stephie and Max, admitted that Hurley was a "definite" in his dream date top three, adding that she's "slightly older".

"Older" in this case actually meaning years younger than he is. However, effectively that is "older," because for the demographic Key is trying to appeal to here, a man in his late 40s should really be coming up with the names of girls around his daughters' age when asked whom he'd like to cheat on his wife with.

Hat tip: Dim Post

World Exclusive !!!

I've been having fun for the last couple of weeks teaching myself how to paint watercolours.

Light at end of the tunnel?

If people who believe in small government and personal responsibility are Hammeroids, then does that make people who love John Key - Keyholes.

I just hope that there really is some light at the end of the tunnel for them.

Herald on John Key

An unnamed Herald on Sunday editorialist has something to say about PM John Key.



Warning:
Hammeroids should not use the link. It will induce stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea.

Key's state of the nation speech, in which he announced plans to partially privatise some state assets, was much bolder than anyone predicted. It was always likely the Nats would look to a sell-off eventually, but it has come quicker than most picked.

Then 'most' must be pretty dim witted. There have been enough signals over the past year for even the most blinkered reporter to work out that National will want to spend a good few months bringing the electorate on board. There needs to be a little time also for the public to see though the hypocrisy and lies of the loud mouthed anti sell down political and media cabal.

It still deserves, though, to be rated a bold move.

With an election to be held this year, Key has put everything on the line and given Labour a key point of difference that Phil Goff will no doubt be relishing.

Well, actually he's given National a clear point of difference which Labour will be hating.

National = careful, prudent financial management aimed at reduction of unsustainable debt levels.
Labour = more spending, more taxes and more debt with credit downgrades and higher costs of servicing.

Key's transparency is to be applauded. He said he would not sell off assets without the voters having their say, and they will get it, likely in November.

It is also heartening to see the Government doing something to put the brakes on its borrowing and to stimulate the moribund economy. Apart from the long overdue reining in of state sector costs, National has until now appeared to be indecisive and lacking ideas on how to help spark a recovery.

Did the Hammeroids seriously believe good and reliable policy can be plucked out of this air? That's the Labour way. Note Goff's half arsed and ill considered outburst a week or so ago. It takes time and careful research to establish good policy.

Adolf needs to remind readers that (a) the current NACTionalMP administration is still little more than two short years into its term; (b) all good things come to those who wait and (c) be ready for more new policy over the next six months or so.

Key's personal rating, however, should have been enhanced by the moves this week. He has been a populist leader so far in his first term and has been reluctant to rock the boat.

We have now seen strong, decisive leadership. That, more than the sales themselves, should be the most comforting aspect of the political week.

And that's the real killer for Labour. Everybody across the whole political and media spectrum has misunderestimated the PM. From the Labour stooges at The Standard to the shouters of the Right. Suddenly and to their obvious surprise, their sneering 'smile and wave' sobriquet has become 'strong and decisive'.

I wonder now for whom the Hammeroids will vote in November?

There are early signs of one or two realising they have no better home than National or ACT. Will the others simply stay away and sulk on election day?

'kin Oaf

Jacob Oram, that is

Ran out the last remaining run maker and then proceeded to stuff around like the old chook he is.

The Slack Caps have made six runs in the three overs since Oram ensured their defeat.

What is it with our selectors? Do they not understand that old goats are old goats?

Oram should have been sent off to play rounders two years ago.

Update:

Dismal dorks

New Zealand 217/8 (43.4 ov)

Corruption rears it's ugly head, once again

Those infamous words should haunt the Labour Party for the rest of their mangy days.

But now convicted corrupter Field is apparently appealing to the Supreme Court.

The poor chap is probably still confused as to why he ended up in prison, whilst the real corrupters of our democracy walked free.

Hooray Hone

Many New Zealanders will not know that in Northland the word 'hooray' is used instead of good bye or see you later. It is a cheerful farewell.

The Maori Party will be well shot of this idiot Hone Harawira and his despicable family of thugs and bludgers. They might well say "Hooray Hone" but they will be thinking 'Haere ko e ki te tiko e Hone' which is roughly but not literally equivalent to 'Fuck off Hone.' For a timely reminder of reality, read this account from comments over at Kiwiblog. See Christopher Thomson 3:16. This disgusting revalation should be front page in every daily paper.

Strangely over these past few fascinating days, none of the nation's political commentators seems to have given any thought to what might follow the black motherfucker's ejection from the Maori Party. All I can find is some pretty skin deep commentary on his chances of winning a leadership battle.

So, for what it's worth, let's have a go.

Maori Party Leadership



I don't think for one minute John Hatfield has a shit's show in hell of taking the leadership.

No matter how many supporters he or the media thinks he might have, the world has moved on from the days of the hikoi when that cancerous and corrosive coward Clark failed to show. More and more young Maori outside Northland are moving away from the 'victim' mentality and are doing well - entering mainstream New Zealand's middle class. Not for them the rabble rousing of Harawira, Piripi, Mutu and Co.

These are the people who are making good under their own steam and these are the people, oddly enough, without whom the Maori Party would never have been formed. Most importantly, they are a growing demographic and they will back Turia and Sharples all the way.

Astute observers of Maoridom will realise that most of the ratbags and stirrers come from Northland while the big money and real power lies with the southern tribes. There is no love down south for Ngapuhi and the big business interests of Tainui, Ngati Porou, Te Arawa, Ngai Tahu and others will not want to go within a bulls roar of the rotten to the core Harawira family. Iwi business interests have an enormous stake in the success of the Maori Party as evinced by Tainui's public interest in acquiring a stake in one or more of the SOEs flagged by PM Key for partial sell down. Harawira's presence or even proximity will not enhance their business interests.

So, all in all, I expect there will be widespread and solid support for the Maori Party when it throws the loser out in a few days time.

What Then?

All I have seen in the media thus far are a few people running the line that Harawira will romp home in Tai Tokerau. So what if he does? He'll be on his own with the rest of his ratbags, left to lament and curse from the sidelines. (By the way, I'm far from convinced that he would actually win in the event the Maori Party puts up a high quality, reputable candidate against him. He may well have overwhelming support as an independent among the swamp dwellers of Awanui but he might find it's a different story in the real world south of Kaikohe.)

The Maori Party will continue on with maybe one less seat than it holds now. The gummint will continue to govern.

Best of all, Labour will have to come out and publicly endorse this ratbag as well as the better dressed, smoother but equally loathsome and contemptible ratbag from the North, Peters.

What if Harawira Wins The Leadership?

In that unlikely event, you could expect an immediate and successful move to garner support from 75% of MPs for the abolition of the Maori seats. I don't think the majority of Maori Party members are silly enough to risk precipitating such a move.

A Slow Payer As Well......

.........as a liar and bullshit artist.

Lyen Brown, that is.

But that viper's nest of socialists, TVNZ does it's best to turn this story into a hit piece on Rodney Hide.

Here's the headline.

Labour slams Hide as 525 council jobs listed

Here's the punchline.

Contractors Federation New Zealand CEO Jeremy Sole says he had been approached by a number of contractors of the Auckland Council who had not been paid prior to Christmas.

Who Was The Minister Responsible?

PM John Key has released the report into the Stephen Wilce debacle and the SIS comes out of with shit dribbling down both sides of its face.

The Left did it's damnedest earlier to blame Michelle Boag's recruiting agency but clearly the real fault lies with the agency whose performance was the responsibility solely of the Prime Minister.

Mr Wilce was sacked in 2003. He applied in 2004 to head the Defence Technology Agency, was appointed in 2005 and held the job for five years until September when he quit after a 60 Minutes story on his background.

I'm trying so hard to remember who was the PM in 2005.

Oh yes. It was the Bilious Bitch.



Obviously she was completely distracted. Too busy working out how to steal a couple of million dollars from the taxpayer to run her broken arsed party's fraudulent election campaign.

First Thompson, then Wilce, perhaps Broad? How many other high level frauds were appointed by Helen Clark and her agency?

Why would ANYONE ever again vote Labour?

A Vacuous Tosser

Here you have the archetypal Labour Party recruit.

He's got many of the right attributes:-

A lying darkie journalist cum press secretary. One is not yet sure whether he is gay or has a club foot.

From his maiden speech comes this nugget of pure gold. Everything within it is false.

"...journalism is a noble trade. It is the pursuit of truth to inform citizens......."

Blah blah and more blah blah.



I give you Chris Fa'afoi, another in a long line of political activists masquerading as reporters.

Jami-Lee Ross

Updated:

Adolf congratulates Jami-Lee Ross on his selection as National Party candidate for Botany.



He will be a superb Member of Parliament if he wins the by election - and commentators seem to think there is little doubt he will.

A couple of idle thoughts.

1. Whaleoil will be very pleased. I'm sure Whale will enjoy much sport during the Botany campaign and I hope he becomes part of Mr Ross's parliamentary/electorate team in the event of a win. Now THAT would really make his detractors spew bile for weeks.
2. This selection by National shows how irrelevant have become the Maori seats in Parliament. Here is yet another successful young Maori person who has gained selection against all comers and has won entirely on his merits.
3. Where will this young man be in fifteen years' time? I hope I'm still around to see.
   

Well done Jami-Lee.

Best of luck for your campaign and parliamentary future.

Give it to Labour just the same way you have given it to Lyen Brown these last few years.

Update 0800:

From the Herald:-

Mr Ross was elected to the Manukau City Council in 2004. On the new Auckland Council, he is co-leader of the right-wing Citizens & Ratepayers group and is the youngest councillor.

Also last night, the Labour Party chose Michael Wood, a member of the Puketapapa Local Board, as its candidate for the byelection.

Mr Wood, a former union organiser, was Labour's candidate in Pakuranga in 2002 and 2005.

A born loser versus a consistent winner.

The smartest men in the room

Remember how chuffed everyone was that the reigns of govt were being taken over by John Key and Bill English, men who understand economics? Unlike their predecessors Helen Clark and Michael Cullen, who were so ignorant they used years of govt surpluses paying down debt rather than giving rich people the tax cuts they wanted?

Funny how things work out, isn't it? These incoming Gods of Finance retained the more excessive spending of their predecessors (interest-free student loans and Working For Families) because doing otherwise would make them less popular (note - not "lose the next election," because after all they're going up against Labour led by Phil Goff in the next election, but "less popular"), and have now decided to sell public assets to reduce debt.

There's a fairly obvious flaw with that plan that even I, not only not the Smartest Man in the Room, but completely untrained in finance and economics, noticed immediately: one receives a payment for the assets, but then forgoes the future earnings of said assets. Bernard Hickey explains it this morning:

But Mr Hickey, from financial website interest.co.nz, said that based on last year's earnings the four state-owned enterprises paid a dividend of 7.6 per cent, against the 5.5 per cent cost of new borrowing. "On the face of it the Government is a net loser by selling half of these state assets."

He's almost right - actually, on the face of it, we the New Zealand taxpayers are net losers by Key selling half these public assets.

So why is he doing it? He's throwing right-wingers a bone in the hopes of retaining at least some shred of credibility with them in an election year. He'll be well rewarded, and we'll get to pay for it. Funny, but that's often how ordinary people's relationships with Gods of Finance work out...

Two choices

In a perfect world everyone would have manageable debt levels and spend every dollar of income wisely.

Sadly this has not been the case for NZ.
Our State has squandered, squandered and more squandered our income. Followed by borrowed, borrowed and more borrowed our debt.

We might like to pretend that State debt is not "our" debt but that isn't the case. It is. We all own it.

Realistically we have only two choices.

The first would be to put our faith in the two Ronnies of economics, Goff and Cunliffe.

Which isn't really a choice at all.

So what it actually means is that we will have to make the most of the second.
As I said - it's not a perfect world.

Right on Cue......

....... the Herald does its duty for Labour.

The deliberately false and misleading headline is bad enough on its own:-

"...dearer power feared if stakes go"

Hang on a minute! No stakes are going anywhere. The gummint is retaining a controlling 51% plus stake. However it gets worse when Goff opens his mouth.

Labour leader Phil Goff said the proposal was a "recipe for soaring power prices" and foreign ownership of the assets.

Oh dear, Mr Goff. These just happen to be precisely the same state assets which, when controlled by you and Cunliffe just four or five short years ago, ripped New Zealanders off to the tune of $4.5 billion dollars through price gouging and collusion and YOU KEPT THE FUCKING MONEY!

Then he wins the lame award with this gem.

"Mum and dad investors might get the first bite, but they quickly gravitate to the big investors overseas. Everyone knows that."

Funny how that doesn't seem to have happened with Air New Zealand, Mr Goff. Mums and Dads seem pretty happy. They were pretty happy also with Auckland Airport and its large shareholdings by local government -until you and your colleagues interfered and stripped away a couple of billion of their share value just for the sake of your blinkered ideology.

The final demolition is left to non political Sue Chetwin of Consumer NZ.

Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin agreed with Mr Key's assessment that electricity prices would not increase with partial privatisation.

"The power companies over the past 10 years have been rapacious in putting up their prices and I don't see that making part of the company available for the public to invest in will make much difference there."

However, Ms Chetwin said companies would become more transparent and would have to explain their actions to the public.

Kinda sums it up pretty well really. I like that word 'rapacious.' It accurately describes Goff, Cullen and Clark.

Nobody seems to have noticed but Cunliffe appears not to have given Goff the right script.

"We can unleash state-owned enterprises to create and grow new subsidiaries with private partners and shareholders," he said.

And finally, I hope all those Hammeroids noticed Mr Key quietly foreshadowing further asset sales for next parliamentary term. Hammeroids tend only to notice anything over 120 decibels.

Mr Key said none of the other state-owned enterprises were being considered for sale. However, more sales could be possible in 2014 or after.

Stuff to make every American's heart swell with pride

Hillary Clinton speaks for the USA about the Egyptian protests:

...the Egyptian government was stable and looking for ways to respond to its people's aspirations.

Hurrah! The world can rest assured that King Mubarak's boot is still firmly on the neck of the Egyptian people! Thanks America - I was being kept awake at night worrying that this criminal might be driven from power and some kind of democratic rule put in to replace him, but I see you're on the case.

Actually, she's right in one sense - I expect the Egyptian 'government' is looking for ways to respond to its people's aspirations. No doubt panic buying of riot gear and torture equipment is going on at this very moment...

"Racist" voting should be fixed by Auckland Council

The Herald editorial on Saturday succintly explains the issue in its opening salvos:

Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer put it mildly when he suggested most Aucklanders would be surprised to learn that unelected members of the Auckland Council's Maori advisory board can vote on council committees.

Astonished would be more like it. The Government, having rejected the sensible option of dedicated Maori seats on the council, has breached a fundamental precept of democracy to ensure the Maori voice is heard. Handing full voting powers to appointed advisers - Maori or otherwise - is anathema. It will serve only to breed resentment in the wider community.

This indeed would be astonishing, if true. But it isn't true.

The Government, hasn't breached a fundamental precept of democracy. And it hasn't handed "full voting powers to appointed advisers - Maori or otherwise". There may well be resentment in the community, but if there is, (and I don't see it from the comments on the Herald editorial), the Auckland Council can fix it at its first council meeting in February.

Let me explain. First, the law.

Section 85 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Amendment Act 2010, set up the mana whenua board, and provides as follows:

85 Board’s specific functions

(1) The board must appoint a maximum of 2 persons to sit as members on each of the Auckland Council’s committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources.

(2) If the Auckland Council asks the board to appoint a person or persons to sit as members on any other of the Council's committees, the board may do so.

(3) The board must,—

(a) before making the appointments, seek the views of the Auckland Council as to the skills and experience that the Council would like the appointees to have; and

(b) when making the appointments, take the views of the Auckland Council into account.

(4) The board must consider a request by the Auckland Council that the board accept the delegation of a function by the Council.

(5) The board must act in accordance with a delegation that it has accepted.

Under subsection (1), the board is required to appoint a maximum of two persons to the committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources. It appears the appointments are therefore limited. And, the Council can ask for more if it likes.

None of that has stopped the board appointing members on all committees. The Aucklander has more on that expansion:

"We asked the council for its requirements in regards to skills and expertise that it wanted for the members to join the committees prior to Christmas and we did not get a response back," he says.

"So, rather than wait any further, we have nominated two names for each of the majority of the committees. We have considered what skills they should have and we have put those names forward."

Asked if the public seemed aware of the Maori appointments, Mr Taipari replies: "I'm starting to find out that that's probably not the case. I believe the council has yet to get its head around it. But have we gained the balance of power? I would say we have not. What we have gained is an opportunity to participate.

"In my view, the council will always be in control of the make-up of the committees. If the council is unhappy, it can change the make-up of the committees by the flick of the wrist or the stroke of a pen. I just hope it's not made a mockery of."

[My emphases].

Note the last paragraph, that I've highlighted. That will become important.

If Taipari is to be believed, and I think he can be, he says he asked the Council for feedback, but never got a reply. So he just did what anyone would have done - he just got on with it and nominated two names for a majority of committees.

Standing Orders.

Council committees obtain their powers, including voting rights, not through legislation, but through council's own standing orders. Those standing orders regulate meeting behaviour, and may permit votes for appointed or co-opted members of committees, or they may not. That is up to each council. Or, if standing orders are silent on the voting rights of co-opted or appointed members, the chair of the committee can put it to a vote whether such co-opted or appointed member on the committee is entitled to a vote. This isn't unusual. Many councils and community boards throughout the country have non-elected members sit on them for their voice, but not their vote. An example is youth representatives.

So whether any co-opted or appointed member gets a vote, is entirely up to the council. This is the same for the Auckland Council, or Invercargill City Council. Provided councils act in accordance with legislation, they create their own destiny in this regard. Remember, all the legislation does is appoint the members. It didn't regulate their voting power.

Could you imagine the outcry if the Auckland Council legislation said Maori appointees could sit on committees for management and stewardship purposes but couldn’t vote!! Opposition MPs (including Phil Twyford) and others would be screaming blue murder!! There would be cries of “toothless appointees” and “votes for Pakeha, but not Maori”.

So the government did not put in the legislation that the appointees from the Maori board get a vote. They couldn't; that is for the Council. The legislation merely appointed them, and that is a far cry from the Herald's protestation that the government has handed "full voting powers to appointed advisers - Maori or otherwise..."

The government has merely give them a seat. Voting rights is for the council; and the government shouldn't be telling, and hasn't told, the Council who can, and cannot, vote.

Auckland Council Standing Orders

The Auckland Transition Agency set Standing Orders to serve as the standing orders of the Council until the Council adopts its first standing orders. I understand that hasn't happened. That's important because after they are adopted, any amendment of them requires a vote of not less than 75%.

Because they haven't been sdopted, the council can, as Mr Taipari alluded to, change the make-up of the committees by the flick of the wrist or the stroke of a pen. In one motion, it can, by simple majority, amend the ATA's standing orders by removing the right of appointed members, Maori or non-Maori, to vote. And Mayor Brown has a majority on the council.

But will he do it?

Today, the Mayor seemed ambivalent:

Asked for a definitive position on the matter, Mr Brown said it was important to remember that the decision to set up the Maori statutory board was made by the Government.

"We need to play the cards that were dealt to us. It is vitally important we establish ways of ensuring strong Maori representation and input into the Auckland Council.

"I am working with other councillors and the Maori statutory board to clarify their role and how they will interact and guide the work of the Auckland Council," Mr Brown said.

Play what cards? The cards you have trump any cards you were dealt!

What is Labour's position?

Labour's Auckland issues spokesman Phil Twyford said it was untenable and undemocratic for unelected members of the board to have voting rights alongside elected representatives and the Government should amend the law to make the positions advisory only.

Mr Twyford is correct. It is untenable and undemocratic. But it is not the government's problem to mend. That's a nice way of saying "we don't want Len to have to deal with it". And, I've dealt with the point about the positions being advisory - you know, government says votes for Pakeha but not Maori etc. It should never be the government's position to mandate how a council chooses the voting rights of a council committee - that's for the Council!

To me, it looks like the government has handed Mayor Brown a problem he could do without. Does he accede to his Labour Party heirarchy and amend standing orders accordingly? Or does he allow votes to non-elected committee members?

A Guest

What He Should Have Done

If Phil Goff wanted to cause a real stir with a bold, radical, revolutionary (I can see Chris Trotter and all the other lefties' sphincters starting to squirm with delight at those words) game changing campaign opening speech he would have done this:-

1. Advocated a $10,000 tax free threshold.
2. Announced a flat personal income tax rate of 20%
3. Proposed that all income received by trusts, LAQCs and companies be taxed at 25%
4. Foreshadowed a new law making the provision of advice the intent of which is to reduce, avoid or evade income tax a criminal offense subject to serious jail time.
5. Introduced a tax payer's lottery whereby each week a personal IRD number would be drawn out of the hat and the weekly winner would receive back all his income tax for that year.
6. Increased GST to 17.5%

Now THAT would have got him a bit more attention than his damn fool twenty second twiddle today.

Numbers 4 and 5 are the real kickers. Any serious reform of tax laws has to put the boot into the tax avoidance industry.

Ginga hair.

Adolf's post is all good but misses the most startling part of Goff's performance today.
He is sporting a new ginger barnet.
Why on earth would you go ranga when succumbing to vanity?

Mathematical Mystery Man

Update: Not even the Lefties believe him. Here's Idiot Savant

I just wish Labour had presented it more carefully, as something that would take them a few years to implement after they found out how much more revenue a crackdown would yield, rather than exposing themselves in this manner. Overpromising and relying on magical thinking benefits no-one; it just leads to disappointment and adds to the public's cynicism about politicians. And that's something Labour should be trying to avoid.

Laarrrrf my arrrrse off!


He must have learned all he knows about taxation from Yassir Arafat because according to reports of his speech today he's going to line up everybody who makes more than $100k and machine gun them to death.



Our mystery man is going to give away $1.3 billion on tax cuts to the nations welfare bludgers, dumb arses and dead beats who vote Labour and he's promised he's going to recover the same amount from Michael Cullen's 'rich pricks.'

Labour is promising the first $5000 earned will be tax free by the end of its first term in government - but those earning top dollars will pay more.

It would introduce an across the board 'tax free zone' so earners paid no tax on up to their first $5000 earnings, at an estimated cost of $1.3 billion.

Although likely to be initially introduced at a lower level, Labour would look to increase that zone to reach $5000 during its first term in government.

However, it would also introduce a new top tax rate for those earning at least six-figure salaries, although Labour had not yet decided what that would be.

Mr Goff said Labour would not pay for its tax reforms through borrowing, raising GST or selling off assets. Instead it would do so by "claiming back some of the windfall tax cuts from the very top earners".

He said the current 33 cents in the dollar was low by international standards.

Although the new top tax rate, or at what level of income it would set in, was not yet decided, Mr Goff said it would only apply to those earning at least more than $100,000 a year.

It's no bloody wonder Labour has not decided what the top tax rate will be. If you look at the IRD graph below, you will see the number of tax payers with incomes greater than $100k. A generous interpretation of the graph would have say 5,000 taxpayers at most with an average income of say $120k. It is a very very thin blue line, folks.

When you do the maths, you will see that Philly will need to apply a fat cats rich prick tax at the rate of, wait for it, drum roll...........

$13.00 for every dollar of income over $100,000.

Don't you believe me?

5000 people x $20,000 income = $100,000,000.

To raise tax revenue of 1,300,000,000 from $100,000,000 requires the tax payer to cough up $13.00 tax for every one dollar of income.

There can now be no doubt.

Phil's phucked.

The only gap bigger than the one between his front teeth is the one in his brain.

Come In Spinner

Australian cricket these days has taken on a decidedly Peyton Place aura. For our younger adherents, substitute Days of Our Lives.



Far more serious that the demolition of their world cup team by way of injuries inflicted by those South African bastards masquerading as Poms, we have the extraordinary revelation that potential captain Michael Clarke has his mind firmly focused on finding decent sheila to accompany one of his players to the Allan Border medal presentation.

No I'm not kidding

And now it seems, Warnie can't tear himself away from the hurley burley of Hollywood.



His affair with the sultry one has all the characteristics of a test innings. Fielding, that is. He seems to come on for short spells and upon failing to penetrate, off to the boundary to sulk with his cellphone. After an appropriate period of self contemplation, back he comes, all hardened up and looking to get a bit of turn out of a flat bitch. (Bloody spell checker.)



The poor bugger still doesn't seem to understand the difference between getting his leg over and getting his leg before wicket.

Maybe he should send an email to Michael Clarke?

Hey Michael! Where the bloody hell are ya?

And You Thought I Was Wrong?

Update: Studied understatement from Powerline

"But to be insulted without even knowing it, even though a billion others do, is dumb even by Obama standards."

When I dubbed the President of the United States the Black Arsed Jackass?

Well, a few hundred million Chinese think I'm right.

Shitting dogs! They insulted him to his face at his own party which he paid for and the up himself prick didn't even know he was being taken down until after the event.

Early morning TV viewers in China knew it would be played an hour or two beforehand. At the White House State dinner on Jan. 19, about six minutes into his set, Lang Lang began tapping out a famous anti-American propaganda melody from the Korean War: the theme song to the movie "Battle on Shangganling Mountain."

In 2008, Americans voted for a president and got themselves a dangerous dork of the first order.

Pirate deterrent....

G

Big Day Out II

Big Day Out at Ratana again.

Ticket cost to taxpayers

Only a lousy $2,700,000 , plus limos and probably a pork lunch.

To Make An Omelette...

...you need to break some eggshells.

The new owners of US cable network MSNBC have cracked the biggest egg in the US media business, Keith Albumen, the far left Obama sick ophant who can't tell a yolk from a yoke.



It is amusing to watch the lefty commentariat trying so desperately to spin the lie that he wasn't pushed out by the new owners who, clearly, understand the commercial common sense that really really annoying over fifty percent of the viewing public with OT partisan political rhetoric is not a reliable path to everlasting profits.

More Swing Than Glenn Miller

Tim Southee, that is.

I swear the first ball he bowled moved three feet across the pitch before it landed.

The stadium was EMPTY!!!

THE KINGS SPEECH

The Veteran is currently working with 'just the ticket' Productions which is owned by Ross Jennings, one of New Zealands foremost documentary producers, on a new documentary covering the events of 22 June 1968 which saw a nine man patrol from Victor 3 Company, 4 RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion take on 60-70 VC in a two hour battle that saw them inflict a comprehensive defeat on the enemy at a cost of one dead and four wounded.

One third of the patrol were decorated for their gallantry including Lieutenant Maurice Dodson MC (later Major General MF Dodson CBE, MC, Chief of Army); Lance Corporal David Ropeta (Ransfield) DCM and Sapper Wiki Kahika m.i.d. It was one of the most intense small unit actions of the Vietnam war involving ANZAC troops. We are bringing the seven surviving members of the patrol together to tell their story. The documentary will screen on ANZAC Day.

Yesterday at our first production meeting Ross J mentioned that earlier in the week he had been fortunate enough to preview the film 'The Kings Speech'. He said it was compelling viewing. The film focuses on the efforts of the Duke of York (later George V1) to cure his horrific stammer with the help of an Australian speech therapist (Lionel Logue) and covers the events leading up to the death of George V; the ascension of Edward V111 and the abdication crisis; George's coronation and concludes with the King's speech on the outbreak of WW2 which was generally considered to be a masterpiece.

'Mems' was of the same mind and, while the Veteran is not a great film buff, I agreed to her suggestion that we should take a trip over to Kerikeri to watch it.

I'm glad we went. It was compelling viewing in spades and compulsory for anyone with an interest in English history . I recommend it unreservedly (and that from me is a BIG call).

So Far Up Themselves....

....they couldn't find the way out with GPS.

Labour, that is.

Go and have a look at the pathetic bleating from Clare Curran over at Red Alert. She's having a bit of a weep because Hooton has reminded her that Hitler and Stalin were pretty good at making sure free speech applied only to their own views, a practice she seems keen to emulate.

The piece de resistance is the affronted dignity with which she pouts:-

"And it's not the first time the National Party have ([sic) [She doesn't know how to conjugate singular with singular, silly little girl) used the Hitler analogy against me."

I reckon by now they will have struck off my entirely civilized and polite comment.

Adolf Fiinkensein says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

January 22, 2011 at 1:49 pm

Yes. I agree it is appalling to use the Hitler analogy.

Tokyo Rose is far more appropriate.

Any fool can see there's only a faint passing resemblance to Hitler.

Education 'Humphreys' Smacked Down

The much maligned and derided Anne Tolley has delivered a stinging rebuke to the leftist mandarins planted in the Education Ministry by the previous devious Labour administration.

Ms Tolley has put an end to speculation over whether Grammar's decision to have the majority of its Year 11 students sit Cambridge International Exams instead of NCEA is legal.

Questions were raised this week over whether Grammar was breaching the Education Act which says schools must offer a "nationally and internationally recognised qualifications system", such as NCEA.

The ministry has said the Cambridge exams do not meet that requirement as they are not nationally recognised.

But Ms Tolley disagrees, saying they are accepted by all universities.

She says that the Auckland school is offering NCEA to those who want it, even though it will be only a handful of Year 11 students.

Yes Minister, well done.

You've just earned National a couple more points in the next Roy Morgan poll. Why even the Hammeroids might have to admit Labour could never in a million years allowed such a terrible intrusion on state control.

This is the minister who has been falsely painted by Labour and its media friends as weak. Doesn't look particularly weak to me!

Lets have more of the same common sense please.

Guest posts

I've added a Guest Post author to No Minister, as we'll be providing the occasional guest post in future.

Two dozen words for the one dozen

"... and so the National Government will be holding an inquiry into why our country has 12 separate state funded agencies to oversee child welfare."

John Key

Well done John.

You see, Keyoids? That's the difference between a Prime Minister and a Leader.

When Is The Pope Not A Catholic?

When he's been defrocked by Crusher Collins.

The contract of the 36-year veteran is due to expire on April 3 and he had wanted to stay on until August 2012 to make the most of his superannuation scheme.

But Police Minister Judith Collins declined – and told him that to agree would make her "a corrupt minister".

Well done, Minister.

You see, Hammeroids? That's the difference between National and Labour.

When Friends Act Like Enemies

One gets used and almost inured to the blatant and opportunist lies of the Left - Mallard is a skilled practitioner of the art and Goff tries hard but rarely succeeds - if he had succeeded he might be in better shape politically. Clark was an expert. The Democratic Party and most of the US media are shameless in their devotion to the practice as evinced by the hounding of George W Bush and latterly Sarah Palin.

So it comes as a slight shock to realise that those one considered allies appear to be indulging in the same behaviour.

Have a look at just a few of the repeated false accusations being levelled at the National Party by the shouters of the uber right - the loose lipped Hammeroids. It is difficult to see sometimes whether these accusations arise through ignorance or malice.

1. They are no different from Labour
2. They are borrowing $300 million per week
3. They haven't done anything they promised
4. They cost taxpayers $1.7 billion bailing out SCF.
   

Number 1

They are no different from Labour? What arrant nonsense.

Prime Minister Key has made it clear before and after the 2008 election that National will not introduce major changes without first gaining public support. Contrast that attitude with Labour's axing of appeals to the Privy Council and the establishment of a relatively dubious and legally light weight Supreme Court. Reflect for a while on Labour's appalling embezzlement of public funds for electioneering and it's attempt to entrench itself by way of the Electoral Finance ACT. Contrast National's handling of wayward MP's with Labour's disgraceful tolerance of Peters and Field.

Number 2

They are borrowing $300 million per week? Well, no they are not.

Most of the borrowing is rolling over short term loans incurred by Cullen with a very small proportion only represented by new borrowing. The pernicious $300 million lie is designed to fool the average punter into believing we are increasing our debt at the rate of $16 billion per year. We are not.

Number 3

They haven't done anything they promised? Oh really?

They've vastly improved the service delivery and cost efficiency of the health system.
They've gone in hard on national standards for schools.
They've chopped the ridiculous rate of increase in public spending
They've slashed income tax rates for the vast majority of New Zealanders
They've adhered to their fundamental promise that they would not slash and burn while the country was in recession.

Number 4

They cost taxpayers $1.7 billion bailing out SCF. This must be the new maths at work. The short sighted version where 4 -2 = 17

Firstly, SCF was not bailed out. It's investors were.

Secondly, the taxpayers paid only part of the SCF investor guarantee. A large part of the $1.7 billion was funded from the fees paid by the participating institutions - from memory, some $200 mil. What the lying shouters don't say is that the true cost to the taxpayers after allowing for the fee income and the sale of assets is unlikely to exceed $200 million. The shouters need to be reminded as well of the cost to taxpayers had a major finance company been allowed to fail eighteen months earlier - which would have happened in the absence of the government guarantee. Then, markets were chaotic, uncertainly prevailed internationally and public fears were raised. A major run on all finance institutions would have resulted and 'cost the taxpayer' a hell of a lot more than a lousy $200 mil.

So, here's hoping for a little more accuracy and honesty from our friends on the right than we normally expect from our enemies of the left.

Ironic Comment of the Century

On twitter:-

“The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner holds a State Dinner for a man who has the 2010 winner under House Arrest.”

At this dinner the BAJA announces a major break through.

America gets to keep a couple of pandas for five more years.

That's a bit like Hitler in 1939 gifting Neville Chamberlain a couple of Junkers 52s for the Royal Mail.

One sentence to rule them all.

If there was ever a single sentence that summed up everything wrong with NZ, this would be it...

A CYF report into the care received by a girl who suffered "horrific" abuse at the hands of her parents has found no single glaring failure by any of the 12 state agencies involved.

Until we stop demanding the State to solve all our problems, a dozen different ways with zero accountability, then we are on a one way trip to hell.

I didn't even read the rest of the article, but I bet it says that the Government will launch an inquiry.

Why not have 12 bloody inquiries.
Because that seems to be the Government's "solution" to everything.

Yet Another Robinson?

Update: I lost the bet. It WAS a Bell Jet Ranger.

Have you noticed there are no details of the machine which crashed?



Anyone want to take a bet it's not another Robinson? The goingest downest machine in the history of aviation.

Question?

Will Hone get thrown out of the Maori Party?

No. Never.

Tribal politics is a different animal.

He Who Larrfs Larst

When the Stuxnet story first broke on the internet (it took a week for the antique media to catch up) Adolf guessed it was the work of the Israeli secret service. There was much conjecture about that. Some commentators blamed Russia, some blamed China while some even opined that Seimens themselves might have been in on it.

Behind Dimona’s barbed wire, the experts say, Israel has spun nuclear centrifuges virtually identical to Iran’s at Natanz, where Iranian scientists are struggling to enrich uranium. They say Dimona tested the effectiveness of the Stuxnet computer worm, a destructive program that appears to have wiped out roughly a fifth of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges and helped delay, though not destroy, Tehran’s ability to make its first nuclear arms.

I didn't for a moment make the connection with the US.

Now, it seems pretty conclusive that this extraordinary cyberweapon was a joint venture between the Yids and the Yanks. One of the most ingenious and inspiring episodes of fuckuppery since World War Two. An absolutely brilliant piece of feint, double feint, outflank and strike by none other than the left's favorite dumbarse, President Georg W Bush.




Oh how Dubbya must have quietly laughed his arse off as Dinnerjacket harangued the USA and the West from the safety of the United Nations. The poor dosy bastard didn't know that all the while Dubbya was chewing his arse so hard that soon he wouldn't be able to sit down. And Dinnerjacket couldn't even feel any pain.

It seems to me, the leaking of the Stuxnet news to the public is part of the politico/diplomatic game. Dinnerjacket has been relying on his nuclear bomb project to prop up his credentials with the hard line Iranian mullahs and generals as well as the Iranian public. He must be looking a bit sick on the home front right now.



Adolf wonders how much information about Stuxnet is still under wraps. Perhaps it has done so much damage that no matter what Dinnerjacket does, his nuclear programme has been knocked over and he must start all over a again from scratch. I wouldn't be surprised if in fact he is ten or more years away from being able to but together a bomb.

I wonder also if Stuxnet's little brother already is burrowing away amongst the computers of the Iranian military's command and control network.

Here's hoping.

The moral of the story is, never misunderestimate the Yids and the Yanks.

New Political Party

For some time now there has been small but growing strident chorus of dissatisfaction with the strategies of the NACTtionalMP government in its handling of the economy.

The chorus has been led by some longstanding and loyal commenters here at No Minister and has centred on an alleged failure to move quickly enough to slash gummint spending - in particular to cut social welfare benefits and reduce the overall number of public servants. Adolf has engaged from time to time when the mood has taken him but often he has let the jumpers up and down vent their spleen on the grounds that arguments made previously but ignored will continue to be ignored. (Had some of these chaps been around in 1940 they would have had Hitler and Tojo defeated by September 1941.)

These guys have finally decided to get off their soap boxes and put their theories to the test. My my spies tell me a new party is to be formed.

It's to be called the Hammer Party and it's raison d'etre is to hammer the New Zealand economy into shape. The manifesto will include, among others, the following immediate measures:-

• Abolition of the DPB
• 20% reduction on the number of core public servants
• Abolition of unemployment benefits for more than six months in any rolling two year period.
• Abolition of Working For Families
• Abolition of interest free student loans
• Immediate sale of TVNZ and Radio NZ
• Sale of mining licenses for parts of the DOC estate
• Repeal of the ETS
• Generous taxation breaks and other incentives for the establishment of one or more nuclear power stations.
• Disbanding of at least thirty Gummint 'Commissions' including the Race Relations, Children's and Families commissions.
• Sale of the gummint's shares in Air New Zealand
• Progressive sale of Landcorp's commercial farming properties.
• Partial float of all other gummint commercial operations at the earliest opportunity.
  
• Disbanding of the Waitangi Tribunal over five years.
• A 40% reduction for tertiary education funding.

There are a number of policies in this list which, in principle, Adolf could support. He expects to see some of them flagged by the National Party in the forthcoming campaign.

But principle is only half of the battle. Staying in power long enough to implement one's policies without doing serious and lasting damage is the other half.

It may not have escaped the notice of our more alert readers that within a very short time the membership of the new Hammer Party will be described widely as - you've guessed it - The Hammeroids.

Buyers Are Liars

That's an old saying from the car sales industry.

For example, when did you last volunteer to the dealer all that was wrong with your trade in vehicle?

On the evidence of today's Australia's ABC, the saying is alive and well in the insurance industry.



Get this:-

Some Queenslanders say they have not been able to get flood cover, but the industry says that is a furphy.

Mr Sullivan says flood insurance is available - at a price - to everybody in Queensland.

The truth is they didn't want to pay the price and decided to take the risk themselves. Now they want some one else to pay.

Sounds to Adolf like there are a whole lot of New Zealanders living in Queensland.

Before And After

The most amazing shots you'll see for a long, long while. And what clever technology.

Courtesy of ABC Australia.

Look through them all.

And They Thought They Were So Smart!

Here's a glorious story of how, just for once, the arrogant smut driven media were taken down a peg or two.

For a cool $45 million.



Well done Caroline.

Last April, Kennedy had signed the deal with Hyperion for the blockbuster book based on interviews her mother, Jacqueline Onassis, recorded in 1964, shortly after her husband's assassination, with historian Arthur Schlesinger. The recordings were intended for the future JFK library. But Onassis, who died in 1994, decided she did not want them made public during her lifetime. Caroline, who now controls the tapes, chose the 50th anniversary year to let them be heard.

The deal with Hyperion included releasing the 6½ hours of audiotapes whose existence had been kept secret for 46 years. ABC would be the first to air them.

But then Caroline got wind of "The Kennedys" project, which had been green-lighted in 2009. A&E first knew it had trouble with the clan last summer when a story about the miniseries appeared on the front page of The New York Times.

The story contained details from an early draft of the script -- leaked to Kennedy family associates -- depicting JFK and Bobby's supposed sexual exploits

Of course, Michael Moore would have been nowhere near this one. Wrong party being denigrated.

The usual suspects

In a usual story. Baby beaten to death, no facts yet but at first glance looks typical - presumably a Maori mother living effectively as a baby factory with each baby fathered by a different munter; current munter beats one of the earlier munters' kids to death. You just assume this stuff based on the number of similar previous occurrences, and the likelihood of being wrong isn't great.

Unless you're a professional slow learner. Like "Children's Commissioner" John Angus, for example:

...Angus said New Zealanders were right to feel "a sense of shame" over the country's child abuse record.

Or "Families Commissioner" Kim Workman:

...Workman said that though attitudes towards abuse were changing, child abuse was "far more widespread" than acknowledged.

See, it's not "widespread," is it Kim? And it's not "the country's" child abuse record, is it John? The more you try and pretend that beating children to death isn't a crime that can be profiled in any way, that it is in fact randomly distributed in the population, the more you make yourselves look stupid and make conservatives look like people with a grip on the problem. Many of us have no enthusiasm for conservative solutions to this, but if you're constantly out there making non-conservatives look like imbeciles who are incapable of recognising facts that are staring them in the face, sooner or later conservative solutions are going to be adopted. Give yourselves a big pat on the back when that happens, you'll have helped enormously in achieving it.

P J O'Rourke

What a pleasure it is to read a truly excellent writer. One who uses words deftly, with wit and a clear message. Such is P J O'Rourke - seen here is full flight eviscerating the execrable New York Times.

If you substitute for Liberalism the word Labour, you've got a pretty good handle on the current NZ political scene.

I worry that in the tremors and hysteria of the Times we’re seeing the sad end of liberalism.

Its passing is to be mourned, perhaps most by true conservatives. -Civilization owes a debt to liberal politics. From the Reform Act and the religious emancipation fight of the British Whigs to the American civil rights movement, liberals have in fact held positions on political high ground (though not during Clinton’s exploitation of the Oklahoma City bombing). Liberals have seen government as a force for good, and sometimes it can be. World War II comes to mind. While conservatives have delighted in the free market, liberals have been there to remind us that all freedoms, including market freedoms, entail responsibilities. At the very least it can be said that we conservatives would not be so upright in our ideals if we hadn’t been pushing against liberals.

But liberalism, as personified by the New York Times, became a dotty old aunt sometime during the Johnson administration. She’s provincial, eccentric, and holds dull, peculiar views about the world. Still, she has our fond regard, and we visit her regularly in her nursing home otherwise known as Arts and Leisure and the Book Review. Or we did until Sunday, January 9, when she began spouting obscenities and exposing herself.

NEW HORIZONS

The Veteran could never be described as a 'Culture Vulture' ... more a meat and beer man (as I am sure The Realist will testify). And so it was a certain amount of 'discussion' greeted the statement from Memshab that today WE were going to 'Picnic with Beethoven'.

At 3.30 pm 'she' pulled the plug on the TV crickets and we climbed in the car where the temperature was a bracing 34 degrees and motored down to the Paihia Wharf to catch the ferry to Russell and thence to Pompallier House on the waterfront.

It was my first time there and it was a magic location in a beautiful setting with the sound of the ocean breaking on the beach just three meters away and for the next two hours I sat mesmerised by a selection of Beethoven played by Art Zegelaar on his grand piano. Art hales from Whangarei and is internationally recognised as a composer, teacher and performer.

The programme included an Introduction in A Opus 101 (with Haka) which was certainly different along with the Sonata in C@ minor Opus 27 no. 2 'Moonlight' which my fellow history buffs will know featured in the final concert by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra just hours before the Russians overran that City.

And all the while we ate seafood canapes and quaffed Allan Scott Savignon Blanc until the 'gentleman' next to us (complete with dog named Charlie) took pity on me and offered to share his Bollinger.

We boarded the 8.00 pm ferry on a high (the Bollinger was VERY good) and Mems drove back home from the terminal. This was one time where she got it right. Congrats to her and to the Pompallier House Trust Board. I will be back and bugger the cricket.

Mordac, the Preventer of Medical Research

Here's a depressing story. It's depressing because it involves an ethics committee. Ethics committees are one of those things that are a great idea in principle but have a lot of downsides in practice. For all that we wouldn't want to go back to the old days of researchers finding out what mercury does to the human body by eating some, or testing the effects of radiation on humans by rounding up some darkies and irradiating them, we seem to have gone over to a level of caution that's indistinguishable from paralysis. Mordac, the Preventer of Information Services, who appears occasionally in Dilbert cartoons, is the apparent model for current ethics committees, which seem to exist mainly for the prevention of research.

In this instance, we have a chap in a wheelchair, Robert Stubbs, and some researchers who'd like to find out whether adult stem cells could mitigate to some extent the damage from his spinal injury. Apparently, stem cell researchers and various medical professionals consider this highly unlikely. Mr Stubbs would like to find out whether they're actually correct about that, as he doesn't much enjoy life in a wheelchair (duh-uh - for all that a significant number of hand-wringers would like us all just to pretend that being blind, or deaf, or paralyzed from the waist down are merely a "difference" from the majority rather than a debilitating handicap, most of us are actually capable of recognising reality when it kicks us in the bollocks). You can easily sympathise with Mr Stubbs - if it was me, I'd be sticking my hand up too for experiments that might bring about progress in this area.

Enter the ethics committee. The ethics committee's view of people like Mr Stubbs is well summed up by Dr Rick Acland of the Medical Council: "This is a vulnerable group of people and some are desperate for a cure so will take risks." In other words, "Hush dear, the grown-ups are talking." Mr Stubbs, as an interested party, must be considered "vulnerable" and be protected by wiser and more knowledgeable parties like Dr Acland from making decisions about his treatment.* Above all, he must be prevented from taking risks in an effort to advance medical treatment of his condition. (After all, taking risks never got anyone anywhere. /sarcasm)

I'm not qualified to express an opinion either way on the likelihood of this experiment contributing greatly to what we know about spinal injury and the usefulness of stem cells for treating it. However, I'm as qualified to express an opinion on ethics as anyone else, and as long as there's fully informed consent, I'm failing to see what the ethical issue here is.

For a laugh, check out the gaping logical flaws in these two quotes:

1. Dr Acland on why this group should be prevented from carrying out a clinical trial of adult stem cell treatment:

"...sadly, there have been very few world clinical trials of any repute. There has been no clinical evidence forthcoming to show improvement in spinal cord injury outcomes."

2. Kim Hudson, a wheelchair-bound ex-service co-ordinator from the Otara Spinal Unit, on why Stubbs should be prevented from taking part in this:

"It would take someone having a full recovery before I would take part..."


*Excessive bitterness in this paragraph due to having spent years seeing diabetics also patted on the head and told they must be protected by wiser ethics committee members from their willingness to undergo a small level of risk if it might advance the treatment of diabetes.

Not As Dum As They Thought

Update:

Rasmussen confirms CBS results with 58% of Americans and 48 of Democrats calling bullshit on the blood runners and deluded Krugmaniacs.


Readers will have seen the nauseating wall to wall preposterous media commentary seeking falsely to link the Tuscon massacre to Sarah Palin. David Farrar has a pretty good summary here.

For me two points of detail are important. First, the shooter's grudge and assassination plans against the Congresswoman started in 2007, long before anyone outside Alaska had heard of Sarah Palin and second, the devices she used on her map were NOT rifle cross hairs, they were crop markers used in the printing industry.

This is a printer's marker.



This is a rifle cross hair.



Doesn't it remind you of the dumbarse leftist drongos who go on street marches advertising for Mercedes Benz?

Fortunately for America, its population is a lot smarter than the Democrat leadership and its antique media friends. A survey carried out by CBS (hardly the mastermind of Republican Party strategy and spin) has revealed that people have not swallowed the carefully orchestrated lies from the Left.

Of most concern to the spin doctors in Washington will be the news that half their own voters don't believe them either!

A majority of 57% say that politics had nothing to do with the shooting, and even a plurality of 49% of Democrats agree.

This tawdry episode of hypocrisy and misinformation highlights for me all that is wrong with the Left, be it in the USA, Australia or New Zealand. It is not the wrong headed policies that are their worst feature but rather their absolute lack of morals and ethics. Obama, Rudd, Gillard, Clark and Goff are all peas in a pod.

It's no wonder they snuggle up to Islamists. At least the Muslims are honest and admit openly that its OK to tell lies about the opposition if it helps their cause.

By the way, the exception to the rule is Chris Trotter who always states his case fairly and who, to my knowledge, has never engaged in the cheap dishonesty so prevalent everywhere else on the Left.

ON TURKEYS VOTING FOR AN EARLY XMAS

And there it was on TV1 tonght a 'puff piece' incorporating some nobody from the Labour caucus and some drone from the PSA bemoaning the fact that the State Services Commission has reminded Departmental Chief Executives of the provisions of the 90 day employment law.

Shock horror that those entering the public service should be subject to the rules governing employment in the private sector. Give me a break please.

Clearly TV1 has opted to become a mouthpiece for the Opposition. Clearly also to the Veteran and many other thinking New Zealanders TV1 have demonstrated why they should be first in line for privatisation when National wins its second term.

Question is ... who the f**k would want to buy it?