I'd love to have a beer with Funnyliffe, I'd like that a lot.
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I'd love to have a beer with Funnyliffe, I'd like that a lot.
This has got to be one of the funniest bits of reporting for the day:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11311222Quote:
It is now the second time Ms Collins has been put on notice that she was on a final chance after failing to mention a dinner she had with the heads of Oravida during a trip to China.
Mr Key said that was still in place and denied she was now on her "last last" chance.
"What she's on is on her last chance after what happened last time. But at the end of the day she's also subjected to a left-wing smear campaign. And people will actually see that as well for what it is."
In March, following the Oravida revelations, Mr Key was asked whether Ms Collins was on her last chance.
He said: "I wouldn't want to be in her shoes if there was a repeat of it."
Looking at the latest polls, National has a problem, despite the whale oil apprentices rather desperate attempts to write off the left.
Nationals natural allies the Act and Conservative parties are polling almost in negative territory.
National is around 50% of committed voters. That 15% or more who are still thinking or not prepared to offer an opinion hold the key ? to the election. And then there is the unknown number who just hang up at the mention of the word poll.
I expect more and more legal threats, derogatory comments, and plenty of entertainment from the centre right, far right, as the fall out from Hager's book develops.
westerly
Gordon Campbell has some very interesting points here, too.
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/20...e-mr-nice-guy/
I agree that Bill English will be likely to come out of this series of debacles unscathed. But in view of the billions of dollars of normal expenses that have been unusually capitalised, there is no real budget surplus in the offing, and that'll be obvious to an incumbent. The govt has also admitted that their borrowing will need to go on for another two years (at least), on their current track.
It's the new normal I suppose?
National suggested on the news last night that there could be more tax cuts in the offing, but they won't say when. That future event will surely help them get to, and stay in, budget surplus.
Here's the article.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11311137
Again the old line is trotted out, that National inherited a recession when they took over the reins in 2008. So they've done well to action practically no long-term projects since, except sell off some assets and rack up a lot of borrowing. Chumps.
Here's a page from stats NZ, there was a GDP fall in mid 2008, through to mid next year. You can see from the charts that most of that fall in GDP must have been under National's watch, because that's when it really kicked in. There was a small drop of about 0.2 to 0.3 % of GDP (remember it had been rising very steadily under Labour) for two quarters before the election. So if it was technically a recession, it was at that stage, a very small one.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_...recession.aspx
National is still using this feeble data everywhere (on the hustings), that they inherited a recession from Labour. They actually inherited what had until then been a pause in robust GDP growth, with most long-term debt paid off, and a decades record unemployment figure.
I love this photo from a National ad campaign.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11311360
For me it's kind of a legal way to shove it where the sun don't shine after the dirty rotten loonie lefts stealing all of Nationals Billboards & or defacing them. This shows National smarter having fun, while the loonie lefts illegal fun is as smart as they can get.
Belg
I think John Keys current predicament could be summed up with perhaps, the following list of song he could play.
"HELP "! by the Beatles
"ONE MORE CHANCE" by Madonna
" I READ THE NEWS TODAY".. OH BOY! from the Beatles. A day in the life
" ITS NOT FAIR!" by Lily Allen
" SOMEEONE ELSE TO BLAME" by Midnight Oil
" SENSE OF DENIAL" by Soft Ward
sp, If you think Key is in some kind of trouble, please enlighten me, as I have no idea what you are banging on about. Key has already seen off three Labour Leaders and Cunliffe is soon to be number four. With over 90 voters in 100 not wanting Cunliffe to be our next Prime Minister, perhaps you can list some songs for him. I'm only too glad to help you out here, all you have to do is ask!!! Only one of those leaders had the credentials for going head to head with Key, but Labour shot themselves in the foot and didn't let Sherer have a go.
This is how I rate the last four Labour Leaders.
1/ David Shearer by a country mile.
2/ Phil Goff miles behind Shearer
3/ David Cunliffe light years behind Goff
4/ Helen Clark just behind Cunliffe.
The reason Shearer stands out is obvious.
Slater calls it how it is, you may not understand that because you are one eyed. Slater has both eyes wide open and if somebody from National deserves a lashout from him, they will get it. Point in action - here is another one from today's blog. http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/08/joyce-making-****-stuart-nash/ That's why I like Slater, no cr@p about the man and wont hold back if he is on your side or not. That's something the left can't understand and if you go against them from the left the other loonie lefts call you scum. National is just more honest than dishonest Labour, that's for sure.
I'll call it too, where the hell are you Ede, man up and don't act like a loonie left fanboy. fp and the Major have disagreed with stuff I've said on here and I've disagreed with f.p, that's healthy belg, we are individuals who have arrived at a decision for our own reasons. We don't all act as one. I don't always agree with John Key, but even though David Cunliffe makes plenty of wrong decisions you will Never Ever Ever hear your or EZ say a bad word about him. Funny that!
Interesting excerpt from an article by Andrea Vance, goes someway to explain whale oils antagonism to Steven Joyce. Also shows there is friction within National not just Labour.
“It will come as no surprise to political observers that Mr Lusk is on Team Collins. "My impression is that Judith has a better rapport with the donor base and a bigger team than Steven [Joyce], with more people who are able to take on crucial roles in campaigning and fundraising and within the party."
Both Justice Minister Collins and Employment Minister Joyce are not ready to rebuild the National Party from opposition, he believes.
And he has a cryptic warning for Mr Joyce. "Unfortunately for Steven, he has not chosen his staff wisely. Some of them lack grace when dealing with backbenchers. Treating those who vote for the leader like something unpleasant on the sole of your shoe is unlikely to see backbench votes fall in behind Steven."
Indeed, it is this bitter relationship with Mr Joyce that some cite as the reason why the party distances itself from Mr Lusk. One source described him this week as "politically bubonic".
Earlier this month, Prime Minister John Key said: "I think I once described [Lusk] on a scale of 1 to 10, as minus-1."
A source says that after Mr Lusk's success with candidates in the 2008 election there was a push by some MPs to have him involved in the national election campaign.
"It was seen in the hierarchy as him pushing for a very specific role, undermining the role of the campaign chair, Steven Joyce," a source said. "That's lethal and there was a backlash."
There was also substantiated concern that he was using a "carrot and stick" approach to attracting clients. The carrot was his skills, the stick was unfavourable coverage on the Whaleoil blog. These were whispers, which no-one ever came forward to confirm. Mr Lusk is "blunt, but I wouldn't say nasty", the source say.
When the National Party came whispering to me that being associated with Cam was bad for my career I told them that Cam's tenure meant he was too important to drop as a career," Mr Lusk says.”
westerly
I wonder what Andrea Vance thinks of the Hager book. That's a smart National party TV ad, by the way. Kinda blows away the Labour ad I saw a preview of, if you're a non-thinking voter.
I'm an employer, but I remember what it was like working for a pay packet (it's a lot easier and less risky, certainly).
This article from the CTU relays the point of view of workers, and there are a lot of them (not as many as there should be).
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO140...-like-this.htm
More on the Judith Collins episode, a video just released an hour ago. Note the shaky John Key, who does get through the interview without walking off, but faces a barrage of increasingly tricky questions. Reading between the lines, if National manages to squeak back in, and they shouldn't, then Judith Collins will be without major portfolios. She's untouchable at the moment though.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/national/n...lery_id=144944
More damage for the career of Judith Collins, here's a not-so-subtle $20,000, Aaron, for finding that unprotected hole in the Labour Party servers.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Collins-gave-...3/Default.aspx
Here's the Planet Key video, for those who may have missed seeing it in full. It just keeps on getting better. Great skills from the musicians and the animator on show here. I really liked those political caricature TV shows we used to have. If more money comes back into the creative sector, we might see them again.
http://vimeo.com/102441715
The SIS oOIA procedures that helped out Whale Oil, while real journalists had to wait, are being checked by the Inspector General, Cheryl Gwyn. She reports to the Prime Minister.
http://www.security.govt.nz/about-us/oversight/
It would seem that this is one area where National has not chucked out a lot of bureaucrats, they've expanded the office quite a bit. So Ms Gwyn will not be lacking in resources. We should have an answer well before the election.;)
http://www.clanzonline.org/cheryl-gw...ing-the-spies/
Party SupportThis poll was taken during the Dirty Politics with Hagers stolen/hacked emails being altered and cool stories added. Looks like Labour took the blame and is 2.5% down. Ha, ha, ha, serves them right. It has hit National too though, they are only up, yep that's right, up 2.5%. That's a whopping 5% swing in Nationals favor right there. NZ First may be the biggest beneficiary of a discredited National Government attempt by Left wing criminals stealing & hacking emails rather than the main opposition Labour and Greens parties.” NZ First were up 1.5 points to 6.5%. Hager & the fatmann will be spewing, his beloved Green party down 0.5 points to 11.5% & all left wing parties down 3% overall. I feel they should be way less than this considering criminal Nicky Hager's link with the Greens.
- National 48.0% (+2.0%)
- Labour 27.5% (-2.5%)
- Green 11.5% (-0.5%)
- NZ First 6.5% (+1.5%)
- Maori 1.0% (+0.5%)
- United Future 0.5% (nc)
- ACT 0.5% (nc)
- Mana/Internet 2.5% (nc)
- Conservative 1.0% (nc)
Projected SeatsNow time to put the heat on Nicky Hager and Kim Dot Com, plus David Cunliffe's ill advised support of this criminal activity.
- National 58
- Labour 34
- Green 14
- ACT 1
- Maori 3
- United Future 1
- Mana/Internet 3
- NZ First 8
- Total 122
This is based on no change in electorate seats.
:)It has been another fine day in paradise has it not?:)
:DIt seems the left wing fanboys can't knock the smile off my face as hard as they try.:D
Cuzzie, this was a very low-tech poll, under 1000 voters, and for 10 out of the 14 days it was conducted, the "Dirty Politics" book had not been exposed. Even then, details were slow to filter out. The press have only started to adjust their questioning more directly, this week.
I think I'll enjoy waiting for the next poll.
Breaking News? If only it wasn't a scam.Quote:
Roy Morgan: During the beginning of the polling period Labour held its formal campaign launch and amongst other things promised free GP visits for all aged over 65. Also during the early period the media had a heavy focus on the minor parties and in particular ACT and Internet/Mana.
There was also a great deal of coverage of “dirty politics” in particular billboard vandalism with anti-Semitic overtones and youths burning effigies of John Key.Electors were asked: “If a New Zealand Election were held today which party would receive your party vote?” This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile telephone, with a NZ wide cross-section of 809 electors from August 4-17, 2014. Of all electors surveyed 6.5% (unchanged) didn’t name a party.
Some of the young Nats have been buying the "Dirty Politics" book and burning them, apparently funded by the National Party. 202 copies in Hamilton alone, yesterday? Those books would have cost $7070. That'll put a dent in the campaign funds, but won't stop the inquisition!
http://www.openureyes.org.nz/blog/?q=node/5702 digs through to the facebook pages discussing it.
Stuff story on this: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...Dirty-Politics
I have lent out my valuable first edition book to another Labour supporter. I will need to get it back, those desperate young Nats might purloin it!
You have to wonder, at what age do some National supporters get the message that it's OK to destroy the opposition, to lie about things like burning books, to renege on paying for their share of the roading, schools and hospitals, etc.
On a lighter note:
Every Hager book that is still for sale in NZ, should be under lock and key. It should only be sold at the low retail price of $35, and in quantities of one, and then only if the purchaser is able to recite (word for word) all of Labour's policies, swear allegiance to Helen Clark and David Cunliffe, and prostrate themselves at the altar/locked cabinet of "Dirty Politics".
Rumours doing the rounds on social media yesterday suggested a group of Young Nats in Hamilton might take matters into their own hands and dispose of a large stock of the dreaded book.It’s not exactly on the same scale as the book burnings of the Nazi regime or the anti-communist McCarthy era but social media was yesterday buzzing with rumours of an imminent book burning at Waikato University.
The head of the Waikato Students’ Union and a former member of the Young Nats is alleged to have bought 202 copies of Hager’s book to burn.
Aaron Letcher has denied the claims, but the leader of NZ First Youth and a Waikato University source, who asked not to be named, said he did.
Letcher said the claims were false.
“There is nothing to it. I saw the allegations on Facebook by a NZ First person”
The Facebook page Letcher was referring to belongs to NZ First Youth leader Curwen Rolinson, who posted: “So apparently, the CNI Young Nats (and, assumedly, the NZ Young Nats) are buying up copies of Nicky Hager’s #DirtyPolitics . . . and burning them.”
Rumors EZ Rumors, but what else do we expect for the Loonie Left and their dirty tricks?
"Most of the above was Nicky Hagered by me"
I have no idea whether people have been buying this book to burn or not. nor do I care. My only comment is anyone who thinks they can burn books faster than a printing press can replace them is deluded. They should short-circuit the process by sending 50% of the money to the author and spending the other 50% advertising the book. that should achieve the same result.
No, FP, this sort of behaviour is understandable. We've had 6 years of propaganda from National, who steadily realised that once they had control of the information systems in NZ, they could feed spurious details to bloggers and the press and keep themselves clean. I couldn't understand why Labour didn't get there in 2011, when their policies were also better for most NZers, but they were being squashed in the press repeatedly. The Hager Book explains it.
National will deny as much as they can, try to stop the general public getting interested enough to read the details for themselves,delay, delay, delay. They had a good head start before the book came out, and it takes weeks for public sentiment to change, usually. It's a gamble they're prepared to take, no matter how evasive (smarmite) John Key looks.
Deluded, you post links of National Billboards defaced, you post a link about Nats burning fairy tail books which was incorrect and you talk about National propaganda. Learn what the word actually means and you will find out a lot about yourself in quicktime EZ. National gets on with running the country, Labour, the Greens, Internet/Mana and NZ First think up ways to B.S the public because they have nothing else to do.
Bought tears tomy eyes
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11311849
Absolutely
If the "young nats" want to buy the book it is their property and they can destroy it if they wish to. If they want to buy more then they can contact mummy and daddy in Remuera to put more money on their credit cards. If they get bored with book burning they can always watch Fox News or read Mein Kampf again, or if they really want to be informed log go on to Whaleoil.
Unfortunately yes. At 30years in Parliament he has finely honed survival instinct. His basic drive is to be, above all else, a cabinet minister. He is the political equivalent of a pet schnauzer, he is house trained, doesn't bark very often, and will be very loyal to anyone who feeds him on a regular basis and offers a comfortable home.
Exactly, no surprises there as we all know what a progressive organisation the PPTA is.
Meanwhile in the real world...
Today's rejection of IES is less likely to be repeated at the secondary school level.
The Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) has been working through detail of how the new roles would work with the government, and pushing for some changes.
Its executive has been supportive of IES, and negotiations are ongoing on the teaching roles associated with secondary schools.
Is there a tradition of left (or right) wing politics in the NZEI and PPTA or are they usually fairly unbiased?
Prime Minister John Key has emphatically restated he was not told of the SIS's intention to release sensitive documents to Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater following the release today of two letters suggesting he was - and he can prove it.
Another beat up by dirty politics on steroids by Labour and the lefty losers. Who has had enough of this by the loonie left? Arhhh not me, they are slowly hanging themselves. Every attack is another shot in the foot to them. Why do you think John Key smiles so much. He knows - he knows they have not got a thing on him because he is clean unlike the dirty rotten ..... well, best not say. That's another thing, why should Key explain himself for Goff evil little plan anyway?
One are that they have spent a lot more is early childhood and that's really just a consequence of increased participation rates (which they have been encouraging). I attended an early childhood panel discussion with all the major parties there and it was interesting seeing who got the most support. Labour, Greens and NZ first were all promising the earth and got a big cheer and National were a bit defensive. The person who made the most sense, though, was Colin Craig. A very thoughtful, intelligent man (on ECE, anyway! Pity about all the other lost causes he's championing).
Retailers are a bit of a bellwether for how things are going in NZ. Many are finding it tough at the moment. Are they too disorganised as a group?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/bett...-perfect-storm
Note that many consumers are short of free-spending cash. Surely an increase in the minimum pay (vote Labour) would help that. But retailers also need to complement their stores with an online presence. It doesn't have to be the same products or services that they have in the shop, but it's easy enough to monitor during the day, and you just never know what might happen over time.
Well it has now become exceedingly obvious that the hacker responsible for Nicky Hager's book and the dribbler of more emails is undoubtedly Kim.com.
He has the skills - he's just recited all his hacking exploits of the past including getting into the German Chancellors credit card, he has the motivation, he has the opportunity, he has the resources. It was also done via his platform.
The trouble for him is timing, that he is too greedy, he has gone off too early instead of 5 days before the election.
Nicky Hager is revealed not as a major player but a mere front and tool for Kim.com. It's also no wonder that the Labour Party has come out against Kim.com - he's a loose cannon, he'll do the same against the Labour Party unless they do precisely what he tells them, including saving him from extradition to stand trial for his crimes and stopping the legislation he is desperate to stop.
Here is a good summary of Labour policies contained in an opening address. It's obvious David Cunliffe is warm, sincere and very good at fronting the camera. He's like this in person too. In fact all of the front bench MPs in this video did well. I sure hope Labour wins, so we can get these policies going.
http://contribute.labour.org.nz/opening_address
To me it looks obvious he's smarmy. I can't imagine him swaying many votes with his personality. You may be just a little to close too the cause to see that EZ.
Surely you understand that is just an opinion FP, based on biased reporting? I used to think he came across as a bit arrogant, but now I see him as more down to earth. Has he changed - doubt it - it is just the media spin.
Key - I used to thing he was a decent bloke, now I think he is duplicitous (trying to be nice here ;)), likewise I doubt the bloke has changed much.
I have met neither of them so cannot form an unbiased opinion.
...and I suspect to friends and family they are both great guys. There are very few people who wake up in the morning and get dressed thinking "I am going to be a right d1ck today".
Anyhow, we all seem to be caught in this cycle of voting for personality rather than policy.
It's an opinion based on my observations. He changes stripes according to the audience and there is plenty of examples on youtube and the like. I'm not aware of biased reporting, or any reporting on Cunliffe other than polling results. I do know a few people who have commented in discussion along similar lines to me, but I also know some who don't like Key. That will always be so with political leaders but certainly at present Cunliffe is not popular with the majority. That is a statistical fact - not an opinion.
I don't accept your view that we all vote for personality. The likes of eZ for example would vote Labour regardless of leader and there are plenty of eZs around. Those like me who vote for policy are maybe in the minority but we exist.
I should add that personality is still a slight factor even when policy is the main factor. I don't think I could vote for Cunliffe no matter what he represented. I cringe at the thought of him representing NZ. So you might have a bit of a point. :D
For the record, I think all politicians are smarmy. DC is up there with the worst though. Something labour needed to address when picking a leader. Personality politics exists. They need realise they aren't going to change that and work with it.
Labour still has me with ONE promise but I'm still open to change.Gerry will get my electorate vote as I haven't heard anything from the other guys.
I don't think David answered Guyon's question on the radio this morning - something like 'people just don't like you do they?'
That's a real pity slimwin, he is one of the few politicians I dislike (yeah I know, based on media stories :D).
I don't particularly like the way he has run the EQ stuff, but more than that what really upsets me is the way he comes across as a bully when things are not running his way.
A specific incident that got my goat was when he pooh-poohed the councils audit of the rebuild figures, promising an audit of the audit with in 14 days, then nothing. So what happened? Did his audit back the council, or did he decide it wasn't in our best interests to run the audit? Either way he was very verbal about pointing out what was wrong, and less verbal about reporting the results.
Slimwin, do you think that National have done the best they could for Chch? I am not so sure. In 2011 I was pleased with the initial response (and the promises), it was part of the reason National got my party vote that year, but now I am thinking they could have done better, and we should be further along with the rebuild.
I doubt anyone woul have done a great job of running the EQC stuff when you have a mix of insurance companies,councils and Govt. Plus home owners expectations of being first in line.
The bad stories make the news. I work in a very large company and those stories are the minority and some of the guys I know just aren't that realistic. Especially the ones from Brooklands.
It's very easy to look back and say things could be done better. I think national have a pass so far and the council a fail. Labour may also have got a pass but thats not possible to claim as truth.
The Govt put far more cash into Chch than they had to. So while they may not get an A+, it is definately not a fail. Maybe a B with a 'try harder next time' comment.
I don't think it is the amount of money that is the issue, and as slimwin says there are plenty of good stories on the private housing front.
What doesn't feel good to me is the anchor projects. It seems that a vast amount of money is being invested in the big ticket items that we don't need right now like the stadium and the convention centre.
(http://cera.govt.nz/news/2013/crown-...s-27-june-2013)
Would you like to expand on the Brooklands bit or be more specific.
Here's how Colin Craig performs in a journalist 'hot seat':
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11309001
It's unlikely that Christine Rankin will win in Epsom, but even so, I can see this party having a greater presence this election. And National may well need more than only UF and Act as coalition partners...especially if Act don't perform well in Epsom.
Whew! No posts since yesterday - I was beginning to think that the left had given up and moved to Australia.
They've belatedly realized that Nicky Hager in tow to Kim.com is actually a disaster for the Left, that they would be subject to political blackmail if they got in. Also they are now reading the latest polls before they are published and realizing the major effect of Nicky Hager/Kim dot Com on the polls is to leave relative standings mostly unchanged but make the Conservatives more popular and NZ First a tad more popular.
So the results of the evil Hager/Dot Com campaign is to elect National on its own or in combo with UF, ACT and Conservatives with Maori Party still up the sleeve and NZF as well since he can't stand the Greens and has said he won't be in a government with them.
Unfortunately his silly policies like dropping GST on food and rates won't work, and he burbles about buying back sold shares - nonsense stuff, so it will take a fair few baubles for Winston. The rest of NZ First won't matter. Conservatives might be a better bet if they make it, but only if they come to their senses with policies - and they just might.
I know MVT. I think you are right National will probably return to the Treasury Benches, despite the revelations. However the real political drama for John Key will start after the election.
" and some that smile, have in their hearts, I fear, millions of mischiefs"
William Shakespeare _ Julius Caesar
I, anticipate the next three years will deliver an unparalleled political spectacle.
Another three years of National? I hope not. The press need to keep asking questions.
I think I know some of the 40%, and they haven't thought very hard about it. There are also maybe 20% more who might not even bother to vote, and who should be exercising a leftie vote. These are people who identify with the phrase "Well, we're not National voters".
I heard John Key on a TV sound bite, again he's doing the Crosby-Textor thing, just seeding a little bit of doubt about Labour policy, but not directly coming up with a mistake or an issue with it (there probably isn't one), just seeding doubt. He's going to try and bluff his way through until the election.
Thanks for putting up the cartoon, W69. John Key looks a little precarious standing up there.
There won't be many in the provinces voting Labour, these are true-blue seats. I was travelling through one yesterday. Pale blue signs everywhere, but also some red Labour ones, a few Green ones (which are growing on me).
Massey University shows off some research work it's doing, pointing out that farmers are slowly moving towards cleaner waterways.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farm...g-rivers-clean
The Greens and Labour want this kind of work sped up. Many dairy farmers would say this depends on how much it costs, and that their income is limited by the milk payout. $6 kg this next year, by the sound of it. Higher than a running average.
Many farmers take a dim view of Labour, with its associated union involvement. Unions are set up, amongst other things, to provide support for individuals in the same work area in terms of conditions, pay, support in times of protest. Collectively the workers pay into this structure, knowing that it will be more effective than anything they could do by themselves. Why this is bad thing from the point of view of rural people, I'm not sure.
But I do know that dairy farmers formed their own co-operative, to bargain, support and auction for their collective income here and overseas, and they abide by the price-setting rules, after voting in delegates for a board. It's called Fonterra.
Probably the best quote around here for years. But I would alter it for politicians to read "all that smile" I just drove through Marewa, Napier and saw a small modern car completely painted in the Conservatives colours and logo with a very large Garth Mc Vicar on the sides and I honestly believe that he will surprise a lot of people in the Napier Electorate and gain a lot of party votes. 5% ? - maybe not this time but it could happen.
Someone is going to have to do a lot of spring-cleaning immediatly after the election. It might be the perfect opportunity for Inter-party cooperation. Start with the withdrawal of permanent residence from one German - he cannot claim refugee status. A really tough Hacking law seems appropriate, regardless of who was hacked this time and regardless of their high moral stance, hacking can and does precede all types of crime from money fraud to blackmail and it need to be subject to heavy penalties including asset freezing and asset stripping. All sorts of foreigners appear to be able to come here simply by waving wads of notes about. Today my crisis is my daughter, a Kiwi, cannot travel from London to Paris for a few days because she has lost her passport in Greece last Week. Its an Irish passport and they are a valuable commodity among criminals. I have to courier documents at great cost and even that will probably not be enough. Some scruff arrives here from some Eastern country without anything and they are still here years later.
Few boat loads of white fellas arrived here 200 years ago and still haven't gone home. :)
Seems to work in Australia
Most basic foods, some education courses and some medical, health and care products and services are exempt from GST.
Things that are GST-free include:
most basic food
some education courses, course materials and related excursions or field trips
some medical, health and care services
some medical aids and appliances
some medicines
some childcare services
some religious services and charitable activities
supplies of accommodation and meals to residents of retirement villages by certain operators
cars for disabled people to use, as long as certain requirements are met
water, sewerage and drainage
international transport and related matters
precious metals
sales through duty-free shops
grants of land by government
farmland
international mail
exports
sales of businesses as going concerns
some telecommunications supplies
eligible emissions units.
westerly
Seen Quantas lately? GST free and 5 billion in debt. Air NZ raking it in and giving better service internationally. On the Auckland City Council reports of today (up the creek with lots of paddles, but only Len Brown knows how they work) Maybe we could lend him to Qantas in particular and Australia in general for a dacade or two
Have had quite a few trans Tasman trips and when something goes wrong in airports, the usual comment from airport staff is "F#### Quantas again "whento the casual Kiwi traveller the luggage carousel has broken down.
Almost every other country or their finance ministers. It is widely quoted as the best model specifically for its no exemptions simplicity; I'm sure you are well aware of that if you are interested enough to ask, so I'm left wondering why you did ask. :confused: But please don't explain. ;)
Who can trust what dot com the convict has to say. And Hager will always protect his 'source'.
I think nz will be sick of this by then and have made their minds up.
Welcome back Belgarion. Nice straight post first up.
I have found this survey on people's opinions after the Nicky Hager book. http://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/attachm...urvey-repo.pdf That's a big swing, and more to the Greens than anything. What did you think of the Leader's debate? If the website was down and you had to pay 75c for texts to pass on who you thought won the debate, I wonder which side that would favour? Feels like a jack-up to me.
No surprises there, you back a hacker being one yourself as stated by you when you gloated you had all my details by hacking me and then you lie about it just like Hagar. Yep good straight up first post back alright, as straight as a Labour politician visiting Georgina Beyer in Cuba St back in the 80s. BTW, Great first up win to Key in the first debate but Cunliffe did well I must admit. Cunliffe has got very good debating skills, nobody can take that away from him. When Key gets interrupted consistently he has got to learn to raise his voice. No need to go down to Cunliffes level, but don't let your opponent overrun you like that. If it was based on debating skills alone then Cunliffe won tonight, but that is as good as it gets right there. D.C talks the talk but J.K walks the talk in action and there is no place for Cunliffe to hide as loud as he tries to stop Key pointing it out.
EZ win for Key tonight, a clear winner by a country mile, who is surprised?
National 50.7 (up 0.7)
Labour 24.1 (down 1.1)
Greens 11.4 (down 2.3)
NZ First 5 (up 0.7)
Maori Party 1 (up 0.3)
Internet Mana 3.4 (up 1.3)
Conservatives 3.3 (up 0.7)
Act 0.3 (down 0.3)
United Future 0.2 (down 0.2)
PREFERRED PRIME MINISTER (compared with last week)
John Key 67.8 (up 3)
David Cunliffe 11.6 (down 2.8)
Winston Peters 8.2 (up 3.1)
Russel Norman 3.8 (up 0.3)
Hagar who?
The Herald on the debate: that was a good, true quip by Cunliffe, on the rock star economy:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11315764Quote:
"We seem to have missed, for many people, the party, and we're going straight to the hangover"
Axsually[sic] the only two that really count EZ are the ones that give a "New Zealand wide opinion" and they are[at this point in time]:Stuff.co.nz which is collectivly the following; The Dominion , The Press, Waitako Times, Auckland Now, The Southland Times, Taranaki Daily News, Manawatu Standard, Nelson Mail, Marlborough Express & The Timaru Herald had Key winning by 51% to 44% That covers most of the country.
The most important poll of course is the real time poll given by TV1as the debate happened live. TV1 had Key the clear winner by 69% to 31%. TV1 covers all of N.Z
I did go looking for these "most polls" as quoted by you and only found only one:The NZ Herald had Cunliffe 52% to 45% winner. The Herald only includes Auckland, Northland, Hawkes Bay & The Bay of Plenty with their add on newspapers.
As I said, Cunliffe is a good debater, but you need to be when you are on the negative side. Key needs to lift his game and not let bully tactics over ride him. Biggest B.S and a great source of laughter my end was when Cunliffe actually said to Key, "You have had your say, know it's mine". Perhaps the M.H needs to be more forceful in the next debate so we can here both sides of the story, which is why Cunliffe over-talks Key so much of course
Yes most commentors gave it to Cunliffe and one observed that if a foreigner had watched he/she would have assumed cunliffe was the prime minister.
Now see that is what I'm talking about, the loonie left always try to flip the truth. We all know how over the top D.C was with his interrupting now belg says that. Just like their "Positive" slogin, we all know it is the opposite of that. Just imagine if both leaders got time to say what they stand for without M.H & D.C squawking like seagulls all night? I think Cunliffe would actually be left wondering what to say!!!
Speaking of polls, I don't like this one, far too many red dots.
Don't you find it interesting that the editors and other liberal social engineers at the Dominion Post / Stuff have chosen in this set of predictions to play down and/or completely ignore the Conservative Party (which is now polling just under 5% - not 2.7% as misleadingly stated by Stuff), and yet meanwhile see fit to make mention in their analysis the Mana-Internet, United Future, Act and Maori parties.
Their bias is showing. Clearly they want us to think that the Conservatives are a lost cause (and want us to join them in despising them) ...well I don't think so. Political analysis like this is nothing short of an insult to voter intelligence.
Are you saying that unless one reads highly biased leftwing propaganda based on STOLEN material, one is ill-informed and should not comment on politics of the day ?
Personally I wouldn't give a toss about what Lucy Lawless, Nicky Hager, or Cameron Slater for that matter, have to say about anything, as it will not have any influence on me forming a view on anything. I suppose that makes me ill informed in your eyes Belg !
This is just not true bobcat, three stories talking about the conservatives.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...arliament-poll
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11315119
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11315586
And the ipsos poll showed 2.7% while the 3news-reid poll showed 4.6% - and both are correct.
I think you are imagining a conspiracy that is not there.
If what you say is correct, then can you explain how 2.7% and 4.6% can both be correct, Banksie. The IPSOS poll is dated 27 August.
And yes, those links you provided have Stuff reporting a Conservative Party rise in the polls, but too simplistically (naively or mischievously?) attributing it solely to the fallout from Hagar's 'dirty politics', which again is not giving credit where credit's due:
Colin Craig does not think the party was picking up votes in any fallout from Dirty Politics. "I think the biggest impact is that our second brochure, which has gone out to every household in New Zealand, has arrived. It hit last weekend."
Craig is more likely to be right than those writers for Stuff pretending to be investigative journalists.
I don't agree with everything that Craig and his party are promoting but I do value balanced investigative journalism. Unfortunately in this country that we know and love, there is dirty politics practised by liberal social manipulator journo's and editors via their news outlets, as much, or more so, than those inside the main parties targeted by Hagar.
I am not really sure how to respond...you do know how a poll works right, you phone up 1000 people and ask them what they think. So running a different sample of 1000 will produce different results.
On the small sample sizes that they are doing for these polls they are not particularly accurate, that's why they all come with an accuracy statement e.g. 3.5% margin of error.
Edit: Here is the accuracy statement from the Ipsos poll,
Our poll provides a maximum sampling error of +/-3.1%-point, at the 95% confidence level. This means we can be 95% confident that the survey results are within 3.1% of the result had we surveyed the entire population of the NZ population, when the analysis is based on all respondents surveyed.
Do you or other posters have any thoughts on the Winston Peters disclosure regarding an unsolicited offer by someone representing Judith Collins that they do a deal after the election. Does it have any credibility or is it Winston fantasising? Would Judith Collins be that stupid?
I have no idea how stupid she is. She certainly doesn't appeal to me as an MP. The thing that puzzles me is, if it is true, why didn't Peter's come out with this when he claimed that he had evidence that would bury her once and for all, then stuffed it up in parliament with an incoherent ramble (flu we were told). If he wanted to see her dumped, that was his chance. A very peculiar story. I'd certainly give the benefit of any doubt to Collins in this case. If Peters is right, he will name the contact within a day or so. Anyway, if she was plotting to overthrow Key, the last person she would approach, either directly or indirectly would be Winston First.
Is it not well known that Judith Collins was a PM in waiting(impatiently) in her own mind, power hungry like her fellow MP Winston. Id be surprised at it being an outright lie but interpretation rather stretched maybe.
I thought it was hilarious that on TV tonight, Judith Collins said she'd have nothing to do with Winston anyway, and then John Key said that they could work with Winston's party. It's looking more and more like NZ First will be on the cross-benches or working with a Labour/Greens coalition.
Here is the latest from http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/, Cam is turning into a soft cocket. Maybe Cam is still jetlagged, somebody needs to harden him up a bit.
Just back from the pub cuzzie?
I don't do pubs slimwin, my point was - EZ is so one eyed he must be EZ to spot in downtown Hamilton. He'd be the one with the red eye patch on. Everything EZ says lately is 100% Labour 0% for the rest. More balance is needed in his posts, just saying that's all.
With regards to C.S, I would be going off my rocker right now if I was him & he isn't. Why is that? Maybe legal advice, maybe claim before the storm. Here is a thought, Labour win the election, which I don't dismiss one bit BTW & then the published KDC/Hagar stolen emails goes to court. Not sure if the election result could be overturned or not, but and I'm only saying "but", that is a big possibility. Just imagine the cost to the taxpayers and just imagine how the second election results could go. I don't want to go there & I'm sure most voters don't want to entertain that thought either.
Here's a Nicky Hager interview. MVT might have been more than a bit incorrect, when he said that Nicky is a spoilt rich kid. I hope Nicky sells heaps of his books.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11316298
More and more press articles are coming out, showing a steady move away from National, across to the Greens and Labour. As Mike Williams said recently, it only needs a small change to put National on the skids.
I agree with Belgarion and many others who commented on the Lucy lawless article. It's well written, to the point. We need to stop this attack on NZ's democracy. One of the other points is that the press are riled up about how they've been fed rubbish. They won't let the politicians get away with controlling their written and verbal output.
Remember Nicky Hager also helped launch a worldwide investigation into tax havens? A series of articles from his website, many of which appeared in the SST. Interesting reading.
http://www.nickyhager.info/category/tax-havens/