Pssst! Want a gong?

As the would be client rightly said about those who supply favours,

we have already established that, we are now haggling over the price

The asking price for a 'spontaneous gesture' has been revealed today, the inference fits well.

At least it was only a plastic NZ gong, not a real British one, but I expected nothing less.

No doubt, there is a long list of back scratchers being readied for submission at short notice to the gong factory in 10 months time. Surprised there were not more this time from the corrupt mob.

Loose unit need locking up

A Christchurch barely legal legend in his own lunchtime needs locking up for his own protection.

A quick scan of the list below proves home detention is not an option.

• Girlfriend ditches him
• Next night, gets on turps
• Argues at pub with girl and aunt
• Girls ditch him again
  
• Goes home, makes 3x molotovs early am
• Drives to GF's in dad's pricey car, still under the influence
• Balaclava on
  
• Biffs one thru aunt's window at some ungodly hour
• Fails to ignite, occupants ditch molotov onto drive
• Ignites
• He drives off, still pissed, into the dawn
• Slams into parked car
• Parked car hits another parked car and power pole
• Goes home to mum
• Mum dobs him in to cops
• Cops arrest him for drink driving

Home detention is too good for this nutter, he needs locking up for his own safety, as well as mine and maybe yours.

A nice touch

There are some who really care out there. When Emma Agnew was interred the other day, a specially bred monarch butterfly was released during the service at the graveside.

The butterfly was provided to help the family let go. As butterflies are thought to be deaf, it is the symbol worldwide for those that are deaf, symbolising freedom and independence.

It glided over the heads of her parents ... and their three sons, before disappearing into the skies.

The article is well worth reading about the long list of community people and firms that got behind the Agnew family during the long search and the subsequent funeral. Long may it continue.

A very nice touch, great to see the community spirit.

RIP Emma and my sincere condolences to the family.

10 Radical paths for warmists to take

Wired has 10 very radical, some say crazy, geo-engineering solutions to the supposed problem raised by global warming. Just wait till those rabid frogs see these and wag a few tails.

In no particular order,

1. Vertical Framing - turn carparks / skyscrapers / walls into vertical farms.
2. Better Cows - stop methane prodicing feeds, give the cows diabetes with high sugar feeds
3. Carbon Scrubbers - 300m goalposts everywhere sucking CO2 out of the sky - think you have a problem with 70m pylons?
4. Hurricane Control - throw in a bit of dust to slow/deflect storm - and you need some lawyers and spin doctors to risk-manage deflected storms
5. Cloud Making Ships - puffy low clouds reflect sunlight - who needs ships? Connect hose for hot air directly to Beehive.
6. Better Trees - get heavily into GM to up their CO2 capabilities.
7. Ocean Fertilization - add heaps of nutrients to cause CO2 gobbling plankton blooms. Are we already doing that?
8. Made Made Mt Pinutabo - drop a few nukes to produce a bit of sunlight stopping dust.
9. Space Mirrors - we all really want to live in 24x7 darkness, right?
10. Status Quo - stick your head in sand or in any other orifice of your choice.
    

I wonder how many of these we will see implemented in the next 5-10 years if we keep following the IPCC GoreBull Warmists down their path?

Did the earth move 4U?

At 40S here we have had a large earthquake centred 50km offshore from Gisborne. Details here, 200 km away. Website is overloaded with rubberneckers like me filling in 'felt' reports...

Serious noise, movement - very unsettling while it continues for upward of 2 minutes. Cat even looked upset.

I guess the East Cape is a few mm higher tonight.

Unions in sinking ship?

Is this you?

Are you one of these 140,000?

Get out bed, turn up at work half asleep for a coffee, go to smoko for as long as possible twice a day, take exactly the allotted time for a liquid lunch, attend all union meetings in work hours and knock off well early to wash your hands to warm the bell before buggering off to the pub?

If this is you, the unions have a Christmas pressie for you. Seems they want even more taxpayer funds for their members, without any corresponding lift in productivity.

The union rats are preparing to abandon ship, seeing their feeding frenzy is going to end in 10 months time, so they are getting the last bite in. The almost 7% pay rise you get in April, for doing nothing extra, may be followed by a pre-election bribe taking your full increase to 33% above today's rates.

Yes, just getting out of bed will get you over $31K a year. Not bad attendance pay and your total pay rise in a year will be 33%, without doing any extra work. Responsibility, you don't need any of that, after all you just do what you are told. All you had to do was open your red eyes in the morning.

Life is good, at least till almost next Christmas ...

Now for something different...

At last some welcome rain on the East Coast at 40S up against the ranges. Was staring at the local Fire Service water truck between Xmas and New Year with less than 1/4 of one tank this time yesterday.

It has not rained, other than some feeble drizzly stuff, always just enough to wash the bird and possum shit from the roof into the tanks, since about 7 weeks ago. Just around the same time, high winds for a couple of weeks dried the last of the moisture out of the ground completely. Moving the daily electric fence break for the cows has been damned hard to stick the standards in the concrete like ground. The paddocks were still green, not like 2km further east where everything is brown and tinder dry. Still knee deep in green grass here.

Both 5500 gal (25,000 l) tanks are at 80% full and it is still raining. Have had about 80mm of steady rain in last 24hrs. Thankfull it is not a destructive downpour. Light rain will replenish the soil and give the grass factory another kick. Suspect it will not last much longer, although stalled front is helping. Still the rain radar shows a little more to come and prognosis post Xmas, after the next big high, looks tentative for a top up with a low currently filling the Ozzie Bight.

When you have 20x 2yr cattle on the block who drink the same water as we do (no well or stream), on one hot day about 1500 litres will be consumed. A thirsty 300 kg cow sucks about 65 litres per day. That means one tank drops by 100mm per cloudy day, rising to about 150mm on a hot clear day. If both tanks are full when we start the New Year, we can get to maybe mid-March before we look at the fire truck again.

Accidentally pumping about 3500 gallons through an already full tank onto the ground for six hours a month ago has not helped. Yes, it was me and the offending gate valve handle on the inter-tank transfer line has been taken off. The learning curve never stops on a lifestyle block.

At least I know that where I am against the ranges, if my nice green lawn goes brown, then the rest of NZ will be thirsty and on bottled water, even in town. I hope the rain further up at Gisborne and northward is the business and lasts for a day or two.

Off to check the tanks again...

"Arrogant dismissal" of voters rights

The 'sweet scent of power and lust for control' just proved too great for the coalition that is this corrupt government.

Fortunately the sun will rise tomorrow, not in the west and the clock is audibly ticking - about 10 months till it is up for repeal. It will be only at this stage that Liabour and its supportive cohorts (including UF who flip-flopped at the last minute) will acknowledge their "refusal to accept the reality of impending defeat".

Update:
I took the quotes above from early reports. Here is the link to the full delivery by Hone. It is, I think, the most definitive and heartfelt speech on this suicidal assault on democracy.

Democracy Day

Today is the day where the most corrupt government in our country's short history wishes to finalise the removal of freedom of expression and democracy by passing the self serving Electoral Finance Bill.

This bill will be the death knell for Labour, Greens, United Future and NZ First.

I hang my head in shame.

Banks gives Helen the bird

After all the posturing over stadium, Mr Banks has got the government to stump up for most of the funding for the eyesore in Helen's patch. See they had the money all the time, it just took someone to stand up those hiding in the beltway. The cut of the cloth is even bigger.

Now all I need is the spineless Mr Lee of the Auckland Robbery Company to announce they will NOT be giving any rates taxes to this private enterprise. Only then I will believe in Santa again.

Who says Christmas doesn't come early. Trev must be real pissed, this was his baby, now his name will not be on the plaque. Still, Helen needs to bribe Jafalanders anyway she can after this fiasco. Not to mention that other topic up for a final outing tomorrow. Showing sod all support for the AB's might be an election crippler for any pollie looking to dine in trough in 10 months time.

H Losing her grip?

I resisted at first, but then read the press reporting that one H was losing her grip and potentially her place in the spotlight.

Some choice turns of phrase were evident

• In response, she has grown sharply more critical of her rivals - a risky tactic, ... where voters are turned off by negative campaigning
• appears to have been hurt, for instance, by a press release
• these kinds of tired, desperate attacks ... demonstrate very clearly that they have a real cost to [her] campaign
• new signs that the tide may be turning against [her]
• I believe in trusting my own instincts. I feel very, very good about the case I am making. [wrong, we know what the electorate think of s59 and the EFB]
• national surveys have been more or less static for several months
• has slipped into a statistical dead heat
• now playing the game of lowering expectations [press is too young to report properly]
• it's a miracle that she's got a chance to win

Now that seems to me, just like another H so in our lives everday...

Entrepeneur smoking the good gear

Another would be entrenpeneur set up a business that would rent bikes across the country, similar to that used in Europe.

Tourists and students are expected to be the biggest customers

Scenario: You might wander up to a street corner, phone someone to get an unlock code and bugger off for some exercise on a pushbike. When finished, phone again and the time will charged to your credit card. Sounds plausible, but wait...

Seems the bikes are to have advertising plastered all over. Good, extra income might just might make this business model work. Except, the local council thinks that any advertiser might plonk signs on every street corner, throw some trainer wheels on it, chain it to a fence and call it a bike for rent. No go currently.

Further, the business model requires local councils get involved in this 'service' as a form of public transport. This is where I smell a rat. As a long suffering payer of rate tax, I know that any council provided form of public transport is the most over-advertised, under-patronised, and expensive useless form of transport.

Getting ratepayers to fund your unproven business model is a different kettle of fish. Your business has suddenly become

Tourists and students are expected to be the biggest customers, ratepayers the biggest losers

Standing on your own two feet in business and making a go of it, totally at your expense, would be normal practice. Bugger off Mr Goodgear, you must be smoking some really good gear if you expect ratepayers to fund your business.

Time to concentrate on real crimes

335 over the limit out of 52,000, with a few recidivist pissheads.

0.644%. What is the target KPI?

Yes, I say we have that well and truly sussed, time to move on concentrate on some real crime.

ps for the boys in blue up the East Coast - the ox and cart carrying the order from Welly Town might arrive sometime this week. I know that modern technology does not work that far away from the beltway...

Cedrus deodara

While you are reaching for your Latin dictionaries or Google as the case may be, this post came from reading about the newly launched police boat.

Annette King, MP took her poodle Howard for an outing in the sun to (Westhaven?) marina to watch the GG's better half pour champers over the gunwale. The carbon footprint of that affair will match the huge footprint 18.5m of aluminium hurtling at 25 knots around the Gulf and beyond. Nice toy, I am sure the boys in blue have the boat booked for extensive fishing sea-trials over the leave period. Can I recommend these guides to find where to anchor?

No, the reason for this long post was not the political capital reaped or not by Annette and her team but about the new tin can's name. Seems Deodar has been used since the first one was launched in 1960, being named after a minesweeper. I can well remember the original, having been towed in an old Z-class sailing dinghy by it.

The Latin name above reflects the name of a cedar native to the Himalayas, commonly known as Himalayan Cedar, which can grow to an exceptional 60m. More can be found here about the Sanskrit 'timber of the gods'. It is from where the minesweeper was named.

Tree class minesweeeper HMS Deodar was ordered by the Admiralty in 1939, gave service during WWII, was sold out of the Royal Navy, being converted for commercial use and eventually foundered in 1965. The sweeper was built in Goole, Yorkshire by the Goole Shipbuilding and Repair Company. Goole today is noted for it pool of drug users. Was used in spring 1946 for mine clearing in Norway. After service the ship was variously named. Some detail and a picture is here.

The NZ connection is through the RNZNVR (Rockies) Second Echelon 2 NZEF sailors who went to Blighty in the war and became part of the 24th Minesweeping / Antisubmarine Squadron. One two and a half ringer PG Connelly, Lieutenant Commander was placed in command on the newly launched Deodar, along with a few of his mates, on ten in all of the minesweepers. It is from here the long association with the name started. Mr Donnelly appears to have named Deodar I in 1960.

Amazing what can be dredged up from one name.

Winnie gets good PR

Good on Starship for having the moral fibre to reject the Winnie First payment of illegally gained electoral funds. They have stood up and rejected it on the grounds that it "wasn't proper philanthrophy". More like the board did not like the heat.

As an aside, Mr Mogridge of the board seems to be unable to stay away from tainted public monies, that was a story a long time ago. He must like the PR too.

Unfortunately, I know that any PR is good PR, Winnie will be laughing all the way the election booth bank. He is now front and centre, with all cameras firmly focussed, being the Christmas talking point over the upcoming leave period, ready to fight yet another election. Never write off anyone suffering from vertically challenged syndrome.

Should there be any voters out there that feel that Starship is the loser, you may make an anonymous, or otherwise if you really need the PR, donation to Starship at this page.

First reading of The Christmas Bill

Stocking fillers all MP's could ever want and wish for is listed by Vernon Small.

Some classics are;

• Taito - one night in Bangkok on a tiling course
  
• Helen - a fourth term and older MSM hacks
  
• Winnie - a compliant media, reporting the real facts as written in a Winnie diktat
• Michael - just one more budget
• Bill - a big non-inflationary tax cut
• Phil - an A4 buyer
  
• Chris - NCEA spell checker
• Jeannette - more bloody bus lanes
• Jim - a retirement date
• Tau - a mouthguard
• Margaret - peace in her time
• and Hugh - a spin doctor

Full detail can be found here.

ps: Wonder if 17 white A4's show up against the Woodbourne brown on Google Earth - too slow on dialup to have a squiz - at least a potential buyer could now see what is actually being hocked off.

The chasm starts to open?

In a move sure to really annoy the Minister of Baubles, the party exec has requested that all 7 NZ First MP's vote against the EFB. Seems the word from the party faithfull is no go on restrictions on freedom of speech, even if costs you your place in the trough. Some one else with some ethics over this matter.

the bill was not supported within the party and that the caucus was supporting it because it would help their own survival.

This will be interesting. At least Liarbour will have a scapegoat if the bill does not pass.

Is that devil or the deep blue sea I spy?

Nice one Winnie

Very nice of NZ First to give Starship $160K. Hope you maximize the no doubt big tax refund on the donation.

Now where is the $160K you owe the taxpayer?

On a lighter note...

No doubt this has been around the buoy before, but here goes with minor changes.

Early in the year 2007, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in Jafaland , New Zealand , as an illegal immigrant and said, "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated and I see the end of all flesh before me.

Build another Ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans."

He gave Noah the blueprints, saying, "You have six months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights".

Noah was dubious about the project, because unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights is normal in Jafaland , but he knew he must bow to the will of the Lord.

Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his revered quarter acre section....but no ark.

"Noah", He roared, "I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark ?"

"Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah. "But things have changed. I needed a building consent from the council. I've been arguing with the Fire Service about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I've violated the zoning laws by building the Ark on my property and exceeding the height limitations. We then had to go to arbitration under the RMA for a decision.

Then the electricity companies demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark 's move to the sea. I argued that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.

Getting the wood is another problem. The Greens have placed a ban on cutting local timber in order to save the Kiwi. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the birds. But no go!

When I started gathering the animals, I got sued by an animal rights group. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. As well, they argued the accommodation was too restrictive and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.

Maori have forbidden the project to continue unless taniwha are permitted on the Ark and indigenous tribes own half the Ark after I have designed and built it. I also have to agree to pay $150 billion for depriving Maori of traditional lands by means of inundation, which they allege, is simply a case of "holy colonization".

I am bogged down in further negotiations on multimillion payments for rights to sail the Ark on the seas of Aotearoa. The Crown owns the foreshore and the seabed, and wants a large rent, with upfront bond. Other Maori tribes have sued me because they allege the Ark is a Pakeha version of a Maori waka and they have appealed to the Waitangi Tribunal to declare it tapu.

Then the Environmental Court ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many Maori I'm supposed to hire for my building crew and the requirement for separate female toilets in case I hire a woman. Also, the trades unions say I can't use my sons.

They insist I have to hire only card-carrying union workers with Ark building experience, and they expect a day in lieu if we work weekends or public holidays plus holiday day pay and rain allowances.

OSH has decreed each employee must be equipped with a life jacket and personal life raft even though we are only building on Mount Eden, which currently is well above sea level. When I pointed this out, they made me provide ice axes and climbing boots for each employee and their families, and harnesses because I was working over 3 metres in height.

To make matters worse, the Inland Revenue seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.

At first the Liarbour government was in favour of my project because it created building jobs on our mountain. Then they were shocked by an opinion poll which revealed that 99% of all New Zealanders opposed a devastating flood, and after an emergency cabinet meeting, Helen Clark announced that Liarbour had never favoured floods as a means of solving problems and was totally opposed to the project (unless future opinion polls revealed popular support for the Ark).

She said "God should sit down and talk sensibly about the issues".

So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least ten years for me to finish this Ark. "

Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked,

"You mean, You're not going to destroy the world?".

"No," said the Lord.

"The New Zealand Liarbour Government beat me to it."

Liarbour writing it's epitaph

Rodders summarises all that is wrong with the EFB.

If we have to get Government recognition or sanction to express our political opinion, it is not free speech.

We should not have to go to the Government and sign up and register to express our point of view.

Bold is mine. Unfortunately this will be passed by the Labour, Green, NZ First, United Future MP's who are looking to be impose it before Jan 1 2008.

Supporting MP's are decidedly blase about the electorate mood. This from NZ First.

Average New Zealanders are not concerned about this bill.

National MP Jackie Blue sees it a different way.

You have got it so wrong. You have read the people so wrong. You have been blind but you cannot see. It has gone beyond the Wellington beltway.

In a classic politics of envy fit, NZ First reminds Liarbour's core supporters, the unions, about the opposition's organisational skills with this

This is all organised to a degree that the New Zealand union movement can only envy.

Yes, Liarbour and the other supporters of this underhanded self-serving vindictive legislation would be well reminded that those against this legislation are not fleeced weekly like sub-paying union members being told to support the cause. Those rallying against the EFB do so voluntarily.

They do it because of the attack on freedom of speech.

The EFB will be the supporter's epitaph.

Bad hair day for Helen?

Something has upset her indoors from the 9th floor. Was the interview of firsts (first PM, first woman PM, first elected PM, first elected woman NZ PM [and hopefully last] ) with little Kevni across the ditch not reported in a good light?

For today she is ripping into those who are not singing the Liabour spin from the same songsheet she has issued.

Seems Granny Herald is the worst. But her very own political arm in the ministries is prone to taking their eye off the end game of how to purchase another election. Quelle horreur! They must be taken to task and threatened.

I'm sure there are a range of issues which would be taken into account in an annual review

I daresay Mr Logan of her ministries is not going to get any Christmas pressies in his next performance pay review.

Alas, 'Tis the season to be merry.

The 3D's

Liabour's modus operandii has been diced, dissected and delivered in a lively thread here at Kiwiblog late last night. The usual leftard trolls offered little resistance.

Initially the MO was found to be (at 2207, by Ansell)

1. Abuse.

2. Confuse.

3. Lie.

4. Mock.

5. Answer the question.

The final version are the 3D's delivered at 1121 by Burt.

Deny
Delay
Denigrate

Couldn't agree more. This MO has a long track record, with continued well-proven results as Liabour has used it to manage every crisis since they were elected.

#14 ready to fall?

Adolf has an inside tip here about another trusted one...

Update
Adolf bumped story, link changed.
Link to Stuff article here - looks suss when CEO quits after 7 months.

Are these here?

How long before these turn up in NZ text books?



Maybe they are here already, like with the EFB, the sheeple must be told the difference between fact and theory, accepting the spin giving matters critical consideration...

Low fat milk is for sheila's

Massey Uni has spent a wad of our wedge to tell us (and a talkfest) what we already know.

Any milk other than the full diesel is for wusses and sheila's.

There are only 5x different types of milk up for consideration.

THE FULL DIESEL
Full cream, dark blue top (or from the vat outside the dairy shed). A real man's drink, when a Tui is not available.

2 STROKE
Standard, light blue top. An option for the coffee, but definitely not preferred.

1/4 STROKE UNLEADED
Green top - reduced fat? Only carrot sticks and racing snakes touch this tasteless watery crap.

CAT'S PEE
Yellow top - Calcium enriched? Women only juice - tasteless, insipid excuse for milk. Might as well crush up some blackboard chalk in water and drink that.

CHOCCY MILK
Comes in various flavours, usually very tasty and flavoursome full diesel. Great taste, good to drink in large quantities.

Massey tells us the green and yellow topped products are better for us. The hell with that, marketers of these products should be done for false advertising, both bear no resemblance to milk as I know it. But then I know all this, why do I need these oxygen thieves?

EFB is a crock, National is a saver of face

Fran O'Sullivan discusses the pros and cons of actions taken by Labour and National over the EFB.

She asks the question

What is this Labour Government so frightened of that it seeks to restrain the rights of others to open debate on the policies it introduces, or vigorously protest its actions?

From there,

How else do third party interests, which could range from teachers, doctors to business people, get their message across when the major party in power makes a practice of ramming through legislation without appropriate public consultation?

Rightly put. Non-consultation on such matters of import is most un-democratic and smacks of looking after your own corrupt patch. I would then expect any of the Opposition to be extremely vocal on these matters. But alas no, they are protecting their own patches. Making noise where it suits, without digging too far. National, for instance,

has contested the Electoral Finance bill point by point, but does not vigorously probe legislation where it judges a robust stance might impact on its own electoral chances next year.

It seems that the cost of the climate change legislation being foisted upon us, based on very shonky science, is about to hit us extremely hard in the pocket in the initial implementation phases. Any noise from the Opposition?

Hell no,

National knows this but it will not probe the detail nor even expose the obvious flaws in background policy work because it fears that might jeopardise its chance of making a deal with the Greens if it needs to to hold power after next year's election.

and,

Nor will National politicians raise their voices against NZ First and its leader Winston Peters' more pungent anti-foreigner sallies in case it spoils their chances of forging a post-election deal to get into power.

Also, whilst making a lot of noise about the political interference in the Public Service, there will not be much digging into the underlying policies - National will need the same wishy-washy policies if they ever get to sit on the Treasury benches again.

Both sides are as corrupt and morally bankrupt as each other. Labour more so of late, but then they are all bottom feeding politicians selling their souls looking for their next paypacket and unfortunately we expect nothing more.

James Sleep - Where are you?

It maybe temporary, but whilst on my daily lurk around the blogs, I have noticed that the young turk James over at Sleep on Politics has disappeared overnight from the blogosphere.

Update:

James has departed, some possibly say for ACT, ditching Labour. His mate over at Morris Talks Politics has a short note and there is a vitriolic discussion going on at KB discussing Jaz's apparent flip-flopping, with a few comments about James.

Follow da link...

Scrubone over at Half Done, in an Alice-like Wonderland that is NRT, has been all the way down, down, down a tortuous rabbit hole and hit rock bottom. You too, can follow him as he wends his way through the chain of self-referencing National hatred.

On the way he finds any number of Liabour halftruths, which under strong light insult your intelligence.

Razing the Standard

Copied in full from Zentiger over at NZ Conservative. Very good precis of where the EFB is at.

Insolent Prick (IP) says it like it is. The poor guys at The Standard have no meaningful comeback to IP's extensive, well reasoned and referenced commentary. Then Peter Cresswell (PC) steps in to pick them apart on another issue. Sometimes, both sides make good points on a long debate. In this case, it is all one way traffic.

I could have called this post "A Hanging Offence" but I think I prefer "Razing the Standard". Here's a snippet from the thread, one of many comments by IP:

I didn’t spend five years at law school, and a pretty decent chunk of my career interpreting law, to come to the view that a political party that:

a: rejects a public consultation process on a fundamental constitutional change
b: rams it through the House ignoring the overwhelming majority of submitters
c: rejects the key recommendations of the expert officials
d: has the Law Society and the HRC saying the Bill is irretrievably bad that it needs to be dumped
e: suppresses the official advice from public scrutiny
f: has the Law Commission opt out of advising it
g: then reports back to the House with a Bill that is still so flawed that it needs 150 amendments in a supplementary order paper
h: STILL has the organisation implementing the law not understanding its core functions;

“not a hanging offence”. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is. With all due respect to you, Roger, you are by no means an authority on electoral law. You have no concept of what the outcome is right now, other than that the Labour Party assures you it is a good outcome. The Party has been assuring everybody, at every turn, that it has got it right. At every turn, subsequent scrambling efforts by the Labour Party to fix its many flaws, have resulted in the Labour Party finally saying it has got it right.

When, as the Bill is being voted on through the Committee stage, the Minister of Justice says she can give no advice to the Electoral Commission on how to interpret the ambiguous Clause 80, you cannot possibly have faith in the Bill’s outcome.

There isn’t time to fix it, Roger. We have just a few sitting days left before the end of the year, and the Bill comes into force on 1 January.

It’s all very well to claim rhetorically that that National would never have worked constructively with the Labour Party to get cross-party support on the financing regime. But that is patently untrue, Roger. National made a commitment, long before the Bill was introduced in the House, to work constructively with the Government to place reasonable restrictions on third party expenditure, clarify the use of parliamentary services expenditure in an election campaign, clamp down on excessive anonymous donations, and clamp down on donations from trusts.

Instead of consulting with National, Mark Burton hatched a secret deal with the NZ First and United Future parties. Labour has no official advice advocating the extended election period, has no expert advice on the amounts it is advocating on the third party regime, places no restrictions on donations from trusts, only introduced limits on anonymous donations that coincidentally coincide with Labour’s own anonymous donation fund raising levels from 2005, and leaves the use of parliamentary expenditure in campaigns ambiguous.

Now, Roger, even if Labour had totally ignored the National Party, and gone to the country with an independent group of experts to consult with the public and come up with a policy regime that shares all of the restrictions that we have in the present Bill, I wouldn’t have a problem. At least the process would have been transparent and fair.

But we never had that, Roger. We have a governing party that has written electoral law with its own interests in mind, using a flawed process. Yes, absolutely, that is a hanging offence.

Winston red carded

After Winnie's EFB opening salvoes diatribe of spit-flecked invective (HT Whaleoil for description) in the bear-pit the other evening, suggesting National MP's name one individual who might be affected by the EFB, he has been carded.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust's Garth McVicar was so named and Winnie

responded that [law and order spokesman] Ron Mark and he had worked closely with Mr McVicar for many years and would continue to do so

Mr McVicar raised the flag yesterday suggesting

Our stance will certainly be that we don't see much point in supporting NZ First any further. I would imagine we've got thousands more members than [NZ First] have throughout New Zealand, so I think they're dead in the water, realistically. I think Winston's just totally lost the plot

Further, another previously close apolitical ally to Winnie, Grey Power with 95000 members says

I would be very, very surprised if [Mr Peters] was supported, because we are very anti that bill, and the implications that the bill would have on us as an organisation

Knowing Winnie's previous form in latching onto baubles, while his cold hand grasps for straw, I would never write him off, but definitely the statements above look like a red card to me.

The wait is over

At last the wait is over.

Number 2 grandchild has safely arrived just over a couple of hours ago at around 7lb 10z.

Mother and child both well and resting, slightly overdue, after the barely 6 hour last lap.

Son bouncing off the wall, texting and calling everyone in his mobile contact list in the middle of the night.

Grandson asleep, in care of maternal grandparents, rightly conserving energy to beat up his new sister.

Paternal grandparents now up and wide awake, primed with coffee and not likely to get to sleep for the rest of the night. Her indoors ready to start 600K trip to Jafaland at 0200, looking for a flight, but that is another story.

Suddenly my credit card has turned a shade of deep pink...

At last, National stands up

National has finally stood up to Liabour and drawn the line in the beltway sand. The EFB will be repealed upon their election. Some comments reflecting the mood.

a shambles and it was designed to "screw the scrum" in favour of Labour

The rights of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who want to participate no longer count

I have a message for the very out of touch Prime Minister of New Zealand: This bill cost her minister [former Justice Minister Mark Burton] his job ... this act will cost the Prime Minister her job in 2008.

for once in your lives recognise that you are not bigger than the people of New Zealand

What we are seeing here tonight is a bill driven by the paranoia of the Labour Party, not a paranoia about where the money comes from but a paranoia and a fear that they may be tipped out of Government at the next election

We won't indulge ourselves in the kind of behaviour we have seen by the Labour Party, we won't write self-serving legislation. We will consult. We will actually act in the best interests of New Zealand

The ultimate from Mr Key

I make this promise to New Zealanders: when Labour is gone at the end of 2008 the first thing National will do is repeal this legislation. It's gone

That's what we need, someone finally telling this corrupt government where to go. Election 2008 is now open for business.

Liabour blinks

As the astute commenter AGJ on Kiwiblog suggests, Liabour has blinked, offering an 11th hour deal on the EFB. National is rightly miffed.

The Government's offer today to talk to us is both very surprising after two years and a measure of their desperation

Damned right, they are desperate. Granny has run a late story summing up both sides of the active debate.

Having half listened to the first hour of the live debate, the main thrust from the government seems to be wreaking vengeance on National for their failed bid for the 2005 election. Doesn't matter that democracy actually worked and did not get them in.

A cynic might think that this bill really smacks of self-preservation for the corrupt Liabour.

I am in the festive spirit...

Rents are expected to rise 6 per cent a year for the next five years

As a caring (yes, there are some) multiple landlord who looks after his tenants while they invest in my fund, the PM of NZ Saver, reading this brought me reasonable joy.

After having low rents and diminished returns for some time, the pendulum has moved. Now it is my turn to garner the benefits from those who rent.

Tenants, it is time to spend those high wage increases you have recently enjoyed on that very expensive roof I have provided over your head. Aah, the joys of the swings and roundabouts of long term property investment.

Sure beats the doubtful returns (very negative, I believe) from the sharks at those finance companies, so much in the media of late. They looked sooooo tempting at times, but thankfully I resisted the urge.

Just what I require to put me into a festive spirit. Talking of spirit, it must be time for a rum. No, unfortunately the sun has only just crested the horizon, let alone the yardarm!

The next legal botch up?

Not content with ramming the EFB through at all costs, defying all critics, her indoors has signalled the next big thing for the sheeple.

While she was whiling her time away on telebishun, waiting for her Cabinet Minister Bully Boy who was in the limelight of infamy, being in dock pleading not guilty of common assault before the beak, she uttered these words.

I just say that with something like this, I think everyone in public life - whether they are media personalities or a politician or whoever - we're all vulnerable to someone deciding they will try a private prosecution and I think that is an issue of some concern

Yes, the Liarbour Public Service will no doubt be right onto the 'issue of some concern'.

EFB Supporter

HT Whaleoil

An Amazing Ambassador

Mr David Beckham.

A true gentleman.

Thank you for the experience in Wellington.

Ruling favours Spotless

I was going to blog this the other day, but cannot find any link. Another related article appeared in Scoop.

Seems the hoo-haa the unions caused back in July over the union-led requirement for a national collective was all bluster to screw more dollars out of the taxpayer.

This article was buried in the Manawatu Standard on Thur Nov 29th page 3. Reprinted in full.

There is no obligation under the Employment Relations Act that requires a multi-employer collective agreement between hospital workers and district health boards, the Employment Court has ruled. About 800 Spotless Services orderlies, cooks and cleaners were locked out of 12 hospitals for nine days until the Employment Court ruled the lockouts were illegal.

At the time of the strike, the union screamed bully boy tactics, as is the norm for their ilk, the Spotless having locked them out for health and safety reasons. The union said they were on strike because the employers refused to sign up to a national collective.

“It is a very sensible and pragmatic decision for industrial relations and employment law. It confirms an important principle, which is what the SFWU was trying to deny – that SFWU members were on strike,” said David Geor, Managing Director, Spotless.

Spotless has been vindicated in full, multi-employer collectives are not warranted and are only a union tool to cower employers into submission. The unions will not receive the $600-800K they were demanding for lost wages over the strike period.

Excellent result.