DO NOT PANIC!!!

Zentiger over at NZ Conservative has been talking to the Association of Renowned Scientists For Ever Hoping Overseas and Local Environments Survive about the ramifications of certain events foretold to occur the day after yesterday.

All doomsayers, naysayers and citizenry are warned not to panic.

Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber fearing for this country

I'm in something of a dilemma. Like most of my generation I was seduced by the left when young, but that was when the country was being milked left right and centre by an old boys cabal of old money farmers and protectionist business - back in the days when you had to get a license to import a car - and only those in the know got the licenses.

Then there was the expedient National years of Muldoon which spent the accumulated wealth of the 1950-60s golden years, and confronted with a similar oil shock as today decided to Think Big (and bribe the oldies with a pension plan that defies belief), put the country in so much hock it we were a couple of days away from being a South American banana republic economy.

National in those days did not have a political philosphy other than a Mugabe-like grasp for power, and when you remember the cretinous toadies like McCready, McLaughlin et al - they also had a spectacular lack of depth in their talent pool.
After Labour put New Zealand on track for the prosperity it has enjoyed for the past three decades - in the Lange-Douglas, Fish and Chip brigade years until Lange got cold feet and had a cuppa tea, we have had two National governments who were spectacular in their mediocrity - before this Labour Party, once again ushered in a period of prosperity not seen since the late 50s early 60s.

That it was built on a bubble of delusion was not seen by any of the money-grubbing latte sipping 30-40 year-old smartarses who are now yelping like the spoilt brats they are now they are finding out what it is like to actually struggle a bit to pay their bills without access to even more credit card debt.

Now before you start loading up the shotgun. I too have more than the odd leg of beef with Labour. Its shameless feminisation of the education system which has turned out two generations of wimpish illiterate males who couldn't say no when their missuses were racking up their credit cards. Its gutless psuedo-Pacifism which has left the country with no airforce, a navy with no guns and an army with vehicles that it can't use and with a pathetic response to the war on Islamofacism which has seen other countries sacrifice the cream of their young (my home country Wales lost two this week) while we pretend it isn't happening - or worse, that it has nothing to do with us. Letting others fight for you while you sit safely high and dry, that's cowardice of the highest order in my book.

Then there is the welfare dependancy, the judiciary, the loony response to global warming et al.

I have no faith in their ability to do the right thing.

But then I see Keys, Brownlie and Co and I wonder, are they any better? And given the record of the past 40 years - I think not.

I fear for this country, I really do.

It really is a choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledummer.

Sage commentary from Rarebitting On at Barnsley Bill

We transit further down the rabbit hole...

Slightly tropical this morning

The view west to the Ruahines across the road as I went out to shift my cows this morning.


At the front gate at 320m, snow to about 700m, 1.5km away.

Currently 1.5 degrees outside, thankfully little wind.

No more pix, cloud moved in quickly, battery flat on camera.

Oh goody! I'll have that and that with a large house red.

Bugger any diet, mindless watching the waistline and the scales.

The gummint says I can eat and drink whatever I like, whenever I like and they will provide me with the op to start all over again.

Great stuff. Just as long as the power does not go off before I get to the operating table.

Clark: If it leaks - You own it

Advice for those with leaky homes as some Mayors approach her indoors for a handout to cover council liabilities.

While such liabilities may be or not be proven in a court of law, where matters are watertight enough to shed liability, most would suspect the government is totally complicit in this issue.

It was a government agency who changed the building code to allow untreated timbers and also the same government that still allows councils to charge handsomely for an inspectorate that is still not willing to shoulder any blame or liability when matters go pear shaped.

Yes the government is at the heart of this matter and like their fawning subordinate councils, will shed any liability or responsibility like water falling onto a coke bottle.

So I am not surprised by this comment from her indoors.

homeowners had to accept some liability for their repair bills.

"They purchased the home, they own it."

I feel sure the electorate will suggest what could be done with those that are not shouldering their share of responsibility on or before November the 15th.

Conspiracies under every bed

Lairbour's conspirationist extraordinaire is having a hissy fit this morning as he puts forward the notion that the Nats are using top-notch media advising spin doctors and has been doing so for some time.

Common practice in all camps, where any dirt will do with a hint of the subliminal, but really pissed that the Nats have hired the best in the business. Having used them previously, obviously they have an ongoing business relationship with them. What's wrong, can't a broke party afford such luxuries?

Labour also uses focus groups, soft interview forums such as breakfast TV and concerted attacks on its opponents, as do most political parties worldwide.

The important question is how deceptive, secretive and manipulative each party's tactics are

What does Liarbour expect? They are the current players using the same dirty tactics, controlling the media with similarly worded messages playing to punters worst fears, such as 'tax cuts by Nats will be inflationary and will cause cuts to services'.

I say well done Nats for signing up the best in the game. You know you are playing against the most corrupt government, power crazed for another slurp in the trough.

And to Liarbour, 'Pot this is Kettle...'.

On the subject of farming

While you are all rugged in front of a fire or whatever tonight sipping your latte with all its frothy milk and tucking into a cheeseboard after having tucked into a nice juicy steak that was just like what was ordered, have a think about those who produced the milk and the steak. Don't do meat? Remember that the animal who gave it's all was all vegan.

Anyway, have a good long hard think about those farmers who got that produce to your stomach. It has been a prick of a week with the weather.

Vicious icy cold squally weather 24x7 this week.

Everything is cold, wet and sodden. Mud everywhere. Snow to 500m earlier in the week. Animals eat heaps more when it is cold and wet, it is their way of keeping warm in a wild wind swept paddock. So much more effort is required from daylight to dusk to properly look after the animals.

Feeling good are we? Yes it is this time of the year when the pressure is on down on the farm, green feed is short, animals are hugely pregnant, mere weeks away from calving and need carefully looking after.

Then we get latte-sipping nutters like the Greens taking photos of steers and screaming 'dirty dairying'.

Hope you enjoy that steak and milky drink with your cheeseboard.

If you can afford it, that is.

Awaiting funding from Cunliffe

Not content with waiting for half-decent broadband services to come to the district so local farmers can continue producing raw material for your expensive blocks of cheese, the Tararua District Council has literally grabbed the bull by the horns and is ploughing 140Km of fibre optic cabling into the ground. First decent thing the council has ever spent money on.

From South to North in Tararua District, all the way from Eketahuna to Norsewood via Pahiatua and Woodville. Places most havve never heard of.

Yes, there is a whole district that is NOT Hawke's Bay, the Wairarapa or Manawatu.

Although it does have the the headwaters of the Manawatu and the gorge where cow 569 did it's bit in the 2004 floods. An aside, the Manawatu is the only river in the world to rise on side of a set of hills (Ruahines, eastern side) and discharge to sea (western side) on the other.

I diverge.

Council even voted (only one dissenting Luddite) to extend fibre another 25 Km. Great stuff, soon will be able to get onto the information superhighway.

Well maybe. It all depends on the election outcome and whether this project can jump the queue for gummint funding. Council talks at Cunners apparently, but since he soon will be out of a job and possibly locked up, the extension probably will not fly.

Oh well, I will just have to put up with slooooow dialup via ISlug. Am lucky that I do know some peple in town that I can use some of their broadband bandwidth occasionally to do updates and the like.

Ghost of Feltex slashing jobs

Barely 2 months after the last effort of 165 jobs being slashed another 12 are to go.

The Aussie ring-in is continuing pruning operations, but

This is not a slow death,

but simply a repositioning so that we are where we want to be

We have bought land here and have a strong commitment to the region and site

Locals watch with baited breath, while local businesses continue to fail. Oringi, 466 jobs last month. And her indoors had the cheek just recently to say that everyone she talks to is not seeing doom and gloom. She must be talking to the wrong people.

I guess other businesses on the newly refurbished High Street, being paved with gold from ratepayer wallets, such as the soon to open brothel and Winz will continue to be the new growth industries in town. As for the brothel, maybe not if the local God Botherer's can stop it.

Clark flogs disabled parking spaces

Sure to get the voters on her side.

A partially sighted man was forced to walk 200m or more because her indoor's entourage had commandeered the usual pick up point, as always looking for a quick get away so voters could not accost her.

It was horrible

I thought it was absolutely unacceptable

The streets were wet and I was very worried about him slipping."

frustrated that the pick-up area was cordoned long before Clark emerged from the Town Hall.

That was one of the things that annoyed me the most. The cars were sitting there with no-one around. We could have used that area.

I personally felt a little bit upset about it. I thought, `Good heavens, is she increasing her bureaucracy?"'

Too right, she will stop at nothing. Not even an apology. Had to get the local police to do the job.

Update:

Oswald puts a slightly different spin on the matter and elevates her indoors to sainthood...

Everywhere she looks - more rogue polls

The Herald has what will surely be termed another rogue poll.

This confirms the trend in other polls that people are rejecting Labour's economic management and are frustrated by the increasingly violent society for which it has no answers.

Not good for Liarbour.

National has made inroads into one of Labour's strongest support bases - those on low incomes

Nothing but good news for Kiwis that are still connected to the real world.

Free self-defence course

Oswald lays out the basics in self-defence 101 and also looks at how to keep your powder dry for the day when Mr Scrote comes calling for you or your valuables in your corner dairy.

Must get an extinguisher or three...

Everyone has a price

A much touted treaty non-party has finally confirmed they too can be purchased.

It's the first deal Tuhoe has done with the Government in 168 years.

Maybe not with blankets, beads and muskets, but colonisation continues in the currency of the day after 168 years.

What's next on the agenda, now that they have suddenly stopped terrorist activities and changed tack to being capitalists? Independence? Sovereignity? SH1 tolls to pass through the likes of Tokoroa to Taupo?

Where will this farce end. Hopefully with Cullen gone at the end of the year, such settlements will cease.

The last piece of corruption?

The proverbial straw was the anti-smacking legislation. Here we have an entire generation who have been told they got it fundamentally wrong. And that hurt.

Now she is rubbing salt in the wound by saying voters are too stupid to handle more than one choice on her big day.

Lindsay has been watching political suicide in action and hopes

this is the last piece of corruption we have to stomach from this government.

The price we will pay

Unions are to demand new rights to strike as the price for keeping the cash-strapped Labour Party afloat.

Repealing the ban on secondary industrial action is among a swath of left-wing policies that unions want to see in the Labour manifesto.

...relying on the unions to help to avert Labour’s cash crisis, when they are in increasingly militant mood.

Yes this is the price we will all pay should Liarbour retain control of the reins.

As unions begin to flex their muscles on the ground, they are working to maximise their leverage over the Prime Minister at a time when the Government is politically vulnerable and the party is financially parlous.

There will be a cost for their support. While silenced by electoral law it must be remembered where Liarbour's financial support is sourced.

Over the past few months large donations to Labour of the type enjoyed have all but dried up, leaving the party increasingly reliant on its traditional paymasters. In the first quarter of this year, union contributions made up 88 per cent of the party’s income, up from 51 per cent in the same period last year, according to the Electoral Commission.

Yes, the country will be held to ransom for their continued support.

I wonder how long before the union parasites here latch onto this scheme?

Post #500

A milestone that seemed so far away a year ago.

And a very big Thank You to all my readers and lurkers who pushed this blog past 5000 hits late last week.

It is nice to know that someone is reading.

Another election bribe

Funny how things sit on the table for a long time, but suddenly become priority when the chips are down. Anything to spend the last in the coffers before the rout.

We are going to have to look at tolls and if there is a petrol tax ... that would be useful and is designed for this sort of project. But in today's climate of high fuel prices it would be a challenge.

Hurdles still to be crossed, but the voters must be mad if took notice of such a bribe.

Her indoors gives up

Miss Clark indicated today a referendum was likely to be later rather than sooner.

Asked why it could not be held alongside the election, which must be held by November 15, Miss Clark replied: "Just in terms of sheer organisation, I do not think that is possible".

Miss Clark said Parliament had spoken on the issue with a near "unanimous mind"

Now watch the final vestige of support for your corrupt Liarbour team plummet.

Goodbye. It has not been nice knowing you.

Our own sub-prime in the making?

There is something really nagging me about this. I can't quite put my finger on it.

It seems those of you who are contributing your hard earned wedge in the stealth tax that is KiwiSlaver, your money is not only funding a third of the election bribes being offered, but also propping the economy up.

So what is being really said is that without the extra dosh raised by this tax, we would deeper in the brown stuff.

Are we just putting off the day when the true costs will be exposed? Meanwhile, the government continues to spend like a drunken sailor. All the halmarks of very own own sub-prime.

Who would have guessed?

Trusted professions (bottom of list).

• ...
• ...
• 36. Real Estate agents
• 37. Sex Workers
• 38. Car Salesmen
• 39. Politicians
• 40. Telemarketers

I so look forward to asking telemarketers for their home phone number so that I might call them back at a time more 'convenient' to me. As always, I carefully explain, I am also at times, an insomniac. Not that I would be selling anything.

New prison?

If that is the cost of getting crims out of our communities, so be it. At least the Nats are being upfront about it, not like the incumbents who have installed criminals in places like the Milton Hilton.

Later this year, a few more beds will be needed to house the 120 crims currently holding the reins and their associates.

There is simply not enough space to lock up all that should be in one.

For example, home detention for this child abuser should not be an option.

One in South Auckland should solve the problem. Maybe out West? Whenuapai has acres of spare runway for 'affordable' housing. No fear of rising damp or taniwhas, the basepad is already concrete.

Road rage? You ain't seen nuthin' yet

In a week where the face of Kiwi road policing was killed by someone knocking him for six off his bike, this is topical.

New laws hit drivers with tough three-demerit-point penalties and fines of $342 if their cars drift into special bicycle waiting zones to be installed at many intersections across the metropolitan area.

Soon we will have only bus lanes and a pole position allocated area for cyclists. There will be nary a private car or truck in sight.

When this arrives, then we will see full-on road rage as those who pay for the roads are further restricted from using them.

When NO means maybe YES

We always knew this was going to happen.

A yes vote can be achieved if the Irish people are offered guarantees

The no campaign will be picked off one by one. Everyone has a price.

Sarkozy is determined to “save” the EU as France takes over the rotating presidency on July 1.

The only country that held a referendum on the matter is to now have another just to see they got it right. The knuckle-dragger in charge of Zimbabwe would be proud. Only God will change the ordained course.

Franco-German interests will bring pressure to bear.

The French president will visit Ireland on July 11 for talks with Brian Cowen, the taoiseach. “We will try to make this ‘no’ an opportunity,” he said, pledging to use “English pragmatism” to find a solution.

Good to see EU democracy will be good for you.

From City Hall

'Next.'



'Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license.'

'Names?'

'Tim and Jim Jones.'

'Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance.'

'Yes, we're brothers.'

'Brothers? You can't get married.'

'Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender couples?'

'Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!'

'Incest?' No, we are not gay.'

'Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?'

'For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other.
Besides, we don't have any other prospects.'

'But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who've been
denied equal protection under the law. If you are not gay, you can get
married to a woman.'

'Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I have.
But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a woman. I want
to marry Jim.'

'And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us just
because we are not gay?'

'All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next.'

'Hi. We are here to get married.'

'Names?'

'John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson.'

'Who wants to marry whom?'

'We all want to marry each other.'

'But there are four of you!'

'That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert, Jane
loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert loves June and
me. All of us getting married together is the only way that we can express
our sexual preferences in a marital relationship.'

'But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples.'

'So you're discriminating against bisexuals!'

'No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that it's
just for couples.'

'Since when are you standing on tradition?'

'Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere.'

'Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples. The more
the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says the constitution
guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us a marriage license!'

'All right, all right. Next.'

'Hello, I'd like a marriage license.'

'In what names?'

'David Deets.'

'And the other man?'

'That's all. I want to marry myself.'

'Marry yourself? What do you mean?'

'Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to marry
the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return.'

'That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of marriage!!'

HT Rough Diamond

Why?

The topic du jour is the exodus to the land of dingos, stubbies, droughts and bushfires.

Fran O'Sullivan skirts the issue, looking at who might need to change their spots to join the Nats in coalition.

Also some consultant has landed a plum job investigating why the exodus is the only thing sustainable about the current corrupt government.

Until this country actually allows rich pricks to get on with their business and creates the right business environment through reduced taxes and bureaucracy, we will always play second fiddle to the Lucky Country.

the medium-term prospects for workers and businesses in Australia were more attractive than in New Zealand

Why not leave this country for greener pastures? Seems a lot of us have just done that.

Key is also promoting a "bolder" New Zealand with a strong focus on leveraging the Asian growth century and major incentives for greenfields foreign direct investment. The question facing Key and English is whether National's potential coalition partners are up for the "step change".

Or stay with a government that encourages something other than apathy while it seeks to retain control over your wallet? Interesting to see the only group supporting Liarbour is PI. I suppose that is where their core element is.

Like Fran asks, when it comes to the coalition crunch, will Liarbour offer the Bauble King the ultimate prize? The Nats are taking a different approach, having seen the previous farces called government by committe. The peacock is most unwelcome.

Why indeed?

Update:
KG at Crusader Rabbit summarises the issues at play with some sage commentary. Well said.

I guess it would baffle bureaucrats--insulated as they are from the stark realities facing many Kiwis.
So in a spirit of helpfulness I'll give the fat-assed statist leeches a clue or two:
crippling taxes
crime
an overbearing, nannying unprincipled government of liars, cheats, thieves, environmental zealots and thugs.
A vast army of welfare bludgers who regard "free" medical care and a plethora of other "free" services as a right.
A diminishing army of taxpayers who regard funding druggies, Maori separatists, single teenage sluts, Polynesian thugs, council gaueleiters, fat-arsed dictatorial wimmin and nannying nazi bureaucrats as a less than optimal use of their hard-earned dollars.
It's a start--I'm sure a few of the thousands of blood-sucking effing leeches who make a comfortable living from the public tit would be able to take a break from their endless conferences and seminars and office gossip sessions could come up with one or two more reasons.

Liarbour Luddites at it again

Instead of admitting they've had it good for a long time, these plonkers full of self worth are promoting why they will be first in line for a DCM post-election.

Don't Come Monday that is.

Soon such parasites on productivity might realise that economic times are changing and Christmas could be bleak for a bloated inspectorate being savagely dealt to by those with the reins.

The big picture

Yes readers and lurkers, this shows precisely what too many Liarbour years has done for us.

From the good folk at Economic Growth

Dire warning on wishful thinking

I was lurking around the blogosphere this morning and came upon this, a dire warning about there being blood on the streets in near future.

It has occurred before and those fully engaged in wishful thinking would do well to take heed. Something I am sure about being over-geared, no doubt. All very nice on the uphill grade, but definitely dangerous going downwards.

Although I do like the post on 'Contracts for Difference'. Might try a bit of that myself. I could lurk a bit more and make squillions at the same time. Hopefully though, I will not end up voting for Act.

Satire at its best

... Sure 'nuff, Tom had three cans of spray-paint and he swapped me old knife handle and half an apple for one and swapped Joe a frog for t'other. An then we asked him what we was gonna do with 'em. "Why," says Tom, "Ain't we going to commit the most famous and terrible crime there is? Ain't we gonna write our name on a wall with paint?"

Lyndon Hood has been watching taggers clean fences ...

More WMD

Thick and fast WMD's are coming. The spin machine to bribe and blackmail is on overdrive heading into election year geo-stationary orbit.

After the Thin Blue Line politburo failed miserably in the eyes of most last week, except for a few actually doing the job, her indoors wants to remove all the grog shops in the area. In case you hadn't noticed, the nag has bolted. Nothing about addressing the real issues. With a politicised police force, soft sentencing and the drug trade. NZ is truly a land fit for criminals.

I note that she says it was Parliament that may have got it wrong. Not 'the Labour-led government' or the 'Fourth Labour Government of NZ' got it wrong. If the Nats had been in, it would have been very clearly worded in that direction.

Oh yes, the same government that gave us Rogernomics, GST, nuclear free zones, Resource Management Law Reform, the MoE and DoC. Also legalised males shagging males. All of which have done wonders for this country.

Enough of that, back to the spin cycle as we enter orbit. Her indoors is looking to bribe the general populace (must be an election soon?) to support her ETS. Well, only some (the part so necessary to get re-elected?) of the populace. Seems some are to get offered a bribe if we live in an under-insulated house. Yes, if you have an insulated home, you can afford it, therefore are not likely to vote for Liarbour or require such a handout. Just like the reasoning behind the other one-sided redistribution tax WFF. At least the tree-huggers say this plain unfair and suggest all homes should get an equal slice of the pie.

I wonder what history will say about this Fifth Labour Government? It is already a legend in its own lunchtime for being the most corrupt government in our short history. Perception is everything in this game.

Captain Bauble wants to PM

I couldn't believe this when I read it.

"A similar thing... happened in 1932, where the junior party presented prime minister Forbes,"

Now I know why he has stuck around for so long.

The ultimate bauble.

True costs being exposed

drivers had begun to resign in the past two weeks because they could no longer afford it.

Even though we've offered more petrol vouchers, I think they felt that the whole cost - the maintenance of the car and everything else about providing that service - is just beyond them

With the sharply rising cost of living, volunteers are looking very closely at their expenses, so much that their much valued service to our communities is being curtailed.

Similarly, parents are increasingly querying school 'donations' so necessary to day-to-day functioning of the long known not so free education at schools.

Principals:

It's one of the most dishonest things the Government's doing, saying education is free. We are having to fund more and more.

The model we're using to fund education is not working.

Education Minister Chris Carter:

"Every school is adequately funded but schools choose to raise funds from their community," he said. "Some principals are being, I won't say dishonest, but disingenuous when claiming half of their funds come from the community.

"It gets to a time when you've got to stop moaning and start teaching."

Good to see the government is on the case with its normal mantra of deny and denigrate. I would expect nothing less. Maybe if schools were actually fully funded, there would be no statutory management army of bureaucrats siphoning even more money out of the education cake. God forbid, teachers, instead of worrying about how to keep their jobs in an underfunded politically charged market, might actually begin to teach the 3R's.

In these hardening economic times, as recession bites early in the upcoming winter of discontent, those who try to lead us will exposed for their true costs.

Another IMD

While the power supply lakes are drying up faster than petrol drains my wallet, the government has proposed another Inquiry of Mass Distraction.

No chance of removing some of that excise tax? What about the double taxation - Grab, Snatch and Take on the excise taxes?

I thought not.

Six weeks should be enough to employ a few more bureaucrats, only to pronounce just before the election that there is nothing that can be done. Just enough though to distract.

A study in inertia

A, disliked by many, Mickey of Wanganui (or is that Fonganooe?) has been doing a study in inertia this morning. Like most other commentary in the leftie rag that is today's SST. Yes, Mr Plod did something far worse than running a 0800 Dial A Taxi service, it will forever be remembered for the institutional cowardice it displayed this week.

One thing that has surprised me is Raybon has gone nuclear while looking for better work stories. I always thought he was fervently on the other side along with all the other nutters who do not understand that we live in the atmosphere of a rather large reactor.

Well said

placing persistent reoffenders back in the community as an alternative to prison, does not work, either as a means of reform or protecting the community

Public statements by senior judges and politicians, saying 'prison does not work' and that 'community sentences are effective in reducing crime' are contradicted by hard evidence

So what if prison does not reform people: they are locked up and not harming the rest of society

A summary from someone with practical sense of where we should be with sentencing.

Ratepayer raped - was it good for you?

In these enlightened times where Liarbour's 'what me worry' message is obviously getting through, a council has flown a lump of rock first class halfway around the world.

Bugger the carbon footprint, fuel miles, the NZ airline subsidised the flight at great cost to the taxpayer for the culturally sensitive rock. Yes, that is all it still is - 35kg of rock.

Un-bloody believable in this day of skyrocketing costs. I wonder how many pieces of culturally sensitive Kiwi junk adorn the sister cities around the world? All delivered by junkets and paid for with your taxes and rates.

Was it good for you?

Police, State of

With all the richly deserved flak Mr Plod garners and commentary on the perceived ills within a newly politicised force, Mr Franks has been taking a close look at the Policing Bill that is on the table. He is neither impressed nor inspired.

Some principles that could be be utilised are

1. To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment.
   
   
2. To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.
   
   
3. To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.
   
   
4. To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
   
   
5. To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion; but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour; and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
   
   
6. To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
   
   
7. To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.
   
8. To recognise always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.
   
   
9. To recognise always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.

The above look very good principles, but are unfortunately not seen anywhere in our Policing Bill. As all witnessed in action the other day, Stephen suggests ours is more like officially sanctioned cowardice. I would agree.

BTW, the 9 principles were a summary in 1829 of modern policing principles. We need to align our Police to those lofty ideals of 175 years ago in modern practice. Until then I will never have confidence in the 0800 Dial A Taxi service.

Dyson slips one under the radar

I read it and thought that's good - if the offspring decided to vacate to AU or another non-socialist paradise, we could go without losing super.

Lindsay sees it slightly differently and I would have to agree. Could be quite expensive for the government.

One of the things I noted was (as I posted in comment on Lindsay's site) that they go to pains to point out the $500M difference between what they get from external super funds and what they pay as NZ Super to recipients in that group.

I wonder how much of the $700M they pay here is because the recipient, although entitled to external super from another country because they worked there in a past life, has actually resided here for more than 10 years.

I can think of examples in my family. My mother-in-law gets some UK pension which is swallowed by NZ Govt and served to her as full NZ Super. She has been here a big chunk of her working life and is well entitled under NZ laws to that super and would be part of that $700M.

I suspect the bulk of the $700M is not what it is deemed to be in this pr missive as a burden on the state, but a legal entitlement.

Oldies, pack your bags permanently for the Gold Coast and your grandkids. Goodbye Helengrad. Don't forget, last one out turn off the lights, there is a looming power crisis.

Councils put in their place

putting their own interests ahead of the interests of Auckland

waved little flags saying, 'We are the best'

would like to see the big councils expressing a view that put Auckland first.

What we get from each of them is expressing a view putting their own territories first

Naughty boys.

Something we have known for a long time and confirmed by the Chair about the empire builders at work in Orklund's local government is that parochialism abounds.

Yes, this is exactly why we need this inquiry to root out the rot that masquerades as local government and establish one city. One governance unit from the Bombays to the Bryderwyns. End of story.

Discretionary laws

Once again Ms King, The Minister of Police and Laws of Common Sense, has reached deep into her grab bag of legislature to cover every eventuality, notifying us of the intentions to ban cellphones whilst driving is to be discretionary.

Another diversion from Liarbour's fraudulent electioneering spend. So many diversions to offer in so short a time and no money to pay for upfront campaigns.

But, if laws are properly drafted in the first instance to cover all cases, why the need for such discretion? Either the cellphone is being used or not in said vehicle. A crime has been committed or not. I am sure that if I was sitting pissed in the driver's seat with key in hand, Mr Plod would quickly find some non-discretionary way of applying the law even though technically I was not operating said vehicle. Why should it be any different for any other crime?

Would that be the same discretion that is being applied to to all breaches of the EFA when it affects Liarbour?

Personal responsibility strikes again

• Large ticket items - very necessary for the normal life
  
• Interest in mid 20's - reflects true risk
  
• Drip feed arrangements - an expensive way to get money
  
• $50K to $60K on hock - all for liabilities, not assets
  
• Complaining poor - the good times are over
  
• Twice the household annual income - nice while it lasted
  
• Desperate - the bailiffs have been knocking
  
• Banks won't touch them - again, reflects risk
  
• Unaffordable debt - yes, we have our priorities sorted
• Unsecured debt - so risky we couldn't offer collateral
• Deferred payment / interest free debt - reality bites when you have to pay
  

Yes, generation XX-YY, or whatever numbers we are up to, is in the deep end, shovelling the brown stuff with a pitchfork.

As the true cost of living sky-rockets, they suddenly learn the value of why older folk, being much despised plodding capitalists, who might have amassed unnecessarily such assets as a house, using good debt to service a mortgage.

Personal responsibility bites again.

Impressive!

Savings of more than 10 per cent had already been made by cutting an "enormous" 66MW of power use - the equivalent of 600,000 homes reducing power by 10 per cent.

That is serious numbers. Even if households could achieve a 10% drop, let alone consistently, one company has been doing that since May. Any suggestion to take a potline off for further reductions is madness.

Bravo Zulu, Comalco.

Potlines were not designed to be switched on and off, and operated at their "most energy and emissions-efficient" when running with a stable raw materials and electricity supply.

Tell the government where to stick their lack of power planning. Cuts in an election year can only be good.

Unions after a cut of my rates

The heavily unionised council bureaucracy that is local governance in Orklund want their cut as a royal commission looks into their very existence.

I wondered when this group might surface. Every other trough swiller has had their say in how much they are doing the work of the Lord and need to be preserved on the rate payroll. As an extremely concerned ratepayer, one who actually pays their wages, all reductions in the trough suppers is good. Even better if it is a union flunky or a leeching consultant.

union would not expect any job losses as a result of change

members had no idea what was coming in the way of change. People were worried about their future, and were putting less into their jobs or looking for alternative employment.

They should be rightly concerned - I say bring it on and my reduce rates. This is exactly why a commission was required. To weed out those pen-pushing empire builders in our very own modern Gliding On. Now, if only we could also get rid of top level slurpers like Bob the eco-dinosaur, I could be real happy.

Monday Blues? Forget it - nice to know you're loved

It might be surprising news on a Monday morning - but a new survey suggests most New Zealanders are arriving at the office smiling.

Beer manufacturers were seen as more trustworthy than the accounting profession, the rugby union, Telecom or journalists.

Auction website Trade Me was regarded as more trustworthy than the police.

Yes, Mr Plod will remain at the bottom end till they improve their service. I saw last night on the telly that shop keepers rang the 0800 Dial A Taxi service for assistance - I think the rellies said the ambulance took 25 mins and Mr Plod took 45 mins to attend an armed robbery (now a murder).

On a different note, the economy is of particular concern to 33%.

The reason for those Monday smiles - them that actually pay taxes know that her indoors will be out their lives forever in a few short months...

Red Russell talking crap

After his desperate effort in readings the turds awash in the aptly named Motion's Creek over the weekend, a bored reporter has dug further into the waste outputs at Orklund Zoo.

3 sq m (sic) less waste went to landfills, less waste water was being hosed into the stream and the stats suggest

Water use had halved and its quality leaving the zoo downstream averaged what it was upstream.

Game over, Red Russell has been talking crap.

'Canute' Parker sees off doomsayers

I repeat that predictions by doomsayers that the lights are expected to go out as a result of low lake levels are wrong.

So says 'Canute' Parker as the rest of us wait for the forecast winter rains to keep the turbines spinning. Like his mentor all those years ago waited for the laws of nature to cease, he can but hope that those who practise the art of telling lies about future weather are right.

For, if they are wrong, Canute and the rest of his ilk will disappear with the outgoing red tide into the darkness.

Scatomantic alert!

Bill Ralston today reports that Red Russel has been practising the black art of scatomancy by examining hippo turds on the high tide with the local Sea Scouts.

Unable to find any more 'dirty dairy' cow cockies to photograph doing their doings in our waterways, he has taken to getting young boys to look at another aspect of the matter.

Always looking for that ever elusive political circuit-breaker that may indulge his fancies to sup at the trough, it may better for all of us, if, just like the hippos do so often in blissful silence, he submerges for a long time.

Boris again being mischievous

After our very own Bob the Builder got raked over the coals for comment on handling his starboard bollock, I wonder how gentleman Don might caution Boris.

Seems he works in the upper epidermis of a gonad, somewhere near the seminal vesicle. But I would definitely check the contents of the leftover wine.

Brazilian pic

Now that Whale has moved GWG from the front pages of his supposed sewer, possibly due to market forces, I see that MAWM has taken up the challenge with a pix of a Brazilian.

Team, that is.

Gorebull has to eat too

After lurking at Clint's shop, I was reading about 'Butter Face' whose good name has been besmirched when likened to a nag.

Then I got waylaid by an ad on one of the pages. Yes, I actually clicked on it, possibly donating $0.000000000000000000001 to someone's hit jar. Anyway, eventually ended up reading about another nagging nag.

Yes none other but the leader of the noo religion. Over at Deceiver.com, they had this say on the matter.

As everyone knows, WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE FROM GLOBAL WARMING. What you might not know is that in the process, you can do something for an unfortunate soul who could really use your help. Namely, Al Gore!

Al is the chairman of Generation Investment Management, a company that… er… I’ll let them tell it:

Generation has built a global research platform to integrate sustainability research into fundamental equity analysis. We focus on the economic, environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities that can materially affect a company’s ability to sustain profitability and deliver returns. Our research plays an important role in forming our views on the quality of the business, the quality of management, and valuation.

Exactly! And as part of all that, uh, stuff, GIM has just bought a $13 million stake in Camco International Ltd. And what do they do? They sell carbon offsets. You know, the things we’re all supposed to buy to make up for, say, flying all over the world in private jets and owning mansions that use 20 times more energy than the national average. Carbon offsets = Healed planet. Yay!

Now, some people want you to believe that Al Gore is “spreading global warming hysteria to benefit his own wallet.” Nothing could be further from the truth. He is selflessly devoted to saving our dying planet. He’s saving us from ourselves! And hey, if a few dollars happen to fall into his pocket here and there, is that so wrong? What have you got against an average joe just trying to make a living? Shame on you. I’ll bet you haven’t bought a single carbon offset today, have you? Tsk, tsk.

Reminder to self: Buy some carbon offsets - must help to heal the planet. After all, I mustn't materially affect the work of the Lord in sustaining profitability and delivering returns.

Really?

could disguise its true motives to the public, which revolve around lining the pockets of their insurance company mates

was less than upfront over the detail of its ... policy heading into the last election and appears set to do the same thing again.

So she will be talking to her mate Duynhoven about his third party insurance hobby-horse in the same tone?

HT Lindsay Mitchell

Apartheid has arrived in NZ

At the talkfest on local governance in JafaLand, it has been suggested that some positions within the future council be awarded by race. The groups pushing that wheelbarrow apparently have about 14% of population but are hard pressed to get any persons democratically elected into councils or onto community boards.

So knowing that PC options using culture and race fly well here in our country, the groups are trying to get to the table undemocratically.

While it is bad enough that NZ still actively continues to offer seats in our Parliament based purely on race, I certainly believe we should never want to go down that path at local government or elsewhere.

One problem underlying the issue is that like with many arguments before, the groups see themselves as, not a member of the wider population, but as a separatist elements.

That is seriously wrong, being the recipe for apartheid. Persons and groups supporting such a stand need to be taken to task. Should they wish to gain access to the trough of local governance, their views and desires, will like all other contenders in that game, have to reflect the general populace, not that of a select group. Only this week we have seen a loser candidate withdraw from the higher central government game because of the heat in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, I fear apartheid has arrived. It is a road NZ should not travel.

Politicians at their best

"I just decided that it was time to just move aside."

It may be barely legal, but the action is despicable. There is something really bad about what they have done here. Add this area of law to the long litany of electoral law that needs changing.

Those on the list should take their rightful place as decided and then publically resign. I suspect a public resignation would expose the real reasons to sunlight. Thank God I will never waste a vote on a tree hugger.

Politician's proving where they feed in the gene pool.

Anything to retain/acquire control.

Prime cuts from the farm gate to the plate

Now that Liarbour has created the sustainable climate for all manner of businesses to close, rightly ditching their expensive unionised workforces, the recent closure by PPCS of the local Oringi works is encouraging new delivery methods.

Bypassing the defunct works, we now see delivery of that prime cut from the farm gate, via the local homekill butcher, direct to your plate.

Just like her indoors will get a prime cut (and sub-prime cuts) delivered in November.

Election date soon to be revealed?

Prime Minister Helen Clark is fighting back following a disappointing poll and is challenging National to show voters the colour of its money.

Like a cornered rat, her indoors is demanding the government in waiting reveal policy as the polls truly reveal core support (or lack of it).

All prior to her setting a date for the election.

Time for a Tui.

Quote of the day

not only is the phone of the hook but a jumbo jet has flown into the telephone exchange.

HT Kiwiblog / Metcalph on latest polls

Depressed rich pricks

Cactus gets all sorts of depressed after examining how her liver will fare while pondering how to afford her bar tab.

All whilst the rest of us rich pricks are suffering penury, going to rack and ruin in a 1600cc shopping trolley.

The new Brethren?

While the Mayor of Manukau was being urgently attended to after his very public collapse, it is reported that some members of the media were also getting some very close attention.

Not very public though. The new thought police, Destiny, by all counts was monstering the media for their tapes.

No doubt, in the eyes of some in this secular state, doing the very necessary work of the Lord, but what links do they have to Liarbour, where votes in that catchment are so up for grabs?

Is this the red Brethren?