Kiwiblog

Last week I blogged about how a team challenging the vested interests at VUWSA had already faced an onslaught of staff lobbying against them in the elections, posters (allegedly produced by a political party’s youth section) labelling one member (who had left that party to join National) a “whore”, another rigged online poll etc.

Now voting started last Friday, and VUWSA has a rule you can’t basically campaign while voting so the A-Team has taken down their website etc to comply.

But surprising Salient this week had not one but five articles on the A-Team.  And these appear at a time when the candidates are banned from being able to publicly respond through say their website or through pamphlets. The issue includes stories on:

• Accusations of racism against two A-Team members
• A welfare column devoted to attacking the A-Team
• Report of a lobby group formed just to oppose the A-Team
• How the incumbent President would halve his pay if re-elected
• An environmental group attacked the A-Team
• Continued assertions the refund promised is illegal if fee paid for by student loan (despite the Govt saying they are fine with it)
• A story on how the Returning Office appointed by the incumbent Exec has said the individual spending limit of $100 per candidate also applies to the A-Team so they are limited to spending just $100 over all 14 candidates.

Now I am not saying Salient should not carry negative stories on candidates.  All for freedom of the press.  But to carry an avalanche of negative stories during the period where candidates are banned from being able to publicly respond strikes me as grossly unfair.

And it gets even better.  Vic student Chris Bishop submitted an article to Salient which pointed out that the A-Team have done a good thing by running as they have got people debating issues which deserve debate such as whether clubs should get $300,000 of central funding.

But you know what.  Salient said they could not run it, as it was election week.  So they can run an avalanche of negative stories and columns attacking one group of candidates, but they won’t run even one column which doesn’t even endorse them but points out the good stuff they have done such as publish a full alternative budget in advance.

And people wonder why I am so cynical about a compulsory association running its own elections.

Anyway in the interest of balance, I reproduce below the column by Chris which Salient refused to run:

A-Team article for Salient

Christopher Bishop**

 

If you’re like me, you’ll have spent the past week or so being assailed with advertising by a group of students known as the A-Team. You won’t have been able to miss the chalk in the quad and by the bus-stop, posters everywhere you can look, speeches and DVDs prior to your lectures, free sausages in the quad, and students handing out cards, fliers, and handbills.

 

You may have been annoyed by the advertising. You may think their policy of advocacy, accountability, and a $25 refund for every student is brilliant. You may think they’re going to gut clubs and rep groups, and so the price isn’t worth it. But whatever your political affiliations, I think it’s worth pondering just what the A-Team has done in this election. In my opinion they have fundamentally changed the way elections are, and will be, fought at Vic from now on.

 

They have invigorated a moribund students’ association where turn-out in elections had fallen to less than 1 per cent of all students. Most importantly, they have fundamentally challenged the political framework that VUWSA has long-operated under. With their policies on clubs and rep groups, the A-Team have started an important, and long overdue debate at Victoria about the proper role and function of a students’ association in a user-pays world.

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Whale Oil has a disturbing story about how allegedly a building owner who had an anti City Vision billboard on their site was threatened by a City Council Officer to remove the billboard, or their funding will be curtailed.

It is worth noting that the building owner was not the organisation that commissioned the billboard.  They just have the space available for commercial hire.

Ruapehu erupted a short time ago. Geo Net has data.

It began erupting tonight after 8 pm and is spilling lahars down two sides of the mountain. Early reports are of two injuries and one person trapped on the mountain. No evacuations yet but the roads are closed.One lahar ran down through the western boundary of the Whakapapa skifield on the mountain.

A geologist who monitored the eruption said it was like the eruption of June 17, 1996, which also occurred without warning. I was actually on the mountain for that one!

The Representation Commission has published the final boundaries for the 2008 election.  One can view maps at this link. I suggest people tick general (new) and general (existing) to get the best view.

Tne new seat is now called Botany. It takes in parts of Manukau East and parts of Clevedon and now leaves Pakuranga alone.  I think it will be a National seat on paper, but have yet to do a proper calculation. Maurice will be pleased that Pakuranga is largely left alone.

Seats which change their name are:

1. Clevedon becomes Papakura
2. Port Waikato becomes Hunua
3. Piako becomes Waikato
4. Ohariu-Belmont becomes Ohariu
5. Rakaia becomes Selwyn
6. Banks Peninsula becomes Port Hills
7. Aoraki becomes Rangitata
8. Otago becomes Waitaki
9. Tainui becomes Hauraki-Waikato

Oh yes they have added macrons to 11 Electorate names.  Ohariu is now Ōhariu.  That will create problems with domain names based on the electorates!

Overall pretty good for National as they now hold Taupo on paper, should win Botany, and retain their existing seats.  Not had time to check but I suspect marginal seats like Otaki , West Coast-Tasman and Rotorua may be a bit more favourable now for National.

100 years ago tomorrow (Wednesday) New Zealand effectively gained independence and become a Dominion instead of a Colony.

Incidentally 26 September is the day I would like to turn into New Zealand Day, keeping Waitangi Day also.

Anyway no better day than the 100th anniversary of (sort of) independence to have a debate on republicanism.

So in Auckland on Wednesday from 6 pm, there is a debate between the Republican Movement and the Monarchists League (plus Auckland University Debating Society) on whether it is time for us to become a republic.

The (free) debate is at the Pioneer Women’s Hall, cnr High Street and Freyberg Place, Auckland.

I’d be interested in hearing back from any bloggers especially about whether they would be likely to use a blog.nz address, if it was available.  Would people see it as a good identifier for their blogs, or does the address not really matter much?

Note I’m asking in a purely personal capacity, not on behalf of any of the bodies involved in deciding such things.

Personally I’d quite like kiwi.blog.nz

I’ve looked into the pros and cons of mandatory third party car insurance several times over the years.  There are good points on both sides of the debate.

The Government is doing the right thing by not legislating immediately and issuing a public discussion document.  That way one will collect all the arguments and see if there is a consensus on whether to proceed.

Of course this shows up their behaviour on the Electoral Finance Bill to be all the worse.  One has a public discussion document on third party car insurance, but not on the rights of the public to criticise politicians!!!!

Three recent items.

First I’m quoted in a story this morning in the Dom Post on another You Tube bullying episode. Basically saying the school needs to be using groups such as Netsafe to know what to do is stuff like this happens.  Netsafe have an excellent helpline which schools or students or parents can use.

Secondly the Northern Advocate has published the results of a poll my company did for them on the Whangarei mayoralty race.

Thirdly my book review of Chris Trotter’s book was in the Dom Post, weekend before last.  Enough time has lapsed that I hope they don’t mind me now posting a copy of it here.  It is mostly after the break.

 Chris Trotter introduces his book “No Left Turn” with a comparison of New Zealand to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, with the history of the last 150 years being a string of battles between Arthurs and Mordreds.

This illustrates very clearly the angle that Trotter takes.  There is no belief in the common view that most politicians are decent people wanting decent outcomes, who just disagree on how best to achieve those outcomes.  No, this is a battle of good vs evil.  The men and women labeled “New Zealand Mordreds” are responsible for “plots and schemes and violent interventions, like those of the original Arthur’s evil kinsman, have all too often perverted the leader’s quest for perfection into a sordid scramble for wealth and status or, even worse, the desire for social vengeance”. 

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I doubt anyone is surprised by Mark’s announcement today that he will retire at the next election.  He made clear a few months ago he wasn’t particularly enjoying the place.  I suspect he may have found it easier if he came in when National was in Government (Opposition can be quite soul destroying), but you generally never get to do without the other.

Mark talks about his friendship with MPs from other parties, and how he finds it hard to “hate” them.  I think that is slightly unfair on other MPs  to suggest they all hate their opponents.  In fact the old saying is your opponents are across the chamber, and your enemies in your own party!

What I think Mark is more alluding to, is that in politics you often have to do over people you quite like.  You don’t need to hate them, but you do need to fairly ruthlessly try and bring them down if they have stuffed up.  And that’s not the most pleasant thing to be doing.

When it is aimed at David Benson-Pope, who is near universally loathed, it isn’t an issue.  But it is a lot harder if it is someone like Damien O’Connor.  But it is important that Ministers are not held to a lesser standard just because they are more likeable.

The local media reported the shoplifting charges against Shortland Street actor Adam Rickitt.

However they missed the more news-worthy angle that Rickitt is also one of the hand selected “A-List” candidates for the UK Conservative Party.  I e-mailed top UK blogger Guido Fawkes, and now a story in the UK.

Throng have a nifty new TV Guide. Shows are weighted by popularity and members can customise to hide shows they don’t like.

Nat Torkington at O’Reilly Radar has a good review of it.

2004

“Name calling tactics such as this have absolutely no place in modern day local body politics”

- Dick Hubbard, newspaper advertisement, 19/8/04

2007

“John Banks is a silver-tongued, split-tongue, snake-oil salesman.”

- Dick Hubbard, Panmure candidate meeting, 21/8/07

What’s that word starting with H again?

Hat Tip: Aaron B and Whale Oil

I’ve had a few people ask me to share my thoughts on the other Wellington City wards, after my main WCC post, so will do so below.

Northern Ward

1. Robert Armstrong – experienced, hard worker, doesn’t grand stand
2. Hayley Wain – a new face who has taken her role seriously and deserves a second term
3. Ngaire Best – a former Councillor, strong community links, sensible
4. Ian Hutchings – another former Councillor who would be an asset.  Very strong on financial management and useful engineering background.
5. Roger Ellis – would be a good Councillor but competing with other candidates.  Useful business and community background. Former United Future board member.
6. Jonathan Fletcher – no profile but has sensible outlook and policies
7. Tane Woodley – demoted as he goes on about peak oil, otherwise looks ok
8. Mike Collett – too parochial – only focused on his ward
9. Jim Candiliotis – no policies
10. Helene Ritchie – Was sacked by Labour as Deputy Mayor in 1980s, not got better since.

Onslow-Western Ward

1. Andy Foster – Andy doesn’t need my help to get elected.  Most in his ward know him.  He’s involved in almost every major issue and works hard to get results.
2. John Morrison – A sensible Councillor and even potential Mayor one day.  Passionate about sports and rec especially but also about keeping costs down.
3. Jo Coughlan – Jo would be a great Councillor.  Vibrant, intelligent, positive about Wellington and with good business and community experience.  I went to Otago Uni with Jo and she is a great sort.
4. Jack Ruben – A crusader for causes but not a team player
5. Pauline Scott – Waffly bio, hard to work out what she would do or vote on.

Eastern Ward

1. Ray Ahipene-Mercer – don’t agree with him on a few issues, but he is respected for his work, and his willingness to work as part of a team.
2. Leonie Gill – not a high flyer, but well attuned to local issues.
3. Ruth Gotlieb – had a good run in the past, but now on DHB also
4. Rob Goulden – Rob’s policies are generally ones I agree with, but the real concern is his abaility to work with staff, the Mayor and other Councillors.  Rob would be higher if he hadn’t sued his own Council.
5. Josie Bullock – gets marks for clear policies!
6. Ian Macfarlane – is on the Executive of Grey Power
7. Paul Bailey – unknown quantity

Southern Ward (2 spots)

1.  Celia Wade-Brown – A Green Councillor but a good one.
2. Rex Nairn- like his focus on accountability for expenditure and debt
3. Ida Faiumu-Isa’ako – a strong community background
4. Shelagh Noble – a town planner which can be both good and bad.somewhat wishy washy bio statement
5. Bryan Pepperell – wants to keep penalising business, rates would skyrocket
6. Bernie Harris – lots of buzz words, no specifics
7. Lorraine Edwards -anti aquatic education centre
8. John Robinson – also oppossed to the aquatic education centre

Community Boards

Won’t give rankings for them, but people who I think should get a high ranking are:

Tawa -  Ngaire Best, Graeme Sutton

Makara/Ohariu -  Andrew Falloon, Christine Grace, Ruth Paul

All just my views of course.  Any candidate who feels hard done by is welcome to make their case in the comments.

National’s policy to consider allowing minority private sector investment in some SOEs has been public for months, so Bill English confirming it on Agenda is hardly anything new.  But it has allowed Clayton Cosgrove to predict the end of society etc etc.

First let us dispose of the nonsense about the Government needing the dividend stream from SOEs.  This overlooks that if the Govt sells say 10% of an SOE for $50 million, then that $50 million will generate a return either as it is invested into other things, or is used to retire debt.  Hell if one puts the proceeds of any sale into the Super Fund, you’d get a much better return.

The reason we have the Crown own certain SOEs is not just so that can make money out of it.  If that is the rationale, then the Crown would own every supermarket and every restaurant.

You have Crown ownership where it is  the most appropriate owner for that activity – usually because it is a monopoly also.  So the Crown owns Transpower because it is a monopoly.

Now allowing a minority private ownership means the Government still has overall control, and appoints the Board, but will give companies the ability to raise capital from private sources for investment etc, and the benefits of the discipline of being a publicly listed company.

One has to ask yourself, does the Crown need to own 100.0000% of:

• A company which supplies testing and QA systems  for agricultural products
• A company which provides food safety solutions
• A company which owns farms
• a coal mining company
• a forestry company
• a vehicle licensing company

If you say yes we must, then you should be prepared to argue for the state to own any garage in NZ, every forestry company, every source of power, every agricultural company.

Well I have the ballot paper, so time to vote.

Wellington City Mayoralty

The Mayoral election is pretty easy for me as I have known Kerry (and Rex) for a long time.  Not that I agree with Kerry on everything the Council has done – I do think spending has been too high, and the opposition to Transmission Gully annoyed me. And don’t even mention the Stock Exchange sign.

But none of the other candidates come close.  John McGrath looked good for a while but when your own brother disassociates himself from you, that’s not a good sign. And I’ve been surprised by the large number of people who have a negative impression of him. But would probably still be No 2 as I don’t believe in voting for candidates who are standing for both Mayor and Council.

Helene Ritchie will be ranked bottom.  People shouldn’t have to ask why. Probable order is:

1. Kerry Predergast
2. John McGrath
3. Ray Ahipene-Mercer – the best of the Councillors standing for Mayor
4. Rob Goulden – too many conflicts with others
5. Bryan Pepperell – not a team player
6. Jack Ruben – provides criticisms not solutions
7. Nick Wang – single issue candidate
8. Paul Bailey – unknown
9. Carl Gifford – unknown
10. Nick Kelly – communist
11. Helene Ritchie – her 47th attempt at Mayor

Lambton Ward

I’m going to be a bit boring here and vote for the three incumbents – in order Ian McKinnon, Alick Shaw and Stephanie Cook.  They’re a balanced team with Ian non aligned but from a conservative background, Alick standing for Labour (but sensible) and Stephanie being Alliance/Green background.  All three make a good contribution, even if I obviously disagree with Alick and Stephanie on some issues.

The second Green candidate, Iona Pannett, is campaigning hard.  And I give her kudos that she actually knocked on my door.  But having two out of three Ward Councillors from the Green Party would be unbalanced.   I want a Council that doesn’t go crazy with huge rates increases.

1. Ian McKinnon
2. Alick Shaw
3. Stephanie Cook
4.  Michael Durrant – for low rates
5. Iona Pannett – would make the Council unbalanced but prospect for the future
6. Ed Van Son – little known but focused on core services
7. Callum Strong – little known, potentially anti all development
8. Frank Lawton – unknown

Capital & Coast District Health Board

Generally I avoid voting for those actually employed or funded by the DHB, such as Doctors.  They generate terrible conflicts of interest and we have seen elsewhere how badly they get managed.   The seven I would put top are:

1. Judith Aitken has a good reputation as a sensible administrator
2. David Chamberlain has useful professional experience also
3. John Cook – has significant NGO governance experience in the health field
4. Gordon Strachan – has wide ranging governance experience
5. Virginia Hope – has a medical background but employed by ESR not CCDHB and has experience on another DHB
6. Felicity McLennan – looks ok on paper.
7. Ruth Gotlieb – reliable
8. Margaret Faulkner – has some useful experience but too ideological
9. Donald Urquhart-Hay – highly respected doctor, but again some conflict
10. Hayley Wain – has been a good City Councillor but prefer people serve on just one public board
11. Kent Clark – made little impact as a Councillor
12. Trisha Inglis – there just to get more money for Kapiti
13. Michael Appleby – DHB not the place for Legalise Cannabis politics
14. Sandra Patton – too ideological
15. Karen Coutts – too party aligned
16. Petra Van Den Munckoff – too party aligned and huge numbers of conflicts
17. Peter Roberts – totally conflicted as employed by DHB, and former head of doctors union
18. Coltyn Shaw – unqualified
19. Adrian Webster – a retired and presumably bored “social justice advocate”
20. Jim Delahunty – beware anyone describing themself as a “health activist”
21. Helene Ritchie

Wellington Regional Council

We need five Councillors for the Wellington City ward.

1. Fran Wilde – an superb Mayor, and a real doer.
2. Judith Aitken – very solid
3. Mike Gibson – keeps things lively, and is indpendent
4. Hugh Barr – good conservation focus
5. Bernard Darnton – would be a good voice for less regulation
6. Sally Baber – incumbent, not heard anything bad
7. Tony Coard – his technical background may be of use
8. John Gilberthorpe – experienced
9. Michael Fleming – looks to have solid background
10. Chris Laidlaw – was not a successful MP
11. Daran Ponter – talks about fast broadband access but this is a TLA not a RC issue
12. Yvonne Legarth – seems a bit inexperienced
13. Michael Appleby – perennial election candidate
14. Paul Bruce – prefer parliamentary politics left out of Regional Council
15. Matt Barclay – unknown
16. Ian Hamlin -unknown
17. Thomas Morgan – Thomas specialises in coming last

Feel free to post your own orders in the comments.

Okay’s here’s a great site that will appeal to the left especially.  You can spend hours inflicting nukes, floods and meteors on Kiwiblog.  One can also send in snails or dinosaurs, plus various bodily excretions.

Go to Net Disaster and put in the URL of the site you wish to destroy, and choose your preferred disaster.  Some of them you can aim yourself.  Lots and lots of fun.

Well this story puts the old Brady Bunch in a new context.

It has long been known that Greg once went on a date with his mum Carol, in real life.

But a new book reveals that sisters Marcia and Jen had a lesbian sex romp together.

I never knew the series was set in Tasmania!!

A few pics from the big 4-0 on the 11th.

The amazing Spider Pig cake made by Aimee. If you don’t know who Spider Pig is, check Wikipedia. The theme song is very catchy.

Former flatmates Emma and Anna.

Creative genius and all around good guy John Ansell and Young Nats capo Alex Mitchell.

‘

Bill, Chris and myself.

A group of gate crashers who I have never met before!

And this will teach Gabby a lesson for having that one drink too many!

Matthew Hooton writes in the SST on the sinister language used by Labour in defending the Electoral Finance Bill:

This week, Steve Maharey, a man Labourites seriously promote as a potential prime minister, told parliament: “The intention of (the Electoral Finance Bill) is to capture people like the Exclusive Brethren, not the Catholic Church.” A potential Labour prime minister actually said that in our parliament, but it gets worse.

No less than the deputy prime minister, Michael Cullen, asked the justice minister to amend the bill so that the Catholic Church’s planned anti-poverty campaign would be allowed to proceed, on the grounds that it would support Labour’s Working for Families policy, in contrast to something the Brethren might say.

That, too, was actually said in our parliament. Our deputy prime minister and a potential Labour prime minister are openly arguing that some religious groups should be allowed to express their views, while others should not.

Labour often talk about how they will change the Bill so it won’t affect legitimate groups.  This suggests there are some groups which are illegitimate and should not be allowed to have a voice.  Matthew also provides some good quotes, worth reflecting on:

As an historian, Cullen must have read the words of Robert H Jackson, the chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials: “The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.”

Maharey has surely read Noam Chomsky: “Goebbels was in favour of free speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you’re in favour of free speech, then you’re in favour of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise. Otherwise, you’re not in favour of free speech.”

Both must have read George Orwell: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

This is absolutely correct.  There is no virtue in defending the right of free speech for views you agree with.  The virtue is in defending the rights of people whose views you despise and think are totally wrong.

Finally Matthew reminds us of a classic New Zealand movie, which some took to be aimed at showing what life in NZ under Muldoon could become:

Politically motivated sackings. Ministers deciding which religious groups should be allowed to speak. Bureaucrats being instructed to peddle propaganda for the ruling party. Registers of political activity. This is not a scene from Sleeping Dogs.

It’s our reality, today, under Clark.

Maybe Mike Moore had a point after all!

A brilliant move by TV3 to have Linda Clark join Duncan Garner on their new breakfast TV show for a weekly politics discussion.  They both have a wicked sense of humour so will be great for that relaxed timeslot.

That’s enough reason for me to program it into the My Sky.

Of course I remain a fan of TVNZ’s Breakfast also.  Paul Henry’s sarcasm and irreverence is a deligh, and it seems I am not alone in thinking so.  Facebook has a Paul Henry Appreciation Party, with over 200 members.

Policies include:

• altering free speech laws to make criticising Paul Henry illegal
• adding NCEA Level 1 Paul Henry Studies as a compulsory requirement for University Entrance
• shifting the celebration of Christmas to Paul Henry’s birthday as it is a more appropriate date to celebrate the birth of our Saviour

I think Pippa Wenzel should read out some of the policies and comments on the show!

As if NCEA hasn’t been bad enough, now the new curriculum due out in November will shift the focus from knowledge to skills. Knowledge we are told is no longer needed as according to the Ministry of Education:

“there’s no use (students) being little knowledge banks walking around on legs … We’ve got computers, we don’t need people walking around with them in their heads… People just have to get used to that.”

So how will this system work.  The SST gives us examples:

•  Social science students will be marked for taking action to make their community a better place to live, rather than remembering facts about a society on the other side of the world
• Science students might be tested on whether they know how to design an experiment, rather than whether they remember what the result should be

Now one knows how bad the situation is when both the PPTA and the Education Forum says the changes go too far.

So there is now no need for students to remember “facts, historic dates or periodic tables”.  By this logic there is no need to learn multiplication as we have calculators.

I’m not sure what their policies are but the Polish Women’s Party appears to be against the communists, so well worth supporting!

Hat Tip: Guido Fawkes

Oh I had forgotten how good a columnist Ralston is, with his having become a suit for so many years. First his take on the pan-Christian party:

What lunatic thought it was possible to unite a religion that’s been riven with rifts for 2000 years?

Let’s take a conservative Catholic like Copeland, lump him in with a charismatic Pentecostal pulpit-pounder like Tamaki, biff in the Sallies, the Anglicans, and some of the Pacific Island churches, and form one, single united Christian political vehicle.

Most of these believers have been burning each other at the stake for centuries and it would be like expecting Sunnis and Shiites to form a coalition.

And then on ACC:

Of course, nuttiness is not confined to the minor parties. It seems to have spread through the Government and into its departments. National MP Anne Tolley raised the case of meat company Affco owing ACC a million bucks because one of its off-duty freezing workers was having a smoke in the company car park and was promptly shot by a gang member.

Unbelievably, ACC regards this as a work-related injury and wants the freezing company to fork out the loot.

Where in the wounded man’s job description was the clause saying, “As directed, you will be required to wander off site and get blown away by a bunch of passing criminals”?

Believe it or not, the minister in charge, Ruth Dyson, staunchly defended the lunacy from ACC, and Affco has wearily resigned itself to going back into meditation knowing it would not get any sense out of Government.

Dyson should have told ACC to pull their head in, and/or change the regulation so that gang related shootings in car parks are clearly not work related injuries.

Interesting story in the HoS about how Aussie lawyers have pulped a book by Wendyl Nissen.  It seems the level of candour was too much for one of her formal bosses who pressured HarperCollins.

I did enjoy some opf the extracts in the HoS:

On hustling for an exclusive contract with Lorraine Cohen (which she eventually achieved):

“No, you cannot fly to Malaysia, disguise yourself as a nun and smuggle a contract into a prison to Lorraine Cohen,” said the boss. [Paul Dykzeul, head of ACP Magazines New Zealand at the time.]

“Actually I can do whatever the f**k I want to!”

Now that is dedication to getting the story!

Just checked how many registered users there now are on Kiwiblog, and it is 666!

Miranda gets the “magic” number.