Kiwiblog

The Winston billboard is on TV3 tonight and if you want a laugh, you can see me looking terrified in a cherry picker as I actually got to do some of the stapling. I couldn’t resist giving Winston an eyebrow piercing while up there

Half the time I was smiling at the thought of Winston driving past this. Half the time I was not enjoing strong gusts of winds and looking semi-petrified. Me and heights don’t go well together.

There were lots and lots of waves and toots of support as it was going up.

Linley Boniface wrote an amusing column in the Dom Post about how Stephen Franks is in love with her.

First he invited her to a friend’s place, and then he left a Sorry I missed you card on her doorstep. Then he knocked on the door of her friend’s place when she was there, followed by an invite to coffee at a cafe.

Alas for Linley she finds out Stephen is married, and the invite was for her and a friend, and she has “no interest in being part of a foursome”

Stephen responds to Linley on his blog.

Good to see Stephen hard at work. Linley complains she has not heard anything from Grant Robertson – and says she assumes he is campaigning while being in a witnes protection programme

Pundit have put together a US-style political quiz for NZ. Rate what issues are important to you and then answer some questions, and it tells you what party you are closest to.

1. 78% similar to ACT
2. 75% to National
3. 65% to United Future
4. 55% to NZ First
5. 45% to Progressive
6. 44% to Labour
7. 38% to Greens

It’s a nice wee quiz – well done to Pundit.

The image above is being erected onto a billboard on Hewletts Road, Tauranga at 10 am this morning.

We hope the residents and visitors of Tauranga and Mount Mauganui enjoy it.

It has been planned for some time. It is pure coincidence that it goes up the day after television reveals that Winston aggressively lobbied for Owen Glenn to be appointed Consul to Monaco. But we are very happy with the timing.

Winston does have some support still. Apart from Helen and certain left wing blogs, Winston has gained an endorsement.

It is from Kyle Chapman:

Q: i am wondering who should i vote for in the upcoming election.

A: It has to be NZ first, ignore the antimedia.

Now who is Kyle Chapman? He is the former national director of the New Zealand National Front.

It’s nice that white nationalists and neo-nazis have guidance on who to vote for.

Hat Tip: Whale Oil

One News revealed tonight that Winston Peters aggressively pushed for Owen Glenn to be appointed Consul to Monaco, despite denying he did so. The Government has refused for eight months to release this information, but finally the Ombudsman forced it out of them.

The documents show Peters on multiple occassions asked for progress and was reported to be testy that MFAT were taking so long to do it. Watch the video for the full details. MFAT concluded:

A report prepared in November concluded that the position was marginal and if it did go ahead they recommended another candidate named Franco Repetto, saying he lived in Monaco full time while Glenn was there just three months a year.

Now it has been established that Winston Peters knew about the donation when it was made in 2005. It was also cleared with Mike Williams at the time, and Helen Clark knew about it either also at the time, or at the latest in February 2008.

Clark sat on this info for at least six months, claiming not to know if it was true. This is despite the fact she would have been aware that Peters had been aggressively pushing for Glenn to be appointed Consul.

Did Clark notify the Cabinet Secretary or the MFAT CEO about the (then alleged) donation from Glenn to Peters? Did she tell them that Owen Glenn had confirmed to her he made a donation?

Clark’s ethics are amazing. She is aghast at Gerry Brownlee having 1,000 shares in Contact Energy several years ago, yet she has no problem with her Foreign Affairs Minister receiving $100,000 donations from individuals and then aggressively pushing to give them a diplomatic appointment.

This is not an isolated case. Clark knows that the Vela Family have donated around $250,000 to NZ First and indeed $40,000 to Peters personally (paying off the Clarkson debt). And she knows that Peters forced her Government to agree to very generous funding of the racing industry, against advice of officials.

And what is her response to this? Totally unconcerned. She keeps paying Winston a Ministerial salary even though he won’t even front up to a debate on foreign policy. She says she’ll happily work with him after the election, so long as it increases her chances of desperately clinging to power.

The hypocrisy of her suggesting Peter Dunne should relinquish a Ministerial warrant for expressing a post-election coalition preference, while keeping Winston on despite multiple proven lies, false evidence and basically corrupt behaviour.

This is Helen Clark’s world. If you are willing to vote for her to remain Prime Minister, she will turn a blind eye to any amount of misdeeds or worse. Hence in her mind there is nothing wrong with calling for Peter Dunne to resign his warrant, but keeping Winston Peters on.

This reinforces for me why we need an Independent Commission against Corruption. She covered up over Taito Philip Field with an inquiry given no powers. She kept quiet for months about Winston, and the latest stuff with Shane Jones is being dealt with by way of a Departmental inquiry which by definition can not investigate the Ministers involved.

The Greens are often a contradictory party. They stand up for civil liberties on the one hand, but want to ban almost anything they disagree with or think is bad. They advocate in favour of scientists when it comes to climate change, but campaign against science when it comes to genetics.

In many ways they are the ultimate nanny state party. The list of things they want to ban puts Labour in the shade. In recent days I got wondering how many things do they want to ban? So I engaged my masochistic side and decided to find out by reading every Green policy they have released. Yes I have now read every single one. And below is the list of 85 things the Greens want to ban.

Now of course with any list that long, there might be one or two different people agree with. But what is scary is looking at the list as a whole, and seeing how banning is their first instinct.

Now this is only stuff they officially want to ban as detailed in a policy statement. I haven’t even attempted to go through the masses of press releases and speeches where MPs have advocated additional bans on anything that moves. So this is a conservative list.

1. Ban fizzy drinks from schools
2. Ban fuel inefficient vehicles
3. Ban all gaming machines in pubs
4. Ban the GCSB
5. Ban violent TV programmes until after 10 pm
6. Ban feeding of antibiotics to animals that are not sick
7. Ban companies that do not comply with a Code of Corporate Responsibility
8. Ban ACC from investing in enterprises that provide products or services that significantly increase rates of injury or illness or otherwise have significant adverse social or environmental effects
9. Ban commercial Genetic Engineering trials
10. Ban field testing on production of GE food
11. Ban import of GE food
12. Ban Urban Sprawl
13. Ban non citizens/residents from owning land
14. Ban further corporate farming
15. Ban sale of high country farms to NZers who do not live in NZ at least 185 days a year
16. Ban the transport by sea of farm animals, for more than 24 hours
17. Ban crates for sows
18. Ban battery cages for hens
19. Ban factory farming of animals
20. Ban the use of mechanically recovered meat in the food chain
21. Ban the use of the ground-up remains of sheep and cows as stock feed
22. Ban animal testing where animals suffer, even if of benefit to humans
23. Ban cloning of animals
24. Ban use of animals in GE
25. Ban GE animal food
26. Ban docking of dogs tails
27. Ban intrusive animal experimentation as a teaching method in all educational institutions
28. Ban smacking
29. Ban advertising during children’s programmes
30. Ban alcohol advertising on TV and radio
31. Ban coal mining
32. Ban the export of indigenous logs and chips
33. Ban the use of bio-accumulative and persistent poisons
34. Ban the establishment of mustelid farms
35. Ban new exploration, prospecting and mining on conservation land and reserves
36. Ban mining activities when rare and endemic species are found to present on the mining site
37. Ban the trading conservation land for other land to facilitate extractive activities on.
38. Ban the further holding of marine mammals in captivity except as part of an approved threatened species recovery strategy
39. Ban the direct to consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals
40. Ban sale of chips and lollies on school property
41. Ban any additional use of coal for energy
42. Ban fixed electricity charges
43. Ban further large hydro plants
44. Ban nuclear power
45. Ban further thermal generation
46. Ban private water management
47. Ban imported vehicles over seven years old
48. Ban the disposal of recyclable materials at landfills
49. Ban the export of hazardous waste to non OECD countries
50. Ban funding of health services by companies that sell unhealthy food (so McDonalds could not fund services for young cancer sufferers)
51. Ban healthcare organizations from selling unhealthy food or drink
52. Ban advertising of unhealthy food until after 8.30 pm
53. Ban all food and drink advertisements on TV if they do not meet criteria for nutritious food
54. Ban the use of antibiotics as sprays on crops
55. Ban food irradiation within NZ
56. Ban irradiated food imports
57. Ban growth hormones for animals
58. Ban crown agency investments in any entity that denies climate change!!
59. Ban crown agency investments in any entity that is involved in tobacco
60. Ban crown agency investments in any entity that is involved in environmentally damaging oil extraction or gold mining
61. Ban non UN sanctioned military involvement (so China and Russia gets to veto all NZ engagements)
62. Ban NZ from military treaties which are based on the right to self defence
63. Ban NZers from serving as mercenaries
64. Ban new casinos
65. Allow existing casinos to be banned
66. Ban promotion of Internet gambling
67. Ban advertising of unhealthy food to children
68. Ban cellphone towers within 300 metres of homes
69. Ban new buildings that do not confirm to sustainable building principles
70. Ban migrants who do not undertake Treaty of Waitangi education programmes
71. Ban new prisons
72. Ban semi-automatic weapons
73. Ban genetic mixing between specieis
74. Ban ocean mineral extractions within the EEZ
75. Ban limited liability companies by making owners responsible for liability of products
76. Ban funding of PTEs that compete with public tertiary institutes
77. Ban the importation of goods and services that do not meet quality and environmental certification standards in production, lifecycle analysis, and eco-labelling
78. Ban goods that do not meet quality and sustainability standards for goods which are produced and/or sold in Aotearoa/New Zealand
79. Ban new urban highways or motorways
80. Ban private toll roads
81. Ban import of vehicles more than seven years old unless they meet emission standards
82. Ban imported goods that do not meet standards for durability and ease of recycling
83. Ban landfills
84. Ban new houses without water saving measures
85. Ban programmes on TVNZ with gratuitous violence

If you discover further things they want to ban, add them on below!

Infometrics is predicting a second recesson in 2009!

New Zealand has been in recessions since the end of 2007, with negative growth in Q1 and Q2 2008. It is widely expected that Q3 will also be negative.

So Infometrics seem to be saying Q4 might be marginally positive, but then in 2009 Q1 and Q2 will be negative again.

If they are right, the decade of deficits just got worse.

The NZ Herald reports:

Mr Henry – who has a close relationship with Mr Peters – said yesterday that the money was held in a lawyer’s trust account until the Susan Couch trust was set up properly and incorporated in September.

The trust account was that of Dennis Gates, another trustee of the Susan Couch trust and also a solicitor for Mr Peters.

So the money owed to the taxpayer went into a trust account of Winston’s solictor and then months later transferred (with interest) to the Susan Couch trust account controlled by Winston’s solictor and barrister.

Mr Henry said he asked for the money for the Susan Couch trust.

“Heaps of idiots turned down donations so I rang up Winston and said ‘hey, I’ve got a charitable trust here which won’t turn you down’,” he said.

Not idiots Mr Henry. People who realise that there is a moral component to this issue – the money is owed to the taxpayer and shouldn’t be given away to pet charities. Also these “idiots” probably calculated that they would lose more money in the long term by accepting the donation.

The setting up of the trust was not yet complete and final clearance from Inland Revenue was required.

So four months after the donations were made, the charity that got half the $158,000 isn’t yet registered as a charity.

I guess they couldn’t find any established charity to take their money.

One sentence worth extracting:

Helen Clark has resurrected a goal of getting into the top half of the OECD in wealth but is promising more of the policies that have taken us down, not up, that ladder.

Indeed.

The Herald profiles Northcote. Some extracts:

Mrs Hartley, who retired as a list MP at Christmas, said her loss to the young medical doctor was mainly due to Northcote’s tradition of swinging between National and Labour.

However, community activist Tony Sharrock, who brands himself a left-wing socialist, said Dr Coleman won votes with his willingness to take up the residents’ main concern – the traffic congestion on Onewa Rd. …

Nice praise.

Mr Sharrock: “Jonathan attends everything. He listens and tries to help people when he can, regardless of their political leanings.”

That is the trick to keepng a seat. Build up a reputation as an excellent electorate MP, and you attract support from voters of all parties.

I don’t think Northcote will be regarded as a marginal or singing seat in future.

I thought it was interesting how restrained everyone was. Winston, for example, was being very constructive and making serious points. Maybe they all realised the usual squabbling would sit badly with voters in such uncertain economic times.

Not sure if there are any winners or losers from it. How did others find it?

Not quite what you may think. Enjoy.

Winston Peters is the (suspended on full baubles) Foreign Minister of New Zealand. Yet he refused to take part in the Radio NZ debate on foreign policy. That is amazing enough. I’d ask the Prime Minister what she thinks of a Foreign Minister who won’t debate foreign policy?

But having been too busy to debate foreign policy, he did find time to ring up Radio Live talkback and attack host Matthew Hooton, journalist Phil Kitchin and others.

I asked Matthew whether Winston actually provided any useful information such as a guarantee the money would go to Susan Couch, despite still being with the trust months after he announced it. Matthew laughed and I realised how ridiculous my question was – asking if Winston actually provided useful information.

In Auckland we interviewed three National MPs. First was Judith Collins MP for Clevedon and candidate for Papakura.

Judith became MP for Clevedon after defeating the incumbent MP, Warren Kyd, for the nomination in 2002. She then went on to win the general election by 3,127 over Dave Hereora. In 2005 Judith scored a massive majority of 12,871 in Clevedon. However a big change in boundaries sees her paper majority cut to an estimated 6,820 in the new seat of Papakura. So still far from marginal and Judith is expected to be a front bench Minister if National wins.

Judith says law and order is the biggest issue in her area. Says people just want the crims locked away.Favours looking at a law change to protect shop keepers defending their stores. For the US election, Judith is a strong supporter of John McCain – partly a reflection of her work in NZ with Vietnam Veterans. Says McCain is a man of incredible courage, decency and tenacity. However predicts Obama will win.

Finally she predicts Goff will get there first, but not last long. Personally hopes Cunliffe gets it, and all National MPs are hoping it is Cunliffe!

The SST has a bit of a profile on Bronagh Key. Some extracts:

Born Bronagh Irene Dougan on November 14, 1963, John Key’s wife is the daughter of Northern Irish immigrants. Joseph, a Catholic, and Irene, a Protestant, were married in Christchurch in 1960 and worked in the Feltex shoe factory.

“They were hard workers,” Bronagh told Australian Women’s Weekly. “After coming home from the factory, dad would have dinner and go out to work a second job in a hotel.”

And how they met:

A school reunion website identifies a Bronagh Dougan at Isleworth Primary School in 1974. She met her husband at Burnside High School; the 16-year-old was biking to a friend’s house reflecting, reportedly, on a failed economics exam: “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in life. I was thinking I might join the airforce.” John Key was tutoring her friend’s sister. There was, says one report, an instant attraction.

One version of what happened next has Key taking his mother to dinner at a restaurant where Bronagh was waitressing. He asks Bronagh on a date to the local A&P Show: “While we were standing in the queue for the dodgems, he told me he wanted to be a politician.”

The amazing thing is this didn’t scare her off

The Dom Post reports on the trust which has received the money that was owed to the taxpayers by NZ First:

A trust set up to receive half the misspent $158,000 that NZ First was ordered to repay was not registered till three months after Winston Peters announced he had donated the money to charity, documents reveal. …

Mr Peters’ so-called “blood-brother” and lawyer Bryan Henry, his solicitor Dennis Gates, and Mr Henry’s colleague Brian Coburn have full control over how the money is spent, including the ability to pay themselves all reasonable expenses. …

Ms Couch is not listed as a beneficiary or a patron, and the only mention of her is in the title of the trust. The three trustees have full control over where the money goes.

Meantime more fascinating information emerges on the trustees and settlor.  Whale Oil blogs:

Kevin Gillespie is heavily involved in the Trinity Forest tax avoidance case – with links not to the Cook Islands as Winston is so fond of, but the British Virgin Islands. Gillespie held all the directorships for The Trinity Foundation (and related entities) and was a shareholder of The Trinity Foundation

Fact – Winston and his legal advisors are and continue to be involved with an Accountant at the centre of NZ’s largest tax avoidance case where the defendants were found guilty of a $3.7 billion tax avoidance

Now I hasten to add this is tax avoidance, not evasion. So Mr Gillespie personally has not been found to have done anything wrong. But as Winston has spent decades railing against corporates who avoid tax, it is ironic he donates to a trust controlled by his personal lawyers and an accountant in the centre of a $3.7 billion tax avoidance.

There are multiple links to media stories over on Whale’s blog.

Also just to show how small NZ is:

And the individual lawyers involved and named as promoters in the Trinity case?

None other than the same lawyers used by Vela Fisheries in their Court of Appeal case which surprisingly related to – TAX.

A very small world it is.

It is significant that Peter Dunne has not just indicated a preference for National, but ruled out supporting a Labour-led Government after the election. There are probably a variety of reasons for this:

1. Genuine horror at what a very left Government with up to 15 Green MPs would be like. He realised there would be no shift towards the centre if Labour gets re-elected but a big big shift to the left.
2. A realisation that he may have trouble attracting support from voters wanting to change the Government unless they knew for sure a vote for United Future would be a vote for change. Now one can say that a vote for National, ACT or United Future are all votes to change the Government.
3. An assumption that in a Government made up of Labour, Progressive, Greens, NZ First and the Maori Party there would be no room for him in a role of any significance.

I welcome United Future’s decision. There are some people who won’t be able to vote National, but would feel able to vote United Future, and now they can do so knowing it is a vote to change the Government.

Also Peter Dunne is a highly experienced and capable Minister, and Governments need those. Dunne’s tax policy of three rates – 10%, 20% and 30% is a very good policy, and I would be happy to have him push that along in Governmeent.

The Herald speculates that John Key will use some of the $100 million in fees from the bank deposit guarantee scheme as an assistance package to those who lose their jobs during the recession:

Leader John Key hinted at the weekend he would this week unveil a scheme offering support payments and loans to people who lose their jobs during the turmoil.

The payments would be part of a wider move by National to help people get back into the workforce.

Any payment or support would be targeted and carry a time limit.

It would also probably be aimed at middle-income earners who have commitments such as mortgages but no savings to carry them through a period without work.

Smart thinking, if correct.

The Inquiring Mind has a copy of a graphic from the Herald looking at the facts behind Helen’s sneering at Key’s campaign as hermetically sealed.

So if we total up both weeks we have:

• Walkabouts – Key 11 to Clark 3
• Large advertised meetings – Key 2 and Clark 2
• Smaller community meetings – Key 5 to Clark 4
• Workplace type visits – Clark 10 to Key 7
• Photo Ops – Clark 3 and Key 3

The SST asked John key and Helen Clark to both do a Myers-Brigg type personality test. Clark of course refused, but Key was a good sport and did the 20 question test, which identified him as a “go-getter”.

The SST have published the full list of questions, options and answers. I’ll comment on what my answers would be also:

Section 1: Planner or Spontaneous?
1) When you go on holiday, what do you prefer to do?
Plan every detail in advance
Plan a rough itinerary in advance, leaving some time free
Look at a few options in advance, but only really decide when you’re there
You rarely plan, just book at the last minute and go with the flow

I am more go with the flow. In fact sometimes decide destination on the day by tossing a coin.

2) What statement best describes how you do your regular grocery shop?
You make a detailed list of everything you need to buy
You make a rough list to jog your memory
You don’t make a list, as you think it’s a waste of time
You don’t do a regular shop, you just go when you need to

Same. I do regular shop but no list.

3) You’ve been to a furniture store and have come back with some flat-pack furniture, like a wardrobe or a desk that you have to assemble. What are you most inclined to do?
Before you start, you check that all the components are there and that you have the tools you will need
You read through the instructions carefully first and then follow them step by step
You scan the instructions, although you don’t always follow them exactly
You leap in, only referring to the instructions if you get stuck

I only will refer to instructions after many hours of trying without them!

4) Which description fits you best?
You are a perfectionist and can’t leave anything unfinished
You need time, over-prepare and hate pressure
You’re scatty, forgetful and disorganised
You put things off till the last minute and are often late

I’m none of those really. Sometimes a perfectionist but sometimes put things off.

5) What happens when your local supermarket moves the food to different aisles?
You would notice and it would really bother you
You would notice, but you simply change the order in which you shop
You would notice, but it wouldn’t bother you as you have no set routine
You probably wouldn’t notice

Agree – very annoying.

Section 2: Facts or Ideas?
6) Of the following options which one describes you best?

Realistic
Efficient
Imaginative
Visionary

I would go for efficient for me.

7) How do you usually give directions to your house? Do you
Provide a step-by-step list of directions for the entire journey?
Draw a really detailed map that shows things like street names and roundabouts?
Just give general directions?
Sketch a rough map, as too many details can be confusing?

I send them a Google Maps location so guess that is step by step.

Which set of words best describes you?
Practical, thorough and stable
Realistic, enthusiastic and spontaneous
Inventive, imaginative and original
Creative, dynamic and adventurous

Probably the same – enthusiastic and spontaneous.

9) Which of these best describes how you do your supermarket shopping?
You usually go up and down the aisles in exactly the same order
You read and compare labels and prices
You’re attracted to new things or special offers that catch your eye
You vary the way you go round the supermarket depending on what you feel like buying

Same – special offers work on me. But I do always travel the aisles in order also.

10) Look at the picture below. Write down on a piece of paper what you see. Allow yourself about 30 seconds for this. Now choose which statement best describes what you noted down:
Is it a list of what’s in the picture?
A story about what’s happening in the picture?
Have you tried to find the hidden meaning in this picture?
Or lots of ideas inspired by the picture?

Section 3: Heads or hearts?
11) Which set of words best describes you?
Analytical, logical and objective
Decisive, driven and energetic
Caring, helpful and supportive
Complex, thoughtful and sensitive

That is hard – I put myself as analytical but also complex and thoughtful. Probably analytical, logical and objective is the best fit.

12) What would you do if you had to decide between two homes to move into?
List your ideal features and compare which place has the most
Compare the good and bad features of both
Go with your gut feeling about which is best
Think about how each place affects the other people in your life

Definitely gut feeling. You can not decide a home based on a list.

13) If your friend started dating someone you really disliked and asked you what you thought about their relationship, what would you do?
Be up front and honest about what you think
Try to be tactful  but still be truthful about what you think
Try not to hurt their feelings, changing the subject if necessary
Avoid hurting their feelings, telling a “white lie” if necessary

I’m in the upfront and honest category.

14) If you are with a group of friends and an argument breaks out, what do you tend to do?
Face the dispute head on
Try to find an answer to the problem
Try to meet everyone’s needs
Anything to avoid hurting people’s feelings

Try to meet everyone’s needs.

15) When you have to make a difficult decision, what is most important to you?
Arriving logically at the best choice
Being as fair as possible
Doing the right thing according to your own beliefs and values
Getting the approval and agreement of others

Doing the right thing according to my beliefs and values.

Section 4: Extravert or introvert
16) When you are out with a group of your friends, how much of the talking do you usually do?
Hardly any at all
A little less than most
Quite a lot
Almost all

Somewhere between quite a lot and almost all.

17) When it comes to expressing yourself do you
Hold back more, listening to others before speaking?
Think before you speak?
Think out loud?
Use your hands and facial expressions a lot?

I think out loud – far too often.

18) What are you like when you have to meet a group of new people?
You stick with the people you’ve met before
You spend your time thinking about how to keep the conversation going
You aim to mingle with as many new people as possible
You just go out and have fun

I sort of aim to mingle with as many new people – I like meeting new people.

19) Which set of words best describes you?
Cautious, thoughtful and loyal
Inquisitive, independent and contained
Lively, enthusiastic and energetic
Expressive, talkative and friendly

Hard one again – very very loyal but not very cautious. Highly independent and inquisitive so go with that one.

20) If you are in the middle of something important and the phone rings how do you usually react? Do you
Ignore the phone, or let the machine pick up?
Take the call, but deal with it as quickly as possible?
Answer it as you welcome the chance to talk to someone, but keep it brief?
Answer the phone enthusiastically and be up for a long conversation?

I ignore the phone now, but only if the caller is less important than what I am doing

So how many did I get the same as John? Only 7/20!

There are some questions the media should not ask – no matter’s whose spouse they are. The HoS asks Peter Davis:

I ask if they shower together, to conserve water. “No! No, no – we don’t use much water at all.” …

This leads to an inevitable question – does he like sex?

“Arr … err … hello, that guy took interest in what you just said,” says Davis, referring to another pedestrian.

Well, do you like sex? He mumbles for a moment. “Well that is a personal part of my life … and I don’t want to talk about that.”

I’m with Peter Davis on this one. I know there is a fascination out there with the Clark and Davis relationship. But really. Would a journalist ask Bronagh Key if she showers with her husband and whether she enjoys sex?

I actually feel very sorry for Peter Davis for all the shit he has to put up with. Helen is PM and a fair target, but he isn’t unless he gets involved politically (which he does from time to time – in fact my blog byline comes from a letter he wrote to the editor re the NZ Herald).

Oh and advance warning for comments – demerits will be handed out liberally for inappropriate comments. The issue is whether the media should be asking such questions – not what you personally think of their relationship.

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams has objected to Whale Oil referring to him as “mental” and demanded he stop doing so, or he will tell Cameron’s father on him.

The Mayor should know that if you want to get Cameron to stop, you don’t threaten him with his father – you threaten to tell his mother!!!