Some may be surprised
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm by David FarrarWas on Larry Williams just before six pm. Larry was defending recent utterances from National MPs, and I was criticising them!
The point I tried to make is it is not just about whether something is true or not. For example it is of course true that new roads built with a PPP will have tolls on them and sure the toll could be $3.
But the issue is whether one even wants to talk hypothetical prices on hypothetical roads. This allows Labour and/or the media to conjure up images of every road into Auckland having a toll on it. And many people do not read beyond the $30 a week toll headline.
TV3 did an item on Lockwood’s comments and talked to some local employers of seasonal labour and they said much the same thing as Lockwood. However my criticism still stands – in an election campaign you have to think five seconds ahead of what you say, and avoid giving needless ammo to your opponents.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Geez DPF I thought that was what I heard you say but I was on the run and had kids in the car so put it down to me not hearing right. What is the world coming too……..
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
TVI were right into it but then ran the Maori Party policy announcement which was obviously race based without any comment whatsoever in the next segment.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 pm
That’s exactly right. If Lockwood and Maurice had been much more disciplined in what they said, then it wouldn’t have been news. The day would have played out with the only political issue being John Key talking about harsher penalties for violence against children, and National would have won this day’s campaigning. Instead that message came second or even third in the political news today. The issue was Lockwood and Maurice. National lost today’s campaigning.
John Key dealt with it well by dealing with both issues quickly. National won’t win every day, and tomorrow’s another day, but National can’t afford that kind of stupidity to happen again. No doubt National’s caucus members have learned today the costs to them if they screw up: they’ll lose their cabinet posts.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:11 pm
One of the witnesses in the Nia Glasse case testified today
that she could smell cannabis in the little girls hair when she was at daycare.
Recently our PM in her visit to Otago University, when asked what she
would do about the cannabis laws said “It is time we had a proper debate”
I am sure that the average NZer is smart enough to figure out
Vote:what the really important election issues are, a PM pressured
by the Greens to change the law on cannabis or
Lockwood Smith saying that Asians have small hands
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Lockwood and Maurice are protected by electorates that unfortunately perform well, so the party puts no pressure on the local organisation or the MP to piss off and let some fresh faces get in. You should see the very elderly female “battleship” that Lockwood has for an Electorate Chair – she will NOT hear any criticism of her wee pet Lockwood. Average age of the Rodney Electorate Executive Committe is 85!!!!
Vote:National should insist that electorates hold selections every second term, that way dead wood like Lockwood would at a minimum face a challenge to their positions and at best be replaced if a better person goes up against them.
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm
You’re dead right DPF.
Vote:I had a discussion with a couple of coleagues ove a beer this evening. Their argument was, that Smith and Williamson were right. Of course they were. But,I argued, that that doesn’t matter a shit. The perception is, among the 60% of NZers that don’t read past the Lefty headlines, that the impact is negative on the electorate at large – not the discerning 30 – 40%
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
i was like you david deeply grumpy about what lockwood said but Tariana has forgiven him and if there is a yardstick to measure this issue by then i reckon it is her – and she was pretty upset but accepted his apology.
[DPF: I agree, and also like you think his comments on tape were not quite as bad as the original reports suggested]
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
get over yourselves. most people in marlborough know he’s just saying what employers there are saying. it’s nothing to do with racism. it’s the fucking truth. and most voters won’t have their minds changed despite the spin TV1 put on it. when will they get a decent political team? does espiner still wander round with his disha-dasha round his neck? says it all really.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Sack them!
They are both gobshites and will be dangerous in power!
Why should they have such a great job when they are actually very stupid.
In the real world they would be sacked. A true test of JK’s leadership qualities.
If he doesn’t then expect to lose!
They are rank idiots.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
You cant hang the guy for stating something that is factually correct. John Tamahere confirmed on Radio Live that the Toilet issues for the pacific island workers are true because they dont know how to use them. Several callers with Business experience in PNG confirmed as well. Nothing to do with Racism.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I’ve written a piece on my blog called telling the truth isn’t PC anymore.
DPF: Your ears should be burning after what I wrote!
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
After listening to the tapes its clear to me he has not been evil, just careless. Lockwood is badly out of practice – but then, come to think of it, very smart though he is, he was never the most sensitive and empathetic person as he went about his earlier job as a Minister of Education.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 pm
But Lockwood and Maurice can’t resist the temptation DPF?
Maurice Williamson’s comments are actually pretty innocuous. We all know the National Party supports roading PPPs and road tolling and has little commitment to developing public transport inrastructure.
That’s a given. And Maurice hasn’t strayed far from the line – it is just that the spin was wrong, because Maurice thought, probably correctly, that it was best to tell the truth about what the real level of the tolls would be.
Good on him! An honest politician, and, I must say, one of the few from the National Party for whom I have respect. He actually adds some honesty to politics.
Lockwood Smith, on the other hand, has delivered a slimy, bigoted and racist message that I hope and expect no-one in the National Party will support. If John Key has any integrity, and is prepared to stand on principle rather than exploit bigotry, he should sack Lockwood tomorrow from any spokesperson role or any role in a possible National-led Government.
Mind you, Clark should have done the same with Winston. But neither will happen.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
It’s really quite sad that telling the truth in these instances is the wrong thing to do especially if it is unpalatable. DPF, if this election is to be about trust then this is sadly necessary. Granted the manner in which this information has been imparted by Smith and Williamson was politically clumsy.
If the cost of having the infrastructure sooner is a partially toll funded PPP, then so be it. If Immigration issues with respect to migrant labour have issues that effect employers then those should be discussed.
The fact that this is becoming ammunition to the opposition is merely acknowledgement by Labour that they do not have as good a handle on these issues. Those with direct involvement with these issues, particularly immigration and immigrant labour, are in agreement with the sentiments stated. Is it wrong to discuss them? Is it wrong to state facts just because certain people who think a certain way find such thinking wrong in itself?
David, the irony is that I see your point entirely and I agree with it. I also wish that such truth telling could be taken in the context it was mooted, and not twisted by a political opponent who has publicly stated that this election was to be decided on trust, and to my mind has failed to deserve any trust at all.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
“Slimy Bigoted and Racist message?” C,mon Toad it was nothing like that. Racism was in the air today kicked off by the Michael Laws Show. I doubt if Lockwood Smith was jumping on the bandwagon.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
slightlyrighty: you’re missing the point. At this point in a campaign, it is about winning the election. Staying on message, not creating distractions. Whether Lockwood Smith thinks asians have smaller hands or not, or whether someone told him they had smaller hands or not, is completely irrelevant. What is relevant is the impact it has on the news cycle, and the likelihood that the media will distort what he said. Both parties face that, and the swinging voters in the middle might decide not to vote for the nasty Nats because they are racist. Despite the fact that it isn’t true and is a media beat up. He is a burk for giving the media that opportunity to beat up.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Edmund Burke said it better than anyone:
“Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”
Lockwood (and Maurice) told nothing more than what in their judgment was the truth, and in their judgment they determined that the public should know it.
In *my* judgment, that makes liars of most of the rest of the candidates in all parties and a good slice of the electorate. How fucking awful.. after the election there will only be two people there in Parliament who occasionally tell the truth and exercise their own judgment to determine right and wrong.
A pox on us all! We are going to send a bunch of slippery, dishonest shysters into the House to face up to the challenges we have and expect them to get us through with honour? How are the big parties going to handle Peters and the Maori Party bottom line of enshrining the racist Maori seats in legislation, the economy etc.
If you want to see why NZ has performed so poorly over the years.. look no further than to the quality of our MPs who can’t be trusted to exercise their judgment as to what’s best for the country.
JC
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I agree with you DPF for slightly different reasons.
Williamson was doing nothing more than stating what will be the reality when road pricing hits as it will inevitably do. The gap in the information is what will PPP projects cost and what would these projects cost if the state attempted to augment public funding with an income stream. National ought to be brave and talk about what their policies will actually mean. All cudos to Williamson for trying to do so.
Lockjaw Smith’s comments are different however. They display a sense of superiority and paternalism and a chronic lack of understanding and empathy that I do not want any Minister ever to have. And they are just wrong and bigoted and deeply insensitive. Did you know that Samoa had a democratic system in place 4,000 years ago? To suggest that the “darkies” are not as civilised as us white folk is barbaric beyond description. And it is not true. Anyone suggesting that it is really needs to spend a few years in the real world which is actually an incredibly diverse and exciting place thanks to ethnic differences.
Why would National have a Samoan candidate if one of their senior members is going to speak so disparagingly of his people?
Thanks Lockjaw. With a stupid yet honest comment you have managed to undo hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Crosby Textor advice and advertising.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
JC,
You’re right, we now have these dreadfully boring sanitized campaigns where candidates are allowed to blurt out meaningless talking point and don’t get properly challenged by a weak compliant media
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Oops I should have said
“Thanks Lockjaw. With a stupid yet honestly believed comment you have managed to undo hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Crosby Textor advice and advertising.”
There is no way that I think that his comments had any relationship with reality.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 pm
And yet again the Left show their bigotry and gutter-politics, while trying to take the high ground against any personal insults directed at Labour MPs.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Tim – far be it from me to defend mickysavagemouse, but that’s pretty normal from both sides of the discussion. Poor old Helen Elizabeth Clark gets called all sorts of things here (Frank’s Snaggle-Toothed Baritone Ghoul was my personal favourite!)
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I for one am not surprised about your criticisms of the senior members of the National line up.
National has a brand to protect, just like labour is desperately trying to protect its brand. While Lockwood was genuinely being sincere and talking about a distinct group of people (labour’s scheme) who were brought out for a few months work, unfortunately there is a huge bunch of precious dogooders ready to pounce on on anything that is not worded PC. Perhapse lockwood could have mentioned there were some sensitive cultural barriers that needed to be overcome and stated that he needed to work with both sides for a more Harmonious relationship. What he could not effectively say was the explicit truth that working around food products required good levels of personal hygeine or else our reputation was at stake. Shitting and pissing next to the grape vines and forgetting to wash your hands afterwards was not acceptable. Only the most looniest of the left (toad) would not agree that he was right. But what National does not need is a set of loose lips to give the opposition more room to criticise, no matter how much of a media beat up it is.
As for Mr Williamson, yes, lets not talk about the cost of roads that do not exist, nor are even planned! However, just Remember that Dental Nurse King recently talked about the proposed $2 toll for the tunnel to connect the SW motorway to the NW motorway. Labour has also planned the Auckland regional fuel tax of 10c per litre to fund electrifying a railway with electricity we do not have. An inflationary bottleneck to increase the cost of your Household electricity. That is worth talking about in my opinion.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
1. Asians do, in fact, have small hands
Vote:2. Some seasonal workers do, in fact, have to be taught to use a shower and a toilet, along with all manner of other devices with which they are unfamiliar
3. You, sir, are possessed of a brain which is defective. I suggest exercising your rights under the consumer guarantees act immediately. Failing that, you might try trading it for a festering lump of sewage. It would stand you in better stead.
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Tim Ellis
Gutter politics?
In the same vein as saying that Pacific Islanders are inferior?
I did not try and take the high ground against personal insults directed at Labour MPs, I have however been insulted by his comments against all Pacific Islanders, not to mention his crass generalisations against Asians.
I thought that “Lockjaw” was quite appropriate, he seems to have this inability to shut his mouth when he should realise that he should not be saying what he thinks.
Isn’t he the minister who in 1990 said he would resign if student fees were introduced and then introduced the fees and … did not resign.
Is it gutter politics to point out when a politician has broken a promise?
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
If Labour Ministers should resign on boken promises, there would be nobody left.
Micky Savage you are a plank!
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
UMR are nothing like Crosby Textor because?
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Many missing the point of this: The employment scheme is a marginal success (at best) for this country. Lockwood was only uttering this in his naive unusual way.
Vote:As a business owner in the Top of the South we see the effects of this scheme throughout the year. IF the scheme is part of our aid to less developed countries then it is an unmitigated success, in fact, bloddy brilliant. The labourers get to travel, see a country and help make NZ a 3rd world outfit by spending almost none of their wages here.
Aid success, socially marginal.
At risk of sounding like Lockwood et al & being branded a racist by those who know only PC shit this scheme could have been made so much better by simply changing the status of the jobs i.e. allow orchard & vineyard jobs to be picked up by backpackers & other travellers. There may/would still be a need for some of the ‘imported’ very low skilled, difficult to train staff but to nowhere near the current scale.
Rationale: The travellers/backpackers etc at very least enjoy their time by spending in stores, restaurants etc. For example my experience with Eastern & Northern Europeans (even though the Czech’s & Pole’s can struggle with English) is that they contribute to the local communities GDP.
Problem: this simple solution would require way less bureaucrats to administer and likely produce less votes for Labour.
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
So nice of you Mickey Savage to feel insulted on behalf of Pacific Islanders. I am Samoan and I didn’t feel insulted by Lockwood’s statements. I just thought they were stupid and politically irresponsible.
Please do not treat every reader of Kiwiblog as stupid. The expression you used was a deliberate smear about a person’s sexuality, the same kind that causes those on the Left to dismiss the “kiwiblog right”. You really do let your side down when you resort to that kind of trash.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:26 pm
southtop
A mate of mine set this up in Aussie: Grunt Labour Services
Being Australia there were not the social engineering considerations, they hire people who want to work, to earn.
It’s not a political thin – it’s seasonal Labour. WTF do the govt need to be involved at all except to enact a good legislative framework for casual employers, employees and agents.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Toad opines:
“Lockwood Smith, on the other hand, has delivered a slimy, bigoted and racist message”
Rubbish. He made some partially true generalisations.
Slimy and bigoted is what your leader Russell Norman is doing when he talks about “fundamentalists beating children”.
The Green Party is the most bigoted and zenophobic party in NZ next to NZF.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Tim Ellis
I was proud to discover recently that one of my ancestors was possibly the first Samoan immigrant to New Zealand, back in the 1830s. I describe myself as a Pacifican rather than as a European although the Samoan part of me is in the minority. Talofa to you.
I am totally disinterested in Smith’s sexuality. I apologise if “Lockjaw” has some sexual connotation but I must admit that I do not know of any. The phrase refers to his inability to close his mouth when he should. He has shown this inability on various occasions recently.
[DPF: I do not believe you are unaware of other connotations, but regardless do not use the term again please]
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 pm
And yet Hels gets away with persecuting religious minorities in New Zealand.
For Shame!
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Well said OECD.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
The OZ site looks good Burt.
Vote:What really shits me is that they’re (govt) is too thick or blinded by socialist ideals to realise how much this crap costs the country.
The vitivulturalists & orchardists have to jump through all sorts of hoops in the form of paper work… costs time & money
Their first line managers struggle with the cultural nuances of many of the workers, and more from those who struggle with western way of life. This adds to cost in the form of downtime, often damaged export product from orchards … etc etc generally frustration.
The ‘officials’ go around the farms checking…. not a bad way to spend a few weeks out of the office
The shops have people, often in large groups, wandering around not spending, when usually a harvest season in full swing means cash registers ringing.
The pubs/restaurants are also missing out.
Although there is an eerie upside: the churches love it (not the main stream anglican, catholic etc but the ‘new age varieties). They seem to believe they MUST safe these people. I even saw in Motueka, (last summer) a church had rented/used a disused shop on the main street to ‘collect/save’ these people on weekends. A table tennis table and some tea & coffee, a few chairs and plenty of those comic book bible stories. Staffed by some ‘well meaning zealots’ who jumped out of the doorway to invite orchard workers passing by in. I sat across the raod with a cold beer in the late summer late afternoon sun & watched wondering what have we come to…. not for long though, the beer was good and company fun, so I commented everyone had a good laugh and we got on with it lol.
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Some may be surprised indeed DPF.
It seems there are two National Parties.
There is the principled one of Maurice Williamson, who says things like they are. I don’t agree with him, but at least he always follows his principles and expounds the real National Party policy.
Then there is Lockwood Smith – trying to exploit the nasty bigoted and racist underbelly of NZ society. This guy is pond scum, but Key will not make a decisive move – either to banish Lockwood (the bad guy) or to support Maurice (the good guy) in terms of National Party principles.
Key’s just being a wimp, and hoping no-one notice.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Miss Clark said…
“If you were going to judge who was fit to pick fruit by the size of their hands you would never pick men over women because generally we have smaller hands,”
Look at this sexist bitch. I cant believe that our Prime Minister would say this type of thing. Denigrating women on such a level and generalisng them all as having small hands. I bet if you look at her hands they aren’t small. Leading up to an election too. What a silly tart. Does she engage her mind before opening her mouth?
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
“trying to exploit the nasty bigoted and racist underbelly of NZ society”
Crap. How could any intelligent person claim that comments that even the employers involved agreed with were some kind of deliberate ploy to exploit “racism”? Get a grip.
And again, like a typical Green Party coward and hypocrite, you have failed to answer my challenge that your own leader is trying to exploit the nasty underbelly of anti-Christian hatred and bigotry on the left.
But I guess toad, that like all Green Party Pond scum your PC bigotry and hatred is perfectly fine with you.
So until you call for the sacking of hatemonger Russell Norman everyone here will know that your just an opportunistic hypocrite.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I can’t believe that such a kerfuffle was made over some very ordinary comments!What has happened to common sense.I turned off the news tonight,as the lead story was about Lockwood and his so called racist remarks.Talk about mountains and molehills!There are such a lot of very important issues out there and we hear about this.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
hop along toad. as OECD mentioned, surely you have a timid religious minority to persecute instead of indulging yourself this trivial beat-up.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
southtop
You are absolutely correct about the effects on the local economies. The policies are sending our money offshore.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Toad
The only racism I heard on TV this evening was Tariana Turia banging on about the Asian students who told her the treaty was worthless so reacted with;
“People coming to this country have to have an understanding of where they fit”
(meaning of course they are second-class citizens in her eyes.)
So Toad, what would a young kiwi couple starting out have to look forward to under a Lab/Maori/Green coalition?
Well they can have one child -who will have to speak maori in school, on a diet of organic tuck shop vegetables, who they cant discipline or shower properly and who will no doubt grow up with homosexual tendencies, smoking pot, wearing a hoodie and getting the vote at 16.
They’ll be paying tax through their fucken nostrils to support all the B/S policy of your fucked up world view which will inevitably see all the business people and income makers buy one way tickets outta here
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 pm
If the greens were really honest about population control, they would campaign to make family planning and population control a priority in third world countries where people cannot afford the resources for a large family, rather than limiting our families and expecting them to immigrate here. However right it would be, they would never want to be caught saying it.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Russell Norman’s comment during his speech places Christian parents in real danger. His hateful and dishonest attack means that government social workers may start to assume that all Christian Parents are child abusers. I am not being over the top, I have seen for myself the way Left wing Labour/Green social workers treat Christian parents with automatic suspician.
But hypocrite toad does not give a damn about that kind of real bigotry, the kind that puts peoples lives and well-being in danger. Instead he pompously comes here feigning outrage about silly remarks by Smith.
Russell Norman should be sacked for his remarks, and is unfit to be in Parliament.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I agree with Maws. It is a mountain out of a molehill. Lets not forget: It’s the economy, stupid!
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
So we finally hear from Helen Clark’s younger sister (Helensphotogenicimposter) and she speaks some sense, clearly Helensphotogenicimposter wasn’t old enough to imprint her personality from the Vietnam protests days.
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Meanwhile Winnie’s at home scratching his head trying to figure out what racist remarks he has to make before anyone takes notice of him…
Vote:October 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I was not around in the vietnam war days. As you can tell from my billboards I am far too young and inexperienced to be from that error. That Is why my loose lips keep disagreeing with who I am doubling for. I for one could not work with people who were once members of a Marxist-Lennonist organisation called the Australian Democratic Socialist Party. They can walk down the street with their red flags, but not in my backyard. You would be a hippocrite to on one hand promote the democratic philosophies of the labour party but be prepared to work with an organisation with communist philosophy.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 am
I’m going to make this post blunt and to the point:
The SUBSTANCE of the comments by Lockwood Smith could only be considered highly offensive by a PC asshole. However John Key’s strategy has been to try to get PC assholes to vote for him, as they (sadly) hold the balance of power in the election. As such Lockwood Smith’s comments have undermined John Key’s central strategy.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 7:20 am
yea gods.
so, shock horror
toll roads will have tolls on them – who knew
and low skilled labour imported from the Pacific may have been living in villages without running water.
oh, and if you work in the food sector, hygiene is a constant concern.
d’uh
pointing this latter out is of course racist.
I guess its also racist to ask why, every pacific nation with the exception of samoa and fiji has had all its human condition indices go backwards since independence? why are pacific people dying younger, and why do they remain dirt poor (well all except for their leaders of course, who have the houses, 4wds and jet off to aid conferences every year to reimpose the whiteman’s burden) than they were before the evil colonists left?
in the 21st century, how is it that countries we have been providing aid to for 40 years still don’t have running water or decent healthcare. What’s going on?
oh, hang on, national’s racist, there thats much easier isnt it, nothing to see here, move along.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 am
I guess its also too hard to ask what jobs orchardists want done well, and consistently. Wonder if pruning and pollination require delicacy and care? nope thats probably racist too, but an orchardist or vinyard owner who has just had their plants butchered may have a fairly strong opinion about it.
I don’t think for a moment this is about the race of the person doing it, but a lot about the environment they have come from. Taro requires different cultivation techniques from apples. If someone has never seen pruning gear, or an apple tree or a grape vine, they may have little experiential understanding of why cutting above the bud is quite important.
hell, I’d be useless at it, my grape vine at home hasnt had a decent grape in 8 years – all down to operator error on my part.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 am
and finally – off to work time
the bright side is that this gives Key the perfect opportunity to ensure that neither williamson (no loss) or smith (shame really) get to be on even the second row. Perfect time to blood the newbies and show that the nats are determined to put new faces in important roles.
now just need to get energizer bunny smith to do his rag about something (shouldnt be too hard), and he can be summarily banished to the backbenches too.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 am
I heard Lockwood Smith’s comments last night. I thought they were pretty inoffensive stuff and showed good common sense.
I would like the media to focus on the real news issues — why do we have such a bad set of government accounts after nine years of wonderful economic conditions?
What is labour’s hidden agenda for after the election?
Why is law and order so bad and why are the police prosecuting the owner of the business defending himself rather than the people attacking him?
How come plane loads of New Zealanders have left New Zealand for Australia even in the good times?
I suspect readers could find a few more questions. But if the mainstream media could focus on the real issues that matter to ordinary New Zealanders I for one would be grateful.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 8:28 am
Anybody else get the feeling that Toad feels liberated now that he no longer has to pretend (lie) about the Greens being “undecided” about who they will go into coalition with?.
I also wonder why the Greens are keeping Comrade Bradford away from the media and the voters during this campaign.
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 8:47 am
Except that radio interview you mentioned. They’re keeping Turei away too…coincidence?
Vote:October 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 am
Yes, it would be nice if the MSM did their job rather than engage in silly beat-ups. Their failure to do so shows the paucity of talent the MSM has in NZ.
Vote:Canada is looking like a good option apart from the sepos south of the Border.