Kiwiblog

Charles Chauvel blogs at Red Alert a letter to Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson:

Invitation to Anthony Moses Davis (alias “Beenie Man”) to perform at Big Day Out 2010: Request to Decline Entry Visa

Anthony Moses Davis (born Kingston, Jamaica, August 22, 1973) is a reggae performer, notorious for his lyrics and other statements promoting the killing of gay and lesbian people.

The lyrics to one of his songs include: “I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays”. In another, “Mi Nah Wallah”, he says he would like to cut the throats of all gay men.  In “Bad Man Chi Chi Man” he instructs listeners to kill gay deejays, and in “Han Up Deh”, he advocates hanging lesbians, with a long piece of rope.

It is reported that the organisers of the Big Day Out, a music festival, have invited Anthony Moses Davis to perform at their 2010 event.

Since 1994, gay and lesbian New Zealanders have had the protections affirmed by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.  These include the right to freedom from discrimination.  That right cannot be given practical effect if people who rejoice in advocating violence towards us, especially in a public way, are welcomed to this country.  As one of our parliamentary colleagues has recently observed in this context, music that denigrates gay men and lesbians in the most extreme way imaginable sends some very powerful signals both to young gay and lesbian people but also to their peers.  It is now well-document that many young lesbian and gay people suffer violence, harrassment, lowered self-esteem and the consequent health and social problems that stem from the denigration that many of them experience.  It cannot be conducive to social cohesiveness, good order and desirable public policy that these outcomes are facilitated.  Granting an entry visa to Anthony Moses Davis would constitute such facilitation.

It appears that Anthony Moses Davis is a Jamaican passport holder.  As such, he does not enjoy the right to visa-free entry to New Zealand.
I ask that you decline an entry visa on the grounds set out in para
Y3.1 viii of the Immigration Manual, which notes that “people will normally be refused entry to New Zealand if they…are a threat to security or public order in New Zealand”.  For the reasons set out above, Anthony Moses Davis constitutes such a threat.

Okay, where to start. My thoughts:

1. Beenie Man is a despicable piece of scum.
2. The organisers of Big Day Out should be pilloried for inviting him
3. Arguing that his attending Big Day Out is a “threat to security or public order” is a very big stretch – especially as Beenie Man no longer sings lyrics promoting killing homosexuals
4. The best response to hate speech is more speech, not less.
5. I think the situation is similar to that of David Irving. Don’t ban then from coming here, but protest against them when they are here.
6. Better responses would be for people to organise a boycott of Big Day Out for inviting him, or to arrange suitable protests at BDO – sell anti Beenie Man t-shirts and/or try and co-ordinate a sit down when he plays.
7. Beenie Man is again a despicable piece of scum

The HoS reports:

His son was killed by a teen driver who broke every rule. Now a grieving dad wants the drinking age raised – and his plea comes as the Government gives its strongest signal yet of major changes to driving and liquor laws.

Gerald Fluerty lost his son Ezra, 19, in an accident that “had all the ingredients for disaster”.

“I think these young people, at 18, just don’t have the ability to make the right decision on their own.”

Driver Maia Thorby, 18, struck a power pole while speeding on a learner licence in a car with no warrant or registration. He was four times the legal alcohol limit and had been smoking cannabis. …

Donald said she wanted to see the drinking age increased and for young drivers to get more education before they took to the roads on their own.

“They also need to be taught how to drink in moderation.”

One can only have the deepest sympathy for any parent who loses their child in a road accident – especially one caused by a young drunk and stoned driver.

But that does not mean that their identification of the alcohol purchase age is logical.

Let us look at what the the 18 year old driver did that night:

• He broke the law by driving at night on a learners licence
• He broke the law by driving with passengers on a learners licence
• He broke the law by driving a car with no warrant
• He broke the law by driving a car with no registration
• He broke the law by speeding
• He broke the law by smoking cannabis
• He broke the law by driving with a blood alcohol four times the legal limit
• He broke the law by driving stoned

Now I’m sorry but does anyone rationally think that making it illegal to purchase alcohol at 18 or 19 would have in anyway affected what happened? I mean you can’t even buy cannabis legally at any age, and they managed to get some.

If an 18 year old has absolutely no regard for the law, for basic safety, and is the sort to drive while stoned and pissed, then the age of alcohol purchase is not what needs to change.

The vast majority of 18 and 19 year olds appreciate being able to have a wine with dinner, go out nightclubbing or buy some beers at the supermarket to take home for the rugby. Turning all of them into criminals is not the answer to the problems caused by the minority. Especially when a law change would probably have made absolutely no difference to the outcome in this tragic case.

The Herald reports:

Abused Maori children in state care will be monitored to see whether they do better with their own whanau or another family.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has asked Child Youth and Family to compare the progress of the 50 per cent of children placed with extended family and the 50 per cent placed elsewhere – normally with foster families or permanently with a new family – to see what works better.

This is a very sensitive area, and each placement will have its own circumstances. But in terms of overall results, it is a question that should have been asked before now.

The idea stems from her concern at the high re-abuse rate for Maori children and anecdotal evidence that some placements with extended family can do more harm than good.

Last year almost 1800 children were re-abused within six months, an average of five a day. Almost half of all abused children are Maori.

1800 a year is huge, when you consider that is just the number of kids who are re-abused.

The Maori minister admitted the question was “hugely controversial”. For 20 years New Zealand social work had been based on the philosophy that children should be kept with their blood relatives wherever possible.

“In my opinion it works when that extended whanau are taking full responsibility for that child.

“When it gets a bit blurred is when we know who it is that’s doing [the abuse], when we’re keeping them daily involved, and it all starts getting mixed.”

Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie, the child abuse team manager for Waitakere police, echoed her local MP’s concerns about the dangers of staying too close to parents accused of abuse.

“The family that the child is going to may be perfectly OK but they may not be able to keep the offending parents … away from that child.

That is probably asking a lot from the extended family.

Child abuse specialist Dr Patrick Kelly said it was a hard call: foster care also had a patchy safety record and permanent placement was a huge step.

But he agreed it was common for an abused child to be sent to an aunt who turned out to be no better than the original mother – and the case was renotified.

“By then the child’s been living in an abusive or neglectful environment for another year.

“Sometimes you can go through five or six cycles of that process before CYF is forced to concede that this entire extended family is dysfunctional.

“But by then this poor kid has been in that situation for four or five years.

And by then it is too late – the next generation of abusers has been created.

I couldn’t get the match, btu I heard the news within minutes.

I’m not sure if those in their 20s or younger will realise how soccer mad the country will go, as the World Cup approaches. It doesn’t matter that we don’t have a hope in hell of winning – it is just about actually being in the World Cup.

In 1982 I actually won a school debate on the topic that Soccer has replaced Rugby as our national sport. The victory was impressive as the judge was Clive Currie – our social studies teacher, but also a former All Black.

But back then in 1982, soccer (sorry football) was the big thing. There were more soccer teams than rugby teams at school. Almost everyone followed the FA Cup teams (I was a Liverpool supporter) and the country watched every World Cup match as if it was a rugby test match.

Why the hell does a website have “operating hours”? I want to check if my Lotto numbers won, and I can’t.

Can someone please shoot the person responsible at the Lotteries Commission for me. What sort of nutty bureaucrat dreamed up the idea of operating hours for a website?

I imagine the official answer will be something along the lines that problem gamblers are more likely to be online after 11 pm, so we close the site down at 11 pm, to stop those Lotto addicts.  Never mind such stupidity won’t stop a single problem gambler in the world – they’ll go to one of the 1 million other online gaming sites in the Internet. It just stops legitimate customers from checking their results or buying a ticket for next week.

Grrrr.

Vernon Small reports on the conclusion of a free trade agreement with Hong Kong. So it got me thinking what are the countries we have an FTA wth, or are negotiating. The answers are:

1. Australia, since 1983
2. Singapore since 2001
3. Thailand since 2005
4. Trans-Pacific (Brunei/Chile/Singapore) since 2005
5. China since 2008
6. ASEAN (Brunei/Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam)
7. Malaysia
8. Gulf Co-operation Council (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar)
9. Hong Kong
10. Korea

Now who are our biggest trading partners:

1. Australia $18.7b – in force
2. USA $9.0b – zip
3. China $8.9b – in force
4. Japan $7.6b – some momentum
5. Singapore – $3.1b – in force
6. Germany – $3.0b – zip
7. Malaysia $2.9b – finalised
8. UK $2.8b – zip
9. Korea $2.7b – under negotiation

Also the total value of trade with ASEAN is $12.2b and GCC $4.3b.

So while progress on Doha remains stalled, we’re doing pretty well. The big gaps are USA, Japan and the EU. The EU are hopeless. Japan is showing some signs of life and in a very welcome move, President Obama a few minutes ago said the United States would seek to join the Trans-Pac agreement.

I’m delighted his protectionist election rhetoric, may have been just that – rhetoric. I started writing this blog post unaware of Obama’s announcement – how is that for good timing!

First an interview with Michelle Hewitson. I think the interview is in fact very perceptive, and worth a read.

I asked her son if only his mother was allowed to keep her shoes on. “Pretty much.” How does that work? “She can pretty much go wherever she likes.” …

Because of that surprising show of nerves – it’s not a question you ordinarily think to ask of a Harawira – I asked whether anything frightened him.

“I guess … not really. I don’t think so.” Except his mother? “Ha, ha. Yeah, I guess. She always will, I suppose. She’s my mum.”

All of the above tells you what you need to know about being raised Harawira. You can do what you want and you don’t have to take your shoes off. It’s one definition of being a rebel.

And Claire Trevett:

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira yesterday defended himself against the call for him to resign and took a thinly veiled swipe at the party’s leadership, claiming the wider party was being “dictated to” by a few individuals.

This has the potential to get very messy, especially as the MPs seem to now be communicating through the media with each other, not directly.

And Audrey Young:

Maori Party president Whatarangi Winiata’s bombshell in asking MP Hone Harawira to resign will throw it the party into unprecedented turmoil.

But Winiata and co-leaders Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples knew that when the request was put to Harawira at a hui in Kaitaia on Thursday.

The fact that they are willing to accept the internal grief, and possibly a permanent rift with the north, shows how strongly they feel about him going.

It has been a decision reached more in sorrow than anger. And it is more an act of self-preservation than of punishment.

If it has been this difficult, they’ve done well to keep things so tight for so long.

The Maori Party represents a broad church of views, from left to conservative. It is not Harawira’s radicalism per se that is the problem but the way he expresses his views in a polarising way.

And can a leopard change his spots?

It was clear from the press conference Turia and Sharples held at Parliament yesterday that their tolerance for Harawira is an at end. The possibility of his remaining a colleague seems remote at this stage.

There can be no mistaking the message: Harawira is not a team-player and is not suited to the disciplines of a political party. The hope is that he recognises that himself.

But Harawiras don’t do humiliation, and the default position would have to be on his fighting expulsion – which in itself could be damaging to the party.

It is a battle the party’s leaders calculated is worth risking.

I hope there is a way forward, because there are some big issues to be resolved such as the Foreshore & Seabed Act, and schisms within the Maori Party will make it harder to find a solution.

The Herald reports:

Double-murderer Graeme Burton received a free titanium artificial leg worth $10,000 from ACC to replace the right leg lost when he went on a lethal shooting rampage two years ago.

He’ll probably use it as a weapon to bash someone to death. How about a paper mache leg? He can walk on it, but not clobber too many people with it.

But a proposed law change before Parliament would rule out compensation for anyone injured while committing a crime with a maximum penalty of two years or more in jail.

Criminals would still receive emergency treatment to maintain life, and rehabilitation to “restore function”.

ACC Minister Nick Smith said that under the bill, a decision on whether someone like Burton would receive a taxpayer-funded prosthetic leg would still be made by doctors.

“Burton is an extreme example. It will be up to doctors in individual cases to determine where that boundary is,” said Dr Smith.

“My hope would be that cases like Burton would be consigned to history. There’s not a bone in my body with compassion for him.”

Let the man hop.

I left Luxor Thursday night. The Palace Nile hotel was very good value – only NZ$40 a night for a very good hotel room. Both Turkey and Egypt have cheap hotels. Interestingly though the food is not that cheap – for example the dinner would cost more than the accommodation.

I took the sleeper train to Cairo, and then a day train the remainign two hours to Alexandria.

At Luxor train stations I spent several minutes telling various touts no I did not need their assistance. But then as I get to the train track, a Police Officer politely asks what train I am on. I tell him, and he (so I thought) kindly took me down to the right carriage. Just as I am thinking how nice that was, he tells me that I can “reward” him if I am grateful.

I couldn’t believe it – even the effing Police want a tip. And yes of course I gave him one – you don’t generally say no to armed police. I’m not sure if this constitutes my first act of bribery of a public official!

This is my room. Was pretty reasonable for US$50, when you compare to the cost of flying.

A typical rural scene. The train windows were very dirty. While the train inside was actually very nice, the exterior looked like it was 50 years old and had never been washed.

Most areas though are like this. Makes you realise how lucky we are in NZ.

The hotel in Alexandria is on the Mediterranean Coast, and you can see the Mediterranean Sea in the background.

And the actual beach is only one minute away. Alexandria is not so much a tourist city (even though there is stuff to see) but a holiday destination for many in the Middle East.

As great as it was to see the sights from on high, there is nothing like getting up close and personal also, so did a tour of the West Bank also. I thought this was exceptionally good value – for NZ$100 I got a car all to myself, a driver, a guide and entry to the major attractions.

First we had a look at the Colossi of Memnon. They also date back to around 1350 BC, even though the Romans upgraded the top of the right hand one later on.

That track up there is where you go if you take the Donkey option to get over to the Valley of the Kings. I’m not kidding – you see packs of tourists on donkeys heading up that hill.

This is the reconstructed temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Up top parts of the original walls and artwork remain. Hatshepsut is viewed by historians as one of the most successful female Pharaohs. She ruled around 1500 BC.

Her step son, who was nominal co-ruler with her when alive, seemed to resent her as during his reign many pictures of her were literally scratched out – you can see the vandalism still today.

This is artwork on the original walls of the temple. You know you can see numerous pictures of this stuff, but there is nothing like seeing it in real life – knowing it is 3,500 years old. Amazingly well preserved.

This is Anubis – God of the Dead. All Stargate fans will know him 

This shows boats on the Nile. They also show many different fish and goods.

Again the quality of the artwork is superb. What a civilization it must have been back then.

And this is the house of Howard Carter – the finder of King Tut’s Tomb.

After this temple, we went to the Valley of the Kings proper. Now earlier this year they banned cameras which is a shame, so this image is from Wikipedia.

There were 62 tombs in the Valley of the Kings but in 2006 they discovered a 63rd. Don’t think archaeology is last century – there is still so much to find.

It has been a tourism site since Roman times. Sadly even by then, most of the tombs had been looted.

I went down KV57, the tomb of Horemheb. It is a relatively deep tomb – you descend a considerable way underground. This is what you see down there. Image from Theban Mapping Project.

Also went into tombs of Ramesses IV. This tomb was very shallow but very colourful.

This is from the tomb of Rameses III. You get to do three tombs in total. You have to pay extra to see KV62 or King Tut’s tomb and I decided to skip it as I have heard the tomb itself is nothing special – what was special was the contest which are now if the Egyptian Museum in Cairo – I hope to visit them on Monday.

The combination of this, plus the balloon ride has made this a great day. Now about to head north tonight.

David Garrett has a blog I have discovered, and his latest entry is on why he is against the death penalty:

Having lived in a country where the death penalty remains on the books as a discretionary sentence for murder, I can say with some certainty that one of the results of having a capital sentence even as an option is what lawyers call “perverse verdicts” by juries unwilling to convict because they know or believe the person concerned will be executed, and they cannot cope with that on their collective conscience.

I suspect Garrett is right – more killers might be found not guilty, due to juror reluctance to return a verdict which can result in execution.

I have also come to believe that Life Without Parole (LWOP) which is available as sentence in many American States – and soon will be here – IS actually probably a worse punishment than the 20 or so seconds of terror prior to instant death by judicial hanging as was practiced here and in England.

The downsides of LWOP of course include the cost, and as Burton has demonstrated (he will never leave prison alive and he knows it), someone serving LWOP can kill again with impunity – there are guards as well as prisoners in jail – and there is nothing more the state can do.

I have different reasons for being against the death penalty. I just do not like the idea of giving the state the power to execute its own citizens – even the killers. Plus the chance of killing an innocent person.

In my weekly Dispatch from St Johnnysburg at NBR, I look at the various air travel perks for MPs, and rate how justified each one is. The summary is:

• Domestic Air Travel for MPs 9/10
• Domestic Air Travel for Partners 8/10
• International Travel for Parliamentary Purposes 10/10
• Private International Travel for MPs 3/10
• Private International Travel for Partners 1/10
• Domestic Air Travel for Children 8/10
• Former MPs (and partners) Travel – 0/10

Feedback and comments can be made at NBR.

The Dom Post reports:

A five-star Hilton Hotel looks increasingly certain to be built on the capital’s waterfront.

Wellington Waterfront chief executive Ian Pike said the project had been on hold until after a Wellington City Council vote on a district plan change.

The council voted to accept Variation 11 on Wednesday night, in effect clearing the way for three new buildings to go up on the city’s shoreline at Kumutoto Wharf.

The luxury hotel chain has been in negotiations with the council about building on so-called site 10, where the all-clear has been given for a 30-metre-high building.

Yay. We badly need a five star hotel in Wellington, It is a pity the original site next to Dockside was turned down, as the existing sports building is an absolute eyesore.

I am surprised. I thought Maori Party would whack Hone with a slightly moist bus ticket, and say look Hone is a hot head, but he does a lot of good stuff, and we have told him to tone it down in future.

Instead the Herald reports:

Maori Party leaders have made it clear Hone Harawira will be pushed if he refuses their request to resign.

They say his actions have had a devastating effect on the party and he has refused to be accountable to the caucus or the party.

I feel somewhat sorry for the other Maori Party MPs for havign to weather the backlash from one of their colleagues.

Professor Winiata said Mr Harawira’s actions had had a “devastating effect” on the party and his fellow MPs.

He made it clear the decision was not based solely on the Paris incident and the email, saying Mr Harawira’s actions showed he believed he was accountable only to the people of his Te Tai Tokerau electorate.

“If Hone believes he is not accountable to the Maori Party or its leadership, or the party caucus in Parliament, then clearly he has placed himself outside the party.”

There is often some tension between loyalty to constituents and to a party, but this is part of the balancing act all electorate MPs have. If one claims an extreme position of loyalty only to one’s electorate or only to one’s party, then you won’t be in a tenable position for long.

Mr Harawira said he had no intention of leaving the Maori Party, and the suggestion that he resign was “the silliest idea I’ve ever heard”.

But Dr Winiata and co-leader Tariana Turia have made it clear it will take a lot to dissuade the party from pushing him if he refuses to go.

Asked if Mr Harawira would be expelled if he did not resign, Mrs Turia said that was ultimately up to him.

“But I don’t think Hone will want to change how he is, and I don’t think he will change how he is. This is not just about a jaunt to Paris or bad language. It’s been an ongoing issue and it’s reached its end, very sadly.”

She said it had become obvious the party leadership had no other option.

As I said, no one can say the Maori Party are not taking this seriously. Things sound pretty bad, and whether there is a way forward for reconciliation – well time will tell.

Personally I hope there is a way forward. I suspect Hone would win Te Tai Tokerau as an Independent – but he will become irrelevant if he does leave the Maori Party. The Maori Party won’t like losing an electorate and possibly losing some of the hard core activists – but they obviously feel the status quo is not tenable.

My iPredict column:

New Obama Stock

OBAMA.DISAP.1MAR pays out if President Obama’s disapprovals outweigh his approvals at 1 March 2010. He currently has an 8% margin – 52% to 44%.

The stock floated at 29c, and has been fairly constant for the last few days at just under 40c.

I am selling this stock. I think Obama’s numbers will still be positive in March. He should have passed his healthcare bill by then, which will give him a boost. Also in early 2010 he will do a state of the union address which traditionally should give him a boost also. Add to that a slowly improving economy.

2010 Polls

The poll stocks have got more complex, with a series of stocks that pay out depending on the level of support for National and Labour in the first Roy Morgan of 2010. NAT.JAN10.VLOW is at 14c and pays out if National polls under 48.5% in that first 2010 poll.

National has not been under 48.5% in the 18 Roy Morgan polls, so I’m selling this one also.

Most Traded Stocks

A lighter week. The petrol stocks had around $8,000 of trading, around $5,500 on the Roy Morgan polls and $3,000 on house prices.

Cheers,

David

Disclosure

David’s current iPredict positions are:

BROWN.RESIGN Short, DEP.GOFF.2010 Short, DEP.KING.2010 Short, DL.KING.09 Short, FASA04.REPEAL Short, GST.UP.JULY10 Short, LEAD.GOFF.09 Short, MAYOR.BROWN Long, MIN.DEPART2.09 Short, MP.ANDERTON Short, MP.PETERS.2011 Short, NAT.JAN10.VLOW Short, NAT.MAORI.09 Short, OBAMA.DISAP.1MAR Short, OCR.INCR.APR10 Short, OCR.INCR.JAN10 Short, OCR.INCR.JUL10 Short, PETERS.LEADER Long, PM.2011.NATIONAL Long, UK2010.CON.ABS Long, UK2010.CON.MAJ Short, ZIM.MUGABE Short

Going up in a hot air balloon was never something on my list of must dos – partly because I always wondered why they don’t catch fire more often, but when I saw a balloon tour over parts of the ruins on the West Bank of Luxor, I figured that would be a view worth paying for.

Cost is around NZ$200 which I thought was reasonable value for 90 minutes actually up in the air. The only hassle was having to meet the driver at 4.55 am to get me there!

This is the view we had as we got to the takeoff strip. It was still well before 6 am, and we had crossed the Nile by boat by then. Ou pilot told us that group was being reckless going up while dark as if there is an emergency it helps to be able to see the ground. I agree!

This is our balloon having the air heated up

This is taken inside the basket as we rise up. Yes you stand close to the flame and yes it is bloody hot.

This is the Temple of Queen Hatshsesut.

A view of the crops on the side nearer to the Nile.

I just love this photo (and the view). The sun rising in the East over the Nile, with a balloon in the foreground. Magnificent.

These are some of the Tombs of the Nobles.

You get some idea of how high up we were at this stage. You don’t even notice until you look down, as you move so fluidly.

In ancient times the Nile meant life or death. You can see why with this photo – the areas that get water from a high Nile flourish, while areas further away do not. Almost all of Egypt lives near the Nile or on the coast in more recent times.

Some other balloons starting to rise after us.

I’m sure the safety briefing said nothing about leaning out of the basket so someone can get a better shot of you!

Again we went pretty damn high up.

This is taken on the maximum zoom lens. You couldn’t even see these guys working away except for the moving crops that alerted us.

And as we came back down to land, the support crew ready to hold us down. We were told how to brace ourselves for the landing but one could have remained standing it was so gentle.

This was an absolute highlight. I recommend it to anyone who visits Egypt.

The ODT reports:

The Government needs to consider adding “a little bit of interest” to student loans to ensure it has enough money to better fund universities, University of Otago vice-chancellor Sir David Skegg says.

And he is right. Of course it won’t happen, as National promised not to reverse the policy, but logically interest should be charged at least at the rate of inflation – maintaining the value of the loan in real terms.

Prof Skegg said the “massive cost” of student loans meant little money was available for other forms of tertiary funding.

Yep – that’s it for this generation. The bribe was so huge it chewed up all the disposable money. Without it, one would have a decent chance at abolishing parental means testing but that is off the table for at least a decade also.

The university council yesterday adopted a string of fee and levy increases for most students next year, and introduced a capital development levy of $50 to help fund improvements to student social facilities such as the University Union building.

Otago University Students Association (OUSA) president Edwin Darlow “somewhat reluctantly” supported the increases, which will add $190 to $600 to most Dunedin students’ bills next year.

The other student representative on the council, Simon Wilson, opposed the increases, saying they would lead to students increasing their loans.

The capital development levy was “essentially just an additional charge on students” because the university was unable to increase tuition fees beyond the level allowed by legislation, he said.

Prof Skegg agreed.

The problem is the silly fees maxima policy. The Government is controlling both the amount of funding from the Government, and the amount a university can charge in tuition fees. Of course it will end in tears – or with universities finding a way around it. It was one of the stupider policies of Labour and should not be continued by National.

National promised not to charge interest on student loans, and that promise should be respected. But it promise on the fees maxima was simply “Retain restrictions on the amount by which institutions are able to annually increase fees for publicly funded courses” which allows the Government to increase the amount institutions can charge, while still having some restrictions.

Chris Barton writes:

I generally don’t like unsolicited strangers at my front door trying to sell me stuff.

So when the young guy turned up last week I adopted my usual, somewhat abrupt, I’m-not-buying-anything-from-you manner.

“Hello, I’m from Telecom and just wanted to ask whether you’re happy with your broadband and phone service?” …

But because I may have just witnessed a landmark event in telecommunications history – the first occasion in my lifetime that Telecom has actually touted for my business.

The slothful corporate has always assumed my business was its monopoly right. Has competition finally arrived?

I think that is a positive sign. May it continue.

An article by Brian Fallow covers issues around the proposed ETS:

Taxpayers will be stuck with 84 per cent of the bill for meeting New Zealand’s obligation under the Kyoto Protocol, while farmers and large industrial emitters get hefty subsidies, according to a report out today.

The report on the Government’s planned changes to the emissions trading scheme by the Sustainability Council’s executive director Simon Terry and economist Geoff Bertram says farmers will be subsidised to the tune of $1.1 billion by the end of 2012, while large emitters get nearly $500 million.

Sounds awful doesn’t it. Certain bloggers rant on about how people are getting paid to pollute etc, But the situation is far more complex than slogans.

Kyoto requires New Zealand to take financial responsibility for any increase in its emissions over 1990 levels during the five years from 2008 to 2012 inclusive. Current estimates are that we will exceed that target by 76 million tonnes, which would cost $2.3 billion (at the carbon price of $30 a tonne the report assumes).

At present we actually (as at 2009) have net emissions that are 10 million less than our 1990 levels – thanks to forestry plantings.  Also the current price of carbon is $20.35 a tonne, not $30. So the projections for 2008 to 2012 are some way from the current situation.

Changes to the ETS being considered by a parliamentary select committee lighten the burden on “trade-exposed” sectors, including farming, which account for around two-thirds of the country’s emissions, to protect their competitiveness when most of the world has yet to impose a price on carbon emissions.

Climate Change Minister Nick Smith said the Government was providing allocations of free emissions units more generously for those emitters because they were trade-exposed.

“It has nothing to do with favouring big over small,” he said.

And this is key. Making trade exposed industries pay straight away the full cost of carbon will merely see them lose production to other countries. And those other countries will often be more carbon intensive. So the net effect is bad for the environment and bad for our economy.

When No Right Turn thunders on about subsidising polluters, he is actually calling for something that will lead to increased carbon emissions.

Dr Smith said it was misleading to talk about subsidies to farmers on the basis that they are not paying for their emissions during Kyoto’s first commitment period (2008 to 2012).

“No country … is imposing a cost on their agriculture industry in the first commitment period. We are likely to be the first in 2015.”

Again this is where the purists just have no idea. They want us to tax (through the ETS) our farmers, in advance of any inclusion of agriculture by any other country. Again if we do what they want, then it is a lose-lose – bad for our economy and bad for the environment.

On Tuesday flew into Cairo and then did a domestic transfer to Luxor. Landing at Cairo was spectacular as you can see the desert and pyramids all around Cairo as the plane goes low.

The taxi drivers in Luxor were marginally less dishonest than those in Istanbul. In Istanbul I had one driver try to charge me 90 Turkish Lira (around NZ$80) for a 10 km trip which had cost me only 20 TL in reverse. I simply refused to pay and told him I wanted the Police as he was trying to rip me off. I finally gave him 40 TL. The next day I made a point of watching the meter every few minutes. But then another driver added 50 Lira on at the end of the trip. Again I refused and said I saw it at 30 Lira just two minutes ago so am not paying 80. The thieving bastard then said I had given him a 50 Lira note when I gave him 100.

Don’t get me wrong – loved Istanbul, but the taxi drivers are criminals.

Luxor was marginally better. The airport has a sign up telling you the cost into Luxor – around 30 Egyptian Pounds or NZ$7. The driver tried to tell me the sign meant US$30. Again I refused and we settled on US$15.

Later when heading into Luxor Temple from the hotel, I negotiated the fare in advance. He started at 50 EP and I started at 10 EP and we settled for 35 EP which was reasonable. I don’t mind a robust negotiation in advance- but I do detest meter fiddling.

Anyway staying at the Nile Palace Luxor. It is a very nice hotel, and one I would recommend.

There is a large courtyard in the middle of the hotel where you can dien and drink, and every night they have entertainment. This is a photo of the dancing girls from my balcony.

Some remains from the Temple of Luxor, which is in the main town. It was built over 3,000 years ago.

The hotel swimming pool, and that is the Nile behind it. It was 30 degrees today so the water was just lovely. My only problem has been I have already read all the books I brought with me, so had to buy some more books to read while sun bathing.

The Nile. The river is the longest in the world, going from Southern Rwanda to Egypt stretching just over 6,500 kms.

The central courtyard area during the day.

The sun chairs at the edge of the Nile. Very relaxing to see the many boats go past.

Having worked in Parliament, and seen how shitty most of an MPs job is, I’ve always been pretty moderate on the issue of MPs expenses – supporting transparency, but not a major overhaul.

However I think that the international travel perk has now had its day, and is so toxic for an MP to use it, they should move to abolish it. I’ll come to that later. Lots of articles to quote first.

The Herald yesterday reported the Speaker:

Speaker Lockwood Smith went on the front foot yesterday over MPs’ international travel perks, saying the subsidies are a well-established part of an MP’s salary package and that he feels partly responsible for the opprobrium attached to them at present.

“They have been deducted from their salaries. If it wasn’t for this, their salaries would be higher.”

I’m glad to see Lockwood making that point, as it is often overlooked. In fact I think I was the first to cover the fact, back in June, that the 2003 determination actually deducted $5,800 off each MPs salary – representing the average private benefit of the international travel perk. The 2003 determination wasn’t in fact even online – so I got a copy sent to me and uploaded it.

Dr Smith believes the perks, and others, should be itemised in the MPs’ pay decisions.

He said he had asked the Remuneration Authority to present its decisions on MPs’ salaries differently to explain how the travel perks fit in but it did not do so in its latest one.

“I have written to them again because I think it is helpful because it does help people to see.

In fact they have not detailed this since 2003, and I’ve also previously said it would be beneficial for them to do so.

Dr Smith said he did not believe that the public or even most MPs realised that the travel subsidy had been counted when calculating MPs’ pay and he wanted to make sure the facts were know.

The travel subsidy was a “subtle way” of recognising and rewarding experience.

MPs generally get paid the same, so it is the one thing that rewards an MP purely on the basis of longevity. However to counter that, longer serving MPs are more likely to be Ministers or Select Committee Chairs.

Regardless of the original rationale for it, I think Parliament should move to abolish the perk. This will mean an increase in salaries – but it also means costs are more certain.

In a related issue Trevor Mallard (wisely) has blogged he is heading to London using the perk to meet some undisclosed people to chat to on education policy, and to watch some rugby.

This sums up quite well the case for and against subsidised travel. I personally do think that MPs using international travel to discuss policies and programmes is worthwhile. Most new policies will come from overseas experience, rather than getting dreamed up fresh in a department.

On the other hand, we don’t know how much of the trip is policy, and how much is rugby. It is pretty easy to arrange to meet some mates for a chat, to justify a trip. Not saying this is the case here – but that the problem is no-one really approves the trips – it is a “right” that sits with that MP.

So here is what I would do.

1. Abolish eligibility for subsidised international travel for MPs from 1 July 2010
2. Increase funding for each parliamentary party by up to say $5,000 an MP, allowing MPs to apply to the party leadership for a partial or full international travel subsidy. As it will come out of a limited budget for the party (what you do not spend on travel you can spend on communications, staff etc) the leadership will want to be sure there is genuine parliamentary and/or political value from the travel.
3. Have the Remuneration Authority recalculate MPs salaries, without the deduction for subsidised international travel.