General Debate 29 September 2017

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Jimmy

How much do we know about the current crop of NZ First MPs?

We know that previously, NZ First haven’t exactly excelled at selecting high quality parliamentarians.

Do we want a repeat of the 1996 coalition with the government relying on renegade NZ First MPs?

The NZ First website is extremely scant on details of its caucus. It doesn’t even have an entry for three of its new MPs – there is nothing on Shane Jones, Jenny Marcroft and Mark Patterson.

What do we know about Mark Patterson and his loss to Todd Barclay for selection as National candidate for Clutha? What do we know about Darroch Ball and his service in the NZ Army – why did he leave it? Aren’t Ron Mark’s claims of NZ SAS service somewhat exaggerated?

Is the current crop of NZ First MPs any better than the likes of Michael Laws, Tuku Morgan, Tuariki Delamere, Neil Kirton, Brendan Horan, Denis O’Rourke, Richard Prosser, Asenati Lole-Talyor and various other oxygen thieves who have previously graced the halls of Parliament thanks to the NZ First list?
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September 29, 2017 8:00am
- fluffykiwi
  
  If I read you correctly Mark Patterson was originally a “staunch” national supporter standing for selection as their candidate
  From that we can take it Mark Patterson is a “waka” jumper given changing from National to NZ First, obviously just looking for a wage.
  I wonder whether he will jump ship again? That could be difficult for NZ First/labour/greens coalititon.
  There is obviously already one flake on board the ship.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:04am
  - peterwn
    
    If he jumps ship it will be to outside Parliament. Winston will want his ‘Electoral Integrity Act’ re-introduced and while obscene, is an easy thing to give him as long as it has a three year sunset clause. This Act permits a party leader to advise the Speaker that one of his/her MP’s is no longer suited resulting in the MP’s removal. If a list MP then the next person on the list (but games are played here) replaces that MP.
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:22am
    - fluffykiwi
      
      Indeed but the so called talent pool of NZ First is weaker and weaker as it goes down the page. And unfortunately they now feel they are very important people, more important than the lowest of backbenchers given NZ First’s role in the makeup of government.
      
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      September 29, 2017 8:41am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    But is he ‘our’ flake?
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:28am
- Paulus
  
  What does it matter it is MMP !
  And the party is Winston.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:11am
  - cmm
    
    Exactly.
    
    They’re all just voting tokens for Winnie, so their actual CVs are “don’t care”.
    
    What chance do you think there is of any of them opening their mouths in the chamber?
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:33am
pdm

You don’t need to know anything about the other NZ First caucus members.

Winston runs the cutter and that is why the party is correctly known as WINSTON FIRST!!!
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September 29, 2017 8:03am
- Nigel Kearney
  
  That’s ok as long as Winston hangs on. But if this turns out to be his last term in Parliament and the rest of the party intends to try to continue without him, things could get very messy as we approach 2020.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:05am
duggledog

Jimmy

Gotta disagree with you on Michael Laws.

At the very least the guy should have been knighted for wiping the floor with Joe Karam during his Radio Live debate about David Bain.

And calling the King Of Tonga a fat brown slug.
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September 29, 2017 8:03am
- fluffykiwi
  
  Michael Laws certainly had his moments.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:05am
- Jimmy
  
  Michael Laws the parliamentarian was a joke, a complete disaster.
  
  Michael Laws the broadcaster is not the subject of my comment – I agree with you he rightly wiped the floor with Joe Karam.
  
  My point is, while all parties have their share of idiots, NZ First has a disproportionately high share of them, and now the government must rely on them? Shouldn’t we know more about them, especially the ones with question marks around their past?
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:09am
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    It’s a pity that the clowns who gave Peters 7.5% of the vote didn’t do more research on the drones he’ll bring with him.
    That is the crux of the problem.
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:13am
    - cmm
      
      I reckon the people who voted for Winston don’t actually want him in power. They love the idea of Winston in opposition.
      
      Winston is the bloke that “keeps them honest” and causes shit from the back of the bus – you don’t actually want him driving the bus.
      
      Unfortunately the way it panned out is he’s currently sitting as king maker. The absolute worst place for him to be.
      
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      September 29, 2017 8:50am
      - dime
        
        i know a few people who voted for him strictly because of mmigration. they want him in there and they want less people coming in.
        
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        September 29, 2017 9:18am
      - GazzaW
        
        There were plenty (including KBers) who party voted for NZF in order ‘to teach the Nats a lesson’ or ‘to keep the Nats honest’.
        
        Gee thanks………look what you’ve got us into.
        
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        September 29, 2017 12:00pm
    - RF
      
      My sister in law voted NZ First and as far as she was concerned she was voting for Winston. She had no idea who her local candidate was and just ticked him / her.
      
      When Peters finally leaves Parlament the votes will go with him so end of NZ First in 3 years.
      
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      September 29, 2017 9:40am
      - Captain Mainwaring
        
        Your sister in law clearly failed to get a proper education.
        
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        September 29, 2017 9:51am
      - RF
        
        Captain Mainwaring.
        
        I tried and failed. My bad. I had to stop trying to educate her as it was becoming a no go area.
        
        In the wild west Winnie would travel in a wagon selling snake oil to the homesteaders and firearms to the Indians.
        
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        September 29, 2017 12:28pm
  - fluffykiwi
    
    At the time the party did an awful lot for the sale of boxer shorts and the price comparisons thereof.
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:24am
  - rangitoto
    
    Well Lolly Stealer was entertaining. Not often a Minister is asked if anyone had asked her for a blowjob.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:59am
Longknives

Stuff’s Headline this morning shrieks-

“The World is better off without Hugh Hefner”

I got about two paragraphs into the Femnazi rant about ‘Old White Men’ and stopped reading in utter disgust.
Regardless of what you think of Playboy Magazine etc is this really appropriate? The man was a 91 year-old WW2 veteran who died only yesterday..
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September 29, 2017 8:04am
- Longknives
  
  I am complaining to Stuff this morning- Do I need to even point out that Hefner was highly respected by Civil Rights Activists? A lifelong Democrat? Gave millions to Charity??
  No fuck it- That will make their little Leftie heads explode.
  I’ll just talk about respect for a WW2 Vet who died yesterday..
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:07am
  - kowtow
    
    Both TV1 and 3 led the evening news with that .
    
    Of all the events happening in the world and NZ why would an ‘editor’ choose that?
    
    They might as well rename the broadcast “Entertainment Tonight”.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:38am
    - calendar girl
      
      Add Prime TV to that list. Are all of them professional news organisations making sound editorial decisions?
      
      Don’t make me laugh – they are interested primarily in sex, violence, white-colour crime and racial prejudice, subjects that they believe will create spurious interest and bring them additional viewers. Major happenings that can seriously affect or reflect the wider world we live in (globally or locally) often don’t attract the same editorial attention or priority – even when taxpayers are keeping the relevant channel alive.
      
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      September 29, 2017 11:15am
      - mikenmild
        
        It’s almost as if they had solid feedback which told them that was what the viewers want…
        
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        September 29, 2017 11:19am
  - trout
    
    It is unlikely that Hugh has gone to a ‘better place’.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:31am
    - sooty
      
      The standard would do me!
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:53pm
- holysheet
  
  Like most men of that era, I only ever bought Playboy for the very well written articles and the jokes.
  Seriously, had a discussion with Mrs Holy just now. She said it was porn. I said what is pornographic about the female body. Many young boys had their first glimpse of the female from this magazine. Nowadays, much worse than playboy is all available at the punch of a computer key.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:11am
  - Biscuit
    
    Holysheet, thanks for that advice!
    
    Innocent little me just punched a computer key or two searching for ‘much worse than Playboy’ and I now have 34,634,565,128,934,892,834,734,868
    links to, erm, review.
    
    Some of said pages, gasp, have PICTURES. Often MOVING pictures, too!
    
    I had no idea!
    
    To paraphrase Captain Oates, ‘I am just going to my room and I may be some time’…
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:22am
    - RF
      
      Many successful gynecologists started their careers after reading playboy in their youth…..
      
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      September 29, 2017 9:46am
  - KevOB
    
    Playboy had a large female readership too.
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:24am
  - Flash
    
    Playboy magazine was not allowed in to New Zealand for many years. We were given a subscription ( or should I say my husband was) and it had to be mailed privately in a non-identifying envelope. It was considered a threat to the moral fibre of the nation and was definitely NOT for coffee table display.
    One day my husband came home to find our kids who were about 7/9/11 age, and a couple of their friends lined up on the couch looking through some old issues. He was taken aback, and all he could think to say was ‘Good read?’ and escape.
    We decided that we wouldn’t make any further comment. The mags stayed in their pile under the sideboard, along with Time and Newsweek, and I don’t think were ever disturbed again.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:30am
    - GazzaW
      
      Who could forget Patricia Bartlett? I believe that she had a subscription too so that she could get her monthly objection into the Censor’s office without delay.
      
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      September 29, 2017 12:08pm
    - Lance
      
      You mean like this?
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHDCz9p1IeY
      
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      September 29, 2017 12:11pm
- rangitoto
  
  The world would be better off without the Horrid.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:14am
- Huevon
  
  The Greens and Labour are full of people like this. All they have is hate.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:36am
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    Sing along now, to the tune by the Beatles…
    
    “All you need is hate… ”
    
    //
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:21am
- tom hunter
  
  Stuff’s Headline this morning shrieks-
  
  “The World is better off without Hugh Hefner”
  
  Our MSM and the Feminist movement turned into Patricia Bartlett so slowly I didn’t notice.
  
  Funny how the world turns. I see Fanny Smith is back to being banned for education purposes again as well, 50 years after escaping from the closet. It’s almost as if the 60’s Counter-Cultural revolution is eating itself alive.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:45am
- Evadne
  
  There’s something distasteful about celebrating anyone’s death.
  
  To say the world is a better place now that a 91-year-old man has died is both patent nonsense and appallingly callous & spiteful.
  
  It says more about the writer than Hugh Hefner: the former seems to be of the opinion that only the ‘right’ or ‘approved’ sort of person is worthy of living.
  
  It reminds me of the vitriol spouted forth (and celebrated!) by some elements of the left when Thatcher died. A real insight into their true natures.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:46am
  - Gabby
    
    I well recall the solemnity with which Castro’s death was greeted, and anticipate Robert Mugabe will be memorialised similarly.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:12am
    - AgentBallSack
      
      Castro & Mugabe
      Both murdering thugs who should be shot on sight. Remind us again which populace Hefner violently suppressed?
      
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      September 29, 2017 9:27am
      - RF
        
        It will be hard to exceed the joy and celebrations expressed by the left when Maggie Thatcher died.
        
        But then it’s ok when the left do it.
        
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        September 29, 2017 9:52am
      - Happychappy
        
        Wasn’t Clare Curran heart broken over Castro’s death.
        
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        September 29, 2017 2:33pm
  - Fletch
    
    I wouldn’t celebrate anyone’s death, but the guy did do much harm in the world to both men and women with his magazine that objectified women as sexual objects.
    
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    September 29, 2017 11:00am
  - KevOB
    
    And they want euthanasia too. Aging is getting more hazardous.
    
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    September 29, 2017 11:03am
- dime
  
  mate, the “article” was up yesterday!
  
  seriosuly, what is wrong with these people?
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:19am
lastmanstanding

Time Luigi was called out blaming the count of Specials as the reason not to make a decision.

Its bullshit and he knows it,

Specials arent going to make a significant change to the current situation.

They may result in a shift of one or two seats around the House.

Luigi is just holding the country to ransom.

If Nats/Lab had any moral and ethical authority one of them would give him a 72 hour deadline and then tell him get stuffed.

That Party would either win or lose but if they lost they would be voted into government alone next time( and before 2020) and would be in power for a decade.

The citizens are sick to death of Luigi and his bullshit.
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September 29, 2017 8:11am
- peterwn
  
  Actually he has a point. If I was assessing the pro’s and con’s of who to go with, I would be a bit more inclined to go with Labour/ Green if they had another seat (and conversely Nat/Act had one less) since the present majority of one is precarious. Interestingly unlike 1996 Winston has set a deadline. In 1996 he was the only game in town. This time if he holds out too long a currently hypothetical National/Green combination could become a possibility.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:33am
  - Poppa
    
    I have said it before but I think there is a possibility of the left actually losing 1 seat in the specials so that would change the game.
    
    What about if the Green vote went below 5%? Peters is not needed if that happens
    
    I think he is right to wait & I would in his position
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:45am
    - Evadne
      
      I don’t think it’s mathematically possible for the Greens to drop below 5% at this stage, unless the general recount discovers major discrepencies in the election night count.
      
      However, I agree that we can’t use the specials trends from previous elections to predict this one: this election showed a massive change in voter behaviour with the early polling, and record numbers of specials. A lot of these were ordinary people voting near the shops or work rather than in their own elctorates. Who they favour is anyone’s guess.
      
      My guess is that they’ll broadly allign with election night – the percentages have barely changed from the first count of advanced votes.
      
      Interesting times.
      
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      September 29, 2017 8:52am
      - peterwn
        
        The Greens have been particularly strong with gathering special votes from ex-pats and ex-pats are AFAIK not polled (unless the polling companies find a way of polling them). They would be ‘tribal’ Green and not likely to be influenced by the campaign. It is these special votes that give a slight lurch to the left on the final result.
        
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        September 29, 2017 9:00am
      - Evadne
        
        peterwn: yes, we’ve seen that lurch to the left previously. The question is whether that will be countered somewhat this time round by a large number of NZ-based National voters taking advantage of the early polling stations, and thereby voting out of their electorate. These will be included in the specials as well.
        
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        September 29, 2017 9:11am
      - Piniwi
        
        Mathematically impossible Evadne? It is 15% of the vote not 15 votes. The Greens live or die by only the party vote of which there is also 15%.
        History is being made this election and it is false hope that the Greens will not shed more votes based on “past” trends. Lets us hope they join the native party and finally fade.
        
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        September 29, 2017 6:21pm
- Digmen1
  
  I like the idea of a 72 hour ultimatum to NZF.
  Tell the public NOW which party you would like to go with.
  
  Actually I like the idea of a 72 hour deadline for NZF to make a deal with National (as the largest party) and if they cant then the Governor General declares that National will be the Government.
  
  Actually I would have liked NZF to give up as they are really only Winston First and he is cleared deluded and past it. Do this , do that, Spend this, spend that.
  
  Actually I would really have liked to see Jacinda concede defeat on election night as she only got her party up to where it was in the last few elections
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:41am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    I like the idea of a Fuck-Peter’s accord where labour and national each provide 4/5 votes to always oppose whatever way Winston First votes and thus negate his party entirely.
    
    Sadly Labour would never agree to that as would hand power to National. Unless they could come up with some time-division plan, say 1 year of control for Labour and 2 years for National.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:45am
    - Nermal
      
      I actually prefer democracy
      
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      September 29, 2017 11:49am
  - chris
    
    It’s not quite as simple as that. When the house first sits, there is a test for confidence in the Government. If the GG simply said to National, ‘go ahead, you can be the Government’ without proper negotiations with other parties, they’d most likely fail the test of confidence because they don’t have a majority of seats.
    
    Refer here for more information:
    https://www.parliament.nz/en/visit-and-learn/how-parliament-works/fact-sheets/pbrief3/#13
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:24am
- mara
  
  lastmanstanding, I agree. The sucketty, sucketty sounds coming from the other parties towards Winston are nauseating and it is likely to get worse before the shambles is over.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:43am
- Nigel Kearney
  
  Given his track record in holding his caucus together for a full three years, I think he’s right to be worried about a combined total of only 61 seats.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:11am
duggledog

Yeah

Naturally, National Radio got some American feminist in to put the boot into Hefner while the old boy’s still warm.

Some women like the above make me laugh. The ones who go on about how they don’t need men etc.

Meanwhile you see all the other smart, practical women quietly take the good blokes whilst in their mid twenties, look after them (in so many ways) and have enduring, happy relationships.

There are a lot of awfully unhappy single women in their late thirties / early forties (particularly in media and academia) who left it too late and can only choose from assorted tattooed, asset-less, baggage carrying garbage.
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September 29, 2017 8:13am
- G152
  
  Ever notice how the more strident feminists are larger than life.
  I know, it’s big of them to pursue what they call equality, but a good diet can have a more equalising effect…
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:31am
  - Inandout
    
    And the body hair!
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:04am
    - Odakyu-sen
      
      The hair! The colors of the hair!
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:23am
fluffykiwi

Obviously an animal lover, given his bunnies and no I won’t go there regarding the other animal he was fond of.
Where on earth was this man a problem. He changed the world’s attitude hugely. The feminists need to think back. He actually got women out of the “kitchen” allowed them to take charge of how and when they would display their personal attributes. In fact he enabled women to take charge of their bodies.
Yeah, yeah what about prostitution, drugs etc., well there has and always will be those unfortunates who fall by the wayside. I do not think Hugh Heffner caused that.
He got sex out in the open, talked about, so now we have legal prostitution, tax paying prostitutes can’t all be bad – I could go on.
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September 29, 2017 8:14am
- peterwn
  
  A Giles cartoon years ago showed a bunch of sharebrokers outside the London Stock Exchange protesting against the admission of women. One was waving a placard “We want bulls, not bunnies”.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:37am
calendar girl

The sentence of 4 years and 4 months imposed in this case by Judge Bernadette Farnan caught me by surprise: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/97289281/terrifying-ordeal-for-rough-diamond .

The crime was one of serious assault against a woman. But we have become accustomed to the Courts handing down terms of imprisonment (if prison features at all) that seem to be far more lenient than this one. What’s the view of KB’s legal experts and others?
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September 29, 2017 8:15am
- cmm
  
  I am no legal expert, but as soon as a gun is brought into the equation the penalties get worse. It will surely also depend on whether or not he has any history.
  
  Rough diamond she was not. Trashy bit of quartz maybe. How can anyone that steals a car and money be called a diamond?
  
  Nothing is her fault it would seem and, no doubt, she will be off offending with the next bloke she cons.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:27am
  - peterwn
    
    If her behaviour was treated as a mitigating factor at sentencing it would be indicating that self help justice is OK. He had other remedies, for example, he could have had his car returned to him if he made a car conversion complaint to the Police.
    
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    September 29, 2017 8:44am
- Inandout
  
  http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/court/9049473/Man-not-guilty-on-drug-charge
  
  https://www.facebook.com/southlandtimes/posts/10151091690472093
  
  Rough diamonds rule.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:13am
- Jack5
  
  The NZ justice system is all over the place.
  
  In the interregnum between Governments the police seem to have reopened some speed traps to rob the generally law abiding motorists who pay their fines.
  
  Meanwhile, the Justice System each year writes off as uncollectable tens of millions of dollars in fines incurred by criminals.
  
  The message seems to be: Free education, including degrees, job training, car licences – if you want to go ahead, go to jail.
  
  In relation to many other sentences publicised, four years plus seems on the heavy side in the case cited by calendar girl. I see the poster, Inandout, tells us the man who did the assault had previous convictions over cannabis. I’m not sure how that relates to this case.
  
  I wonder whether the victim was charged for theft from the man’s bank account and for conversion of his car, and if she was charged, what sentence she received.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:54am
- KevOB
  
  We, not being in Court, don’t know the facts. You cannot trust the media to give them either.
  
  If the judge is out of line with sentencing the Crown can appeal.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:10am
duggledog

Fair enough Jimmy I am not exactly in full receipt of Laws’ record in Parliament.

I do agree the NZF list (former and present) is at best alarming.

On a personal note, certainly NZF is all about Peters but why shouldn’t it be? He has been around an awfully long time.

Winston is ‘the upsetter’ because that’s his role. He exists because of MMP. He has a bad track record with major parties because he doesn’t toe those parties’ lines; he toes his own line.

And as far as I’m concerned, both Labour and National need multiple kicks in multiple slats.
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September 29, 2017 8:21am
Digmen1

You (we) have to look at all things in the context of the time.

Eg slavery
Colonialism
Playboy Magazine

Hell I was I was a teenager, that was all that was “available”
Great looking girls, great photography, but no pussy.
Nowadays any young guy can click on his phone and see everything and anything!

Hats of to Hugh Hefner, he helped make history.
Sexual Revolution, Bunny Clubs, Good Articles.
And he helped bring sex out into the open.
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September 29, 2017 8:23am
Fisiani

Winston First voted for an income package that comes into effect in April It provides $1026 tax cuts for workers and a knockon rise in pensions as they are indexed to after tax incomes. Labour needs to cancel these pension rises and will need Winston First to vote to abolish them. Winston has a simple choice Help or punish pensioners.
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September 29, 2017 8:30am
- peterwn
  
  A compromise for the Left would be to give a one-shot increase to NZ Super and other benefits to compensate for the to be cancelled tax cuts (all benefits are taxable to facilitate taxation treatment when someone receives a benefit and other income).
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:48am
  - Prince
    
    Great idea. Increase Benefits and Super, but make sure workers don’t get any relief from inflation creep on tax brackets.
    Can’t have any relief to anyone who actually works for a living.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:31am
Digmen1

Going back to my comment on another debate.

Why are so many P importers from China?
Why do we let so many Chinese in that do not seem to have jobs.
I see Indians working
I see Philipinas Working
I see Islanders Working
But where do all the Chinese work?
OK some have fish and chip shops, a few are real estate agents but what about the other thousands?
Trademe?
Drug importing/dealing
Escorts (mostly old ones that fly in and out)

What do you think they all do (in general)
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September 29, 2017 8:33am
- Left Right and Centre
  
  Some of them are third world brides of socially retarded white kiwi men who can’t get a western woman.
  
  Love you long time, Joe
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:16am
- Colville
  
  Half of the shit sold on trademe is done by Chinese working from home. No tax there!
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:22am
  - fluffykiwi
    
    No one has to buy it. Law abiding, tax paying citizens could decide to boycott those products, knowing that there is no tax paid on the article.
    And that would happen in a million years because people want a perceived bargain, they justify it by saying “They are responsible for paying their tax, not me”.
    People are just so keen to buy more expensive things.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:26am
- AgentBallSack
  
  Most of the worlds ContacNT is made in China, to answer your question.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:30am
- unaha-closp
  
  Self employment is big in that community.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:31am
- Gabby
  
  They’re doing up their houses.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:20am
- Odakyu-sen
  
  Maybe you do not see the Chinese at work because they are not so visible.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:25am
- Dave Mann
  
  I think that huge numbers of Chinese who come to NZ are from the increasingly large well-off internationally mobile classes of that country who have more disposable income than the average kiwi could ever imagine. Often we just have no idea.
  
  It’s not unusual for them to buy million dollar houses for cash and they seem to just flit back and forth doing ‘business’ of varying sorts. What kind of business? Who knows? But they are often trying to get their money out of China and into relatively ‘safe’ environments, so NZ is in many ways a perfect destination.
  
  Another reason for NZ’s attraction is that China doesn’t allow dual citizenship, but that doesn’t matter here because a permanent resident gets all the advantages (including voting) of a citizen, so they can have it both ways.
  
  To answer your question about what they do (for a living), I have no data on this, but I suspect that their income is mainly earned back in China and NZ is where they spend it. One Chinese acquaintance of mine once told me that ‘NZ is a great place to live, but a hopeless place to make money in’.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:31am
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    The neighbor’s house is on the market.
    Earlier today, a young Chinese couple inspected it. She took lots of photos with her smartphone.
    
    On my side of the street it is Chinese, Chinese, Japanese, Housing Corp., Korean, tenanted, tenanted.
    
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    September 29, 2017 11:27am
- BassilFawlty
  
  Open your eyes or get out more.
  IT
  Hospitality
  Accounting
  Banking
  Etc.
  FFS, typical racist assumptions, fuck off back under your rock.
  
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  September 30, 2017 12:31am
Happychappy

Does anyone else agree with Andrew Little and his statement that the Hagamans Legal case against him is Political motivated or should he have apologised to them before the case got to Court.
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September 29, 2017 8:47am
- Muttonbird
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Lani Hagaman needs to move on. Earl has.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:49am
  - thedavincimode
    
    I disagree. I think she should bury the odious lying oik under a mountain of legal fees.
    
    30 3
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    September 29, 2017 8:52am
    - Muttonbird
      
      Jeez, tough crowd.
      
      3 26
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      September 29, 2017 8:57am
    - Gabby
      
      I think he should go for costs damingygoat.
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:07am
  - Keeping Stock
    
    What a disgusting comment Muttonbird. You really are the face of the caring, sensitive Left; not!
    
    16 3
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    September 29, 2017 9:34am
    - Gabby
      
      You have standards and you know when to apply them smuggy.
      
      1 13
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      September 29, 2017 10:08am
      - mikenmild
        
        It’s lucky we have Keeping Stock around to point out lapses in standard – when slurs are directed at people he likes, that is.
        
        4 12
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        September 29, 2017 10:49am
    - Rachael Membery
      
      The farce of the caring left
      
      4 0
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      September 29, 2017 4:31pm
- peterwn
  
  Mr Hagaman was aggrieved (it was Mr Little’s comments that were politically motivated – not wanting to let facts get in the way of a good story). Mr Hagaman was sufficiently wealthy to afford legal action so chose to take legal action). Others in a similar situation would have just swallowed the rat and got on with life.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:53am
  - fluffykiwi
    
    Thus unfortunately becoming enablers by virtue of their financial situation.
    Is that right, regardless of your wealth you should have the same rights. If someone perjures or libels you the same remedies should apply.
    Sadly they don’t, but all power to Mrs Hagaman, at least there might be some justice and maybe some politicians might take note.
    In effect she is standing up for the “little” person.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:29am
  - Ed Snack
    
    There’s a good legal point to be resolved though – to what degree do politicians get immunity to slander and traduce mere citizens.
    
    It was a purely politically motivated statement in the first place, and as far as I am concerned politicians should get the absolute minimal immunity for untruths, especially where they can be demonstrated to be so and to have been politically motivated.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:37am
    - sooty
      
      Is the party going to pay for his legal cost, now that he is not leader? Maybe he should take a sabatical and dfend himself in court. That would go down well, getting all angry.
      
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      September 29, 2017 12:20pm
    - Rachael Membery
      
      Nothing worse than being collateral damage.
      
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      September 29, 2017 4:33pm
- KevOB
  
  Both sides were a bit high horse.
  Was Jacinda’s family implicated in trying to derail Andrew Little? Politics can be incredibly dirty even on the same side. Will do can be a substitute for could do but ought not.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:18am
thedavincimode

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE (type alert)!

Does chinky twyford know about those damn chinkies building that 60 odd level apartment complex in downtown Auckland? Coming over here with their fat wallets, slitty eyes and chinky sounding names and investing $350 mill in building construction. Stealing all the workers for chinky’s 100,000 homes he was going to build! This is an outrage. And where’s the drunk on this. Why isn’t he threatening to buy the apartments back?

Watch this space.
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September 29, 2017 8:56am
- Muttonbird
  
  Not sure anyone has an issue with new builds properly done. It’s the hocking off of existing stock which has caused the problem.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:06am
  - unaha-closp
    
    Nah, it’s Phil Goff building sprawl and jacking up the cost of Auckland that causes the problem. If only Auckland weren’t so dang costly to build in.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:35am
- fluffykiwi
  
  Are they “chinkies”. I know they are building in Australia.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:30am
Ross12

So apparently there are a lot of people around the world who don’t know where wool comes from and how get it to use.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11927641

Is the wool industry gaining market share from synthetics ?
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September 29, 2017 8:58am
- waikatogirl
  
  Alicia Silverstone is a Hollywood actress, a nutty greeny with her own ‘range’ of natural products. Apparently they believe sheep should go unshorn.
  The campaign shows sheep abuse in an Australian shearing shed. Nothing to do with NZ shearing sheds.
  
  Wouldn’t you love these airy fairy nutters to know what they are talking about before agreeing to put their name to the latest campaign. ?
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:13am
  - dime
    
    she said in an interview that her toddler didnt have nappies, it used the lawn. like an animal.
    
    nutjob.
    
    would still smash though.. back in the day
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:24am
    - Gabby
      
      dim’s gettin lascivious
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:10am
      - rangitoto
        
        gabby’s always gobby
        
        6 2
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        September 29, 2017 11:12am
      - Gabby
        
        rangi’s gottit wrongi
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:33pm
    - fluffykiwi
      
      She could buy those puppy training mats and the child could go in the lounge, it could be entertainment for her friends whilst having a sip of something.
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:31am
      - Ed Snack
        
        Or a dirt box, teach the child to scratch around and bury it…
        
        7 1
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        September 29, 2017 10:38am
  - Evadne
    
    The absense of any reason or logic in these sorts of campaigns winds me up.
    
    These purported animal lovers don’t actually know or care about animal welfare, and don’t bother to educate themselves on the basics. Sheep are primarily shorn for their own welfare: it’s not about us cruelly stealing their wool.
    
    If this campaign results in the whole world refusing to buy wool, then sheep will still be shorn. With no market, the wool will be thrown away. Despite being natural, organic, wholesome, earth-friendly [insert trendy term here].
    
    Any then we can all wear synthetic fibres made from hydrocarbons and petroleum. i.e. fossil fuels (which apparently aren’t evil in this context).
    
    Weird.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:29am
    - Peter
      
      Being a greenist is an act of hypocrisy.
      
      For example, no oil drilling here as that would spoil our environment, but turn a blind eye for oil drilling to happen elsewhere so they can wear synthetics and have them – and everything else that makes their daily life 1st world – delivered over long distances.
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:13am
    - Odakyu-sen
      
      Modern sheep have been bred by man to be depended upon him for shearing. It would be cruel not to.
      
      PETA would cause the extinction of hundreds of domestic animal breeds if they got their way. Think of the loss of genetic diversity…
      
      15 0
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      September 29, 2017 10:28am
      - MT_Tinman
        
        I’m on the young lady’s side.
        
        In fact I think every item of clothing she has access to should have a wool sticker attached immediately 😉
        
        6 0
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        September 29, 2017 10:32am
      - waikatogirl
        
        Apparently the animal rights protesters say Shrek the sheep with years of growth was the lucky one having escaped being shorn by horrible humans who are only out to exploit and abuse sheep. ?
        
        These protesters are totally ignorant of the facts.
        
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        September 29, 2017 10:37am
      - GoVege
        
        Isn’t the problem here that it’s hard to get the sheep’s cooperation, hence they kick like mad, so the shearers have to exert force to hold them down?
        Surely some genius out there could invent some contraption to hold the sheep firmly in place whilst being shorn?
        Less struggling, less annoyance for shearers, less injuries to sheep, hence less fear and resistance next time the sheepies get shorn.
        Win, win, win!?
        
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        September 29, 2017 1:29pm
      - RF
        
        For those who believed Shrek was a wild sheep I have a bridge for sale.
        
        Very good information was that Shrek was being fed sheep nuts on the farm prior to being “discovered”.
        
        Still it made some money for a few people.
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:32pm
    - kowtow
      
      Wool is what the wealth of England was built on ,which went on to rule much the world. We are part of that tradition and our wealth too was built on agriculture.
      
      Any fucker messing with that is an economic saboteur .
      
      How the fuck that Prof from England on secondment to SAFE here was given a visa is beyond me . He should be treated like the economic terrorist he is and slung out of the country.
      
      Likewise state broadcasters should be advised that they are running on taxes generated by the productive sector of this country , not the left, and ensure some “balance” in their reporting , and that does not include a very short clip from the great lady at Fed Farmers as opposed to the long broadcast on behalf of the anti mob.
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:33am
      - mikenmild
        
        It should be compulsory for kowtow to wear woollen underwear exclusively – no foreign cotton.
        
        6 3
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        September 29, 2017 10:51am
      - RF
        
        Evadne.
        
        Sorry mate… reported you by mistake. Boss hog fingers. One day this flaw might be fixed,
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:41pm
    - Thompy
      
      It takes just a minute to shear a sheep. It’s no different to having a haircut. No pain no bleating and a load off its back to boot. How on earth is that ill treatment! Hollywood celebrities don’t know shit.
      
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      September 29, 2017 11:54am
      - sooty
        
        Just wait till our nz whine up. Maybe lizzie will sing them a song.
        
        5 0
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        September 29, 2017 12:13pm
      - Evadne
        
        Didn’t you read the article, you cruel, nasty, heartless person? Those poor sheep are “manhandled and put into positions that are awkward for them” and then “they are released and go back into the flock. They don’t show any obvious signs but they experience the shock of cold and stress. That is not pleasant.”
        
        Oh, the humanity! Won’t someone think of the sheep!
        
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        September 29, 2017 1:34pm
      - RF
        
        Are you sharing this sheep. no.. fuck off and get your own.
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:43pm
- BananaLlama
  
  Bugger a bit late to comment.
  I would like to see a price comparison between wool and synthetics the price per kg of clean fleece needs to rise imo. Oh and those big merino farms in Australia are very different to the NZ ones their shearers are under the pump i hope FF gets of their backsides and uses this opportunity to brand NZ wool.
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:18pm
waikatogirl

Why are the negotiation talks secret? Surely the voting public should know which policies are being accepted and what is being dropped by both left and right parties.

Are voters irrelevant now that our representatives are in negotiation?
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September 29, 2017 9:03am
- Muttonbird
  
  Now you know why people were upset at the secrecy of the TPP negotiations.
  
  Speaking of which, I see the Japanese PM has called a snap election. Hardly the kind of environment in which to be signing off the TPP 11.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:07am
  - thedavincimode
    
    He’s called it because he’s a shoe in and all your commie mates are out for the count and he’s using the pretext of your other mate the looney rocketman’s crazy antics. Can only be a plus for the TPP.
    
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    September 29, 2017 9:20am
  - Ed Snack
    
    The TPP was negotiated in secret because that is what all the participants agreed to. It was NOT going to be enacted in secret though. The secrecy is to enable meaningful negotiations and compromises to be made and to prevent small pressure groups from having excessive influence.
    
    Rather amusing to me in that the leftists in NZ relied on Trump to get it thoroughly trashed. They thought it unfair to NZ whereas Trump thought it unfair to the USA. If both thought it unfair then it must have had some good points.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:42am
- Happychappy
  
  wg : Don’t you find it to be rich when the left held protests into TPP and Winston also cried wolf about the Trade deal but preaches how legitimate it is when NZ First hold the country to ransom.
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:29am
rightoverlabour

They say opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one and they are usually full of shit. Case in point

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/97367335/why-women-and-the-world-are-better-off-without-hugh-hefner
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September 29, 2017 9:05am
- Inandout
  
  Hef was no friend of the hairy legs, but I bet those same ‘females’ fantasise over the bunnies.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:47am
AgentBallSack

What a fucked up world we live in when judges can decide no means yes and 11 year olds can consent to sex with 27 year olds.
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September 29, 2017 9:23am
cmm

Stuff (and Herald) have a habit of attaching misleading graphics to their stories.

Take for instance:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/97370716/Man-pulled-over-in-Christchurch-gun-found-in-back-of-car

Gun found in car, so there’s a picture of a gun. However this is not the gun that was in the car. At least in this instance they have the honesty to say it is a file photo (which I take it means a photo unrelated to this incident).

Everyone knows what a generic gun looks like, so why the need to sex things up with a “file photo”?

Quite often they do not say it is a file photo, leaving an impression that the specific photo is related to the incident – most disingenuous.
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September 29, 2017 9:26am
Manolo

Brainwashing works:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/28/north-korea-millions-sign-up-military/711381001/

North Korea claims that 4.7 million of its citizens have volunteered to join or re-enlist in the military since leader Kim Jong Un threatened to “tame” President Trump “with fire” last week, North Korean state media reported.
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September 29, 2017 9:32am
- dime
  
  maybe ya get to actually eat if youre a soldier?
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:38am
  - Ed Snack
    
    Maybe you (and all your family) get to stay out of a re-education camp when you agree that you should “volunteer” for the army.
    
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    September 29, 2017 10:44am
Left Right and Centre

Oh dear – lots of busybody losers don’t want a new McDs in Ferry Rd Chch.

There’s one in Eastgate – 2.5kms away – that’s close enough, yeah ?

Er – not if you live in Sumner / Port Hills or just plain old Woolston itself. That’s a 5km round trip extra.

Same old same old hysteria. Oh no – it’s near some schools. Won’t someone please think of the children ?!!
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September 29, 2017 9:36am
- KevOB
  
  McD’s provide healthier meals among their choices than many eat at home. Not perfect, and some burgers offend with the belief they might be able to last a year, but living in the neighbourhood I see and hear of a lot of poor meal choices. TV tut tuts from educated Otago Uni spoilers have no impact.
  
  This seems like a class war the super educated against the poor.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:37am
Manolo

The invaders milk the system:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4927942/Peter-Dutton-says-Nauru-refugees-collection-Armani.html

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has taken aim at the first group of refugees to leave Australia’s offshore detention centres for resettlement and claims the country ‘has been taken for a ride.’

‘Somebody once said to me the world’s biggest collection of Armani jeans and handbags was up on Nauru waiting for people to collect it when they depart,’ Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.
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September 29, 2017 9:52am
- Gabby
  
  Surprised Duddin and Yabbit didn’t manage to get a confiscation law through.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:16am
Prince

I hope Paula Bennett knows she is being played by the Greens when she suggests a coalition with them.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97370870/national-wants-conversation-with-greens-official-talks-yet-to-begin
The Greens will dangle the bait only to upset Winston and drive him further towards Labour.
There is no possibility of the tribal Greens joining a National-led Government.

I’m OK with this as I would rather be in opposition than have Winston and his motley crew as partners, but if Bennett wants to be in Government she is acting in a very naive way here.
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September 29, 2017 9:53am
- Ross12
  
  The article doesn’t really match the headline.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:16am
  - Prince
    
    That’s true, but not unusual.
    
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    September 29, 2017 12:49pm
Digmen1

NZF and their voters should be sent to Myanmar, they would sort them out!

Or build a rest home for them all.
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September 29, 2017 10:13am
- BananaLlama
  
  Should send you lot to China along with your mate Mr Yang.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:54am
Digmen1

Because of NZF we now have 120 people plus hangers on in Parliament doing nothing until October 12th.
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September 29, 2017 10:14am
- waikatogirl
  
  Not quite Digmen1, there are all the morning teas to be laid out and enjoyed by the different parties, before they are cleared for lunch to be served in Bellamy’s. Also NZF are having some alterations to their suite of rooms (full length mirrors being installed in every room for Winnie to admire himself) ?
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:43am
- Longknives
  
  Nothing out of the ordinary for the List MPs anyway Digmen!
  160k plus perks to do? …well…ummm…
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:01am
- Keeping Stock
  
  They can’t do anything until 12th October anyway Digmen1, which is when the writs are returned and the new Parliament is formed.
  
  New MP’s though have been doing their induction this week, in conjunction with the Clerk’s office.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:45am
Happychappy

I see the Heralds focus was taking no chances with upsetting Winston Peters when they decided to pick a safe Labour seat of Parmeston North to ask people who they think NZ First should pick as Partners to form the next Government.
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September 29, 2017 10:17am
Digmen1

The question should
“What should National do, so that they ca form a government!”
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September 29, 2017 10:44am
Digmen1

Pity I cant read German so I could see what their press are saying!

Angela Merkel (even though I hate the bitch) got the most votes, will they be asking one of the minor parties to decide?

I don’t think so
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September 29, 2017 10:46am
BananaLlama

Another day of NZF hate.

Crops Fail – Winstons fault
Mice in the barn – Winstons fault
Sick livestock – Winstons fault
Empty bank account – Winstons fault
Economy crashes – Winstons fault

How about the Nats take some of that personal responsibility they like to crow on about before they find themselves out on their arse for the next nine years.
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September 29, 2017 10:49am
VicParking

I was two ticks Blue but was pissed off when I saw a picture on her facebook page of Harete Hipango and the rest of the new National MP’s sitting down to a huge feed in Bellanys. They did not take to long to find the trough.
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September 29, 2017 10:52am
- mikenmild
  
  I don’t think MPs should be allowed to eat either.
  
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  September 29, 2017 10:54am
  - Keeping Stock
    
    I concur mikenmild. I wonder if VicParking is prepared to go to Wellington and fast for a week.
    
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    September 29, 2017 11:02am
    - VicParking
      
      No problem with them eating at Bellamys. Its posting a picture on you facebook page. You have to see the smug look on all their faces, it was really cat getting the cream stuff.
      
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      September 29, 2017 11:08am
      - Keeping Stock
        
        I can only speak of Harete Hipango, who worked her butt off during the campaign. It’s the first time I have been right on the inside of a political campaign, and Joe Public what not have a clue how much effort candidates from all parties put in.
        
        Harete was very excited to head for Parliament first thing Monday morning and has been down there all week. I think it’s not too much of a stretch to cut her and all new MP’s from all parties a bit of slack for being all smiles this week, before the reality of parliamentary life kicks in.
        
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        September 29, 2017 11:24am
      - Johnboy
        
        Don’t get too upset VP. They only get the free Beluga and Moet breakfast once… unless they become Ministers of course! 🙂
        
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        September 29, 2017 2:26pm
Fletch

William F Buckley Jr on Hugh Heffner in a 1966 article and interview.

“The Playboy Philosophy,” the key insight of which is that “a man’s morality, like his religion, is a personal affair best left to his own conscience.” The phrase sounds harmless enough, and the tendency is to cluck-cluck one’s agreement to it.

The trouble with Hefner’s law is that society is composed of nothing more than a great number of individuals, and if each man’s morality is defined merely to suit himself, then everyone will endure the consequences of the individual’s autonomously defined ethics. Mr. Hefner’s philosophy notwithstanding, there is such a thing as the public morality, and that morality has throughout civilized history been primarily sustained by religion.

The so-called sexual revolution, of which Playboy is the slickest harbinger, asks in effect that sanctions be removed against what used to be known as “illicit sexual behavior.” The Playboy group correctly skewers the conflicting and vague laws that lie in the dusty statute books of the individual states, and a case could be made, let us say, for removing criminal sanctions against homosexuality between consenting adults. But the modernists want to go further and, in effect, remove the moral sanctions against such behavior — and that is something else again.

All that is good is not embodied in the law, and all that is evil is not proscribed by the law. A well-disciplined society needs few laws, but it needs strong mores. And the kind of solipsism that is encouraged by the sexual revolution goes further by far than to encourage a loosening of the laws. It encourages the loosening of public attitudes.

John cannot behave exactly as he desires, because he will inevitably affect James, not to say Jane, if those desires are not contained by reference to the great prescriptions of human conduct which are the most valuable part of the national patrimony.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451944/hugh-hefner-dies-playboy-philosophy-william-f-buckley-jr-criticism-sexual-revolution

The televised interview between Buckley and Heffer is 48 minutes long but well worth watching. One thing that I take away from it is that we were way more sophisticated back then as to our vocabulary. Buckley (and even Heff) speak like someone would write.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71B6hqEbbYQ
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September 29, 2017 11:06am
- mikenmild
  
  If you enjoyed that, you should look for the movie of the debates between Buckley and Gore Vidal from 1968(?). Was shown at the film festival last year or 2015.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:17am
Keeping Stock

Guy Williams has taken a cheap shot at John Armstrong, who is a long-time sufferer of Parkinson’s:

Guy Williams‏
@guywilliamsguy

Could we take a second photo of John Armstrong or nah

https://twitter.com/guywilliamsguy/status/913154358166020096

Remember the outrage last year when Donald Trump was accused of mocking a disabled journalist? Oddly, there has been almost no adverse comment directed at Williams.

Interesting too that his partner is very likely to be added to the Green Party’s parliamentary caucus when special votes have been counted. Ms Ghahraman might have to invest in a gag for her partner.
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September 29, 2017 11:19am
- mikenmild
  
  It’s lucky we have moral guardians like you. Please make sure to administer a good telling off to anyone offending your sensibilities on this blog.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:40am
  - Keeping Stock
    
    Fuck off mikenmild. If you think making fun of someone with Parkinson’s is acceptable, then that says far more about you than me.
    
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    September 29, 2017 12:21pm
    - mikenmild
      
      Oh dear. Sorry for pointing out your habit of only finding fault with those who don’t support the National Party.
      I’m quite happy for people to tell off others for their misdemeanours (real or imagined). It’s just when done by hypocrites I tend to notice it more.
      
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      September 29, 2017 2:56pm
    - Gabby
      
      A dope with Parky’s is still a dope smuggy. You’re on shaky ground if you think otherwise.
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:27pm
AgentBallSack

I see the fairies were busy overnight, cleaning up the shit left behind by one of our more notorious commentators.
One would have to have been here to know exactly why Dad 4 Justice copped his 6th strike and 2 months off.
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September 29, 2017 11:32am
- mikenmild
  
  ABS
  As a participant in that ‘debate’, I’m not sure why D4J copped a strike. So far as I could tell, he wasn’t doing anything unusual (for him).
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:39am
  - Keeping Stock
    
    To be fair mikenmild, D4J’s “unusual” is somewhat different from that of most of us who comment here 😀
    
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    September 29, 2017 11:41am
    - mikenmild
      
      True. But it was just his usual – threats to reveal commenters’ names and email addresses, challenges to ‘meet’ him (saucy devil!), accusations of multiple blog identities, etc, etc.
      
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      September 29, 2017 11:43am
    - waikatogirl
      
      Dj4 does seem to run on ANGRY and obnoxious. ?
      
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      September 29, 2017 2:02pm
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    It was pretty clear that it was going to happen.
    
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    September 29, 2017 2:00pm
- Keeping Stock
  
  Was it public toilets in Hagley Park again that unhinged him?
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:39am
- KevOB
  
  I had a stupid comment from Dad 4 Justice accusing me of being “green”.
  
  For the record I am deep magenta.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:44am
- AgentBallSack
  
  I would assume it was him allegedly naming a fellow commentator here and accusing him of having AIDS. Probably not a wise idea, in hindsight.
  
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  September 29, 2017 11:58am
  - stigie
    
    2 months off for dad4justmen….what the hell do we do for entertainment now.
    I think he needed some time out, just a shame he went too far in abusing his right to be here !~
    
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    September 29, 2017 4:26pm
  - Awww C-mon
    
    He was fired up, I was the first one to push the buttons, I mean really, what else could I do?
    
    But once BB turned up, shit to go a little cray cray
    
    I wonder if that ban was for what he wrote or for suggesting our host hold his imaginary 20k
    
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    September 29, 2017 4:59pm
Manolo

A RINO’s fall from grace:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/28/myth-mitch-mcconnell-genius-master-senate-215656?lo=ap_d1

The past eight months of massive and avoidable failures have delivered such a devastating blow to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s reputation for political savvy, it’s a wonder it ever existed at all.
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September 29, 2017 11:48am
Evadne

I know the Herald like to sensationalise things in their click-bait headlines, at the same time as striving to imply that they’re reputable investigative journalists, but really, this has to be the dumbest headline in recent times:

“Revealed: 50 more shops to open at mega mall”

REVEALED?? Is this some great secret uncovered after months of harrowing undercover journalism?

Indeed, this is what our intrepid journo has uncovered: “Further details of the $200 million expansion of Auckland’s biggest mall have been revealed, including that the overall centre will soon cover more than 10ha of indoor floor space and 50 new shops will open.”

All discovered (sorry, “revealed”) when the architects took the Herald on a trip. They also “revealed how the roof of the car park would be removed soon”.

I hope the journalists didn’t have to resort to torture or other desperate measures to draw out such deep secrets.
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September 29, 2017 1:52pm
Chuck Bird

This violent bitch is not unique. Is it not about time we got rid of the offense of man assaults woman? It could be replaced with assault on a vulnerable person which could include a child, someone elderly or disabled. This makes sense morally and logically. However, I doubt if many feminist who cry for equality would support it. Most would oppose it on the grounds it is anti woman.

Pamper party murderer Anna Browne's dark past laid bare

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11926607
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September 29, 2017 1:58pm
- mandk
  
  Is there an offence of woman assaults man?
  
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  September 29, 2017 2:48pm
  - dad4justice
    
    No
    
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    September 29, 2017 4:35pm
    - AgentBallSack
      
      uh oh.
      
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      September 29, 2017 6:04pm
Manolo

The Africanisation of Europe continues unabated:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4925202/EU-announces-plan-50-000-migrants.html

The EU has announced it is working on a new plan to take in 50,000 refugees from Africa.

The European Commission says it has set aside 500 million euros to find homes for refugees mostly from Libya, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia.
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September 29, 2017 2:06pm
Inandout

Muslim percentages Egypt (90), Libya (96), Niger (98), Sudan (71), Chad (55), Ethiopia (33). Funny that eh?
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September 29, 2017 3:48pm
- Gabby
  
  I wonder what religion the ‘refugees’ are.
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:22pm
dad4justice

Shit I am still here I thought the Graeme Taylor incident was fatal. Lol.
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September 29, 2017 4:35pm
- Gruffydd
  
  Hay Catholics we need an exorcism.
  The ghost of D4J walks among us.
  
  Dad 4 Justice – 1st, 2nd and 3rd strike – 25/2/15, 4th strike – 11/6/16, 5th strike – 18/7/16, 6th strike – 28/9/17
  
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  September 29, 2017 4:48pm
- Awww C-mon
  
  she…it! hey there lazarus!
  
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  September 29, 2017 5:04pm
- stigie
  
  Ok Dad, what did you do to dpf to be let back in..?
  Someone is smiling down on ya Dad !~
  
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  September 29, 2017 5:50pm
  - AgentBallSack
    
    Jesus I couldn’t get let back in for saying the C word in jest even though I applied for a warning.
    
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    September 29, 2017 6:06pm
    - stigie
      
      Awww mentioned last night that Dad has 2 faces, i guess the other face was on when pleading to dpf for mercy..?
      
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      September 29, 2017 6:17pm
realityczech

Germany’s image meets reality…

————————————————-

How Merkel’s Green Energy Policy Has Fueled Demand for Coal

By 2030, the eastern German town of Poedelwitz will likely be razed to get at the rich veins of coal beneath its half-timbered houses. The reason: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s effort to steer Germany toward greener energy, which has unexpectedly meant booming demand for dirty coal.

While Merkel aims to wean the country from nuclear power and boost renewable energy, the shift has been slow—Germany’s 140-plus coal-fired plants last year supplied 40 percent of the country’s electricity—and Poedelwitz is flanked by open-pit lignite mines that feed a 2 gigawatt power plant a few miles away.
“This is unparalleled destruction of the environment,”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-21/how-merkel-s-green-energy-policy-has-fueled-demand-for-coal
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September 29, 2017 5:26pm
- realityczech
  
  FORGET THE SPIN: OFFSHORE WIND COSTS ARE NOT FALLING
  
  https://www.thegwpf.org/forget-the-spin-offshore-wind-costs-are-not-falling/
  
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  September 29, 2017 5:27pm
  - Gruffydd
    
    ROFL
    squawk
    Renewable energy is now the cheapest option, on average, for new electricity capacity around the world — in developed countries like the US as well as developing countries
    https://cleantechnica.com/2017/01/22/renewables-now-cheapest-renewable-energy-costs-low-too-high/
    Building on our first-ever American Wind Week, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released its annual Wind Technologies Market Report today.
    
    LBNL’s findings confirm that U.S. wind energy costs continue to fall, technology continues to advance and performance continues to improve. This has helped the wind industry sell energy at historically low prices to electricity customers, increasing demand from utilities and corporate purchasers alike. As a result, the outlook for the industry is strong.
    ……
    As those other analysts have noted, wind energy is now the lowest-cost option among all energy sources. PPAs not only provide cost-competitive pricing today, they also allow utilities and corporate purchasers to secure price stability over periods of 10, 20, or even 30 years, providing a hedge against future fuel price increases.
    http://www.aweablog.org/national-lab-wind-power-become-historically-low-cost/
    
    Dont ya love Luddites .
    
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    September 29, 2017 5:38pm
    - realityczech
      
      Great so why the subsidies ?
      
      Is it because of the TAX on affordable and sustainable energy sources like coal ?
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:23pm
      - Gruffydd
        
        WWW:Factspulledfromarse.com
        Poor wee fuckwit has to make up shite because this new fangled renewable energy is scary to Luddites.
        
        Solid energy’s collapse cost NZ $250,000,000 dollars .
        What a waste of money chucked on obsolete technology.
        It will never happen again.
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:46pm
      - realityczech
        
        You forgot to answer the question.
        
        Why do you tell so many lies Griff ? People can google the truth in seconds.
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:49pm
      - Gruffydd
        
        I answered the question.
        You are a Poor wee fuckwit says it all.
        
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        September 29, 2017 8:20pm
      - realityczech
        
        More lies. You did not answer the questions. Liar.
        
        Your fake energy is not affordable. Even with the attack taxes on real energy sources.
        
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        September 29, 2017 8:29pm
      - Gruffydd
        
        The first link above has chart of unsubsidized energy cost .
        Here
        https://c1cleantechnicacom-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/files/2017/01/Renewable-Energy-Cost-Renewables-Cheapest-USA-e1485132831107.png
        Wind power is cheapest followed by solar .
        The cost of both wind and solar is declining.
        Gas and coal are mature industry’s their cost are as cheap as they will ever be .
        
        As I said poor wee fuckwit makes up stuff .
        
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        September 29, 2017 8:38pm
RF

Not complaining but it’s a relief not being confronted by a row of flashing teeth followed by facial expressions to express what is currently on her mind. Which is stuff all.

I guess she is waiting for instructions from the Kremlin and her dodgy mate in the U.K. Jeremy Corbyn.
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September 29, 2017 6:00pm
- AgentBallSack
  
  #LetsEnjoyThis
  
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  September 29, 2017 6:07pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Good to know that Wellington’s citizens are supporting quality managers and advisers.

No nasty plonk for these fine fellows
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/97281130/capital-ratepayers-fund-wreda-expenses-lavish-or-justified
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September 29, 2017 6:05pm
- Gabby
  
  The pigs do the important thinking so it’s reasonable that they get the brain food.
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:18pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Quite so ~~Squealer~~ Gabby.
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:28pm
AgentBallSack

I will hat tip this to WhaleOil because this is one of the best pieces he ever wrote:

by Cameron Slater

…it was a dark and stormy night… really it was, as best I can remember. It was in Wellington in 1992.

I was in Murray McCully’s office, observing (I guess you could call it that) a most memorable event. It was the night that key members of the National party caucus met in McCully’s office to draft the expulsion motion to throw Winston Peters from their caucus and to set in motion his eventual resignation from the party and the forming of NZ First.

Many MPs were there, including Doug Kidd, Doug Graham, Maurice Williamson, John Banks, John Carter, Wyatt Creech, Max Bradford, John Luxton, Philip Burdon and others, all perched on chairs, arms of sofas, tables and desks. Some like Ruth Richardson popped in for a few moments to read over the document, such as it was, and nod and give the assent or to suggest a change of a word or two.

I was there because my father had been summoned to help draft the motion, he was the Northern Regional Chair and sat on the party management council who were ultimately going to have to deal with the fall out. We were supposed to be going for dinner… we were very late.

It was a scrappy little document, much dog-eared and rumpled from all the handling and scribbling. Finally a call was made and Bill Birch was summoned and the drinks came out.

Bill Birch came down and perched on the edge of McCully’s desk, he was handed the scrappy little piece of paper… he pulled out his glasses, perched them on the end of nose and peered at the document. After a few moments he nodded and placed that piece of paper in his suit breast pocket. Then he picked up a Glass, it has barely a finger of Scotch in the bottom… and he toyed with it.
Someone asked in the hushed tones if this was the right thing to do… Bill Birch stared imperiously around the room and then launched into a quiet speech about all the things that he liked about Winston… then all the things he could tolerate about Winston.

I can’t remember it word for word but Birch explained how he could accept his drinking, his drunkenness, his philandering, his absenteeism and many other faults… it was a substantial list… but he came to the conclusion.

“There are many things I can accept about Winston Peters, but the one thing I cannot accept is he tells fucking lies.”

And with that he put down the glass with the Scotch untouched, turned and walked out commenting as he went that he better go and tell the Prime Minister.

The next day Winston Peters was suspended from caucus and the rest, as they say is history.
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September 29, 2017 6:17pm
- RF
  
  From what I have been told by his former colleagues this sounds pretty good to me.
  
  He has form…….
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:10pm
Nostradamus

Will the NZ Greens be tempted?

Careful with those helium balloons — a Perth council has just banned them

So, yes, a Perth council goes green. But there’s another part to this story:

But the Greens and the Conservation Council of WA want further action against single-use plastics, calling for all plastic balloons and straws as well as microbeads to be banned across the state. Environment Minister Stephen Dawson, who was contacted for comment, has previously made clear the Government did not support a ban on balloons and plastic straws, saying he was “not going to be a party pooper”.

Suppose you go to McDonald’s and order a milkshake. The milkshake arrives. How are you supposed to drink it without a straw?
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September 29, 2017 6:19pm
- Gruffydd
  
  Straws used to be made from paper.
  
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  September 29, 2017 6:28pm
  - nasska
    
    …..”Straws used to be paper”…..
    
    I remember that….waxed paper that collapsed if you sucked too hard.
    
    I can also remember Jeyes waxed toilet paper. Shit didn’t stick to it but you could probably have washed the sheets & recycled them. ?
    
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    September 29, 2017 6:40pm
- mikenmild
  
  How to drink a milkshake without a straw?
  Gee, Nostradamus, I had you figured as one of the brighter commenters on the blog.
  
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  September 29, 2017 6:50pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    Mikenmild:
    
    One of the difficulties with interpreting blog comments is distinguishing between a serious comment and a tongue-in-cheek comment (which was my intention on that occasion). I’d have hoped that you’d have seen enough of my comments to be able to tell which was which! (Or were you just up to a bit of Friday evening mischief?)
    
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    September 29, 2017 6:55pm
    - mikenmild
      
      You got me.
      But I will retain my mental image of you consuming your milkshake with the assistance of a spoon for a while.
      
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      September 29, 2017 6:59pm
- Johnboy
  
  If we ban microbeads how will we be able to barter with the pygmies? 🙂
  
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  September 29, 2017 6:58pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    Johnboy:
    
    Easy. Just tell them that the water from the sky is a “precious gift” – and that they can borrow it if they can figure how to store it. Actually, come to think of it, Penny could be interested in bartering with you on that basis!
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:03pm
  - mikenmild
    
    I regret that I only have one uptick to give.
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:06pm
  - mikenmild
    
    Use your small change?
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:08pm
AgentBallSack

Mama Cass had super slim legs but wore huge dresses. These days she would be wearing yoga pants.
GD post 200
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September 29, 2017 6:46pm
- nasska
  
  I was reading your 6.06pm Ballsack. I agree that the “C” word has been the downfall of many a man & it is one of the few things our normally uber tolerant host comes down on like a ton of bricks.
  
  It was the same in eons past. As a truck driver in rural Wairarapa for about eighteen years I made many a trip over the Rimutakas to the Ngauranga Abattoir. Radio telephone frequencies were in short supply & our Wairarapa one was also used by half a dozen Wellington businesses.
  
  The codes used on the RT to warn other drivers of the presence of traffic officers was creative to say the least. Eg. “you can get your photo taken on the Esplanade” to warn of a radar trap.
  
  The best although was “there’s a mermaid on the Hutt Rd”.
  
  Translated into a “C” with scales. 🙂
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:02pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    Nasska:
    
    As a truck driver in rural Wairarapa for about eighteen years I made many a trip over the Rimutakas to the Ngauranga Abattoir
    
    Were you ever tempted by Sirens (of the mythological type – not police sirens) at Mikenmild’s Quarry Inn?
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:07pm
    - mikenmild
      
      I think the Quarry Inn may have been established some time after nasska’s relocation to the rural nirvana of the northern Wairarapa.
      No doubt he has fond memories of earlier establishments.
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:11pm
    - nasska
      
      I don’t think it was there then Nostra. In any case I wouldn’t have had enough cash to walk in the door, never mind ask for the price list.
      
      I was taken prisoner in 1970, about half way through the sexual revolution & saw out the final stages changing nappies & working two jobs to pay for everything. 🙂
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:15pm
      - Johnboy
        
        I’m certain all the little nasska’s fondly remember your unstinting work at nappie changing and reflect that by the expensive gifts they bestow on you at birthday time old chap! 🙂
        
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        September 29, 2017 7:19pm
Johnboy

The Quarry’s a bit off the track for a chap travelling from the Rapa to the gutworks..not that I’d know where it is of course! 🙂
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September 29, 2017 7:10pm
- Nostradamus
  
  Johnboy:
  
  The Quarry’s a bit off the track for a chap travelling from the Rapa to the gutworks
  
  I’m reliably informed by Mrs Nasska that he took a number of “overnight trips”. Of course, this was before we had mobile phones, so you could easily make yourself scarce back then! (Just joking Nasska – no offence intended!)
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:28pm
Nostradamus

Penny used to tell us:

Last year in the Auckland Mayoralty I polled 4th with 11,723 votes.

Does anyone know if she’s updated her claim?

In the interests of accuracy, it’d have to be something like: “In the 2017 general election I polled last in the Tamaki electorate with 201 votes – 0.64% of total votes cast. I would’ve done slightly better if the 312 people who cast “Candidate Informals” had instead voted for me!”
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September 29, 2017 7:23pm
- Johnboy
  
  I had to read your post twice old chap. I misread “Tamaki” as “Titanic”….silly mistake.
  Both would have been OK as far as Penny’s concerned of course! 🙂
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:29pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    Johnboy:
    
    I think you’ll find it’s “Tāmaki”. There’s no “Tamaki” on the map, old chap, unless you’re looking for Bishop Brian’s new digs!
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:32pm
    - sooty
      
      She’s onto a winner there!
      
      2 2
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      September 29, 2017 7:40pm
    - Rachael Membery
      
      Macrons for everyone. No, not the biscuits ;).
      
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      September 29, 2017 11:39pm
- mikenmild
  
  I would like to think that had Penny teamed up with the Internet Party, the latter would have been well on the way to 500 votes nationwide.
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:36pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    Mikenmild:
    
    You may be interested in the Money Free Party candidate:
    
    OSMASTON, Richard 38
    
    Down from 175 at the last election – a deflationary performance. Still, they have a kick-ass website – so they’ll definitely do better next time!
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:43pm
    - mikenmild
      
      I’ve looked into them before. Even Penny would dismiss them as cranks.
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:54pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Anyone still interested in a givealittle page to raise some funds for the mad bitch’s lost deposit?
  Didn’t think so.
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:39pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    You’re a heartless man, Captain Mainwaring. Just think what Penny could do with the $300 she borrowed from her Facebook friends!
    
    Uh oh – it looks like she’s found another bandwagon to jump on:
    
    WHISTLE-BLOWER ALERT!
    
    “Despite the High Court stating Tamaki Regeneration Ltd has been non-compliant with the law, the HC has dismissed Niki’s appeal – she is now in danger of being evicted again and we have re-started the occupation.
    
    The key words: “the HC has dismissed Niki’s appeal”. Didn’t Penny learn anything at that rule of law conference she attended?
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:49pm
realityczech

Arctic Refuses To Melt As Predicted
AUGUST 31, 2017

Greenland’s melt season ended a month ago, and since last September the ice sheet has grown at close to record rates.

https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/arctic-refuses-to-melt-as-predicted/
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September 29, 2017 7:26pm
- realityczech
  
  Denmark Cancels All Coastal Wind Farms, Delays New Built Until 2025
  
  Policy U-Turn
  The government’s tax plans are the latest in a string of environmental policy U-turns that have tarnished Denmark’s reputation as a haven for renewable energy.
  
  http://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.co.nz/2016/06/gwpf-newsletter-denmark-cancels-all.html
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:31pm
- Gruffydd
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEieWJghRNY
  Latest claim: The Greenland ice sheet is growing.
  Good watch as always with potholer 54 .
  The guy running “not a lot of peploe know that” is either stupid or thinks his audience is stupid.
  I go with the later
  Only idiots would believe such blatant bullshiteing.
  
  Dear you to watch it Kea ,Maggy .
  ‘It might help you understand how gullible you are.
  
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  September 29, 2017 8:06pm
Johnboy

Perhaps Kim could test his new H bomb there instead of the pacific just to help out the jolly old hockey stick. 🙂
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September 29, 2017 7:32pm
- realityczech
  
  Consensus “climate science” in the 70’s
  
  The cooling world
  
  There are ominous signs that the Earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production — with serious political implications for just about every nation on Earth. The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only 10 years from now…
  
  The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it.
  
  Just what causes the onset of major and minor ice ages remains a mystery.
  
  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/apr/02/20060402-112828-5298r/
  
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  September 29, 2017 7:39pm
  - nasska
    
    …..”Just what causes the onset of major and minor ice ages remains a mystery.”…..
    
    All is not lost. I’ve still got a stack of about 200 tyres I was going to bury.
    
    Now I can burn them & save the planet! 🙂
    
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    September 29, 2017 7:52pm
    - Nostradamus
      
      Nasska:
      
      You may be able to cart them up to Griff’s place before you light the match, and perhaps get to know him better?
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:54pm
      - nasska
        
        I’m sure I’d get on real good with Griff Nostra. We sing from the same page of the hymn book on many things like religion. technology & the madness of conservatism.
        
        We just can’t quite see eye to eye about the weather. 🙂
        
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        September 29, 2017 8:03pm
      - Nostradamus
        
        For you Nasska:
        
        Destiny wants help to feed its kids – School run by Destiny Church applies for help, while its founders live a life of luxury.
        
        Where did all that tithe money go?
        
        Former Destiny Church members claim families are pressured to give “love offerings” and other cash donations above the expected 10 per cent tithe.
        
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        September 29, 2017 8:47pm
      - nasska
        
        …..””Where did all that tithe money go?”…..
        
        Down to the Mercedes dealer I reckon Nostra. Last August Hannah decided that to do God’s work quickly she needed a new chariot.
        
        A 577-horsepower twin-turbo V8 AMG GLE63 S SUV which sells for $207,900 fitted the bill nicely.
        
        Nice little racket this religious crap turns out to be.
        
        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11913122
        
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        September 29, 2017 8:56pm
      - Nostradamus
        
        I suppose if you were a homeless person and someone drove past in a “577-horsepower twin-turbo V8 AMG GLE63 S SUV” you’d feel a bit down.
        
        On the other hand, if the person stopped and offered you a new life with few strings attached (just whatever money and other possessions you can donate for a better cause), you’d feel on top of the world!
        
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        September 29, 2017 9:09pm
    - realityczech
      
      You may laugh about the tyres, but “scientists” suggested spreading soot on the Arctic to melt the ice and snow.
      
      http://investmentwatchblog.com/scientists-suggested-melting-the-arctic-ice-cap-to-stop-a-new-ice-age/
      
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      September 29, 2017 7:58pm
    - Jack5
      
      Nasska posted at 7.52: “I’ve still got a stack of about 200 tyres I was going to bury.”
      
      Save them!
      
      There’s no way cannabis will grow outside around Griff’s bunker in the coming ice age, and there will be no sunshine to power his solar panels.
      
      Griff will be ever so grateful for old tyres to smoke in his bong.
      
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      September 29, 2017 10:21pm
      - Gruffydd
        
        What a pathetic drunken rant .
        Remember to be good to your family when you are drunk 5 times a week Jack 5.
        
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        September 30, 2017 7:50am
      - Jack5
        
        Where there’s (cannabis) smoke there’s ire.
        
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        September 30, 2017 8:54am
nasska

RIP Hugh Hefner. Thank you for proving all our mums wrong.

We didn’t go blind.
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September 29, 2017 8:48pm
- Jack5
  
  Pamela Anderson has just described Hefner as:” … a gentleman charming, elegant, chivalrous And so much fun.”
  
  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/09/28/pamela-anderson-devastated-by-hugh-hefners-death-am-me-because.html
  
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  September 29, 2017 9:55pm
Jack5

Michael Reddell on his blog makes some interesting points about New Zealand’s “unusually large non-citizen immigration programme”, and NZ greenhouse gas emissions:

https://croakingcassandra.com/2017/09/29/immigration-policy-and-emissions-targets/
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September 29, 2017 9:40pm
Jack5

Ahoy Maggy W:

I think it was yesterday that you were posting about investments in electric car makers.

The article linked to below addresses what you were discussing.

In a nutshell: look at the companies that will supply the parts – batteries, battery coolers, etc.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-29/how-to-play-the-electric-car-hysteria
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September 29, 2017 10:03pm
Jack5

Justin ~~Jester~~ Lester, the Labour Mayor of Wellington, is cancelling the city’s Guy Fawkes celebrations – held for about a quarter of a century – and will set up Matariki (Maori ~~new~~ mid year) shows instead.

What a PC Leftist tosser. Did Maori have parties and fireworks for Matariki? Did they secretly invent gunpowder?

This parallels some PC bullshit in Christchurch. In an age when the paper book is beginning to be replaced by the internet, the Christchurch City Council is building a new central library at at cost of $95 million.

This, despite housing and traffic patterns showing the library is on the right track with small suburban libraries interlinked to a central reserve repository. More and more folk reserve their books on line, and the books are shuffled around (at reader’s cost).

The new white elephant central library is to be called Turanga (with a macron over the U of course). The Christchurch City Council’s head of libraries and information, Carolyn Robertson, is quoted in the Christchurch Press as saying:

The name Turanga was gifted by Te Ngai Tuahuriri (two macrons in that word) Runanga and reflects the relationship with Whitireia, the traditional name of Cathedral Square.

“In oral tradition, Whitireia was the name of the house of Paikea, the ancestor who travelled here on a whale.

“Turanga was where his house was located, so the name honours the Maori tradition, while reflecting the library’s new location in the heart of the city.”

What a load of politically correct codswallop. There was no Square in Maori times. No Cathedral Square, no roads, no houses apart from earth-floored Maori huts of bark and twigs, etc. And no libraries.

Look next for Christchurch plaques commemorating settlers’ First Four Ships, to be paralleled by plaques commemorating the First Four Whales.

The Ardern rapture has spread from the media into Labour-dominated local bodies, triggering a mania of political correctness.

The Leftist councils seem to be rushing out now with such PC bullshit iniatives in case Winston Peters forms a coalition with National.
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September 29, 2017 11:23pm
Manolo

The MSM sunset continues:
http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/29/media/wall-street-journal-shelves-international-editions/index.html
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September 30, 2017 7:17am

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