watching brief: September 2008

Wednesday, 17 September 2008

Helen Clark and Hypocrisy

Helen Clark said "Hard Hats On" WB would suggest that Clark is advising her pinko left wing colleagues to put their hard hats on to protect themselves from her vomit inducing drivel from her comments as reported in http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10532691 saying
"Had National got into Government it would have sent troops to Iraq and on a pro-rata basis, considering 4000 US troops were killed, there would be 60 body bags coming home,"

This from a Prime Minister who was and is still prepared to have our SAS troops on the front line in Afghanistan, and whom as witnessed by Corporal Willie Apiata's, well deserved VC are actually fighting under her watch.

The hypocrisy of this cunning conniving women knows no bounds.

To draw our Defence Forces (which her Government has done their best to emasculate) into her self serving quest for another term in power, quite simply shows the depths of her shonky government.

A PM who has one rule for her own colleagues but another one for Winston Peters simply proves that she is not fit to be Prime Minister but moreover suggests that her hand ringing attendance at so many of our remembrance ceremonies were more designed for photo ops rather than any deep seated respect for those which our country put in harm's way.

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Trust Is Earned Not Demanded

Helen Clark is talking about an election based on trust;

Can we have trust in the following?

A Prime Minister who the NZ Police determined that there was a prima facie case established that she was fraudulent in signing a painting that was not her work.

A Prime Minister that was so busy reading that she did notice that her driver was exceeding the speed limit by some several tens of kilometres per hour.

A Prime Minister that was deliberate in sacking Ministers such as Dover Samuels and Phillip Field because of swirling allegations.

But a Prime Minister who still trusts Winston despite all the evidence to the contrary.

A Prime Minister who presumably still has confidence in her Minister of Finance when having announced the "chewing gum" tax cuts then reneged on the announcement

Please,we need a dose of reality here

Monday, 15 September 2008

Trust or Believe

Who do you trust?

Michael Cullen, says

“Given his background in Merrill Lynch, which has just gone belly up, I would have thought New Zealanders would come to the conclusion you wouldn’t put a man like that in charge of New Zealand’s economy,”

Bank of America confirmed it will pay $29 a share to acquire Merrill, which is a 70% premium on its closing price of $17.05 on Friday

Wednesday, 10 September 2008

An Early End to the Privileges Committee

WB having observed the Privileges Committee hearing tonight, and deciding that Winston Peters was not credible predicts the following;

1/ Peters resigns (before he is pushed) as a Minister I believe without portfolio

2/ Helen Clark asks the Governor General to dissolve Parliament

3/ The timing of 2/ will ensure that the Privileges Committee will not be able to deliver a Report prior to Parliament rising and thus allow at least one of the enquiries into Winston Peters to lapse

Monday, 8 September 2008

Trotter and Trotsky

WB has had a look at Chris Trotter’s or is it Chris Trotsky’s latest blog (http://www.policy.net.nz/)

WB wonders if Chris Trotter would be more at home in a time shift back to the the days when the USSR pretended to be a voice from the left (as well as trying to extend its hegemony world wide), his blog is imbued with the grammar from Orwell’s Animal Farm with phrases and comments such as business-friendly neotribal (sic) capitalists, working class compatriots and pakeha ruling class.

Trotters closing comment seems to lament the time when The Listener was the left’s mouthpiece with the comment “It’s a tragedy that this once proud (my words left wing) publication has sunk to the intellectual level of this week’s editorial”

Gongs or Owen Goals

WB ponders a fictional scenario

1/ Someone from Monaco said to the Party in Government what is the quid pro quo for a $500k donation and an interest free $100k loan

2/ Possibly a bit of a gong and a consulship

3/ OK sounds good

4/ A bit of a problem the person in charge of consulships wants to know what's in it for him

5/ No problem another $100k will fix it

Sunday, 7 September 2008

An Expert Panel or a Bunch of Artists

WB has taken an interest in DPF’s blog (http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2008/09/labour_never_learn.html) and quotes “Labour have learnt nothing from the Electoral Finance Act. It was a partisan attempt to skew the electoral laws in their favour. And they have done it again their announcement of an expert panel to review electoral administration and political party funding.”

So, WB decided to look at who exactly is on the panel;

First we have

Professor Stephen Levine who was the founding Head of the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington

Academic Number 1

Next we have

Associate Professor Andrew Geddis of Otago University

WB notes that his book :Andrew Geddis: Electoral Law in New Zealand: Policy and Practice: Wellington: Lexis/Nexis: 2007. along with Nicky Hager’s : The Hollow Men: Nelson: Craig Potton: 2006 is recommended by the the LGBT (Lesbian Gay etc etc) community with the comment “as long as the government and its allies make the suggested positive amendments recommended from Andrew Geddis, Nicky Hager and the Campaign for Open Government” (http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/31/article_5093.php)

Academic Number 2

And bringing up the rear is

Dr Jean Drage from Canterbury University

WB understands that her background combines research and teaching in political science, local government and women and politics. Apparently she is currently completing new research on women in local government whatever the F**K that is supposed to mean

Academic Number 3

So we have three academics all from Arts Faculties, who are a so called expert panel to review electoral administration and political party funding.

Surely if one was going to appoint an “expert panel” to review electoral administration and political party funding the panel would include a lawyer, an accountant and a political scientist drawn from a wider cross section of Ivory Towers (with cross party support) rather than a trio of artistic types drawn from the southern fringes of the country.

Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Is the Taxpayer paying for Winston's Legal Bills?

WB would like to know who is paying Mr Peter Williams QC legal bills....is it the taxpayer? WB understands that if you are a Minister (as Winston Peters still is) then your legal bills are being paid by the Crown in other words the taxpayer.

WB would suggest that the cosy 'setting aside of ministerial responsibility" means in effect that the we are all financially supporting a suppurating ex Minister of Foreign Affairs involved in legal actions that do not relate to Ministerial Responsibility.

So much for Helen Clark's annoucement on becoming Prime Minister that we will ensure high standards in public office

Tuesday, 2 September 2008

Genuine Mistake or Distorting the Truth

WB notes that Peter Brown is saying that NZ First's not declaring the Spencer Trust donation of $50,000 was a genuine mistake http://www.stuff.co.nz/4678140a6160.html

WB also notes Peter Mistake Brown’s point of order during Nick Smiths’ speech on the Second Reading of the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill and I quote from Hansard “I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member is distorting the truth to the degree that it is unethical. By implication he is alleging corruption by either individuals or political parties. I take strong exception to that.”

The sanctimonious Brown needs a big lesson in humility.

watching brief