I can get a very special feel about nature in a very quiet bit of native forest, or near the top of a range of mountains, but for me, desert does…

Kiwiblog is FOAMING!

Now, while we can hardly regard the wingnuts at Kiwiblog as wholly representative of National's support base, they and the parties have done their damnedest to dumb down politics to their level of left/right simplicity. Sadly, the public have picked up on that (not helped by a…

WHEREAS it is expedient to promote sound learning in the Province of Otago in the Dominion of New Zealand and with that intent to establish and incorporate a University at…

Kiwiblog is FOAMING!

My favourite (so far):

# big bruv (3279) Vote: Add rating 8 Subtract rating 2 Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

Righto Neville Key, that is it as far as I am concerned.

Your time as leader of the National party has come…

Who owns the universities?
Who chooses the vice-chancellor?

Universities are bodies corporate, governed by councils, comprising a minimum of 12 members, of which the Minister appoints 4 members. The council appoints the chief executive (the chancellor of vice?). I don't know how you might define ownership, but that appears a…

Ah, but that was back when there was some measurable ideological difference between the major parties. Now, not so much.

On the evidence of the Bolger-Cullen dance of the chairmanships, it's hard to argue with you.

And if you look at NZ's post-war history the governments that tend to get chucked out after one term are the Labour ones.

Ah, but that was back when there was some measurable ideological difference between the major parties. Now, not so much.

I have to say that Kassabova is a national treasure, or at least should be. She's in London now, I think?

Edinburgh, AFAIK, though she was back in NZ briefly over summer.

I've got a harder question:
Who owns the universities?

The Government believes it does. The Universities disagree.

Universities and other tertiary institutions are "Crown Entities" for the purposes of the Crown Entites Act 2004.

The Government wins.

Kapka Kassabova – The unbearable lightness of being English

I've got a harder question:
Who owns the universities?

The Government believes it does. The Universities disagree.

Following the merger of VUW and the Wellington College of Education, the annual accounts of VUW received a qualified audit. The University looked at the additional property etc. it had received and recorded…

I have always liked the idea of a 'Pro vice chancellor' but wonder if there are any "Anti vice chancellors"

Geoff -Can we make nominations ?

Too many people underestimate Key's political abilities.

Don Brash nearly won an election so even plonkers can win elections.

Keys working hard , doing some slog but he's replacing some of the finest politicians in the world and bringing with him some of the worst. He wanted the job ,…

Tolley was the incoming Minister of Tertiary Education who had to ask her officials "what is a vice-chancellor?".

I have always liked the idea of a 'Pro vice chancellor' but wonder if there are any "Anti vice chancellors"

I heard it, and I thought the same thing you did. Tolley didn't seem to know anything.

Tolley was the incoming Minister of Tertiary Education who had to ask her officials "what is a vice-chancellor?".

This morning I'm going to ask my first year students, who have been at university…

I so prefer the way they serve booze at many UK festivals.

Tend to agree. First (and so far only) BDO I attended, I was ID'd by some control-freak state-trooper idiot who refused me a wristband on some spurius ground (I was 33, and look it). Went back five minutes…

The link didn't go through, but I have to say that Kassabova is a national treasure, or at least should be. She's in London now, I think?

I think the "dragnet" approach to underage drinking just displaces the problem. Kids still drink outside or smuggle booze in and adults can't get a beer without multiple lines.

Kapka Kassabova – The unbearable lightness of being English (from the Listener, 2005)

I think the "dragnet"…

but I suspect most people realise there's little Key can do to mitigate the effects of the current global crisis.

Then again, if unemployment was to reach 1992 levels (ie, double digits), or if the G7/G20 was to declare a sustainability trade war with us, public patience probably likely starts…

This is…

Punters could go from the stadium to the field north of the lake, and isn't there…

It's frankly absurd to think it's KEY that's taking National to defeat. He's probably the only bright light they have – it's his older Ministers that may take them to defeat if they gain true control of the policy agenda.

The election was just over 4 months ago. The N.Z…

As for shifting the BDO to Wellington: oh god no! Homegrown was bad enough in terms of underage munterage staggering the street like an RTD-fuelled zombie apocalypse.

You really don't see that at BDO. The checks at the entrance for illicit booze are pretty thorough, and your ID is scrutinised…

Be good to have more like this from Nandor you mean?

Nandor has promoted a Sustainable/Unsustainable positioning instead of Left/Right for a while now. It would make the Green's a much more realistic proposition I think.
Shame they lost him.

"Can we build things on time, to budget?"

Project West Wind is due to deliver first electricity this month

And many of the turbines can already be seen turning in the distance from Wellington hill suburbs. Even from a distance, they look a magnificent sight.

And wasn't Te Papa on…

As other Nats begin to realise he's taking them to defeat, they'll turn on him.

So it was said about Muldoon, year in, year out, until it began to sound like whistling in the dark. Not that I'm suggesting even for a moment that there's any parallel.

As other Nats begin to realise he's taking them to defeat, they'll turn on him. They always do. And English will be there to, reluctantly, pick up Caesar's laurel wreath after the rest have finished knifing John-boy.

A prediction or wishful thinking?

I would be surprised if that came true.…

I feel like flying home and picketing parliament

Good to see new voices joining the debate.

and then Two wind farm projects mothballed and another goes ahead despite an All Black apparently.

Well, Mt Cass was an environmental dog anyway, while Puketoi has a good chance in the Environment Court.

meanwhile, Central Plains Water has been told to go drown themselves. Score!

How wrong I was.... they seem so smug n self satisfied and are…

Agree. If it comes down to Key v English then English will be the loser, unless Key really loses the plot.

Because there's no way Key can achieve the stuff he's promising, in this CEC. As other Nats begin to realise he's taking them to defeat, they'll turn on him.…

But why would it be Key losing any internal battle, rather than English?

Agree. If it comes down to Key v English then English will be the loser, unless Key really loses the plot.

It's not like the Nats actually have ideology to hold them together, any more than Labour.…

The only outfit in the house that actually has a semi-consistent ideology (whether you agree with them or not) is the Greens.

Yes, but isn't politics also about flexibility, suppleness, willingness to accommodate other perspectives? When did the Greens last admit that they were wrong or misguided about anything? At…

You reckon?

Pretty much. It's not like the Nats actually have ideology to hold them together, any more than Labour. Therefore their capability to hold the Treasury benches depends on their collegiality and ability to work together. Yeah, right.

The only outfit in the house that actually has a semi-consistent…

I'm doubting that Mr Key will see out his term...

You reckon?

I wonder just what one would have to do to lose one's ministerial warrant.

Perhaps Judy may be able to shed some light...

I've heard more than once from other journalists that English isn't a believer on the broadband project.

I'm doubting that Mr Key will see out his term...

In the absence of a better place for it, and given the disjointed nature of the opening post, a study of online sexual predators has shot down a bunch of myths

That's really fascinating. And that's just the article. I'll read the report tonight if I get time, but the…

Roughly 10,000 would come from the Shore or further north or out west where they would use the lovely upper harbour highway (and once complete it will connect to the end of the north western... works…

Woo, the back gate

Great train impression, Matthew.

Also, I just find it amusing that so many sports supporters are corpulent sofa dwellers. (UK soccer is the worst for this!)

Forbes-Coates v2.0 release notes: largely unchanged from v1.0, but now available on Twitter, Facebook, and RSS.

That was so postmodern.

Ah, but this assumes that Key and English are playing for the same team. Insider gossip suggests that the divide is as great as ever between the offices of the PM and Deputy PM. What better way to keep your face and name in the public eye than…

So I agree, NZ is not conducive to big infrastructure projects, but the root cause is the attitude that assumes failure from the start, not any innate lack of ability.

Too true. Think Big gave state-led investment a bad name, and Fay Richwhite & Equiticorp gave private capital a bad name.…

The reason we think we are crap is because we persist in thinking and behaving like we are crap.

And so we get the government we deserve?

Project West Wind is due to deliver first electricity this month

and then Two wind farm projects mothballed and another goes ahead…

And not to labour the point, but people will go and watch an 80 minute rugby game, but 5 minutes walk to the car is quite enough exercise, thank you?

Yes, pretty much. The spectators aren't the ones on the field. And once you've spent 20 minutes getting out of…

Mt Smart is only 10 minutes walk from Penrose Station – haven't you people got legs?

10 minutes? YFR! It's 1.5km, which would equate to a walking speed of 9km/h. That's a moderate jog, not any kind of walk.

Ah, but this assumes that Key and English are playing for the same…

quite a walk from the stadium

And not to labour the point, but people will go and watch an 80 minute rugby game, but 5 minutes walk to the car is quite enough exercise, thank you?

Can we build things on time, to budget?

Project West Wind is due to deliver first electricity this month

(ISTR that the trains stop before the end of BDO, though. Which is nothing to do with the line?)

Can we build things on time, to budget? Sure we can. Once we've spent years studying it to death, planning for every last eventuality, and…

a new station at Morice Road was proposed for Mt Smart.

Once the Onehunga branch line is completed, and it's certainly looking very "done" at the moment, moving large volumes of people by train for events at Mt Smart becomes very do-able indeed. The line runs within 500m of the…

is not conducive to attempting any such thing on such a tight deadline

Couldn't agree more.

As a wise man once said, "http://www.lyricstime.com/charlie-drake-my-boomerang-wont-come-back-lyrics.html"

So where are all these recent infrastructure failures? That's right, there's sod all, but…

I just don't believe that getting to the North Shore is the traffic abomination most people make it out to be, although admittedly this arose as a train of thought for me re RWC stadium discussions

I think RWC is an OK comparison for a full stadium. At North Harbour,…

This is partly an overhang from the RWC discussions when…

the Opera House – after all, that was only delivered 10 years late at 14 times the cost

When the end goal is to have the Opera House, does it matter if it's horribly late and terribly over-budget? No, it doesn't. With the waterfront stadium, though, the end goal (pardon…

Perhaps we should have ordered up that waterfront stadium after all.

No shit. It was always a good idea.

Except that NZ's chronic inability to build anything of significance on schedule

I loved the idea. Every morning I gaze from the ferry at two piers of run down…

No, I mean the Harbour Bridge, funnily enough.

Christ, like pulling teeth...

The bridge itself isn't the issue most people make it to be – it's huge and just another piece of motorway. And while it's a single chokepoint for those coming from the South or East, the pretty large…

Perhaps we should have ordered up that waterfront stadium after all.

No shit. It was always a good idea.

Except that NZ's chronic inability to build anything of significance on schedule meant that it would've been finished around 2013. We'd have been a global laughing stock. It would also have…

That is one of the beauties of Mt Smart – it is in the middle of…

This may be sacrilege but is it compulsary to hold BDO in Auckland?

Pretty much, yes. In a word: population. A quarter of the country's population live in the same city. Trying to shift venue would require massive logistical coordination to get the same number of punters through the gates.…

Perhaps we should have ordered up that waterfront stadium after all.

No shit. It was always a good idea.

* on the bus to the 2008 BDO, I overheard the following conversation;

Q. Why do they call it Mt. Smart?
A. Because only intelligent people are allowed to go there!

It's Knowedge Bro, :-D

• on the bus to the 2008 BDO,…

crossing the Harbour Bridge.

You mean that up-to-5-lane, largest piece of motorway we have?

No, I mean the Harbour Bridge, funnily enough.

North Harbour stadium could be made to work well with a range of noise-insulatable sites surounding a central spot for a main stage. But as others have said security would be the issue, but not impossible.

It's not my favourite venue, but it probably is the next practical choice after…

crossing the Harbour Bridge.

You mean that up-to-5-lane, largest piece of motorway we have?

Certainly no need to drive.

Since when has lack of need stopped us exercising our god-given right to drive everywhere?

Every Munter from Bluff to Herne Bay crossing the Harbour Bridge. Now that would be a Big Day Out on Spaghetti junction.

What?

With the Stadium being adjacent to the end of the new busway, transport from town could not be easier. Certainly no need to drive.

Big Day Out on Spaghetti junction

Hey, there's an idea. Well they were willing to consider closing off the motorway for the V8s to do their thing..

You could do both at the same time. Think of the reality TV opportunities.

Big Day Out on Spaghetti junction

Hey, there's an idea. Well they were willing to consider closing off the motorway for the V8s to do their thing..

North Harbour stadium could be made to work well

One word: transport.

Trying to control access to either Ellerslie or Cornwall Park or The Domain? Forget it.

Ah yes, I hadn't thought of that.

Had, in some parallel world, Sarah Palin entered the office of vice-president, things would have been mighty entertaining about now.

Bristol will now, allegedly, focus on "advocating abstinence".

cf. Obama and nukes

And if Mt Smart was to be levelled, wherefore the Big Day Out? I can't think of another suitable venue.

North Harbour stadium could be made to work well with a range of noise-insulatable sites surounding a central spot for a main stage. But as others have said security would…

The Nats won the election by appealing to the middle. I suspect Key knows that if he lets Hide loose it would be political suicide.

They won by reducing the labour vote by 5% and keeping NZ first out by a voting change of 1%.....

W.P was forced to run…

Even Clark and Cullen would have…

In 1999/2000, or after starting a fourth term?

At any time, I'd think. There would be talk of daylight opening up between them, etc ...

Also, Sarah Palin's ethics invesigation, news, I suppose. Sarah Palin's family is not news, but gossip

Given the laborious construction of the family identity for…

Moving on, don't you think Clark and Cullen would have been ripped to shreds if they'd been as far off-message with each other as Key and English are with respect to economic recovery?

In 1999/2000, or after starting a fourth term?

Had, in some parallel world, Sarah Palin entered the…

BDO at the Ellerslie Racecourse?

Or Cornwall Park?

Or even better the Domain, which would have the adavantage that the party could spill easily into the city, or indeed run on a more adult 4pm-4am timeframe rather than in the heat and brightness of the day.

It doesn't really *need*…

I'd be willing to bet that in a year's time, the only trace we'll see of the national cycleway will be a suspicious absence of local body funding for everyday cycling initiatives, as local bodies are asked to pay for their own section of the mighty path.

It may be…

Hide is like a angry dog tied to a pole. He'll make a lot of noise and frighten a lot of people, but unless the rope breaks no-one will…

First there's another, albeit minor, ethics investigation.

As the basis for an ethics investigation, that really has to be the most stupid little thing.

Do they not have enough to do up there in Alaska?

And Agenda may be back on our screens after all.

... get rid of Garner and replace him with Linda Clark, and they might have something going there. And Sean can forget it as well.

In reality, I'd be surprised if 3 go ahead with this. The NZOA funding doesn't…

John Key's mentor is that popular Inuit philosopher, Havalookat.

"So, Prime Minister, David Garrett has proposed waterboarding for jaywalkers."

"Yeah, we'll have a look at that ..."

We know what that did for Maggie Thatcher's political career.

Thatcher started her vendetta aginst local government with rate capping then moved on to the poll tax. Hopefully Hide's ridiculous politiacl career will end before he inflicts the sort of civil disaster that cost Thatcher hers.

My growing suspicion is Key…

On a lighter note, here's some new stuff on OurTube.

"Yes, a very interesting paper on rates-capping, Rodney. Well done! Yes of course we'll read it. Now off you go and sit in the corner like a good support partner."

Hide is nuts if…

The similarity in the dynamics is getting downright scary.