I am a Braunias fan. He is not always on form, and he can descend into self-parody, and I find some of his posturing and tics annoying. But unlike 90% of other writers in New Zealand periodicals, he knows about timing, pace and tone, and actually seems to care about…

if i had been laid off i'd be a lot more frank about things.

*really* starting old-school blogging again would be one pro of permanently leaving the public service.

I am sure it ain't easy to work in an environment that is never secure, and always in the background but I wish you all the best for reemployment in a tight field.

jeeeeeesus... thanks for the thought, but i'm not laid off yet...

The highest praise went to The Otago Daily Times for it's Election Special Pullout and to, believe it or not, Steve Braunias' article "John Key, Mr Opportunity"

That Braunias piece was one of the best things he had written in ages, possibly because it maintained its tone the whole way…

Two words. Steve Braunias.

I was listening to some guy waffling on National radio the other day, bemoaning the coverage of the election by the mainstream press. In his opinion (I can't remember who it was I was listening at work and i don't usually listen to National Radio) both…

Two words. Steve Braunias.

I was listening to some guy waffling on National radio the other day, bemoaning the coverage of the election by the mainstream press. In his opinion (I can't remember who it was I was listening at work and i don't usually listen to National Radio) both…

Two words. Steve Braunias.

i'd need to sell more than one copy to break even.

I dunno — a sight better than that Black woman...
(Possibly not the best way to phrase that sentiment...)

In print, without some appropriate stress, e.g. Black, it is maybe a little ambiguous. Not as bad as putting the stress on the wrong syllables in something like cider vinegar so…

Two words. Steve Braunias.

I pledge to be last in line to buy any of his collected columns.

i wonder if there's a market for half-pissed rants? rb?

Two words. Steve Braunias.

Two more: Michael Laws. Because if he's not pissed, then he's upgraded from unspeakable to utterly unforgivable.

i wonder if there's a market for half-pissed rants? rb?

Two words. Steve Braunias.

i wonder if there's a market for half-pissed rants? rb?

along with, "how would a free-lance journalist use three months of severance pay?"

then before you know it keith is writing another bloody article about it.

Keith... now here's somebody whom I actually wish lost his job as a result of the election so that he could resume his bloggage. But then now that I've said that he'd probably insist on sleeping in…

It only took two months for the Nazi regime to pass a law purging Jews from the civil service.

well, you've godwinned it good and proper now, but...

did you know that one of the pivotal moments in the history of sri lanka was the 1950s change from tamil to…

And what particular conclusion were we supposed to draw from a cut-and-pasted table (without any context) relating to the American economy, which is structurally not a carbon copy of New Zealand's?

I think you're right to say that the numbers in the table can't simply be assumed to apply in…

Honestly, Craig. Your team won. The sun is shining. Chill out. Be happy.

I'm very happy, thanks. Well, I was until some right-wing nut decided to harsh my mellow by comparing the outgoing government to Stalin, Mugabe, Mao and Hitler. But point taken, and I'll leave with this observation:

It…

But I also have the right, within the same limits you do, to argue with, criticise or plain laugh at those views. So don't insult my intelligence further by trying to present yourself as a martyr to my horrible right-wing dissent crushing.

It was gallows humour. If you think it…

There was a great chart at the Standard that is really worth checking out, if you haven't already seen it

And what particular conclusion were we supposed to draw from a cut-and-pasted table (without any context) relating to the American economy, which is structurally not a carbon copy of New…

just saying the words "Rugby World Cup" to a politician causes severe brain damage, and the compulsion to start spraying around corporate welfare

Agreed.

http://www.thestandard.org.nz/how-to-stimulate-the-economy/

I've been really impressed by Steve Pierson's writing, fwiw.

It can be difficult to explain that the government spending multiplier can have a greater expansionary effect than tax cuts.…

Things are in a bad state because Auckland's citizens persist in electing people who keep the rates down short term by not spending enough on basic maintenance -

and :-

Thinking of the televised attention of the third largest event on the planet in a few years does…

Things are in a bad state because Auckland's citizens persist in electing people who keep the rates down short term by…

Ben, I'm sure the old CitRats would love to sell the footpaths to Telecom, given half a chance..

Well, Sacha, Auckland City could put the case for serious across the board rate hikes up rather than pretend you can indulge champagne tastes on a beer income — which might well…

So I can have fibre to the doorstep, but the council won't repair the footpath after Telecom dig it up?

Ben, I'm sure the old CitRats would love to sell the footpaths to Telecom, given half a chance..

raising one's arms above one's head leads to unfortunate muffin exposure

LOL. am having sudden 80s flashbacks.

there was a song on mtv called "stuffin' martha's muffin".

sexist drivel, obviously. damn cowboy should have been fed to psychlos.

It's fine to lightly mock her though :)

In a white wine sauce?

and should Wellington be renamed as R'lyeh?

That I can get behind — Wellywood is so... so. :)

I don't think it's fair to dump on her just because she was amusingly photographed at a Nat victory party.

Well, I couldn't wear anything like that without looking like an over-stuffed…

Amanda Binns reminds me of a Seagull manager

To be fair to Amanda, her job & the manner in which she executes it are nothing like that.

Her job is to answer any & all requests for information whether it be from the public, the media, the politicians or (when I knew…

not to mention the selective deafness.

I keep picturing the Wellington of 2009 as a kind of Lovecraftian wasteland populated only by the insane, the deformed, and the ACT staffer.

Somewhat like this?

thanks for clarifying. i've been lucky to experience (at a distance removed) reasonable advisors. i've colleagues who have not. :)

no worries. there is an interesting range of personality types in our role, that's for sure.

and i guess it does sometimes depend on the officials with whom you're dealing…

It depends on the Minister and the relationship they have with their advisor. Some are, some aren't.

thanks for clarifying. i've been lucky to experience (at a distance removed) reasonable advisors. i've colleagues who have not. :)

afaik they're contracted on the proviso they could be laid off at any time. reallocation of portfolios for example.

tenuous and high-flying existance that ministerial staffing.

Yep. our contracts are explicit that we're employed up until the point our Minister loses his / her warrant (i.e. resigns, is sacked etc.)…

Oh shit, sorry Craig, my bad.

(Talk about making a mountain out of a small depression in the ground where a molehill never was)

Bernard Darnton has a good line here:

The siege of Helengrad is over although, oddly, it was the besiegers who were the ones swallowing the dead rats.

sanctimony does not.

And neither does a pretty fucked up sense of humour. And please get the hell off the pity pot — not so sure either of us in this house are still going to have a job in six months, but I can resist the cattle car analogies.…

No love expected just a bit of humour in times that must worry most everyone, perhaps even yourself.

The Jews have always been a prime example of how to survive using dark humour during the most nightmarish of times and I appreciate that brand and make no apology for…

i'm sitting in a room looking at a group of people. some of them worry they'll soon be out of work, at the cusp of a nascent depression. a little humour helps. sanctimony does not.

easy up craig.one in 10 is called a decimation.

Pardon me if I don't, Che. Been pink-slipped (more than once), and while it was a pretty ghastly experience every time it was not even in the same galaxy as being "loaded into railcars". Even on the level of stress-relieving hyperbole,…

there are more than a few stressed individuals here on the inside.

a reminder of the relevant public sector code of conduct.

We used to have a dartboard with a smiling picture of Muriel Newman on it. (She was the waster of public servants' time par excellence with her ludicrous parliamentary questions).

Did wonders for the aim.

Maybe no one minded becaue…

i was just glad to make it past the guards loading public servants into railcars...

See you behind the wire.

Sigh... Why don't you take some stress leave, and spend some time on the couch with a couple of DVDs. They might remind you why there are some things you just…

See you behind the wire.

On the hands up theme I copied a picture of Key and had the caption ‘I’m not a crook, I’m not a crook!’ In a nod to one of his…

Every time I look at the writing on 1929 there seems to be about 4 theories on what the lessons were depending on your taste in economics.

I understand lessons and causes are different but if there is no…

The Treasury opened the books for incoming prime minister John Key today, and he was not greatly concerned by what he saw.

After meeting Treasury secretary John Whitehead and…

i was just glad to make it past the guards loading public servants into railcars...

An acquaintance of mine updated his Facebook status to say that he was being taken on a nice van ride with some fellow policy analysts. I am very worried.

I keep picturing the Wellington of…

If that doesn't work out you could use your skillz to produce lovely…

but i'm a necessary evil!

Lose the "necessary" part & I think we can find you a place in IRD.

No.

they'll be hosing comms advisors out of your workplace in no time

but i'm a necessary evil! I help people speak good.

Will I be safe from the cull?

No.

they'll be hosing comms advisors out of your workplace in no time.

depends what you mean by "safe".

Well I'm hoping that they'll cull the public service comms team, then we can be rehired as contractors at twice the rate we were on.

Yay business efficiency!

Professor Howden-Chapman is internationally recognised for her research showing for the first time links between New Zealand's cold and thermally inadequate housing, health outcomes and energy use. She has authored 150 publications on this and other public health issues.

That Key is thinking of scrapping insulation funding is criminal. That…

Will I be safe from the cull?

depends what you mean by "safe".

With an O.

Will I be safe from the cull?

It's varsity holidays, there aren't many students still left in Dunedin

Roger that.

Unless she's moved in the last year or so, that photo would have been taken in Auckland somewhere.

It's varsity holidays, there aren't many students still left in Dunedin. I don't know where he's from, but I presume Act pulled a bunch of activists into Epsom to make sure that…

The guy behind her (on her left) with the dark grey shirt, looks like a guy I know down here.

In which case, I believe he's actually an Act activist.

Unless she's moved in the last year or so, that photo would have been taken in Auckland somewhere.

Or perhaps is it was more "Yes We Should"?

I predict a rapid phasing out of Communications Advisers and a correspondingly rapid increase in Information Transmission Specialists, Stakeholder Liaison and Consultation Facilitators. They're nothing if not clever with words.

O hai – I made another one.

The guy behind her (on her left) with the dark grey shirt, looks like a guy I know down here.

In which case, I believe he's actually an Act activist.

but I don't think we can blame him for whatever happens in Wellington when you take off your socks

and none of you will ever know, because there will be no-one to communicate the outcome.

bring back the pony expresso

Good God man, have you looked out the window? It's one of those days in the capital and I have just had to remove shoes and socks*.

You're right, it's much improved. Key must be hitting his stride.

James: originally I was more referring to a metaphorical winter of the political soul

It's okay, I knew that, Paul. I was just trying one of those segue things. (Waits for applause. Not a sausage.)

I spotted the word 'denier' and immediately (sadly) thought of stockings. I've just looked it…

Who the heck planted this story given that the guy is from an American-based think-tank I can only guess.

He goes on to say that if inefficient use of energy causes global warming ("contentiously", of course) then what are we worrying about? People's houses will be warmer and so they'll…

I am happily double glazed and batted to the hilt and laugh at the climate change deniers who can't decide if it's…

you should have your own TV show

heh. i've recently tinkered with the idea of rewriting market forces for the noughties.

i just popped upstairs to see about getting something done and comms have barricaded themselves into the 5th floor... they're bombarding finance with copies of the hansard and yelling, "my freedom or my death!"

Che Tibby, you should have your own TV show. A couple of funnies in one day.…

There's an opinion piece in today's Dom Post (I can't find it online, alas) that asserts that health records fail to show any substantive health benefits from insulating houses.

Ironically this is on the same day that NZ's leading researcher into the health benefits of insulating is in the media…

i just popped upstairs to see about getting something done and comms have barricaded themselves into the 5th floor... they're bombarding finance with copies of the hansard and yelling, "my freedom or my death!"

it's going to be an extremely long day...

We've actually had two wars this decade but unfortunately they've been the wrong sort of wars

I did wonder about that. But I really can't see that the US spending more money on up-armoured Humvees and decent body armour would help the situation?

...the Auckland City Council is actively fulfilling…

Can't say I'm impressed with the weather under this National Govt.

Good God man, have you looked out the window? It's one of those days in the capital and I have just had to remove shoes and socks*.

Whaddya want? Pony showers?

*Dinnae panic – I work solo.

I should probably apologise for any part I have in Roger

Ah! That goes a long way towards explaining his demeanour at that press conference.

remember I predicted 3 years of winter ..... (mind you it's a lovely sunny day to day, I can see right out to the horizon .... but it feels like winter)

Paul, you will be reassured to know that in the dark days of winter there is no point in…

better take the town-belt to get home, after dark.

It is I, Leclerc...

i think you'll find that "political advisers" held by minsters are actually extremely powerful gatekeepers in relation to their typical age and experience.

Hmmm, has stem cell researched progressed that much that they can bring back Milty?...surely there must be a risk that he picked up something in the nearly…

Krugman's blog has more on this including his calculation of the fiscal stimulus required US$600 billion.

Oh good god. Is the man in a competition for "most boring blog"?

Dude, you've been away too long. We all have two votes under MMP. One for each arm.

From memory my electorate vote was on the right, so that was sweet.

My party vote was on the left however, and my left-handed ticking is pretty shocking. Might have voted Alliance, but…

On a related topic, how does redundancy work for ... the MPs and/or Ministers themselves?

Retiring and losing MPs keep getting paid for three months' from polling day.

Those ceasing to be ministers (etc.) get paid their ministerial salary until they cease to be ministers (which hasn't happened yet), and…

Can't say I'm impressed with the weather under this National Govt.

At least it's still free.

I don't doubt it

in fact... it might have been two political advisers assisting the guards i dodged this morning...

better take the town-belt to get home, after dark.

i think you'll find that "political advisers" held by minsters are actually *extremely* powerful gatekeepers in relation to their typical age and experience.

I don't doubt it

an under-assistant for inter-departmental liasons

i think you'll find that "political advisers" held by minsters are actually *extremely* powerful gatekeepers in relation to their typical age and experience.

Such people tend to get lumped into the calculation when the "army of government spin doctors" gets counted, and yet that's really not a valid characterisation is it?

my guess is that a lot of the "communications advisors" used to maintain the online-information provision side of the public service should…

tenuous and high-flying existance that ministerial staffing.

"Yeah, I'm an under-assistant for inter-departmental liasons for the Minister. I like to live dangerously baby..."

Re the Cold War economy – read an interesting piece a while ago that described how the US economy was a high-savings, high-production one during WWII, but…

how does redundancy work for the Ministerial staff who are now to be replaced? Is it redundancy with an associated package

afaik they're contracted on the proviso they could be laid off at any time. reallocation of portfolios for example.

tenuous and high-flying existance that ministerial staffing.

Funnily enough, this is also the bit of Reaganomics that never seems to be mentioned...

The massive post-70s-recession spending on the cold war, i.e. a gargantuan Keynesian knees-up for those in uniform. I seem to recall that it was second only to WWII as a US government borrow-and-hope programme.

You're…

I'm thinking you could write a Master's thesis based on that photo...

I did feel a little bit queasy on Monday when I first saw that photo. Isn't it good, though, that the Nats are now here to work for ordinary, decent, hard-working Kiwi battlers rather than the liberal latte-sipping…

Fiscal policy is the only game in town.

An issue we don't currently face in this economy.
Unfortunately, my view is that monetary policy in this country is more loosely coupled to productive growth than it is in the US – it flows through to the consumptive sector more than…

I wrote this morning’s column partly because I had a hunch that the Obama people might…

i was just glad to make it past the guards loading public servants into railcars...

On a related topic, how does redundancy work for the Ministerial staff who are now to be replaced? Is it redundancy with an associated package? And what about the MPs and/or Ministers themselves?

Maybe I missed something, but to me the most obvious feature is that she's signalling she voted twice and is happy she got away with it?

Dude, you've been away too long. We all have two votes under MMP. One for each arm.

when the "army of government spin doctors" gets counted,

Aside from the odd instance of crisis management (some agencies more prone to them than others), these "armies" exist to process the thousands of parliamentary questions & OIAs. The majority of which are irrelevant (if not incomprehensible) & designed to create a lot…

burgeoning online services comms teams.

This phenomenon deserves more attention. Such people tend to get lumped into the calculation when the "army of government spin doctors" gets counted, and yet that's really not a valid characterisation is it?

not enough armpit hair.

I do hope AManda never visits here, but you know, what struck me when I saw that photo was "She didn't used to be blonde."

So maybe that explains the attention to grooming.

Funnily enough, this is also the bit of Reaganomics that never seems to be mentioned...

The massive post-70s-recession spending on the cold war, i.e. a gargantuan Keynesian knees-up for those in uniform. I seem to recall that it was second only to WWII as…

not enough armpit hair.

I dunno... Amanda Binns, National supporter & HNZC communications manager (at one stage anyway), taking one for the team.

I'm thinking you could write a Master's thesis based on that photo...

First they came for the communications managers...

I dunno... Amanda Binns, National supporter & HNZC communications manager (at one stage anyway), taking one for the team.

Have they not sold those railcars yet?

i think it's a job lot. railcars and excess workers.

After several visits over the months (starting in October) and ending (touch wood) yesterday, the roof is finally leak free! First time in years.

Thanks National.