OTOH, this explains who RedBaiter is... mystery solved.

Bill English wouldn't know freedom if it pissed on him.

Before or after one of Helen's jack-booted thugs sets him on fire? ;)

New Zealand is one of the freest countries in the world, as measured by Freedom House, Reporters Sans Frontieres, and The Economist.

Freedom in the world
World Press Freedom
Economist 's democracy index (PDF)

Bill English wouldn't know freedom if it pissed…

Talkback is first on the right.

Thought of that a microsecond after I hit post.

Craig – take your points. Just a bit frustrated with swivel-eyed knee-jerk unreasoning lunacy at the moment. And need to vent to complete strangers on the interweb.

House debate on Electoral Finance Bill, July 26, 2007:

Hon BILL ENGLISH: This is straight out of Zimbabwe. In fact, if members read the rules of the former Soviet Union about election campaigning, they will see that those rules were less restrictive than these ones.

John Carter:…

In any case, crazed and inaccurate rhetoric can be found on the other side of the spectrum, case in point the NZ Herald's Your Views section.

See comments along the lines of "I earn $80k a year and this budget will make me worse off!"

I had a look yesterday.…

I think the point was that "people who are prone to whining in New Zealand should remember there are many people worse off in the world than they are." Which is a reasonable point to make from time to time.

It's also a reasonable point to make in reply that…

You're in the wrong place. You want talkback radio. down the street, first on the left.

First on the left is actually the Trotter's office. Talkback is first on the right.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00402.htm

In…

I somehow doubt Labour would find a winning slogan in "Helen! Not as bad as Mugabe! More generous than the Generals of Myanmar!"

Sure, and to reality check the more over-wrought left and right wing-nuts we will have a free, fair and credible election this year (unlike Zimbabwe); the armed…

Who needs talkback? Morning Report's 'listener feedback' ran a charming request for 'the whingers' who should piss off to Zimbabwe or Myanmar and STFU. Gentle listener, to paraphrase Chris Rock, you low-expectation-having motherer!

Yes, I thought the same thing when I heard that.

I somehow doubt Labour would find a…

You're in the wrong place. You want talkback radio. down the street, first on the left.

Who needs…

What about the whine?

You're in the wrong place. You want talkback radio. down the street, first on the left.

Screw the cheese. What about the wine?

Wine's going to be bloody cheap for the next year or two. Unlike cheese.

In fact, looking at the table, it comes out quite nicely: those earning under $40K get cheese. Those earning between $40K and $70K get wine. And those over $70K get both.

Somebody call a cartoonist.

The Big Cheese Key will be emmental if…