Posts by Rich of Observationz
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shut down Tiwai Point
Except that global climate change is global.
If we shut down Tiwai Point (which runs off hydroelectricity), the demand for aluminium won't go away, and that demand will quite likely be met by a coal fueled smelter in Australia or China. Essentially, an aluminimum smelter in New Zealand is a way of exporting hydroelectricity.
We should really aim to have 100% renewable electricty with the smelter still operating, which is quite achieveable if we build a lot more wind and a bit more hydro and geothermal.
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...vast surplus of cheap hydro-electricity Muldoon was ensuring we were soon to have with the urgent construction of the Clyde high dam etc on the upper Clutha
Muldoon was a dick, but without him, we'd have way less renewable electricity than we do. Funny how it works.
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Maybe people might see the argument for thresholds here - 1/25th of the country gets two ministers and any crazy legislation supported to select committee.
Personally, I'm tending to a 3% threshold and no coat-tailing.
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what's wrong with the brand spanking new busway?
It stops at the bridge and the buses have to queue up with the cars. Having one clipon 2/3 transit and 1/3 pedestrian cycle would solve this at minimal cost. A congestion charge would remove the resulting congestion *and* finance better public transport.
Wasn't this where we came in?
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...staggered working hours, or working from home?
Because NZ employers live in the dark ages and fret that they aren't getting their pound of flesh out of the serfs if they aren't at their desks 8:30-5:00, with 10 minutes exactly for morning and afternoon tea, plus half an hour for lunch. Just as it was in 1932.
In much of the world, they have the idea that staff are given jobs to do and get on with them, eating sandwiches at the desk if busy, spending an afternoon in the pub if it's a slack week. If they feel they work best at home, then working at home is the thing to do.
The firm winds up getting better productivity through giving people flexibility, the staff feel valued and don't leave as soon as a better offer eventuates.
I actually think this is a major hidden reason for NZ uncompetitiveness.
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I heard Douglas going on about 1966. Maybe he cooked his corned beef in aluminium saucepans a few too many times.
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Doesn't Rodney understand the concept of parade ground language? Mind you, it's probably unusual for policy papers to refer to the Chief of the Defence Staff as "old cunt-face".
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the work she
was undertaking as Associate Minister of
Defence was largely on the value for money
review (or something like that ) and was
basically completeI should have popped up to Trentham at lunchtime to see if the Halliburton branding was in place yet.
(Alternatively, one could prefer the view that associate Ministers outside cabinet are like "bring your brat to work day". They get to sit in the big chair and run along the corridors, but that's about it. And playing tug of war with Daddy's paperwork will get you sent home early.
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a short man with a spray - on
suntan who went on Dancing with the Stars?Emma, you totally scooped me on that.
But maybe "watch out for the short ones with the fake tan" is part of the training?
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One way the Green Party avoids this shit is through that funny idea called democracy. The co-leaders get elected by the members voting directly in branch meetings, the list by a postal ballot. (There is talk of using postal ballots for leadership as well).
That kinda makes the MPs concentrate on constructive policy not personal bitchfights.