Posts by Kyle Matthews
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Good to have people arguing over the reality of my anecdote.
To fill in the gaps, at least according to the regulars at the Waihopai protests, the police officer was riding his own horse, and did it every year for the protests. They knew him fairly well, obviously in happier times some of them had chatted to the guy about the horse.
I'll try and confirm the reality or lack of NZ mounted police next time I'm in Wellington.
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Craig - all beneficiaries, including my beloved mother, pay gst on everything; a 2.5%increase in GST is a 2.5 diminshment on her income (which is pretty bloody slight anyway.)
A 2.5% increase in GST is a 2.2% diminishment in income.
Assuming that the government doesn't put in some GST compensation for benefit rates. Beneficiaries should come out even, unless the government are right bastards.
Most likely people to be hurt by the GST increase are lower income earners, particularly those that don't earn WFF.
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With bells on.
You don't think telling someone to shut up while jingle jangling will look just a little silly?
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And Ben Wilson has hit the nail on the head as to what what humans can do -change behaviour (well, some behaviours) in new circumstances.
Except apparently 99% of scientists agreeing about global climate change and it's dangers. Still up for grabs that one.
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According to their report, when he allegedly exposed himself, the reporter didnt object and said nothing. Is it possible he, given his background, took that as a sign to continue for their benefit ?
I look forward to an exhibitionist trying this defence in court. "But they didn't run away screaming m'lord!"
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Actually I think we should, but it should be by making the first 14,000 threshold tax free. And if you want to keep the rich in check, make it means tested so it stays in place if you earn over 70k (the upper threshold). But I have no idea how much that would cost.
I'm fully in favour of us looking at 0% taxation for the first $X,000.
Punatively putting it back in for rich people would both be vindictive and high cost for not much return. Particularly when they don't get working for families.
It's one thing to expect the rich to pay a higher proportion of taxes. It's another to be an arsehole about taking it off them.
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Being a civilian installation, the guards don't have statutory powers of arrest. They don't carry weapons. All they can do if they catch trespassers is put them under citizen's arrest for trespass and wait for the Police. This is not the United States or United Kingdom, and there is no special legal status for these properties.
Last time I was at Waihopai (er, 1996), there were about six cops on duty while we were protesting. The one in charge, a sergeant I believe, was on a horse. I presume informally, as we don't have horse police in NZ. He was quite legendary amongst the protesters for always being the one in charge each year. He used to run the horse up to the fence and try to scare you off.
Hence, I'll take the security guards any day.
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I thought Hearfield went down a bit easily at one stage yesterday and wondered if it might be a good chance to start that one up.
I long for the day when soccer referees start sending people off for diving, feigning terrible injuries, or arguing with the referee. Makes a mockery of some pretty talented athletes.
Ice hockey has a whole bunch of penalties for this, players quickly learn not to argue or get in the face of the referee. Rugby does the same. Being marched 10 metres is a good lesson :)
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I was taken as a small boy to the mammoth 13-11 encounter at McLean Park between Hawkes Bay and the 1977 Lions and my overwhelming memory of that day now is of noise, of a unique and peculiar roar of the New Zealand provincial rugby crowd.
There's wonderful photos of Carisbrook in the 20s and 30s when it was just banks and there's over 40,000 people in them, all dressed up, standing shoulder to shoulder. A few women, but must have been just about man and boy in town. A bit too refined to sing and chant, but apparently they made plenty of noise when the teams scored.
The game? Dunedin club rugby game, Saturday afternoon. Bigger audience than a modern day test normally gets.
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I do have a transistor radio though. They broadcast emergency information on Radio Sport, right?
They reported both Vettori's sore neck and Oram's "I fell over the grass and broke my knee (again)" injury. That seems to qualify as "emergency information".