Posts by Paul Williams
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Polity: Protesting too much: responses…, in reply to Kyle Matthews,
For example, one of my mates boasted that his student loan funded about $3000 worth of CDs. Others bought cars, overseas holidays, drumkits, and so on.
I sat across the table from Lockwood in 1995 as he fetched postcards from his desk from students who were skiing in Japan and thanking him for their loan. It was a low point, however it spoke to the poor design of the scheme - lump sums paid by term.
Like Kyle and Ben, I was also strongly motivated by the loans scheme but I have to admit my views are a little different now. I am pleased to see, not here oddly but elsewhere, the the three years free applies to tertiary study, not just degrees.
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@Russell: People qualify so long as they've had *no* previous post-school education.
StudyRight? I've heard it somewhere before I think?
NZ's tertiary framework is in need of some significant reconsideration; the oscillation from unregulated fees to regulated fees, the sliding around on funding for private vs public providers and the erosion of student welfare require attention.
Funding those most in need is almost certainly a good idea, offering generous funding to higher education while restricting funding for other post-schooling education is a partial fix.
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Access: Treatment for itching and shyness, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Also for those who don’t consider this a real ‘disability’ post, apologies. It does definitely feel disabling at times.
FWIW, I agree as a longtime sufferer and the father of two of three girls who also have mild eczema. Thank you for this post. I’m somewhat surprised to know so many PA regulars share this challenge too.
Phenergan worked to get me sleeping, but the waking was so horrible it was worse than the condition.
I don’t think I was prescribed Phenergan, but it was something similar and around the age of 12. It was life-changing for me. Though, like Ben and others, it was somewhat debilitating. Since moving to Sydney, I’ve had to discontinue using antihistamines as they’re not regularly prescribed as part of standard treatment here. Instead, I now take a daily hit of Telfast.
I’ve had success, first as a young adult, with regular mild steroids combined with strong ones to manage flair-ups.
Heat is a killer for me – the moment I overheat, my base-irritation levels are unmanageable.
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Hard News: The good guys, in reply to Russell Brown,
Gregan was actually good value on World Cup Weekly along with Jeff Wilson and Joel Stransky during the tournament. It was the most watchable of a surfeit of shows.
Regarding the sledge, it's genius.
As to Gregan's character, I don't know him at all, but I'm happy to judge him on his deeds which include pouring cash into kids hospitals in NSW to support playgrounds and medical support for infants with various ailments. Forget what he did/didn't do on the field, he and his partner do great stuff for the young'uns.
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Hard News: The good guys, in reply to Russell Brown,
Most notably, he apologised to those he’d hurt and let down, rather than trying to make himself look like a victim.
Yes. Savea. That's a change too. The reflexsive non-apology shits-me-to-tears! It's nice being a Kiwi in Australia for the moment I might add.
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Russell, your writing entirely captures my feelings about this team. If these be our heros, they appear ok. In fact, they appear a thoroughly decent collection of individuals who happen to be, also, a remarkable team. I do recall one incident involving one member of the team that I sincerely hope was appropriately dealt with.
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I see there are no dates for Sydney... yet?
With my wife and some friends, we loved the tour Don did with Dave Dobbyn which included a gig, or two, at the Basement (a great venue if you're ever in town).
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Access: Harry Potter and the covenant of…, in reply to Sacha,
Thank you, Paul. You and Robert are both amazing role models. We are lucky to have you.
I sincerely hope Paul you have time to blog more. As Sacha's said, role models like yourself and Robert are essential both to those you represent and as a standard for all advocates.
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Polity: Unity, success: Chicken, egg?, in reply to Sacha,
name the back office Labour peeps who are bastions of competence. Go on.
I'll not name those that I particularly regard as such, but there's a number, Salmond is definitely one of them. That said, their specific influence will always be limited relative to Caucus, Leadership and the broader membership (as it should be).
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And then party leadership has carried on talking about things like, well, housing and the future of work and the like.
Point well made Deborah. I had noticed, and entirely support, the close attention to the future of work and also the debate on housing. I guess my lens on NZ politics is a little narrow, however, as I saw as much from Quin as I did on these other more significant matters.