Posts by Gareth Ward
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So presumably the Govt just needs to "notify" them that treating using Herceptin is an objective or put something specific in the funding agreement about it.
I'd be interested in how this works in practice, but to me "Herceptin" isn't an outcome.
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Those polls sure threw me this morning, so decided to give up on polls.And to add to the Friday morning smorgasbord 'o' politics, can someone confirm if it's National intention to actively direct Pharmac on medicine spending?
Mr Key has said "It's a good chunk of their budget - they're not going to fund it unless we put up the money, and we're putting up the money" - does that mean that they're just going to increase funding and hope Pharmac decides that 12-month Herceptin is now justified in the budget?
Or is it going to be a "oi, Pharmac, do what you're told" deal? -
I guess the only way out of that is Labour and National both having spine and saying "nope, sorry". Breath, I no hold
I should add, I don't mind if either of them do support that, but please for the love of Jeebus don't do it just to make Govt.
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Tariana Turia was on the 3.00 RNZ News saying the Maori Party is drafting a bill to entrench the Maori seats. Support for the bill (or enactment? not sure) would be a bottom line condition for their support of any party.
That's pretty significant electoral change (which I'm not necessarily against) that could plausibly be supported by less than 5% of the voter population yet it would be forced through to meet parliamentary majority?
I guess the only way out of that is Labour and National both having spine and saying "nope, sorry". Breath, I no hold. -
I don't think that'll work, so there won't be any below-BB rated firms around. Maybe the higher rated ones will stick around, but like I say they'll be essentially banks.
Excellent analysis Rich. The scheme - in it's current evolved incarnation - won't be lending to Petricevic et al to fire it off to their property mates because they simply won't make the ratings grade with that sort of behaviour.
The finance companies that do make the rating grade are actually ones that we do want around - lending prudently to smaller businesses and developments around the country. As such the argument about the share market etc drying up are a bit weaker - that money you lend to properly rated finance companies gets invested somewhere, right?I think it still needs some locking down to avoid unintended consequences, and personally I'd maybe drop the "3% if you're under BB but above BBB-" and just make the cutoff at BB, but it's not as bad (any more) as some would make out...
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Re the robocall, it always reminds me of Homer's "Happy Dude" autodialler:
Homer: Now we just sit by the mailbox and watch the money roll in.
Marge: But you're going to annoy thousands of people just to make a few measly dollars. It's nothing but panhandling.
Homer: Tele-panhandling. -
Savage Garden.
Burn.
I wish they would.
United Future has a bit of a Dave Matthews thing going on as well. Incredibly bland, but the Stones and U2 keep inexplicably getting him to join them on stage...
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Isn't that what we have the governor of the reserve bank for?
Nope, certainly not under our regime anyway. The Governor can only very indirectly affect the economy via interest rates, but regardless is actually legislated to ignore the economy and focus solely on inflation.
They're remaining responsibility is around the banking and financial sectors... -
Stewart, any subtext is completely of my own making - and the day you (or anyone) decodes it I'm pretty sure my wife would appreciate a phone call explaining it... =>
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Jim I certainly agree that our debt-to-GDP ratio is appalling and needs work, but you can't lay the blame at Cullen's feet for people spending up like that. I've certainly seen plenty of comments from him lamenting the nature of our foreign debt, but to expect those comments to completely change the nature of people's spending is a little unusual.
And then to dismiss the things he CAN impact as Minister of Finance (retirement savings, surpluses etc) as pointless and worthless?And it goes well beyond this "all coming to a head" - it's been a problem for some time, independent of any existing credit crunch (our "spending ways" aren't the problem there frankly).
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I was presuming jokes is feminine in Italian, at which point it is le jokes... =>