Posts by ScottY
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...so much as he's just not a leader with strong convictions.
Its a big part of his appeal.
Surely having a leader who actually believed something for more than five minutes before polls or focus groups changed his mind would be more appealing?
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John Key will be hoping the AB's do ok in the world cup.
He's our secret weapon. He'll walk the sidelines during tight games and opposition teams will swoon when he smiles at them.
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The response by Israel is interesting. Israel's vocal support for Mubarak may not be particularly helpful in quelling the riots. Israel is not loved in the Arab world, as we know.
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In further breaking news, John Key is also of the opinion that water is wet.
He probably had Curia conduct polling on the public attitude to wetness before making that announcement.
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I think the last Starbucks I had was in Edinburgh five years ago. It was the best of a bad bunch, and at the time I only really wanted a coffee for the caffeine hit.
I have had a few McCafe coffees over the last couple of years, and some have been a bit bland (though not as bad as Starbucks) while some have been perfectly drinkable and pleasant.
There are good coffee places in every city and town, but they aren't as common in the smaller towns. If you are passing through a town, need caffeine, and don't know where the best place for a coffee is, the local McCafe (if they have one) probably won't be the worst option.
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Parties have always reneged on election promises. Under FPP a party would promise one thing, and then when in power do another. That is one of the reasons why the FPP system was thrown out. Voters were dismayed over the policies of the two major parties in the mid eighties and early nineties, and the fact that the parties routinely reneged on their election promises.
I think most voters understand that if you vote for a political party in an MMP environment and it helps to form a government, you’re probably not going to get everything the party promises. If that party is the dominant player in a coalition arrangement then you would expect that party’s policies to be at the forefront. If they give too much then voters are likely to punish them in three years. It is harder for the smaller parties, because they will inevitably get fewer policy wins and risk being associated with a party whose policies do not largely align with their own. I imagine, for example, that ACT voters are generally more comfortable with a National government than most Maori Party voters are.
That’s what makes post-election discussions so tricky. We’ve been fortunate to date that after every MMP election a government has been formed without difficulty (although we had to wait an eternity in ’96), but that may not continue.
The reality with any system of representative democracy (FPP, MMP or any other system) is that you still have to rely on the people you elect to do what they said they would do. Often they don’t. If you’re not happy with them you get to vote them out next election.
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Beach holiday. 2 weeks. Kids, swimming, bike rides, reading all those books I never get time to read the rest of the year.
And have discovered mobile broadband, so can still spend far too much of my time online.
We are going camping next week with our two pre-school children. May not be quite so relaxed by the time I return to work.
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Bloody typical, isn't it? We finally have the chance to win the Rugby World Cup on our home turf after decades of pain, and then the End Of Days comes along and ruins everything.
This is 1995 and Suzie all over again.
Am I even insured for the Apocalypse?
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My highlight so far this Christmas season has been the discovery of the awesome Kingi Ihaka version of the 12 Days of Christmas, Pukeko in a Ponga Tree.
My 3 year old loves the line "five big fat pigs" and usually yells it at the top of his voice. Lord only knows what the neighbours must be thinking.
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Why did both governments consciously keep the news quiet?
There's a fair degree of anti-Americanism on the left, so I can understand why Clark didn't want to yell it from the rooftops.
Not sure why Key hasn't made more of the news though.