Posts by slarty
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I can understand being upset about this. But how is this different to anything under the last Labour/Alliance/NZFirst/United-Future Government?
It's not: but we can all dream.
One day someone will have the balls to break the impasse. You are in fact doubly right - in NZ's history all the things that have made us great, all the things that differentiate us from the OECD pack, everything that has needed a brave and starkly rational act have been carried out by Labour.
Like I say, the thing that constantly kills sense being applied in this area is that it was only Green (and until recently Act) who took a rational view. And much as a hoopy frood like me can cope with diversity, there are a staggering number of people out there who can never respect dreadlocks - and I include many of the people of the pacific in that bracket.
In this case, it can only ever be Labour who grab this issue and say "we want healthier NZ, we want to tackle youth suicide, we want to starve the gang world of oxygen, we want to raise tax that can be spent on health, we want to lower the domestic violence rate, we want to free up 2,000 police officers to tackle real crime... and finally we're going to do something other than spout hyperbole. We're going to take bold action."
Because only they can get the numbers, and ignore a lone seat.
But if they want to do that, they need to start right now. It could be election issue 2014...
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National wouldn't consider changing any of our drug laws unless they got permission from the yanks first.
And there you have hit the nail on the head... we're still apparently quite keen on an FTA with the worlds largest borrower.
<sigh>
I nearly bought that ticket... but then I couldn't find anywhere to go that wasn't equally mad!
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I agree, Fallow has hit the nail on the head.
The problem for National is John Key: he's just such a nice guy.
On the other hand, the swing that got them in is rapidly going away. But the problem for Labour is, well, Phil Goff. He just doesn't have the oomph.
I suspect Labour have resigned themselves to losing the next election while they find someone with a vague element of charisma.
The Greens are the greatest asset to Simon Power in this, which is a shame. I listened to their feedback (sorry, another forgettable co-leader whose name escapes me). If ACT were truly a Liberal party, they may have had some credibility...
And, sad to say, this happened in a far more powerful way in the UK, but didn't seem to do much... mind you, the incumbent govt are so piss-poor that it's hard to tell which issues are having an effect.
Maybe I should form an expert panel so I can be ignored too?
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The thing about those Plunkett charts are that they are in a little book that you keep... not on a database that will (whatever they suggest) be published on the interweb.
Like I say, why not go the whole hog and publish results that reflect the aspect of a childs life that is far more influential than school: their parents...?
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I'll miss you, and don't forget to throw a going away party. Sorry, but I've seen too many people threaten to flounce out of the country and never get around to leaving in the past not to be somewhat cynical.
Fair point well made.
But in my defence, I've done it twice before (NZ is my third country of residence...) :)
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And whose hands does that play into?
Ahh yes, our Mr Brown quietly waiting in the wings. A real man who can make real decisions. And of course Treasury would be simply unbearable...
I do so enjoy living in countries run by accountants and bankers. Now pardon me, I'm off to check ticket prices...
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And then they didn't. But they did undertake to do the thing that the Task Force was most lukewarm about: raise GST.
You're not honestly surprised are you? He's a frikkin merchant banker for Chrissakes!
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Thanks for that - a superb read. Depressing, but...
I guess if the policy goal is to ensure there is still an underclass to service the (relatively) rich it is highly successful...
And thank you for providing some evidence to support my terrible prejudice :)
As a Gen X I was tending towards going back to Australia this afternoon following Key's predictable vacuum.
I realise I need to get a move on, before my child starts school...
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Don't s'pose there's any chance of setting standards for a persons behaviour as part of civil society, and then measuring our performance as we grow up? Maybe at, say, 4, 8 , 12 and 18?
Oh no, that would be a way of measuring parental performance.
Now wouldn't that be an interesting league table.
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And, re: standards.
Putting my personal, selfish hat on... I don't care. Having had an early association with the education "process", I know what to do that will generate the biggest advantage for my child - I will pay attention and stay personally involved.
But that doesn't help everyone else. Surely these people can look at the US, British and French systems and see what happens (not to the rich, but to everyone else...)?