Posts by Stanley Pointen
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It is now fairly obvious that the Herald has become embedded within the Auckland right-wing black ops political apparatus, which is cause for very serious concern, and will have consequences.
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"who cares if the former is made up of one or two parties and latter is made up of three or four?"
Could not agree more. It's how our voting system works.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the current government is a coalition between Labour and the Progressives, with support agreements with NZ First and United Future, and an agreement to abstain on confidence and supply with the Greens. So, we have five parties involved in the current government. Where is the difference if one of other of these parties leaves, and is replaced with another, the Maori Party for example?
These arrangements have delivered sound, stable, representative, full term governments under Clark for nine years now. Why should the next three years be any less suitable?
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'It's going to be a thing of Lyndon Johnsonesque proportions. You mark my words.'
Ah, the last real Texan in the White House. Bush, of course, is an eastern frat-brat fraud, and no Texan.
What I find facinating is how the US MSM have run with Michelle's party piece so fairly. Sure, CNN and others took it live, which restricts the media's ability to interpret news for us, but the 'analysis' has been very even-handed.
And on Lyndon, he knew, as I think the Obama people do, that it is about tactical turn out, not top line national polling. The electoral college rules this race. And on this basis, a landslide is entirely possible.
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Isn't the madison a sort-of tag team event, with two per team, taking turns to score points?
Thanks for the background information, folks. I'm reassured that Rupert Murdoch is just another in a long line of robber barons to exploit sport for mega profits.
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Georgina Beyer mark two? They were both 'hookers' before entering Parliament, remember. JK did say"'whatever it takes"! Problem is JK changes his mind so often, the surgeons would need to be on permanent stand-by.
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Russell, it seems some folks, mostly those on the extremes, simply cannot get their heads around judicial independence. Maybe it's time for some of the old battles to be re-fought, before the basic principles of a free, pluralistic society are lost to the mob? Mind, it makes for nice easy headline politics for the right. What was that Dick Nixon said, 'keep 'em riled up because they vote out of fear, not love?'
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I'm with Key on this. What devious evaluation methodology will SPARC use to get the big tick against this KPI? Websites will not get kids off their arses. End of story.
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"We're not quite there yet."
Recent (June 08) national polling data I came across shows that 63% of respondents consider themselves 'middle class' and a further 16% consider themselves 'upper middle class'. Moreover, on the subject of financial wellbeing, 45% say they 'live comfortably' and 36% say they 'meet basic expenses with a little over for extras'.
So, 79% self select as middle or upper middle class, and 81% are doing okay financially.
The Crosby Textor 'dog whistle' has been worth every penny.
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Russell, keep an eye on Friedlander. He has earned a few juicy board appointments with this one, once his mates get in. So easy to whip up a bunch of truckies on full pay to raise hell on the streets, but full marks to Tony - Friedlander, not Soprano. In the meantime, we petrol buyers will carry on paying for their road damage and to build ever better roads for them.
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Russell, could not agree with your more about the Clark 'burp' in the House yesterday. She is experienced enough to know that with the rising chatter around the dark hand of Crosby Textor, she should have just shut up and run hard on the ACC privatisation revelations. Just when, as you mention, John Key was being hollowed out. A spectacular own goal! Mind you, if the claims that John Key was asking written questions about Transrail when he was an undeclared shareholder are correct, it is actually pretty dodgy behaviour too.