I thought perhaps the most important thing said re the negotiaions between National and the Maori party so far came from Tariana when she said "We'll see if the voters thought it was the right thing to do in three years' time."

Craig

No love expected just a bit of humour in times that must worry most everyone, perhaps even yourself.

The Jews have always been a prime example of how to survive using dark humour during the most nightmarish of times and I appreciate that brand and make no apology for it.

I don't work in the public service but in an area that's suseptible to a downturn like so many others.

I thought it was the righties who held that people should be able to express their views and it was the left that suppressed freedom of expression - maybe they've been lying to me all this time.

i was just glad to make it past the guards loading public servants into railcars...

See you behind the wire.

On the hands up theme I copied a picture of Key and had the caption ‘I’m not a crook, I’m not a crook!’ In a nod to one of his probable heroes and put it up at work. In a sea of gNat and ACT supporters I expect to see some fitting and foaming at the mouth sometime soon.

'We do things differently here. We launch a new government in a gaming palace. While the rest of the world recoils in horror at the bleeding balance sheets, we tackle our financial Armageddon by giving the job to a merchant banker.'

How appropriate – an ex-currency dealer is now running the country. Being that currency trading creates nothing of real value, it’s just an end in itself, the glittering example of all the pyramid schemes and shonky failed deals overseas should have all NZers terror-wracked.

Isn’t that like putting an alcoholic in charge of the drinks cabinet?

'There'd be press conferences, interviews, public meetings. He could have advice to offer; helpful suggestions: How to deal with the bad debts and the layoffs, the winding-ups and the bankruptcies. They're coming, don't you worry about that.'

The financial tidal wave will probably reach these shores around March given the time delay that invariably accompanies these events. How can people have been so short sighted as to throw away their futures for a miserable tax cut which if they’re lucky might get them a couple of beers, or perhaps they’re living it up before the rapture comes in 2012 like so many of the Joe Six Packs believe in the US.

As someone who has lived through Rogernomics and Ruthanasia and prepared hundreds of state sector redundancies and seen the outright misery and hopelessness of talented, qualified and hardworking people unable to get any work at all – not even in fast food, generation Y is going to take a facer into the pavement.

If up to their eyeballs in debt there will be no more lattes, ipods or quick trips across the ditch on the plastic once John and his Musketeers start swinging the redundancy scythe. They will see that experience keeps a mean school and not to believe everything that a seemingly affable baby-face tells them especially when the razor gang are hiding just out of sight.