The thing about the ballot papers that struck me was just how many candidates there are

Indeed. We have, at last count, 18 running for the 5 places on Waiheke's local - but powers yet unspecified - board.

Both local papers have covered it well, I think, and there's been any number of opportunities to quiz the candidates in person, including a session of 'speed dating'...

For all that, they seem to be taking guard around two main issues 1) The hardy perennial: 'We're not another suburb of Auckland! Did you actually hear a word we f***g said, City Hall?!' and 2) Should Waiheke push to be included under UNESCO's biosphere programme?

Surprisingly - to me anyway - it's the second that seems to be creating more noise, particularly from the red-tape-to-a-bull, pro development crowd (though that in itself is less surprising).

Anyhow, I do wonder if the Waitemata ward council seat (of which we will soon be a part) isn't more important. We've gone from 1 councillor representing 8,000 Island residents to 1 representing us....and 80,000 odd others as well.

So, unless 'Jedi Dave' and his promise 'to do or do not' (hardly what you'd call decisive) makes a late surge, most of us will be pinning our hopes on Mike Lee getting in...

D'you think they sat him in front of the Orwell on purpose? David?

To say nothing of Dostoevsky...

(sad bastard I know, but it meant I also got to see Geoffrey Howe give Margaret T. a totally unexpected mauling)

There's a terrific Julian Barnes essay ('Mrs Thatcher discovers it's a funny old world') on this whole episode.

One of a series of 'Letters from London' that he wrote for the New Yorker covering the period 1989 - 1996. I don't think they're available online, but I've seen several copies knocking around in second hand bookshops.

The book is crammed with good stuff (I reckon he's a much better journalist than he is a novelist) including the memorable observation from a disaffected Tory MP that the Poll Tax was 'only fair in the sense that the Black Death was fair'...

What depresses me is the seeming left-right left-right lurch from one ‘grand plan’ to another every time a new council or mayor gets elected.

A recent example: the Fletcher led council had the plans, support and – I think – most of the funding for a light rail service that connected Queen Street, the hospital, Newmarket (and thus the Western Line) Parnell and Britomart.

Like London’s Central Line I suppose, but slightly askew…

Anyway, enter Banks and co. fulminating about costly white elephants and the whole thing gets trashed in the space of a two hour meeting. And, when he wasn’t taking credit for projects that he had nothing to do with, what did we get in its place? Three years of shouting about a highway that even Transit didn’t think was a priority.

I'm sure there are at least a dozen similar examples; from what I can tell it’s been happening at least since the time of Mayor Robbie.

It’s just so frustrating that the whole subject of improving public transport – which everybody at least *says* should happen – seems to get sabotaged by petty (and sometimes spiteful) politics…

What I'm interested to read is an explanation of how the government intends to acquire the land. That is, something more detailed than vague statements about "fast-tracking" the RMA.

As I understand it, the waterfront site sits on land that's an important part of the Port's container operations (as opposed to a holding pen for car imports which lies further West).

So, if it's used for the stadium, what does the Port do? 'Reclaim' yet more of the harbour? Sting the government for lost revenue? Up wharves and move to Tauranga?

Given that Aucklanders own the Port, isn't this something we should also be considering? Would be keen to hear if other people know more...