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My take on the Republican movement
It's hard to articulate why I favour our current
status quo i.e. Queen as head of state. My opinion is evolving over
time.
The advantages of
kinship and friendship have been debunked. Just ask anyone who
have tired to get a UK visa.
Economically there doesn't
appear to be any advantage for being a sovereign nation. Great Britain's
trade agreement with the European Economic Community put an end to that.
Traditionally the UK is the
first port of call for any New Zealanders heading overseas, but since the EU
enlargement many of the jobs we use to get have been taken by the
Polish.
So what reasons does that
leave for why NZ should stay a sovereign nation?
1. Everyone knows the
Queen and the British royals. This gives a small country like NZ
prominence of the world stage when they visit.
2. Uniqueness.
Republics are a dime a dozen. Only 16 nations can claim to be a realm of
the commonwealth; it adds to our character.
3.
Politics. Having a head of state above political influence is
refreshing. Even though the Government General is appointed by the
government (with the Queen's approval). Governments come and go, having a
fixed family as head of state is like a constitutional anchor.
4. History.
5. The New Zealand's
fascination with the royals; better inside than out.
The reasons above are not
as good as the used to be i.e. economic and immigration wise. But
they are good enough to justify remaining a sovereign nation. I don't
accept David Farrar's reasoning that we should become a republic in order to
enhance our constitution (due to Labour's disregard for convention) because we
can do this anyway through entrenching certain laws.
Michael Cullen on John Key adopting Working for Families
The statement above was typed out word for word from Dr
Cullen's piece on One News. It a breathtaking display of hypocrisy given
that Interest Free Student loans, Working for Families, and 20 hours free child
care are essentially taken out of your bank account and given back to you
in Labour gift wrapping. These policies that Cullen has introduced are
going to be very hard for any government to drop and will only increase in cost
as time goes on. They were introduced to win votes in the short term.
Tax cuts on the other hand
stimulate the economy by offering a reward for the hour's you've
worked.
On the surface John Key's
decision to adopt the full WfF is disappointing. However, as David Farrar
pointed out, to develop an alternative policy without the aid of government
departments is difficult. WfF would've been developed over a period of
years by experts in the public service at a considerable cost to the
taxpayer. So with that in mind it makes sense to keep the policy until you
have the government departments at your disposal to develop something better
(and least intrusive).
Three news Journalism or lack of it
TV three's political coverage is often schizophrenic but this story was particularly annoying. 1. What was the point of the story? 2. Where do they get off calling Don Brash's race relations speech a 'rant' - an emotive word which conveys an opinion. They should just stick to the news and let the viewer form an opinion. Siding with Winston Peter's is like making a pack with the devil, but he does have a point about political journalism in this country. And TV one isn't any better - remember their shocking story that someone in the National Party wasn't a fully signed up climate change believer. Don Brash , TV 3 , Journalism
Helen's out of date!...... car wise.
The picture below is of BMW's new 7-series. It goes on
sale in the UK on 15 November 2008 - which coincidentally (or
ironically) is one of the proposed election dates.
Looks a nice car too - leaner than the current 7-series. Though, on
first impression, I don't like the tail lights and the oversized kidney grill.
Helen has no time for personal activities
In her attempt to have a dig
at John Key and Bill "clever man" English over the hours they work, I think she
casts herself in a negative light. I would like the PM of
New Zealand to maintain a work/life balance, just like anyone
else. If the PM has no time for herself, then to me that shows she's not
working efficiently, or delegating appropriately, or is creating work for
herself (she has to 'look after' the country).
Don Brash was also renowned
for his workaholic nature. The difference with him is that he wasn't one
to gloat about it, or more tellingly, use it for a personal
attack.
Helen Clark's foreign affair expertise is a myth
I reckon Helen's much touted foreign affairs expertise is nothing more than a farce. On the big issues such as Israel, a nuclear armed Iran, Iraqi situation, and Mugabe - Helen Clark is either silent or a vocal critic at best. She offers no solutions, and she's not prepared to go out on a limb - just repeat her stock UN line.
I must find his blog and add it to my RSS feed reader. And I agree with Fran O'Sullivan's point that National has a 'lily-livered' approach to foreign affairs. But to do otherwise would invite Helen to accuse National of being an American puppet. Helen has no qualms about damaging our relationship with the US in order to score cheap political points (referring to the 2005 election).
John Roughan on KiwiSaver
I generally try to avoid cut
and pasting so much from an article, but John Roughan's points are
irrefutable!
I'm a signed-up member of
KiwiSaver just because the incentives are too good to pass up. Now some
people like KiwiSaver because it locks away their savings so they can't touch
it.
So why don’t they give people
the choice... Kiwisaver for those who want their savings locked away & a tax
refund for those who want to put the money into their own savings account.
I'd take the latter option.
Secret agendas works both ways....
John Roughan is
right. I can't remember anti-smacking, Kiwisaver, or re-nationalising the
railway being on Labour's agenda last
election.
So all the unreasonable
demands for National to reveal what they'll do in government should be meet with
the question 'what the hell will Labour do?'.
Obama moves to the centre......
The Bush policies I want Obama to adopt are free trade and a commitment to Iraq. Fingers crossed. So with that in mind perhaps
the best outcome for the US election would be Obama in the White House and a
republican controlled congress.
Hit
tip: The
Hive via Kiwiblog
An insite into David Cameron
He sounds like a
person who has been on a long political journey to get to where he is; the
leader of the Conservatives. Some interesting parallels with John
Key.
John Key and David Cameron
represent modern conservatives, the future for their political philosophy and
consequently our future. They're socially liberal and concerned with
social justice, but see them as secondary to providing effective, efficient
government that doesn't squash personal responsibility and individual
freedoms.
US conservatives (the
Republicans) aren't quite their yet. Which is why loosing to Obama could
be the best thing for them.
TV3 reports that Clark got it wrong!
Heh - Labour's most
aggressive line of attack for a while, delivered by the PM herself (instead
of Cosgrove, or Cullen, or Goff) turns out to be complete rubbish.
I'm pleased channel three reported this because channel one certainly didn't and
after such an intense battle in parliament one was left wondering.
The thing is even if the PM's allegations were true, a man
like Mr Key would have shares all over the place so it's hardly a demonstrated
conflict of interest. A real scandal would be if Mr Key had invested all
his shares in one basket....and then said something so their value increased -
which didn't happen of course (much to the PM's disappointment).
This is the first time the PM has fronted the attack, so it'll be
interesting to see how the public reacts. To me it looks like she's
clutching at screws big time!
In the house (Herald cartoon)Quite extraordinary goings on in the house today.
1. The PM couldn't answer any questions on the cost of the KiwiRail but instead smeared John Key with an allegation that he personally benefited from the sale of the rail in 1993 (at least that's what I think she was alleging).
2. Rodney Hide rode to his rescue - way to go Rodney, he really got to the guts of the matter.
2. Key didn't respond to the allegation initially (why..?) but later tabled a press release revealing the PM is talking rubbish.
It was hard to know who was in trouble... Helen Clark or John Key.
NZed Rail viability
^I was going to blog
on this very point today's Editorial made. The more I think about it
the more I question the viability of profitable rail in NZed. In Aussie
when transporting goods over a long distance e.g. Perth of Sydney it makes a lot
of sense to use rail. But in NZed, a country bisected by the Cook Strait,
it makes more sense to use trucks. On a 'long haul' from Auckland to
Wellington a truck can deliver to various out of the way locations on the
way.
However, I still hope they're
able to make KiwiRail successfull.
Obama has an early lead over McCainI know it's early days yet, but Obama is ahead in the polls. One poll recently put him 12 points ahead of McCain. I suppose all the coverage that Obama received from the primaries has to be taken into account.
Regardless the Obama McCain battle feels like a sideshow with the real election battle already been fought - Hilary vs. Obama.
Bolger to head Govt's 'KiwiRail' service
It's back to the
future! I was right on the money with regards to
the name.
The short and thick of it is
that Labour won't be around to prove they can make rail a success (see
graph). The job will fall to National.
Possibly more stolen emails....
One issue that really gets my blood boiling is Nicky Hager and Dr Brash's stolen emails. When the main opposition party, or any party for that matter, cannot correspond in confidence then that is a huge thread to our democracy. More of a thread than the Electoral Finance Act and Winston Peters combined. Nicky Hager is nothing more than a terrorist. Strong words for sure, but that's how strong I feel about this issue. The use of stolen emails would be justified in the minds of some if Hager unearth a ghastly secret. But Nicky Hager could not find a smoking-gun even with access to hundreds of Dr Brash's emails. Much of what Hager 'revealed' had already been aired by the media. This shows the media are doing their job and such skullduggery is totally unnecessary. In the USA the Watergate scandal sparked a massive federal investigation and resulted in the resignation of a President. What happens in New Zealand; the police took a year to tell us they had nothing. The Labour government provides money so the stolen emails can be made into a play and a film. It would be a joke if it weren't true. The media are reluctant to link Labour with this crime, but I suspect that Helen's much talked about 'neutron bomb' is really just more stolen emails. Even if Labour had no part in stealing the emails, they are a party to the crime by using them for political purposes. It is also well known Helen and Heather stand over the police, so the investigation into the theft would hardly be impartial. Helen has expressed NO abhorrence to what has happened despite the implications for our democracy. I could still respect Helen if my only disagreement with her was over political philosophy. Hell I could even be converted on a point or two. But Helen's involvement in this is disgusting and reveals her true unprincipled nature. As Dr Brash said this Labour government is indeed the most corrupt in New Zealand's history. ^This is my most strongly worded post to date and unlikely to be topped.
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