@ my wits’ end

Colin James, in his column for the DomPost and ODT for 25th January 2010, wrote:

Key’s core test will be his response to the tax group’s recommendations, which leave him no excuse for timidity. If he decides to trust his antennae and instincts and use his huge political capital, wide acceptability and capacity to connect to build a genuine “world-class tax system”, he would likely carry the public (and nervy doubters in his cabinet) with him. Witness the lack of fuss over the Maori flag.

“The Key who took large, well-calculated risks after thorough due diligence to accumulate a sizable fortune might have been expected to replicate that in politics. That younger risk-taking Key might also have recognised that this year’s big decisions are not about today’s issues but tomorrow’s: the post-crunch, China-rising, new-communications, mass-migration and maybe greening world. Old ideas won’t do, just as they didn’t do in the 1980s.

Right on Colin.

What do you want John?

Govern for the next election?

• Perpetuate the same old tired poll-driven incompetence?
• Continue the short-term thinking which has seen us fall from the second richest country in the world to about 50th?
• To be Prime Minister for 2 or 3 terms and disappear into historical oblivion?
• To follow the polls into mediocrity?

Or govern for your grandchildren and mine?

• Get back onto the track you started on.
• Make good on your promises.
• Give us policies which benefit us all for decades to come, not just for the next election.
• Use your political capital to revolutionize New Zealand’s political and economic life. Convince the electorate that for some short term sacrifice we can have long term gain.
• You may fail, but you’ll have failed honorably. If you succeed you’ll be  justifiably seen as one of our few great leaders.

In the past New Zealand’s voters have shown the ability to see ahead more than one electoral term. Unfortunately, our politicians haven’t.

Everything depends upon improving our abysmal productivity, rewarding innovation and finding new opportunities. You are our last best hope to lead us on that journey.

What do you have to lose?

Maybe this time…

I was almost 20 years old when John F. Kennedy made this pledge:

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans … Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,support any friend,oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.”

Inspiring rhetoric, but ultimately empty promises. Nearly half a century later there are many “friends” of those United States who have missed the liberty boat. Racism, parochialism and ignorance are still rampant in the U.S.A. despite the election of a mixed race president. Protectionism, oil, the pork barrel and unenlightened self-interest still dominate U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

JFK filled my heart, and the hearts of many millions of others, with hope for a better world. The hope had waned even before an assassin’s bullet gave us Lyndon Johnson and killed it completely. But hope springs eternal and it flickered again when Robert Kennedy looked likely to take the helm. Once again an assassin left us mourning for what might have been.

We now have cause to dream once more of a better world. After five decades and eight more or less uninspiring occupants of the White House, the ponderous American presidential election process has delivered a man who has the intellectual power, the integrity and the ability to inspire which may just enable him to persuade his people to do great things.

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics”

President Barack Obama

Now it’s in the hands of every American. President Obama has the skills required to set the ball rolling. Nevertheless the forces of darkness are ranged against him. The huge burden of expectation placed upon him can only be successfully turned into reality with the continued help of those ordinary people who put him there.

Americans must make it very clear to their Representatives, their Congressmen and Congresswomen; to their business, religious, community, political and union leaders; and to opinion makers everywhere that this time it must happen. For too long special interest groups have hog-tied successive administrations. It’s time the people’s will was given its due.

It’s heartening to know that three quarters of Americans now support this good man.

It’s sobering to reflect that almost half the voters wished to see a narrow-minded, bigoted and ignorant woman a heartbeat away from being in his shoes.

Yes you can, America. But it needs more than one man. The Dick Cheneys of the world are plotting their return as we speak.

I know he can be a bit ummm… intemperate?

But when it comes to loose lips sinking ships, both his leader and his deputy leader are more of a worry. And Maurice Williamson is in a class of his own.

Just exactly what has he said that justifies high dudgeons on the part of half the country?

Tsarina Helen Clark has described Dr Lockwood Smith’s statements as daft, ridiculous and demeaning. Tariana got on her high horse and accused him of everything short of incest and treason.

I don’t know why he bothered to wade into these murky waters but I do know that his comments were founded in solid fact.

I’ve spent over 40 years working with Asians, Islanders, Africans, Poms and even – gasp! – Australians. I can categorically state that:

• Asians have smaller hands on average than Caucasians.
• Many non-Western folk have difficulty with Western type toilets as allegedly invented by that great English plumber Thomas Crapper. They actually weren’t, but that’s another story.
• Many people, particularly from rural or poor tropical areas aren’t familiar with hot shower controls.  Come to think of it; I have trouble with the damn things myself.

At some point in our history we invented the idea of sitting on a dunny. It was a stupid scheme and is the cause of health problems. People from other cultures, particularly in Asia, are far more civilized in this matter (and many others) and still use the good old squatter. It’s hard for we “cultured” Westerners to imagine but that’s the natural way for humans to evacuate their bowels.

OK?

I’ve been in many situations where less sophisticated non-European workers were very stressed about having to use our infernal ceramic torture devices. They often squat on top of the seat because their personal plumbing musculature is in its natural state – it hasn’t been distorted as ours has so they can’t “sit to shit” as it were.

I’ve had to repair many a bog as a result of this and on some ships it’s been necessary for me to install a couple of squat bogs to avoid trauma for the troops and damage to my maintenance budget.

Get over it.

Note to John Key

Stand up for what’s right. Not what sounds as if it might be politically convenient. Nice to have a couple of people with cabinet experience in the by-no-means-certain event that you form the next government.

“What I want is men who will support me when I am in the wrong.”
Lord Melbourne, in response to a pollie who offered to support him when he was in the right.

New website launch – Dead Rats & Broken Promises:

I hope my website tracking politicians’ promises will be of interest to concerned Kiwis in the run-up to the election.

This was once the best country in the world — bar none.

Not any longer. Koreans and Slovenians are better off. Luxembourgers have nearly three times our income. We’re sinking fast.

Whose fault is it?

Yours and mine.

What’s needed?

Research and development in areas which will increase our abysmal productivity.

Who can fix it?

You and me.
Please visit mistywindow on politics at http://www.mistywindow.co.nz/

You never had it so good – well, not quite

During the current government’s regime the average earner’s income may have risen by a couple of hundred dollars a week, but take home pay adjusted for inflation has risen by only $10 a week.

The dreaded “bracket creep” is to blame.

Labour says it just shows how important it is to keep inflation under control.

Yeah, right. If the inflation hadn’t occurred you wouldn’t have got the pay rise and anyway, as I stated above, the figure is adjusted for inflation.

Welfare state to the rescue

There’s an exception. If the earner has children, the income redistributing Working for Families package will compensate – at the expense of those who don’t have kids and by turning most of the population into welfare beneficiaries.

If you didn’t know before where Michael Cullen’s whopping great surpluses came from, you do now.

But we’re getting tax cuts aren’t we?

Sure you are. they won’t even make up for the last six months’ increase in transport and food costs. No new government can afford to give you worthwhile tax cuts.

Why not?

As a country we don’t earn enough. We’re poor.

Here’s why.

Whatever next?

A politician apparently displaying common sense and old-fashioned integrity! Whatever next? Snow in Rarotonga?

Heavens to Betsy! Where will it all end?

John Key’s refreshing candour in ruling out Winston Peters as a coalition partner unless he cleans up his act is a welcome change from the wearying cynicism we’ve been enduring for years. Personally, although I’m a contemporary of Winston’s loyal blue rinse brigade, I’d had about enough of him a decade ago.

How many flip-flops can a politician perform before he can no longer persuade 5% of voters that he’s credible? Mind you, if the Yanks can put George Bush into power twice, there’s incontrovertible proof that a large proportion of voters have a near infinite capacity for stupidity.

Of course John Key may just be taking a calculated risk on the assumption that Winston First has dug himself into too deep a hole this time and he won’t be an option anyway. Nevertheless it’s a welcome change.

I actually got the feeling watching John on TV3 last night that he was being straight. He’s not good at faking sincerity.

Winston First is in his death throes. However, he’s come back from the dead more often than a flock of phoenixes (phoenices?) so we’d best not get the shovels out yet.

Come on Ron

What about some common sense and integrity from the Parliamentary NZ First folk.

Seems to me, New Zealand First’s only option is to dump Winston right now and anoint Ron Mark as leader. He’s the only NZ First MP with anything like the necessary credibilty to garner 5% in the polls. OK, he’s not guaranteed to pull it off, but he has more chance than his present boss.

What’s the alternative for NZ first? Political Armageddon in November. All out of a job.

Wouldn’t do any harm to the Maori vote either.

Go for it Ron.

Porkies or an early poll?

More flagrant waste and duplicity, or are we to have an early election?

So Helen Muldoon Clark wants to throw away a big chunk of $10 million of your money. There’s not enough time, says she, to organise a referendum on the anti-smacking bill before the election so it’ll have to be a stand-alone referendum.

From the DomPost:

“Asked yesterday why [the referendum] could not be held alongside the election, which must be held by November 15, Miss Clark replied: “Just in terms of sheer organisation, I do not think that is possible.”

Muldoon’s ill-fated snap election was held a month after he slurred its announcement. So I don’t think a bit of referendum checking is a real hurdle.

An early election isn’t on the cards. The Czarina and her yes-men and menesses will be waiting as long as possible in the faint hope of an act of God reversing their sinking fortunes. She’s reaping the benefit of an excess of hubris of biblical proportions and it’ll take divine intervention to save the day.

Pity about the alternative though.

If you were Herself, would you be keen to have voters roll up to the polling booth and be reminded of one of your many cockups? Albeit a lesser one. I think not. The disgraceful Electoral Finance Act will already be on everybody’s minds. An arrogant, ubiquitous and patronising social engineer Ms Clark may be – stupid?

No way.

Now by and large I don’t have a problem with idea of discouraging corporal punishment of children. I’m anti the duplicitous way the bill was presented, the total hypocrisy of putting all that expense into misleading the public about the reasons for it instead of putting resources and effort into making the changes that may actually help to reduce child abuse.

A couple of weeks ago, in his River City Press column Rana Reckons, Rana Waitai reckoned that the appointment of Hamish McDoull as Labour candidate for Whanganui was done and dusted.

Right on Rana. Your column is always full of solid common sense and that’s a refreshing change – the only thing common about common sense is how uncommon it is.

Who had a say in this? The local Labour Party membership? The beloved leader and her minders? I suspect a divine decree from the Czarina herself but I’m willing to be persuaded otherwise.

Did Jill Pettis stand down or was she pushed? Did she “voluntarily” stand down before she was given the old heave-ho?

Good luck Hamish. But keep your powder dry. There’s no internal democracy in your party of choice.

Published this morning in New Zealand Matters

Mallard Reducks

I live in hope, but I forgot the rules.

Nobody ever got rich underestimating a politician’s capacity for cynical disregard of the electorate or that electorate’s ability to forget the politicians’ abuse of their trust.

I’m not a Labour supporter, mainly because I can’t abide the Czarina’s demeanor of superiority, her status as minister for everything and her hijacking of every kindergarten fence painting for a photo op. I respect her intellectual ability and her political skills but the person who sneeringly talks down to me from the evening news will (probably) never get my vote.

However, I believe that in many ways they’ve been a good government, ably abetted in retaining the reins by National’s continual ability to shoot itself in both feet at any given opportunity.

Trevor Mallard has been an effective minister, albeit occasionally erratic. Our government would be the poorer without him. And he seems a nice bloke.

Nevertheless, what he did was not acceptable. He should have walked the plank and awaited redemption (à la Ruth Dyson) until the next government or opposition is formed.

He still has his $250,000 salary (my guess), the ministerial car and the perks. He’s been demoted 3 places to the second bench but with a wink, wink, nudge, nudge has been given a virtual promotion with the redistribution of portfolios.

It’s not right.

I spent 20 years in the Royal New Zealand Navy. For the last 5 of those years I was a commissioned officer. If, while holding that commision or the Queen’s Warrant which preceded it, I had done what Trevor did, I’d have been court-martialled, lost my commission and been discharged from the navy.

Not so those who would have been my employers.

What sort of an outfit is this?