Better advocate

I see former Red Squad 2 I/C, Ross Meurant, has written a piece in the Herald explaining why cops who negligently, carelessly, or recklessly, hurt, maim or even kill innocent bystanders should face the courts.

Of course in some instances they should, but this post isn't about that.

Considering the Red Squad's tactics and strategies during the Springbok Tour shouldn't Ross Meurant be the last person advocating for the rule of law and against abuse by police of their powers?

What about the murky dealings of the Suminovich Fisheries matter?

Methinks the Herald should have found a better advocate for this issue.

Wishart Vindicated

This morning's Herald carries a story which implicates David ('I'm running the show) Cunliffe fair and square in the gun along with Carter and Jones with regard to the Chinese imposter donations to Labour scandal. Does anyone remember the chorus of denigration heaped upon Ian Wishart when he broke the story? Yes. Did the Herald acknowledge Wishart's role? No.

It seems the police investigation into this sordid tale is about to conclude.

Investigations by police and immigration into possible identity fraud, money laundering and immigration fraud are nearing completion after a visit in November by three detectives to China. It hasn't been determined whether charges will be laid.

Of course the Herald blithely imagines the charges being considered relate to the Chinese party fund raiser.

The person who should be charged, convicted and jailed is ex minister, Labour's last hope, Shane Jones.

Should John Key bend over for gays?

I noted a few ads in the NZ Herald for the Big Day Out recently.

It got me thinking of the similarly titled Big Gay Out, where you may recall Uncle Helen made some rather ambiguous comments about her sexuality a couple of years back.

Now, we'll leave those for another day.

But now she is no longer Dear Leader, what now for this event and which dignatories will be attending?

Helen's handbag Judith Tizard is no longer Culture minister and neither is she the member for Auckland Central.

So in what capacity might either venture down to Coyne Park next Sunday?

John Key is now prime minister, 'our prime minister' to quote the drag queens on Uncle Helen.

It is now the PM's duty to similarly attend, as he did when leader of the opposition.

We now have the openly gay Chris Finlayson, who should wave the pink flag for National.

The liberal and gay -friendly Auckland central MP, the lovely Nikki Kaye should also be present.

And perhaps it now befalls on Phil Goff to fill-in for Uncle Helen as Liarbour leader.

Now the big issues for the gay world are pretty much over. Homosexuality is legal , Civil Unions are happening, if not in huge numbers. And that's pretty much it. Society is largely tolerant. The battles have been won.

And this is good for National, as indeed it should be for the right.

It is time for National to show it is a more tolerant and diverse party than before, that all is welcome under John Key's big tent. Any bigotry is past and no longer should the right drive gays into left wing parties through prejudice. I believe the vast majority of the VRWC accept this too and they are not prejudiced either.

National should openly accept and welcome the settlement that Uncle Helen has left New Zealand with concerning these matters.

No doubt there will be those who still see Civil Unions as damaging marriage and families. But how can two guys or chicks making a committment do this, unless you believe there are thousands of men and women trapped in sham marriages just waiting for the excuse to dump their partners and run off with their gay and lesbian lovers?

So John Key needs to turn up and talk about a positive new National, open and diverse.

He should praise the Gay Auckland Business Association, noting its enterprise and charitable acticity.

He should welcome the prospect of New Zealand having a gay prime minister one day.

And he can, if he wants, correct himself by saying 'openly gay prime minister' and joking to Chris Finlayson that he's not ready to retire yet.

John Key should also say what his government is doing to help all New Zealanders, which includes gays.

He should echo many points raised in this piece by gay CentreRight UK blogger Graeme Archer, which fellow gay Brit Iain Dale quotes so approvingly: that gays are naturally conservative. That gay rights agendas on hate crimes are also damaging.

Indeed, I might add that a live and let live attitude is also the epitomy of the freedom loving right, in contrast to a nannying left that wants to poke its nose into everyone's business.

And why should gays support a party that brought in Working (for other people's) Families?

The PM might want to note, as this blog has done, that gays are moving rightwards in Europe in response to the violence and barbarity of homophobic Islamists.

That there are also gay Republicans in the USA, including gay conservatives, not to mention, Harvey Milk, the subject of a new movie Milk, who was initially a Republican.

There's gay Conservatives in Britain too.

So go out there Mr Prime Minister and spread the right Gospel to a new audience.

You don't have to bend over either, just get homosexuals to stop veering left and encourage them to try out a new position!

Weekend caption competition

What are they saying?

What are they Thinking?

Hat tip: Monkey with Typewriter for the pic.

Picky Poms! Down Under not wanted?

Once again, I’ve been watching the BBC TV series Wanted Down Under, where the tv company took 20 families and got them to sample a week of life in either Australia or New Zealand and then vote to stay or return to the UK.
You may remember I blogged about it last year.
Well, despite the doom and gloom of an increasingly sick economy, the Brits have increasingly voted to stay at home.
Apparantly, neither country came up to scratch and only a handful, if that, are heading our way.
Now, the programme was filmed in mid-2008, so obviously the Poms were suffering from falling property prices and a falling pound, meaning their money would not go as far in our part of the world.
But where their expectations realistic? We know we live in GodZone but there are a few snakes in our Garden of Eden, like low wages, high house prices, etc, etc.
The Poms expected to earn similar money to the UK while expecting to work less, to have that quality time and better work-life balance. And some also wanted the wife to stop working so they could spend more time with the kids.
‘Nobody wants to work’ was a common cry from my dad.
And the families expected to be able to sell their house, pay off their mortgage, and still have enough left over to buy the dream house with swimming pool not far from the beach, even in Sydney in one case!
Even if they would find a better life Down Under, the BBC played one final trick, showing the families a DVD featuring messages from the family and friends ‘back home.’ And I must say some family and friends seemed really selfish by laying it on thick about how much they would ‘miss’ people. Talk about emotional blackmail. It often led to many tears.
As for me, well I hope I am still wanted down under.
After nearly 2 months back in the UK, I have considered everything: The work prospects, housing costs, lifestyle, etc, etc. And I have voted to return to New Zealand. I will be back in Auckland on Tuesday February 10.

Only the market can save us from the crisis

Sound advice from Tesco chief Terry Leahy, who notes that despite current troubles, the market has delivered more benefits to all, than any other economic system.


Thus, it should not be abandonned by governments.





The power of the consumer and the benefits of the free market are often taken for granted. It often falls to others, who have witnessed the perils of excessive centralisation and planning, to remind us of basic truths.


One such person was Vaclav Havel, the First President of the Czech Republic.


He wrote: "I have always known that the only economic system that works is a market economy. This is the only natural economy, the only kind that makes sense, the only one that leads to prosperity, because it is the only one that reflects the nature of life itself.

Indeed, I might add that the current troubles we face in the world stems not from too much capitalism, but rather a lack of it; the problems being caused by too much government intervention, such as telling banks to lend to those who could not repay.

And can anyone identify a successful planned/ socialist economy? Come on then! Let's hear your suggestions of socialist utopias!

If it moves, tax it!

Much has been made of the hilarious spoof ad from Air New Zealand about low cost airlines.

The airline is right about some of the cons, I mean hidden costs associated with budget airlines.

But there is an even bigger rip-off merchant out there. Not the budget airline, but rather government!

As you know, I have just flown to Prague from Leeds Bradford using a budget airline called Jet2.

Now, the fare posted on the website was around £25 each way, making around £50 for the round trip, or rather £150 for the three of us, which is indeed a bargain.

However! There was also a voluntary charge af around £4 a head because we decided we wanted to book our seats so we could all sit together. There was also a couple of quid to pay using a credit card and another couple of quid as a booking fee! But most disturbingly was a suprise £40 or so charge as a fuel supplement. We also paid £21 for insurance.

There was also government tax so altogether, the bill for three return trips to Prague became £370. Still just over £120 a head wasn't bad.

Nonetheless, we still need to look at government. And government taxes, GST/VAT aside tend to be flat rate, so the same tax will be paid if your Ryanaiir flight costs a penny or £100.

Let us look at other real examples.

What could be nicer than a couple of days in Amsterdam.

Lets look at the website. Leaving Feb 23 , returning Feb 25. Fares 99 pence each way!

But look, there is then a further £49 in taxes!!! What percentage is this? A horrendous amount. What other product has taxes running into several thousand per cent.

Let's pop over to Ryannair then! Whose on for Dublin then? Again 99p fares. But again look at the taxes and fees, which now pushes a £2 return fare to over £55. Still, not a bad deal, but again, see how government is ripping people off. Can such taxes be avoided? No! Even for a domestic flight to Belfast we have £28 in taxes on top of £2 for the flight.

Europe along with many places was beginning to enjoy the though of supercheap airfares but look how government spoils it with such charges.

It's the same with cars. In New Zealand we hear the various taxes amount to half the price of a litre of petrol. In the UK, it used to be around 75-80% until petrol rocketed up in price over the past year. Last week , i read that the UK government takes £45 billion in tax from motorists, but just spends £9 billion on roads. The burden rises yearly and even in 2003, the motorist was responsible for a tenth of government revenues.

Think about it. there is the excise duty on petrol, GST/VAT on petrol, as well as GST on the price of a car, as well as the annual road tax/ vehicle excise duty. A nice little earner.

Indeed, who else is exploited more by government but the motorist or the air passenger?

Yes, Air New Zealand is right in raising the hidden charges of the 'low-cost' airlines, no doubt as a sign of its concern at the business it is losing to them. But the real enemy for the motorist or the air passenger is government. Why do we let them exploit us to such an appauling extent?

The Clark Highway

NACTional at last has put paid to the folly which was the Waterview tunnel. Well done Steven Joyce.

Not only did Labour fudge the published price and fail to actually allocate one penny of funding for this disastrous waste of money, but Transit failed by a cool billion dollars to accurately cost the project. Who was on the board at the time? Oh yes. That tacky fellow Mike Williams. Of course he would have had nothing to do with the decision to NOT build a six lane motorway in Helen Clark's back yard - would he?

Adolf reckons NACTional should direct Transit to keep bringing recommended options until they have one which resumes Helen Clark's house.

As a gesture of bipartisan reconciliation, the new motorway could be named 'The Clark Highway.'

You can just see where her house used to be - underneath the concrete truck in the lower right quadrant.

Friday Frolics: Obama caption competition

Well, I heard his new intern was a saucy mare, just like Clinton's was.

Come on then, let's have your entries!

Hat tip: Theo Spark.

I'm surprised Barnsley Bill didn't steal this one earlier.

Friday Frolics: Helen Clark on her day off!!

Hat tip: Theo Spark

The age of the Liberal Facists is here!!

I was reading the Book Review section of the Sunday Times the other day, and I quite enjoyed the piece on a book called Liberal Facism by Jonah Golberg.

The book was first published in the US about a year ago and it has now been published in Britain.

The book notes how close leftist ideology is with facism. And how political correctness is facism in action.

Indeed, much echoes what I learnt at university. That facism stems from Mussolini and the Italian trades unions. Facism and Socialism are just two faces of the same collectivist ideology.

National Socialism, International Socialism, same thing really!

Now, Goldberg has published a piece noting facist ideology underpinning The ObamaMessiah, as well as Tony Blair. Much stems from unity of thought, collectivism i guess, rathyer than individualism and liberty.

Political correctness is part of it, in ensuring it is upto the state and social engineers to change things, whether we like it or not.

And if we disagree, we are to be silenced, just as student unions when I was at university liked to deny a platform to anyone who they deemed racist, sexist or homophobic and you would be branded a facist if you said something the left disagreed with.

This week, I came across a couple of disgusting examples of such Liberal Facism in action.

Archbishop Cranmer blogs about the Islamic ZanuLiarbore peer in the UK House of Lords who has blocked Dutch MP Gert Wilders from giving a private showing of his movie Fitna.

In a similar vein, the London School of Economics has prevented a pro-freemarket author from chairing a debate on Islam and Liberalism, Archbishop Cranmer also notes.

All these silencings of free speech and debate remind me of the aims of Uncle Helen's own Electroal Finance Act, a classic example of Liberal Facism in New Zealand. I am sure we can find other similar examples.

Indeed, we know how the left like to attack individual freedoms, with our watermelon Greens being prime promoters, perfect facists. Look how they seek to ban or control so many things, be they light bulbs, pies, etc, etc.

So yes, the Liberal Facists are here. In the the White House, in Whitehall, in the Beehive and in our Town Halls.

It is time we lovers of freedom exposed them and stopped them!

More eco-bullshit from the Left

How much more of the nonsense can we take from the left concerning their global warming agenda.

And how much more should we allow our governments to follow such nonsense.

And it is nonsense, even if you believe in so-called climate change.

I say this just as a top UK government adviser has said that recycling may produce more carbon emissions and fuel climate change.

Yes, rather than send the crap to China at great expense to local ratepayers, let's burn the rubbish at home for fuel! Or dump it and make use of the methane emissions?

It comes after the Greenies have sought to ban traditional lightbulbs, even though the new ones often contain dangerous mercury, or do not light properly so are useless for the partially sighted and because they give off no heat, it means heaters may have to be a little higher.

We also see the destruction of hillsides for wind farming, when clean green nuclear power may be more eco-friendly.

And then we have the whole biofuels debacle, pushing up the price of food and destroying animal habitat, because governments followed the hype on biofuels and began the subsidy of growing food for fuel.

So please, when the enviro-mentalists have so often been shown to be wrong, why do we keep believing their fallacies.

And why do they keep getting it so wrong.

Is it because the Greenies are more socialists than scientists?

They are too much into controlling people rather than 'saving the planet.?'

UPDATE: Liberty Scott says the state should but out and leave it to the market.

Obama's triple whammy!!!

A few days back, I wondered how the right might attack Barry Obama.

Well, the Townhall.com website is pulling no punches with a quick triple whammy against the ObamaMessiah.

First we have incompetence.

Then hypocracy.

And finally, cowardice and appeasement.

And that's before anyone mentioned the economy!

Look like the right is regrouping already.

UPDATE: The Vatican sticks the boot in too!

The OCR madness

I concur with Blair Mulholland.

But the question I have is this: if Bollard was such a bold central banker (considering that bold central bankers are about as common as women in the All Blacks) why did he stuff around with 25 point rises for two years when inflation was rampant and the property market was out of control?

Answer: because he is a drab, conservative central banker.

Do Goff and Cullen talk to each other?

The new National Government is grossly underestimating the severity of the economic crisis it faces, says Labour leader Phil Goff.

What crisis Phil? Dr Cullen said we would be immune from it - we wouldn't be affected. That's after he taxed most of NZ to poverty over nine years and then left the NACTional government with 1o years of deficits and no money for anything, especially money for 'fixing' the economic crisis.

I really can't believe he is permitted to say things like this with no retort from our MSM.

Czechs suffer cost of communism

Earlier today (Wednesday afternoon), I arrived in Prague.

Jet 2 from Leeds did a reasonable job and we landed safely amid clear but cold weather- about 0c.

The hotel, Hotel Inos, had been booked following a recommendation from a couple my parents met in a York pub on New Years Day and it was their enthusiasm that gave them the idea that Prague would make a great change from Spain for a winter break.

Anyway, this is my first visit since Inter-railing around Eastern Europe in 1991, just after the liberation from communisn.

Prague now has a flash newish airport, larger than expected and we took a shuttle bus into the city for 500 Crowns, or £17 or $40Nz or thereabouts.

The motorway was pretty good and not too busy. Then we turned off onto a main road that looks like it is being upgraded to dual carriageway.

Arriving closer to the city centre dad noted the grafitti everywhere, adding 'it's not too posh here.' Indeed, there is much graffitti in Prague.

It reminded him of some of the more run down parts of Leeds.
Soon we were in better parts , with fine old houses and then we reached the CBD and made it to the hotel, which is pretty good but not in the best part of the city centre. The old town is four stops away on the trams but its a bit run down outside.
After checking in, we took a tram to the city centre and walked past many fine shops. Familiar names were there too like KFC, McDonalds, as well as Debenhams and eventually more upmarket designer places as you reached the Old Town.
Certainly we are all impressed by the stunning architecture and character of the place.
But Prague is not the cheap haven it was just after the downfall of communism.
Then, a friend and I payed 20 Deutchmarks $15NZ to stay in a private house in Bethlemske, in the Old Town. But 30 Euros per person a night in the hotel here aint bad.
But to eat in the city is dear with steak mains around £20 a head at some of the finer, touristy places.
We found a decent restaurant in the old town opposite a glass crystal shop and had four beers, two sausage starters, three Czech main courses (one chicken, one goulash, one pork with cabbage and dumplings), which came to 1000 crowns, about $50NZ. Which seems fine.
After a walk back through the Old Town, we caught the tram back to the hotel and since there was no-one at the hotel bar, Dad sent me to the bottle store for some gin and I came back with a local concoction called Becherovka, which is interesting to say the least.
Since I have wireless in my room, expect a few more posts over the next few days.
But back to my point about the Czechs paying the price for decades of communism.
That is why some parts of Prague still look rough. Decades of poverty cannot be replaced overnight and yes, i guess there is still some catching up to do in the living standards department.
Imagine, without communism, the Czech Republic would probably be one of the richer countries of Western Europe. Well, Germany is just up the motorway, at the other side of some snow clad hills. There is no snow in the city alas, just some remains from last week. So why wouldn't Prague not have enjoyed German prosperity? Had it remained capitalist throughout all the post-WW2 period, Prague would probably be another Paris, super rich and lovely as well.
Or would it? Certainly, in the pre-Communist times, it looks like many fine old buildings were built that were very pretty and these are being lovingly restored.
The few decades of communism seems to have thrown up some bland monstrosities but at least in the city centre they are few and far between.
Noticeably there are few modern , post-communist buildings, though I saw some lovely new subdivisions springing up on the edge of the city, with houses as large and fine as any in Britain or New Zealand.
Thus, the city centre is largely a medieval masterpiece, making Prague one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
Perhaps there is one thing we can be tankful for communism for.
It never developed the wealth that might have led to the demolition of the many fine buildings.
And by the time communism had gone, the world had learnt to value its culture and history.
Indeed, it is the culture and history that is attracting the tourists today and helping so much of the city make a living.
And the enterprising Czechs, far from charging little like they did nearly 20 years ago, have learnt to charge Western prices.
So indeed, while they will have undoubtedly suffered greatly from Communism, its tanks, its lack of freedoms, its poverty, the Czechs are learning to profit from what is only that failed system's only positive legacy- the fine old buildings.

Time to get the turkey baster boys! And find yourself a woman!

There's a bit of a debate in some of the blogs about the rights and wrongs of gay adoption.

The Daily Mail and The Telegraph cover the case of two 'bairns' in Edinburgh, who the papers say were being cared for by their grandparents until the local council judged them too old and made the grandparents hand them over to a male gay couple.

Apparantly the grandparents are outraged, as is Crusader Rabbit.

I guess this is one of those situations where each case should be judged on its merits.

Not only is the rights or wrongs of gays adopting kids there to consider, but also what rights do the authorities have to take a child away from its blood relatives?

Certainly it appears the parents of the two kids are not upto the job of raising the kids and a gay couple would be a better alternative than the kids being brought up by unsuitable parents like druggies.

But if there are straight couples available to adopt the kids, I do believe that children having a mum AND a dad is better than having either two mums or two dads.

I also believe that blood links matter too and that the grandparents should also have the right to raise the kids in preference to anyone else, no matter how old they may be. Blood is thicker than water.

Which brings me on to the gay couple themselves. I am sure there are many gay men and lesbians that are wonderful parents and others that would also make wonderful parents.

But if you want to have kids, better to have your 'own.'

Guys, find yourself a woman who will do the honours and get out that turkey baster, even if you must whip out the cheque book too. Ladies, I am sure you will know what to do as well.

At least this way, any child will be 'yours' and this should also keep those quiet who do not support gay adoption.

Trademe rant.

I have recently posted items on trademe for sale. Have always been a buyer and this is my first experience of the sales process.
An experience I will not be repeating. The assinine and frankly retarded questions have brough me to the point where if I have something I want to sell I shall simply drag it down the back of the block and throw fuel at it.
What is the price? IT IS AN AUCTION
Will you deliver? IT IS A BOOK AND YOU ARE IN THE SOUTH ISLAND!

I swear most tradme users must be socially inept lock ins who have no human contact other than the net.


Image nicked from Theo

How do we tackle the Obama Messiah?

The Guardian produced an interesting piece this week: How can right-wing pundits attack the most popular man on the planet?

An interesting piece and one certainly for us VRWC to look at and learn. But why do we attack the ObamaMessiah? Is it because we are racist? No!

Is it because he stands for so many things we oppose? Yes!

And has he been a naughty boy , as I and some of my colleagues have noted, yes he has!

I recall the outrage I received from my Tainted President post just after his election victory.

Why did I do that article? Well, I was sickened by the psychophancy of the media towards Him, plus that of much of the blogosphere.

How they had ignored the Messiah's many failings.

And we see that too this month with the adulation continuing after His inauguration.

Bloggers should aim to stir debate too. They should look at where the MSM doesn't. They should challenge the consensus.

As I noted last week, a media just sucking upto a new Messiah is bad for democracy, as it was in the Blair era for Britain. It did not produce good government.

The VRWC is part of the Fourth estate, it's role is also to be the eyes and ears of the public, particularly if the MSM is not carrying out this role.

Thus, we should continue to oppose the ObamaMessiah, point out his many failings.

Such judgement will pay off in helping keeping him at bay, stop him getting too cocky, and indeed, the MSM may well wake up to the fact that Barry is not a God but a mere boy, inexperienced in government, elevated to the highest office in a last gasp of influence by a media so keen to end a Republican epoch!

And should the Messiah fail in the many crises he must deal with, well, serious as it may be, when the world cannot afford failure, we can say 'we told you so.'!

But when he deserves it, I will praise him too.

New Art from the Middle East

No Minister likes to offer a little culture when we can.

We are a diverse blog and we like tabloid content too.

But I thought I would share this excellent art exhibition in London at the moment.

The images are certainly striking and speak volumes about the oppressive nature of Islam.

So I guess, there's not much to add, other than enjoy the pictures and the commentary.

Either way, I bet the Mad Mullahs are not happy!

I have been mugged.

Yesterday, I posted on how well things were going at present and laughingly mentioned that something terrible was about to happen.
Today it did.
I was mugged by a patched member of this countries largest gang.
Going about my lawful business I was pulled over and the mugger demanded 150 dollars from me.
Apparently I did not come to a complete stop at a compulsory stop sign. This gives the mugger the right to demand money from me.
I have a number of issues with this and feel like sharing them.

1. I absolutely DID come to a complete stop.
2. Late in the month, quotas to fill.
3. Kerikeri has more than it's fair share of uniformed revenue men, this is due to the area being a lot more affluent than other towns that fall within the police district.
ergo, easier pickings for the cops and they are a lot less likely to get stabbed/ spat on/ generally abused. Plus the fines are much more likely to be paid.

This leaves me with a stark choice.
I can either pay up and sulk or I can decide not to pay.
Now at this stage I guess most of you are thinking "you must have rolled through the junction" I absolutely swear I did not.
Where is the profit for me in making a fuss? I am a big boy, I can take my lumps when they are deserved but it is not in this case.
if I decide to fight I will no doubt lose anyway and it will cost me heaps in time and more than the original fine.
But that is why the bastards write them, they just know you are going to pay up because to fight is an aggravation and most of us cannot be bothered.
Well sorry, this is the way I roll now.
I will be collecting names and addresses for the following people
Local Commander
District Commander
Broad
Minster of police
Local MP
They are going to get a letter, and then I am going to start filing official information requests. I want to know how the quota/ performance indicators or whatever else they call this shit is measured, handed out and reported on. Then I am going to start requesting details on the type and quantity of tickets issued in the far north, and I want it broken down by date , time and location. Then I am going to start photographing these fuckers and posting the pics.
crossposted at Barnsley Bill, facebook, ping, twitter and all the other stupid bloody services that Darth Blogger conned me into joining.
I will be going to court, you can guarantee I will be posting on that as well.

Will the Messiah turn the other cheek at dying children?

The BBC reported last night that the ObamaMessiah is getting down to business.

Reporter Justin Webb could hardly contain his excitement.

Guantanomo Bay is to close, there's action on the economy and Iraq too.

Oh hail the ObamaMessiah everyone!

Meanwhile, over at ITN, came distressing coverage of the situation in Zimbabwe.

Children are starving, kids as young as two are being imprisoned, and the whole economic scene is getting even worse.

Surely, the ObamaMessiah could have a word with Captain Bob. Maybe even intervene, though i guess Nation building is so ancien regime now, even if it is finally working in Bastra now.

But The One could look at Zimbabwe and contact Mugabe, you know, man to man, leader to leader, and dare I say it, black leader to black leader; use their shared African connection.

I have yet to hear of any suggestion that the Messiah is interested in the deaths of blacks in Africa.

Far more important to relase muslim terrorists, where they may go out and kill again. Just look what some released inmates have been getting up to.

Is this what we want and expect from our new glorious world leader?

The economic crisis: Who is to blame?

As the world economic crisis deepens, the media is pointing its finger at those it believes are responsible.

Top of the list is the bankers, but the politicians are getting a mention too.

The Sunday Times declares UK PM Gordon Brown as guilty too!

His mismanagement of Britain's economy over the past 12 years, which included 11 years as finance minister until last year, being a major factor.

His actions in recent months have hardly instilled confidence either.

The leftist Guardian also looks at people it believes responsible. Gordon Brown is mentioned too, as indeed is George Bush, so mo surprise there.

But surprisingly for a leftist paper, it also mentions Bill Clinton!

"Clinton shares at least some of the blame for the current financial chaos. He beefed up the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act to force mortgage lenders to relax their rules to allow more socially disadvantaged borrowers to qualify for home loans.
In 1999 Clinton repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, which ensured a complete separation between commercial banks, which accept deposits, and investment banks, which invest and take risks. The move prompted the era of the superbank and primed the sub-prime pump. The year before the repeal sub-prime loans were just 5% of all mortgage lending. By the time the credit crunch blew up it was approaching 30%. "

How very delicious now we are in the age of the ObamaMessiah, with a new presidency containing so many Clintonites! And while it seems blasphemy, what of The One himself?

Well, first let us look at Clinton and the Democrats. Here's a piece from the Australian blaming the Democrats, Gerald Warner blames Clinton, . Indeed, as this blog noted before, there is much we can blame Clinton and the Democrats on for the crisis.

The ObamaMessiah is also to blame too , as I noted in October, through his works as a lawyer and Community Organiser, and pushing banks to give loans to minorities they could ill-afford, meaning political correctness is to blame.

So, will be see the media looking at their new Global superhero with fresh eyes? I somehow doubt it. But he can be fingered with the others.

And as for New Zealand? What about our own Uncle Helen and Michey Cullen? With the way they pushed a boom on credit and housing, while taxing us all too much, any analysis of New Zealand's economic situation cannot ignore that gruesome twosome!

How Many Sacrifices do we make for the Great God Gaia?

How many sacrifices must we make for the Great God Gaia?

Especially that new fangled religion, fighting 'climate change.'

At the weekend came yet another case of deja vu.

It might be for some of those to be affected here in Britain, but they might not be able to see things clearly in future.

Yes, the eco-friendly lightbulb debate raised its head again.

The harsh light such bulbs give may not allow partially-sighted people to see properly. Such bulbs could be dangerous, and lead to people falling. And because these energy efficient bulbs use less power, they give off no heat, so extra heaters might have to be used , thus negating any claimed energy saving from their use.

So like in New Zealand under Helengrad, we have a government telling people what to do with something as innocuous as lightbulbs. And all for some benefit that is doubtful to say the least.

Has it really come to this, that in so-called free societies, government has to dictate on such tiny inconsequential matters?

But as I mentioned before, such a rule is backed by Brussels. It is the EUSSR driving this law, so a British government might not be able to change the law, even if it wanted it to.

Growing up in Britain, I recall the debates over membership of what was once the European Economic Community. It was supposed to be just a Common Market- an area of free trade. That's what Britain signed upto in the 1970s and the British people backed in a referedum a few years later.

Did we ever envisage a European Superstate dictating on matters as inconsequential as lightbulbs? Certainly the political classes did not tell us! And this is yet one more measure under that new religion- fighting climate change.

Now, after the partially sighted, the sick are now set to make a sacrifice in the name of this new religion.

If they are unfortunate to be in a NHS hospital, they look set to have meat taken off their menu- all in the name of reducing carbon emissions.

Isn't this a sacrifice too far? Gaia is certainly a demanding God. Should we really follow its followers? Are they telling us what is Gospel?

Well, it increasingly seems not. The delightful Christopher Booker rubbished another survey which claimed Antartica was warming up, when it seems the continent isn't when you look at the issue further. Booker's article certainly seems to me that we have Global Warmongers twisting facts and cheating on evidence to suit their aims.

And what are these aims? To create ever powerful government once more, that pokes its nose into nooks and crannies, to deny people freedom. So just as we lost the Communist evil empire in the 1980s, we now see attempts to re-establish fresh dictatorship of the prolateriat based on dodgy science.

Why are we all so gullible in falling for it, in letting government impose such attacks on our freedom.

And if such climate change was actually happening, shouldn't we then have a free debate to see if any further limits on our freedoms is a price worth paying for any benefit such restrictions may bring?

It seems we are all cowering down before this new God without question!

Couldn't we just run around squawking "The sky is falling!" instead?

Hospitals will take meat off menus in bid to cut carbon

Meat-free menus are to be promoted in hospitals as part of a strategy to cut global warming emissions across the National Health Service.

In other words, they're going to try and solve a problem that may or may not exist by trying to put sick people on a high-carb, low-fat diet - something guaranteed to have negative effects on their health. But that's not all:

Plans to reuse more equipment could raise concern about infection with superbugs such as MRSA.

If you're living in the UK, get private medical insurance now - when you need a hospital it'll be too late.

Now, here's an idea for our top journalists!

Adam Smith is lamenting how New Zealand's top journalists are holding a huge PR event to advise businesses on how to spin a story to the media.
At $2000 a pop I'm glad they are not giving away such valuable advice for nothing.
As a journalist since the 1980s, I feel it's time to make the most of my experience and in these depressed times, any chance to earn a crust won't be turned down.
Certainly there is much business has to learn in how to handle the press. We are not all jackals out to stitch people up. Sometimes organisations are too secretive or cautious for their own good and this can raise suspicions. Openess is the key. Damn! those few words must have been worth a grand!
Now, Adam thinks the conference shows how the Fourth Estate has sunk. Indeed, it is a poor reflection on them but it also recognises the reality of newsrooms lacking sufficient staff to serve their readers and viewers properly; and a confession of how much the media relies on the PR and Comms industries.

Thus, the media groups seem to be telling business how best to serve up their stories so the media organisations then can get away with operating on even fewer resources, if businesses pre-package their tales to perfection.
Now, in Britain I am heartened to see that journalists still carry out a bit of fresh investigation.

Full marks this week to the Sunday Times Insight team for their expose on Liarbour politicians in the UK House of Lords who said they would happily take money from lobbyists and changle government legislation to benefit their donors.

I am sure New Zealand journalists must be capable of making such investigations themseleves. I am sure there is corruption out there. There certainly was under the old regime but more could have been done to expose it.

I am sure we need more Phil Kitchens and Ian Wisharts to keep the politicians honest.

Of course, the New Zealand press gallery is relatively small to that of Britain. I bet government probabkly has a file on every journalist in the country, so it knows who it is dealing with.

Indeed, it might be hard for the better known ones to try and pass themseleves off as someone else while under cover.

But I am sure there is still potential for such investigations to take place using the lesser known journalists.

And as helping to keep the pollies honest, such cracking investigations might well develop such great stories the papers might sell more copies, or the 6pm news attract more viewers.

And that way, they become less dependent on the spin sector and the need for such media events that Adam Smith laments is lessened!

'Fat' will be one of the kinder words for him!!!

Remember when Uncle Helen attacked the country's cartoonists for being too cruel to her.

Well, in yet another echo between Britain and New Zealand, comes UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He says the cartoonists here make him look too fat!

The Independent notes the leader's vanity, the Daily Telegraph notes problems cartoonists have with Brown's face, and the Daily Mail also joins in the fun.

I am sure that as Britain's economy implodes and he and his government becomes increasingly unpopular, a few words about how fat he is will be the least of Brown's worries.

I am also sure that Britaion's cartoonists will now, just for kicks, make him look even fatter.

Indeed, I am sure New Zealand's cartoonists just stepped up their cruelty of our former Dear Leader just to spite her, with Granny Herald's Rod Emmerson being a prime and excellent example!

Gordon's shame! Icelandic bailout for freezing pensioners and possible government cash for terrorists!

As excellent Daily Mail columinist Richard Littlejohn might say: 'You couldn't make it up!'

First of the blocks comes this hilarious tale from Iceland, the poor bankrupt country suffering greatest from the various banking failures.

The Icelandic media folllowed up a story in the Daily Express about British pensioners dying from cold. The kindly Icelanders then began collecting wollens for the British old folk, and their shipload arrives this week! How shameful for a British government, having your old folk better cared for by a supposedly bankrupt people! Still the jumpers look nice and thick!

Now, contrast the plight of the old folk, dying in their freezing British homes, with a government with tens of billions for banking bail-outs and even millions more to feather the nests of families of Irish terrorists.

Apparantly some committee has come up with an idea of giving the families of those killed in the 'troubles', be they innocent victim or terrorist £12,000 to help them get over their deaths.

Naturally the opposition Tories reject the plan as 'blood money' . But let us think about it.

It does seem untoward giving cash to the people who committed such vile atrocities, be they on the Loyalist or Republican side. And when times are tough, as they are now, surely there are better things a government can spend taxpater money on than bailing out the families of killers!

No wonder with such nonsense around, support for Gordon Brown is on its way down again- now 15% behind Dave Cameron's Tories.

I can only hope New Zealand is spared such stupidity.

Why Officer 'A' should NOT face trial

Unpredictably, Idiot/Savant is calling on the police to charge the officer responsible for the terrible shooting of Halatau Naitoko. Usually one for the rule of law and due process, I/S jumps in hooves and all, as he tends to do, with his rhetoric ruling his brain. Incredibly, he has an ally, former Red Squad leader and NZ First MP, Ross Meurant. Meurant has a reputation of talking stupidly first and then making it worse later.

Mr Meurant said police could only shoot to kill when they feared death or grievous injury to themselves or someone else and when there was no other way to prevent it.

He questions the decision-making process that led to Mr Naitoko's death.

I didn't know Meurant knew the decision-making priocess that went on on the Motorway on Friday afternoon. He must have been there. Meurant should watch tonight's interview on Close Up with the truck driver and then apologise.

I digress.

I/S starts off in his first post saying that "It looks like a tragic accident. But regardless, the officer should be prosecuted and made to face the judgement of their peers."

Then in his second post responding to feedback he says that:

No, what I am arguing is for the police to have exactly the same rights as any other New Zealander, and for them to apply the same bloody standard to themselves as they apply to everybody else.

If an ordinary citizen shot someone in these circumstances, they would unquestionably be facing court. We expect a high degree of care from the people we trust with guns, to the extent that accidentally shooting someone is regarded as careless pretty much by definition. That standard is high, but it is not inherently malicious, and it does not become so simply because the shooter is wearing a uniform.

I/S is fair and square wrong. He conflates rights with responsibilities or duties. The police do have the right to shoot people in this country just as much as they have the right to handcuff suspects, use force, drive at excessive speed etc. You get the point. But their rights to do all these things have to be balanced with the situation they are facing at the time. You break the law if you drive at excesive speed to a report of a historic house burglary. And, there is (usually) no need to handcuff a 16 yr old female shoplifter. Each situation depends on the circumstances. As does this shooting.

The police do have the right to shoot to incapacitate in certain circumstances. Under their internal firearm regulations (internally regulated) if the elements of F61 are met* then they can shoot to incapacitate: shoot to kill in essence.

Having listened to the driver of the truck on Close Up tonight (I'll add the link when it comes online) it is crystal clear the requirements of F61 were present. Stephen Hohepa McDonald had to be shot to incapacitate him.

Having met this requirement, it seems it then becomes an issue of how much care the officer took in taking aim and pulling the trigger. Again, this cannot be judged against the ordinary standard of a deer hunter in the Ureweras. Such a deer hunter is simply not operating in the same circumstances as police are who make split-second decisions when aiming and pulling the trigger. The deer hunter might have minutes to settle himself, confirm his target etc. The police have seconds. I have been in this position. It is not pleasant. Nor is it easy.

This is not the movies or series 5, episode 6 of 24. It's real. And in real life situations like this it sometimes doesn't matter how much training one has because you need real life situations to put the training into practice.

Thankfully in New Zealand we have very, very few of these real life situations.

I doubt the police officer will be charged. He was, as Greg O'Connor rather crudely put, "just doing his job". Of course O'Conner said this and made his 'odd' statements knowing the Idiot/Savants and Bombers of this world would be calling for the officers head. That's why he went on the defensive.

I'm not caling for the officers head. Leave him alone. He was doing his job. The fact he missed his target is a reflection of how many times police pull triggers in this country in real life situations. Fortunately for all of us that is very infrequently.

But there is a better and more important reason why this officer should not be charged. And that is because the very next time an officer has to make that split-second decision to shoot an armed and extremely dangerous offender they will be thinking "gee, if I fuck this up I might go to jail". And they may hesitate, and someone could die.

And then the Idiot/Savants and Bombers of this world will be baying for their blood asking why they are wearing the uniform if they are not prepared to do their job.

Get my point?

* Unable to recall the specifics and not able to be Googled.

For Barnsley Bill

In honour of this prize piece of authorship from Barnsley Bill:

A biblical catastrophe of a hangover prevents the author from further research...

Nemi cartoon copyright Lise Myhre and Titan Books. Used without permission.

Ever wondered where all this going to end?

"Owners of capital will stimulate the working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized, and the State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to communism".

Karl Marx, Das Kapital, 1867

Bloody hell.....

Question for the day

Why would anybody ever listen to/ give their money to Money Managers?

How many more times can a Money Managers scheme fall over before they run out of blind deaf idiots to secure funds from.

Another multi million dollar scheme goes tits up in a related party lending debacle

This happens with Money Managers with alarming frequency, the first I recall was the Metropolis mezzanine finance debacle, since then we have seen it every 18 months or so. A biblical catastrophe of a hangover prevents the author from further research to list the cock ups. Feel free to provide details in comments and I will update the post if I do not develop a brain aneurysm.

Credit crunch crime wave?

Politics is a funny game.

New crime figures yesterday for Britain showed a leap in crime, especially crimes said to be recession linked like theft and fraud.

The opposition Tories were blaming the recession for the figures, and the government admitted a link too, though they appeared reluctant to admit it first.

But a generation ago, in the Thatcher era, it was all different.

The Tories then tried to deny such a link. Well, crime was a stick Liarbore was beating them with in the recession-hit early 80s, just as the Tories are trying to attack Liarbour on crime today.

But isn't there more to the causes of crime than the simple state of the economy?

Surelty blaming crime on a recession just excuses it. And there should be no excuse for theft, burglary, robbery, assualt, etc. What about personal responsibility?

How sad the opportunitistic UK Tories under Dave Cameron are looking to blame UK Liarbore's mess of the economy for the problem when the causes are far deeper.

I can only hope John Key and National do not take the same route.

Now, UK Liarbore had apparantly hidden a top secret crime report warning of a credit crunch crime wave.

If memory serves me right, I think a similar report was produced for South Auckland some time back, warning of similar problems in Manukau. The papers mentioned it during all those shopkeeper attacks.

To avoid the same happening in New Zealand, National will have to dust off the report and act upon it.

I only hope they do.

UK recession confirmed. But what does it mean for New Zealand?

The story of the year has to be the credit crunch.

Today it was confirmed that the UK is officially in recession.

In the final quarter of 2008, the UK economy shrunk by 1.5% following a 0.6% drop in Q3.

This week, the latest unemployment figures raced towards 2 million, with talk of it approaching 3.5 million in 2010.

Car output in December is half what it was a year ago.

So why should New Zealand care on what happens here?

Well, the UK still remains a big market for New Zealand produce.

And under Liarbour, similar economic policies were followed, though at least for a few years Cullen managed a surplus before he eventually blew it off.

Gordon Brown has ran a huge deficit for many a year now.

But both countries shared a boom based largely on housing and the consumer.

And these are the sectors suffering immensely.

The UK finance sector is also in crisis and New Zealand has also lost many finance companies.

At least UK savers are not losing out from the banks going under, yet.

Will New Zealand go the same way?

Fortunately, New Zealand has a fresh start, a fresh start Gordon Brown is denying the British.

New Zealand has a New government and as the Roy Morgan Poll shows, most Kiwis think New Zealand is heading in the right direction.

By contrast the British mood is very glooomy, helped by a media ever eager to hype up the recession.

But governments have a role to play. It is their impact on confidence.

If National plays its cards right, New Zealand could be spared the worst.

How National plays it will also mean if they will be spared the worst.

Recessions can make governments unpopular.

For a time in mid-2008 Gordon Brown looked all finished as the Tory opposition took leads in excess of 20%.

Then Gordon brown, you might say, had a good recession.

People seemed reassured by his policies like bailing out the banks and reducing VAT (GST).

Now such policies are clearly showing not to be working.

His support is slipping again and looks set to tumble further.

How well informed are Kiwis on the global state of the economy? And local reasons too.

Yes, the credit crunch is a global problem.

But New Zealand has its own reasons, explaining why New Zealand was one of the first into recession, even beating Britain.

Is John Key and National sheeting home the blame on Liarbour for leaving a decade of deficits.

I can only hope so and judging by the polls they could well be.

In the world of politics and economics, recessions are strange things and how they impact on party support.

How it impacts on National's support, as well as Liarbours, depends on their own performance.

And so far National seems to be doing it right.

Heather Roy's amazing healing powers

From 3 News last night: now she's in govt, Heather Roy finds our Skyhawks are in good shape, the latex coverings are doing their job, and yes there is at least one interested buyer. Who knew that such a dramatic improvement in the situation could be achieved simply by moving Heather Roy from the opposition to the govt benches? I bet Phil Goff feels pretty silly now, eh?

Naturally, one waits in vain for the dumbass journo to ask questions like:

"So, Phil Goff was right and you were wrong?"

"What effect do you think your constant talking down of the quality of the merchandise has had on the progress of the sale and its closing price?"

Another Pallywood production

I was watching ITN News last night.

And what a deliciously horrifying story on Gaza it presented.

We had tales of the Israeli soldiers deliberately killing innocent women and children, including a four year-old boy.

Just to highlight the cruelty and barbaririty of those evil Israeli soldiers, we were also shown some grafitti apparantly written by the Israeli troops, aimed at scaring the poor and oppressed Palestinians.

But somehow, it didn't ring true to me.

The grafitti was in English.

Now, if memory serves me right, don't the Israelis speak Hebrew, even though their charming government spokesman speaks impeccable English.

And won't the Palestinian peasants and children the Israelis are supposedly aiming to scare , speak Hebrew or Arabic too?

So if the graffitti was genuine , why would it be in English?

Perhaps the real intended audience for it was the gullible Western Media, and their audiences in Britain and the USA, who, of course, speak English and could easily read and understand the words written on the walls. So it wouldn't be the Israelis writing the messages, but Hamas!

Am I alone in thinking this?

Indeed, the gruesome tales of death were naturally denied by the Israeli government spokesman, who noted that as a totaliarian state, Hamas would order the peasants to give identical comments to the media about alleged killings. The grafitti was not mentioned at at all.

But how can we trust the media commentary when it appears so unquestioning of what Hamas says and does and what Palestinians are saying, never quizzing them, though interviewers always give the Israeli government spokesman a tough grilling?

It has now become a cliche to use the term Pallywood to describe how Hamas and others package events for the western media to lap up. Often their lies have been exopsed but that seems not to make the night time news. I guess a grovelling apology to the IDF and the Israeli government just might be too much for the BBC, ITN, Reuters and others.

In the meantime, as well as Powerline, we see how some media is not falling for Pallywood, most notably the Spectator, and here we see how pro-Palestinian journos distort their coverage helped by the use of Palestinian 'stringers'.

Indeed, how very prophetic was the Honest Reporting blog with its 2 week-old preductions that we should soon expect reports of a maccacre of innocents by Israeli forces!

It all makes me wonder if ITN and its viewers last night were served up yet another dose of Pallywood and how many more other fabricated tales have we been given?

And with the MSM falling for such lies, either by accident or design, no wonder the readers of Little Green Footballs have accorded the MSM an idiotarian award for their work, which no doubt applies to Gaza as it did to the US presidential election!

"Remember who your daddy really is"

I must be getting rather soft in my old age.

But I was rather touched by the advice given to the Messiah's young children from George Bush's twins , Barbara and Jenna.

They also made this heartfelt defence of their much criticised father.

'Our dad like yours is a man of great integrity and love - a man who always put us first,' they wrote.
'We still see him now as we did when we were seven; as our loving daddy. He is our father, not the sketch in a paper or part of a skit on TV.
'Many will think they know your father but they have no idea how he felt on the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school or how much you love being his daughters.
'So here is our most important piece of advice - remember who your dad really is.'

Indeed, George Bush can be proud of his two daughters, as he can of his two terms of office.

The left may squeal about Bush's record, but he has certainly done a fine job in raising Barbara and Jenna.

We have seen much adulation of Obama as the one, the Messiah, with hopes in him so high.

But we must remember , as the Bush twins clearly recall here, an American president is also a man and a father.

Furthermore, if we give a leader too much adulation, it is unhealthy for democracy as the Daily Mail's Stephen Glover notes here.

This is not healthy. If a politician is beyond criticism, he is apt to feel and act like a god.
That is what has happened in countless totalitarian states, whose leaders invariably encourage a personality cult. It is not supposed to happen in modern democracies, but it does.
After their wipe-out in 1997, the Tories constituted a hopeless opposition. For the next few years the Republicans in Congress are likely to be equally feeble. If the media reaction to Mr Obama's inauguration is anything to go by, he will enjoy a generally supine and fawning Press, just as Mr Blair did until he ran into the buffers over Iraq.
So the new President may not be tested and held to account as he should be. Brilliant though he may be - and we really don't know one way or the other - he is undoubtedly very inexperienced.
In fact, I can't think of a U.S. President over the past 30 years who has assumed the highest office with so little executive experience. To be frank, Mr Obama has had none - just like Mr Blair in 1997.

And so, as the hailing of the Obama Messiah continues, I will recall the above comments that Obama is but a man, a father and not a God, and an inexperienced man at that.

No doubt the president's children will know him better than I, or any tv skit too.

And they too should remember who their daddy really is, especially when one day, the honeymoon will be over.

What not to do

From Dick Morris over at The Hill:

2009-2010 will rank with 1913-14, 1933-36, 1964-65 and 1981-82 as years that will permanently change our government, politics and lives. Just as the stars were aligned for Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson and Reagan, they are aligned for Obama. Simply put, we enter his administration as free-enterprise, market-dominated, laissez-faire America. We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden — a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines private-sector priorities and offers a vastly expanded range of services to many more people at much higher taxes.

Obama will accomplish his agenda of “reform” under the rubric of “recovery.” Using the electoral mandate bestowed on a Democratic Congress by restless voters and the economic power given his administration by terrified Americans, he will change our country fundamentally in the name of lifting the depression. His stimulus packages won’t do much to shorten the downturn — although they will make it less painful — but they will do a great deal to change our nation.

In implementing his agenda, Barack Obama will emulate the example of Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Not the liberal mythology of the New Deal, but the actuality of what it accomplished.) When FDR took office, he was enormously successful in averting a total collapse of the banking system and the economy. But his New Deal measures only succeeded in lowering the unemployment rate from 23 percent in 1933, when he took office, to 13 percent in the summer of 1937. It never went lower. And his policies of over-regulation generated such business uncertainty that they triggered a second-term recession. Unemployment in 1938 rose to 17 percent and, in 1940, on the verge of the war-driven recovery, stood at 15 percent. (These data and the real story of Hoover’s and Roosevelt’s missteps, uncolored by ideology, are available in The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes, copyright 2007.)

But in the name of a largely unsuccessful effort to end the Depression, Roosevelt passed crucial and permanent reforms that have dominated our lives ever since, including Social Security, the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, unionization under the Wagner Act, the federal minimum wage and a host of other fundamental changes.

Obama’s record will be similar, although less wise and more destructive. He will begin by passing every program for which liberals have lusted for decades, from alternative-energy sources to school renovations, infrastructure repairs and technology enhancements. These are all good programs, but they normally would be stretched out for years. But freed of any constraint on the deficit — indeed, empowered by a mandate to raise it as high as possible — Obama will do them all rather quickly.

But it is not his spending that will transform our political system, it is his tax and welfare policies. In the name of short-term stimulus, he will give every American family (who makes less than $200,000) a welfare check of $1,000 euphemistically called a refundable tax credit. And he will so sharply cut taxes on the middle class and the poor that the number of Americans who pay no federal income tax will rise from the current one-third of all households to more than half. In the process, he will create a permanent electoral majority that does not pay taxes, but counts on ever-expanding welfare checks from the government. The dependency on the dole, formerly limited in pre-Clinton days to 14 million women and children on Aid to Families with Dependent Children, will now grow to a clear majority of the American population.

Will he raise taxes? Why should he? With a congressional mandate to run the deficit up as high as need be, there is no reason to raise taxes now and risk aggravating the depression. Instead, Obama will follow the opposite of the Reagan strategy. Reagan cut taxes and increased the deficit so that liberals could not increase spending. Obama will raise spending and increase the deficit so that conservatives cannot cut taxes. And, when the economy is restored, he will raise taxes with impunity, since the only people who will have to pay them would be rich Republicans.

The rest of it here.

What to do?

Danyl asks the question here. I thought I would lay out my thoughts as I placed on his blog. Unconventional I know, but these are unconventional times. My main three ideas:

1. Raise OCR to 8%+.
2. Slash corporate and personal taxes to 10%.
3. Allow 100% tax write-offs for new company investments.

Reducing taxes will offset the costs of borrowing from having a high OCR. A high OCR will flood the country with money allowing lending and investment. Let's face it, there is no money to be made in stocks, property or bonds right now so cash deposits is the only possibility. The loss to exporters from the resultant high dollar is offset by reducing taxes to 10%. The loss to mortgage holders is offset by reducing tax to 10%. The import imbalance as a result of a high dollar will be a problem to an extent but the cheap imports will encourage consumer spending saving the retailers. Petrol will be cheap enabling cost savings for businesses.

There will not be a drop in government revenue. Lower taxes and a high OCR will actually bring about an increase in revenue. At the rate we are going now, there won’t be any corporate profits to tax anyway. 10% corporate tax of some profit is a whole lot better than 30% of nothing (that is not even taking into account the increase in personal income tax receipts from all the new jobs that companies will create). In the long run, profitable and growing companies will produce a lot more total revenue to the government than today’s 30% corporate tax rate.

Taxes can be increased when the economy turns around - in about 7-10 years.

With the jobs created by this, including government infrastructure spending, there will be a reduction in the welfare bill.

Japan had interest rates at zero for 12 years + and it didn’t work to revive its economy. It won’t work to revive ours as long as there is no confidence.

But what would I know

"Surging international prices and the weakening kiwi currency caused gold to hit a New Zealand dollar record yesterday."

Yet, apparently, "Gold is one of the worst performing asset classes" according to Ruth.

I repeat my call for Bollard to raise the OCR to 800 basis points.

Further, taxes should be slashed, especially corporate taxes. They can always be raised again.

Europe still crap at freedom of speech - official

Par for the course, unfortunately:

A Dutch MP who made a provocative anti-Islam film and branded the Qur'an a "fascist book" is to be prosecuted for inciting racial hatred, Amsterdam's appeals court ruled today.

...

The court's three judges said they had weighed Wilders' anti-Islamic rhetoric against his right to free speech, and ruled he had gone beyond the normal leeway given to politicians.

Which is of course true. Given that freedom of speech counts for jack shit in most European countries, it naturally weighed very little in the judges minds. It seems to be only the English-speaking world that rates freedom of speech worth a damn, and even there the UK's letting the side down since it started hanging out with EU countries.

I know that NZ has plenty of wet liberals in it who'd also cheerfully see people prosecuted for the crime of expressing an opinion; let Wilders' prosecution be an example to us of where we end up if we let those motherfuckers have their way.

Leeds: From Boom to Bust!!!

Leeds is the main city in West Yorkshire, with over half a million people.

It has long lost its manufacturing and with a new focus on services, re-invested itself as the financial capital of the north.

So for the first time in years, the place looked distinctly rough.

What a contrast to other visits in other years.

Previously, each year the city seemed to be getting richer and richer, with top stores like Harvey Nicholls and all the leading fashion desoigners like Vivienne Westwood having boutiques as well.

Leeds was booming, Leeds was prosperous and the cranes on the skyline kept constructing ever higher offices and appartments.

But this week, the city had the cold wind of recession blowing through it.

There were a few boarded up shops. The main streets were pretty quiet and it was so bloody easy to park too, just a few minutes walk away by the old market. Even Marks and Spencer seemed quiet.

So, yes, recession is biting in Britain. And the bailouts do not seem to be changing things one bit.

A Historic day- just like the Queen's Coronation!

I was in Leeds earlier today shopping with my parents.

As we wandered through one of the historic Victorian arcades, I noticed mum and dad had been accosted by a pretty young girl of Afro-Caribbean origin.

It turned out she was a reporter for the local BBC radio station and was asking passersby about how historic Obama's big day was to them.

Mum compared it to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth , 9-11, the day Princess Diana died, and the day Kennedy was shot- one of those days you will always remember where you were.

I turned up and was asked of 'similar' historic days , so I recalled the day Margaret Thatcher was elected and Tony Blair. We were being encouraged to associate Obama's inauguration with those big days of history.

I added Obama was so inexperienced and had only been a senator for two years and he had a lot to deal with like a global recession and trouble in the Middle East. But by then the microphone was off though the friendly reporter agreed many had remarked on his youth and had people's expectations been raised so high.

I felt it would have been be unkind to add Obama was also a leftist lightweight with dodgy connections who attained his place on the Democrat's ticket through some unsavoury means.

Or that after eight years of a Republican president who did not endear himself to the masses, that yes, there was a great feeling for change, whoever the Donks had had on their ticket.

However, I do feel the sense of history for non-whites in that one of their own kind can make it to the top as well.

And now this has happened, I can only hope that in future people of all colours can make it to the top on merit, rather than on grounds of race, sex or sexuality. Hopefully, in 2012 or whever, no-one will get excited over black candidates any more, though America still has to have its first woman president (Clinton or Palin?).

I still feel Obama gained his position through white guilt and the media being so excited at the sense of history or Hollywood in anAfrican-American coming to power. You only have to look at his record, Obama is not that special. And we have seen other blacks better qualified for the US presidency, such as Gen Colin Powell or Condi Rice.

So yes, after the adulation of the Messiah, let us hope we can all move on, and treat future presidential candidates the same, whoever they are and judge them on the colour of their policies not the colour of their skin.

I guess that makes me more of a non-racist than the liberals having their orgasms today.

You see, the world is not as racist as some have us believe. In fact it is perhaps the opposite.

Positive discrimination is just so passe, yet the left cling on to this failed collectivist ideology.

Indeed, Trevor Philips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has called Britain the least racist country in Europe.

Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn also notes racism is often levelled where it isn't their and how the 'anti-racists' and 'guilt-tripping' white folks cause many troubles for all of us.

So now, in the spirit of equality, let us enjoy this caption competion, which for a photo like this would have been too impossible to resist, whoever had been inaugurated president this afternoon.

Suffer little Children: How Hamas exploits the kids

The first is through tv programmes like this, featuring a giant Jew eating Rabbit.

The second is in using children as human shields, as shown in a video featured here.

Hamas seem happy to boast about it too.

The Times yesterday noted there were many losers in the conflict, including Israel's international standing. But it also noted: "the death toll is blamed on Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields".

The Irish Independent notes the Death Lovers of Hamas. While the LA Times has comment on Hamas's war crimes.

Indeed, if you are judged by the people you support. It doesn't say much for the South Island cafe owners, or indeed much of the media and the blogosphere, following so much brutality, cruelty and devastation casued by Hamas.

UPDATE: The Briefing Room has more. And more.