Really, Shane Jones? Toblerone? Alone and bored in a hotel room, you chose a bar of Toberlone?

No one likes Toblerone, that?

Really, Shane Jones? Toblerone? Alone and bored in a hotel room, you chose a bar of Toberlone?

From memory, I think he ate all the chocolate in his minibar one night. It just gets sadder.

Me! Me! I love Toblerone! We used to get it but once a year as a massive treat from duty-free on the ferry back from Europe after the family summer holiday. Yum!

But anyway... didn't they say on telly?

Seriously though, Mr Jones is highly talented, and unfortunately this is going to land him in the sinbin for a long while at best.

The voter escorting National to its First Term Ball turned out to be the sort of bloke who spends Saturday afternoon knocking-back a few?

yeah that one does my head in to!

About the one really funny thing in all this is watching the twisting and turning of the writers at the "The Standard" who surprise surprise have two standards.

Well the headline writer says everyone who screwed up on their credit card should recieve the same treatment, that's a single standard?

With all due and sincere respect to you, I'm sooo over hearing "but I reimbursed the money". What fucking part of this card is not to be used for personal expenditure is hard for people like Len Brown and Anderton to get their heads around?

And I'm equally out?

The idea that MPs, like everyone else in the world, shouldn't enjoy what was presumably ordinary old porn movies while travelling but not having work to do, is a bit dated. Shane Jones is?

What about when Ministers "entertain company" in their Hotel rooms that are not their partners. Surely this would be more of a story, sure "blue movies" may not be considered tasteful but there are?

US Trade Delegate: Hey where is Tim the shuttle is about to leave?

AUS Trade Delegate: He is still?

I think someone needs to hit back against the strong "OMG porn" element in the story.

*headdesk* I don't know if I can put it any better than Idiot/Savant:

Shane Jones wants to watch porn, not our business.

Charging it to the tax-payer, abso-fucking-loutely our business.

I'm noticing the usual?

With all due and sincere respect to you, I'm sooo over hearing "but I reimbursed the money". What fucking part of this card is not to be used for personal expenditure is hard for people like Len Brown and Anderton to get their heads around?

I've been thinking about writing?

WHEN was this personal expenditure paid back?

While I appreciate the rules say "no personal expenditure at all"... I can see the practicality of paying with one card and sorting it out later (just like happens with many?

With all due and sincere respect to you, I'm sooo over hearing "but I reimbursed the money". What fucking part of this card is not to be used for personal expenditure is hard for people like Len Brown and Anderton to get their heads around?

And to be fair Craig,?

Charging it to the tax-payer, abso-fucking-loutely our business.

Sure it's "our business". The colour of the carpets on the floor of the House is our business too, for exactly the same reason. Does that lead to it being somehow more significant than, say, someone's policy decisions? Because thats exactly what's?

'Cos that would be a sin.

I think their breaches of the extremely tight rules (which don't even allow the minister to reimburse spending on his or her card) are trivial, and Goff's attempt to beat it up?

These card are administered by Ministerial Services, but the bill goes to the applicable ministry.

That's interesting, I presumed this was all paid for by ministerial services. What do they do if the travel is for two ministries? Or they are a minister for something that doesn't have a ministry??

If the person volunteers that it's personal expenditure themselves, and pays up before the interest-free period has expired

uh, surely the bill would've been paid in its entirety before the due date, and then issues of reimbursement resolved at a later date? I mean, do you really think the responsible?

And to be fair Craig, you were equally disapproving of Phil Heatley's greater and more egregious spending. You did also note that Heatley was a "genuinely nice guy" who had suffered a failure of judgement. Perhaps we could say the same of Brown.

@Russell: I also noted that no matter?

Me! Me! I love Toblerone! We used to get it but once a year as a massive treat from duty-free on the ferry back from Europe after the family summer holiday. Yum!

Yeah, me too. My oldest brother used to bring it back from England for us when I was?

Of course we want public servants to be models of probity, I'd just like this scandal to be kept in proportion.

Where the?

Mr Key's staff charged various expenses against their credit card – mostly for overseas accommodation and gifts to foreign dignitaries.

Among the receipts, was a bill for $1115.65 at the HYS Steakhouse in Honolulu. The bill included three bottles?

As you might expect, I think this is fairly reasonable.

My first reaction is "well I don't mind the taxpayer picking up the tab for all you to have dinner, and I don't mind there being some bottles of wine on the table for everyone to have a glass or?

Craig: whoa, I never said cheating on expenses was OK. But you're drawing a long bow to suggest that's on a par with police and judicial corruption.

You certainly didn't and I wasn't trying to say otherwise, but see how you could reasonably read it that way. But my point?

Don't real manly men in charge just make their own rules? By passing Acts of Parliament, if necessary? If a bloke wants a bottle of wine with dinner, or a few 1000 cubic metres of irrigation water, why should some pencil-necked?

Minister "Heres the $450 hotel bill.... line item 5 and 7 are my personal expenses and heres a cheque for $37.50."

That doesnt bother me at all (despite it being against the rules).

Agreed. In fact I would go so far as to amend said rules to allow this.
Plenty?

no motes

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

– Matthew 7:3

(This message brought to you by King James)

I'd also quite like to know who gets to collect all the airpoints.

Resolving stuff at the hotel desk as you?

The sooner our robot masters emerge from the shadows to rule us the better.

Large numbers of us have had, used and abused company credit cards. Lots of us have been out on the town after the company Xmas bash and had our boss put a round of shots on the company card and then slide it past accounts next month

Oh yes. I?

do you nonetheless suspect it's true that Anderton was instructed to pay in the manner he did?

Perhaps, but by whom? Because that person will have been breaking the law. It may also be the case that this is an absolute liability offence (i.e. if it can be proved to?

Large numbers of us have had, used and abused company credit cards. Lots of us have been out on the town after the company Xmas bash and had our boss put a round of shots on the company card and then slide it past accounts next month.

The funny thing?

Lord, spare me from fools with rule books.

I think he ate all the chocolate in his minibar one night.

Well let's hope he ate it, anyway.

And let's not forget that during some of this time, Anderton was the Deputy Prime Minister. "I was just following orders" rings a little hollow.

Yikes. I trust you didn't intend a Godwin there. Because, y'know, I think this falls some way short of a war crime.

I'm sure you're?

The purists like Craig say "nothing personal on the bill".
So what in a perfect practical world happens with the meal?

@Ian: I've never said Ministers and officials should travel in row boats, stay in budget backpackers and live off their body fat while overseas.

A tray dinner and a?

"We found that a total of $1402 of Mr Heatley's expenditure – $608 in Vote Ministerial Services and $794 in Vote Parliamentary Service – was outside the rules. In all cases, Mr Heatley?

Yikes. I trust you didn't intend a Godwin there. Because, y'know, I think this falls some way short of a war crime.

No it isn't, Russell, and I'll Godwin you right back. This isn't the first time Anderton has claimed that he just acted on advice from Ministerial/Parliamentary Services, a?

Their campaign against Len Brown kicked off within?

.. or is this just another case of der Große Lüge — blame the officials who are in no position to turn around and call you out?

This is just way over the top. We're talking about some fricking expense claims here.

I can see how in some circumstances this would be inconvenient, but why don't they just use their own cards, and then file claims for legitimate expenses? That is likely what most of them will be doing now anyway, having cut up the old cards.

If they can't?

Has he (or anyone else) produced any documentary evidence of such advice, or is this just another case of der Große Lüge — blame the officials who are in no position to turn around and call you out?

Honestly, I can't be bothered responding to that.

I would remind you?

This is just way over the top. We're talking about some fricking expense claims here.

Yes, and when Ministers are trying to justify their behaviour by blaming advice from officials I'd like to know if people like Mita Ririnui and Anderton are actually telling the truth. If they are, it?

Yes, and when Ministers are trying to justify their behaviour by blaming advice from officials I'd like to know if people like Mita Ririnui and Anderton are actually telling the truth. If they are, it shouldn't be that hard to come up with documentary evidence should it?

This was not?

I fear, Craig, that in the search for the pungent phrase you may have lost your sense of perspective somewhat.

It's always in the last place you look. Take it from me.

I can see how in some circumstances this would be inconvenient, but why don't they just use their own cards, and then file claims for legitimate expenses? That is likely what most of them will be doing now anyway, having cut up the old cards.

In the case of the?

If you look very closely at it, the Toblerone logo contains an animal. I think this is fascinating, and probably associated with the town where Toblerone is/was based.

It's probably more rewarding for you to find out more yourself,?

These card are administered by Ministerial Services, but the bill goes to the applicable ministry.

Not so, unless something has changed recently: the bills are paid from Vote:Ministerial Services. Ministry officials travelling with a Minister woud be a charge to the Ministry, yes.

Kyle said:

Presumably ordinary MPs costs?

This was not what I objected to. I'm happy to agree with you on what you just wrote now, but your earlier comparison to der Große Lüge, with the implications that carries, was, IMO, out of proportion and unwarranted.

Ah, Martin, if there's anything the various expense-account mini-scandals have taught?

It's always in the last place you look.

But things are always in the last place you look. Why would you keep on looking after you've found it?

I must say that aside from the silly puritan angle with the porn I find all these scandals – the Taito Philip Fields grouting saga, the Bollinger, the rented films, the minibar – immensely endearing. ... I also approve of the taking of exception. Again, not necessarily of the tone?

Yeah, can we have a moratorium on gratuitous evocations of Nazism please? I mean, Jim Anderton is Goebbels? Or Hitler? I fear, Craig, that in the search for the pungent phrase you may have lost your sense of perspective somewhat.

Stephen: *sigh* I was trying to make a serious point,?

Although that will work, I can see why reimbursement would have been the practice.

A lot of hotels will only take bookings with a Credit Card confirmation, as you sort of point out. Surely the person (they have PAs, by and large) organising it could have a ministerial CC number,?

As I noted, Heatley's spending — including a family holiday — seems much harder to explain that Anderton's. I cannot imagine that the auditor general would find any case against Anderton having waved through Heatley.

A difference might be that Heatley was a moron, and didn't know that what he?

Not so, unless something has changed recently: the bills are paid from Vote:Ministerial Services. Ministry officials travelling with a Minister woud be a charge to the Ministry, yes.

That'll learn me to rely on media reports.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM

I was once given two of these.

And now I know what to get Robyn for Christmas.

I think the image of journalists rummaging around in the screeds of documents for weeks on end is kinda reminiscent of the same thing.

But would you agree that it got a bit silly this morning when Chris Carter was being harangued by Kathryn Ryan over limousine hire in Australia?

It seemed to me that someone?

A lot of hotels will only take bookings with a Credit Card confirmation, as you sort of point out.

That's true, as far as it goes. But while I don't exactly live the suite life, the last time we were in Sydney I made a couple of long toll calls?

And now I know what to get Robyn for Christmas.

Less than 3 grams of salt in every bar, and containing 100% of the sugars your body needs to get through a busy 135 days!

Very thoughtful of you.

Wellington, June 11 NZPA – Prime Minister John Key was keen today to point out that trade and foreign affairs ministers, from both sides of the political spectrum, were likely to spend more because of their roles.

"It comes with the territory, we're often trying to sign?

A lot of hotels will only take bookings with a Credit Card confirmation, as you sort of point out. Surely the person (they have PAs, by and large) organising it could have a ministerial CC number, with pre-approved expenditure for hotels for the duration of the stay?

What was basically?

Prime Minister John Key was keen today to point out that trade and foreign affairs ministers, from both sides of the political spectrum, were likely to spend more because of their roles.

"It comes with the territory, we're often trying to sign up a trade deal," he told reporters.

"At?

They're now leading with David Cunliffe and a staff member staying a night in separate rooms at the Westbury Hotel in London at a cost of $1470.

If they'd checked, they would have found that at the exchange rate of the time that amounted?

$100 per diems are pretty standard in the private sector (on the low side, really). Three people on a month long visit to Europe = $10,000.

NZD100 won't get you very far for a day in Europe. Given that the exchange rate sits around the 0.5 mark, that's EUR50 to?

And, to be blunt, the third par was just silly. Who is hell is suggesting that Grosser or Murray McCully should go dutch on official dinners?

I think some of the reportage has very much leaned that way, actually. See the Cunliffe item above,

I disagree with John Armstrong: I think the news media have been petty over a good part of this.

My favourite is still Helen's $20 gumboots when visiting flood-damaged parts of the Bay of Plenty. If that was the sole margin-call charge on her ministerial credit card in the last?

Question for the jet-setters out there: Is it really that hard for a business traveller to separate out (and pay) personal charges from a hotel bill, or — like so much else in life — only as difficult as you choose to make it?

I used to travel a lot?

Presenting it as evidence of personal trough-gobbling is cheap and deceitful. I disagree with John Armstrong: I think the news media have been petty over a good part of this.

I actually agree with you on that. The Daily Telegraph did some very solid reporting on the UK expenses scandal,?

"Snouts in Troughs". Somebody remind me again why I should temper my belief that the Dominion Post doesn't meet minimum standards to qualify as a neswpaper?

The porcine community certainly did nothing to deserve such a vicious display of hate speech.

"Snouts in Troughs". Somebody remind me again why I should temper my belief that the Dominion Post doesn't meet minimum standards to qualify as a neswpaper?

The printed NZHerald front-page was just as bad if that makes you feel any better. No, I guess not.

It had "7 Deadly Sins"?

Stuff's rolling update is getting petty.

They're now leading with David Cunliffe and a staff member staying a night in separate rooms at the Westbury Hotel in London at a cost of $1470.

Stuff's rolling update is a rolling update. They're not leading with anything, they're just telling you the?

It's data. There was a discussion here a while back about how more data was a good thing. What we choose to do with the data is up to us.

Sure. Under the headline "snouts in troughs" we are free to make up our mind with a dispassionate examination of?

A further Friday post (sorry if I'm not doing this correctly, but I'm rather new at it) here's an interesting take on the BP spill:

that was very funny and sad.

I have to say during the 7 years I was with corporates I saw creditcards thrown around a bit,?

It's data. There was a discussion here a while back about how more data was a good thing. What we choose to do with the data is up to us. They're just trawling through the 7000 documents of it so we don't have to.

Actually, data would be a representative?

"I learned something very important watching that Clarence Thomas hearing, and d'you know what I learned? I don't stand a fuckin' chance. Don't even call the committee to order. It'd be a real short hearing:

"Mr. Hicks, are you familiar at all with the video?

Have any of the people who've mentioned Chris Carter's limousine hire today bothered to check his apparently reasonable explanation?

Katerine was told that this morning. Chris Carter challenged her to check with Ministerial Services since he was operating on their instructions. As far as I know, no one has?

Sounds OK to me Craig.

If I was a Labour Party spin doctor, I'd be getting a little nervous about the increasingly strong denials from Ministerial Services they've giving any such advice to anyone. OK, nobody at MS is going to come out and say "bitch, please" but it's not?

They're probably a bit worried they may have created a rod for their own back.

By passing the Official Information Act in 1982? I'm not sure we can blame Key for that.

Chris Carter challenged her to check with Ministerial Services since he was operating on their instructions. As far?

You might be right Craig but if what Ririrui was doing, was not following procedures why wouldn't there have been an "Oi! Thats wrong mate!" or to Jim Anderton for that matter? Different time. Less clear rules perhaps?

Honestly and more than a little cynically: I don't think so. Let?

They do heaps of shit and then at the end of the day, not every day, after doing what we pay them for, some travelling ministers have screwed the card system up.

I believe?

We have lost thousands of dollars through bad policy, bad decision making and poor economic and social understanding not through minibars.

The same Ministers are creating that bad policy, making those bad decisions and lacking the understanding that is costing us billions, not thousands, now and into the future. Whether?

In the case of the foreign trips, that's actually a bloody big call for individual ministerial staff.

When I did this a lot (my girlfriend at the time said if I got any more airpoints I'd qualify for my own 737) we used a travel service that had accounts with?

I believe these people had many other things on their mind as these transactions took place and unless proof can be found that deliberate stealing was involved , the hardcore liberal in me says let's get perspective.

It's very, very hard to stretch this sentiment far enough to cover porn.?

Just as a matter of interest, how would your academic career look if you'd been caught out dipping into the departmental petty cash to cover your groceries and sundry personal items? And would prompt reimbursement be a mitigating factor?

It's very, very hard to stretch this sentiment far enough to cover porn. Surely no one would ever think that it's okay for the taxpayer to cover her or his porn habit.

What about if he had rented a movie of another genre (he's a "film buff", remember?). Is it?

The same Ministers are creating that bad policy, making those bad decisions and lacking the understanding that is costing us billions, not thousands, now and into the future

A lack of credit card policy knowledge in 2010, I don't sweat it.Who knows how many rules we all blow away everyday?

It was on Monday Nights on TV One. After Dallas.

All I remember is the hell of caligula, oh yeh and ageing Augustus and Tiberius.

Livia. It was all about Livia, surely. Death couldn't stop her.

Well, these are the decision makers – it starts and finishes with them.

Yeah, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Fist full of dollars eh?
Hang em high I say!
Oh wait.. no, that's the Clint Eastwood Film season that is on at the mo, so as you were.?

Just as a matter of interest, how would your academic career look if you'd been caught out dipping into the departmental petty cash...

I'd have been carpetted the first time, and fired the second time. As it turns out, I've never done such things, because just somehow, I seem to?

Fucking Toblerone.

:))

Porn and Men. ...what can I say?Where do I start?

I read somewhere that the average length of time a man watches a hotel room porn movie is 8 minutes. Which makes the charge quite expensive. But hey, even Time Magazine found that watching porn can be an act, not?

"Hello sir, Welcome to the Hilton, help yourself to free tea and coffee and don't forget to check out movies of people fucking if you get bored. No one will ever know."

And we're not allowed per-diems (of course, that is the real answer – just a flat rate per day, spend it how you want, no receipts. But way too sensible... I've completely lost faith in the Wellington half-wits who administer this crap)

Per-diems are not the answer; they're legitimising the?

MPs should not get paid wages but loans, like students, because they get highly paid jobs after they graduate from Westminster as a result of attending Parliament. They should therefore pay?

He was a Minister of Building and Construction and after each day's meetings he watched porn movies and?

I suspect HC in particular, and PMs in general, don't stay at the "Havana Nights?

More relevantly, she speculates about Jone's career options.

It's too soon to say whether the former Maori business leader will decide to chuck politics and resume a private sector career. He is formidably bright and has?

Is his life out of control?

Well, he does look a bit tired...
...doesn't he?

If they're racking up more than 10,000 per trip on daily expenses, then clearly they have a different idea or 'reasonable expenditure' than I do.

These cards aren't just for ministers. They'll often travel with staff. One card might be paying for three or more people in hotels, meals, some?

I feel a little sorry for the overwhelming majority of previous and current Ministers and their staff who seem to have had no problem separating their personal from public expenditure.

I'm a bit of a Vicky Pollard there. I take your point, and you're right, but the Ministers and staffers?

How smart are his lifestyle choices?

Here we go, the prissy middle class is coming out to play.

Here we go, the prissy middle class is coming out to play.

No, no, no. I really don't mean that. What I mean is that someone touted as the new leader of Labour and first Maori PM, who is a father of seven and highly intelligent with a Harvard degree?

Thing is, as a nation there is something deeply amiss in our psyche and it is this: the speed with which we move to apportion blame to others, our penchant for punishment and our unwillingness to forgive.

Hear, hear!
Liking your first post Boris. :)

He analyses Paula Bennett's "inflammatory" comments about opposition to her likely dismantling of our welfare system.

In expressing fears that the debate could turn ugly, Bennett was trying to denigrate?

Lost luggage does require replacing, so undies and suits are also legit.

Of course...

But the version I've heard (and I cant attest to the accuracy) is that it happened to the same minister three times in one year, whilst not happening to any others...

Sure, sometimes you can just?

How smart are his lifestyle choices?

On balance, smarter than Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill's — who was probably an undiagnosed manic-depressive and high-functioning alcoholic his entire adult life; was a chain-smoker with a voracious appetite (which lead to what would now be defined as morbid obesity); there were also persistent?

If he can't look after himself, how can he fulfil his much talked about potential

Do you have any evidence at all his personal lifestyle impacted on his performance as a minister?

For example, genius (however you define that) often comes at cost somewhere else. Look at Tiger Woods. The?

Was he bored? Is he so clever that politics is too easy for him?

A strong possibility, yes. A never-ending stream of stupidity, mediocrity and ego-wankers is probably enough to send one in search of comfort, be it chocolates, crochetting or blue movies.

For me, this whole beat up is?

whilst not happening to any others...

Not so. See, this is assumed because certain people have been scrutinised. Depending on travel one could feel unlucky if luggage has been lost thrice, but if you travelled on 300 trips, I'd suggest you are pretty common with the odds.

To suggest imbibing is acceptable then disputing what was imbibed because one may have more expensive tastes is, nitpicking and yes so what if it's Bolli?

Well, Sofie, I'd prefer the "expensive tastes" of our Ministers (and their staff) don't run to two-grand-and-change bottles of Chateau Petrus, or the occasional?

She may possess a warmer, more down-to-earth persona than the coolly doctrinaire Richardson and Shipley displayed.

Now is that positive spin? Or did he just have a smile on his face as he wrote it?
Ohhhhh the things my mind can do with the opening "She may?

No. Renting a movie is personal. Buying a book or a magazine to read is personal. Going out to a movie theatre is personal.

Yet I suspect you wouldn't have used the term "habit" to describe the renting any other kind of movie. Would I be correct in that assumption??

Trade Minister Tim Groser [...] as part of his official duties, is expected to entertain dignitaries on his many trips overseas.

There should be no surprise that his spending on liquor and food is reasonably substantial.

Likewise, there is nothing out of the norm in Murray McCully spending nearly?

Now is that positive spin? Or did he just have a smile on his face as he wrote it?

Why doesn't he just come out of the closet and say "I'd tap that, but Ruth made me impotent and Shipley brought all my previously repressed Mummy issues to the surface"??

. Or is that just me being all prissy and petty?

Yep, that's you darlin' ;) Look, I wouldn't buy Bolli either and I am frugal, and some expenses could be addressed , but chasing up these expenses got all items reimbursed. I think that is good accounting and I?

Shaving Ryan's Privates

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Actually, I was cheating, I haven't seen it yet although it's supposed to be quite good. Couldn't be worse than the Spielberg film anyhow.

Coincidentally, I'm in the process of trying to track down an old porno, for actual research purposes (heh!), and I've had to?

I haven't checked ... but if it were true that the Australian Government requires foreign ministers in their country to hire limousines, why has no-one else ever done this? Because it seems like the type of thing that would get onto Stuff's rolling update. Is Chris Carter the only?

Struck by this sentence:

"Those two politicians failed because the country was not ready for such an overhaul."

The country was not ready. I love the implications of this: that dismantling the welfare state?

You know, I'm starting to think the Herald might actually have a politically-motivated double standard here.

That editorial really annoyed me. Especially this part:

Quite simply, that was the level of gratuity expected in Peru. Equally, the same minister, as part of his official duties, is expected to entertain dignitaries?

They equate JK going to to a strip club before he entered politics with Shane Jones and his mid night habbits and of course not understanding that when you sign for a card that says "not?

They equate JK going to to a strip club before he entered politics with Shane Jones and his mid night habbits and of course not understanding that when you sign for a card that says "not to be used for private consumption" that is what it means

However one could?

I've completely lost faith in the Wellington half-wits who administer this crap

Never once did a rep get fired for these queries.Never once was one singled out to ostracize.Occasionally some expenses were considered personal and reimbursed.This is how to account.

Too true, I mean how hard can it be? it makes?

Still think one house should be enough though. :)

Two houses are fine surely. Making it appear like a house you own isn't yours so you can get money paid to you for living in it, less so.

then current Ministers are also going to be embarrassed if the same slant is put on the results.

Oh, wouldn't that be an unspeakable tragedy — pardon me if I don't regard it as some impertinent degradation if our employees occasionally deign to explain what they do, and how. I?

Who would be a politician? Put an occasional personal expense on the business card and you are a front page?

Craig you really do look like a cigarette butt, no matter the spin. :)

Thanks, Sofie — I hope I don't look like a Preuvian Marlboro. :)

Marlboro.

No, not the Marlboro man.
I think that image must arise from my smoking habits of past, so guess that puts you at Peter Stuyvesant. He founded New York y'know? Precious. :)

It was Labour that legislated to make homosexuality legal in 1986

Well, if you want to be pedantic about it:

1) National MP Venn Young made the first serious attempt at homosexual law reform in 1974, which was heavily defeated under a Labour government.

2) The Homosexual Law Reform Bill?

Yes, I guess I do have a puritanical streak

I should point out that when I said "puritanical bullshit" I was referring at the media coverage, not you or Deborah – much as I thought your respective choice of words was worth remarking.

not you or Deborah

Ah, I like to be in the same category as the brainy Deborah. I always feel like the dumb one here but can't stop contributing!

And I know you weren't really attacking me/us. And I do feel squeamish about pornographic films. There, I've admitted it. Very?

unfashionable around here.

They'd be plenty who read or write here, wont like it.
FWIW, I don't watch any myself because it's a waste of my time,Sometimes I have paused to see what the stuff on Comedy Central is like after Colbert Report, (but it really seems like comedy to?

I'd love to know how lassez faire APN is with the corporate plastic. Do share, folks.

Well I work for Newstalk ZB, which is part of TRN, which in turn is half owned by APN.

The procedure for us is that travel and accomodation is generally booked and paid for?

I like to be in the same category as the brainy Deborah. I always feel like the dumb one here but can't stop contributing!

Hmmm... I've got a fair degree of formal training in a particular area, but that's about it. I like hanging around with all the smart and?

Per-diems are not the answer; they're legitimising the rort in the same way that national's tax cuts legitimised tax cheating.

Oh good grief. I won't dignify that shit about the tax cuts with a response. But the per diem?

Try it. No, really, just try being away from your family?