Corporate raider, investment writer and 'Minus Millionaire' Jim Slater reminisces:
I once did a deal with Tiny Rowlands about selling wattle in East Africa.
When we shook hands, Rowlands said, "By the way, what is wattle?"
To which I replied, "Where is East Africa?"
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And we laugh at Sarah Palin?
And we laugh at Sarah Palin?
Yes -- because she's either thick as pig shit (but not as useful) or a pathological liar of almost sociopathic shamelessness.
Shaples and Key are sure looking a damn sight smarter that 90% of the commentariat right now.
I thought Jim Slater was the guy who started Silicon Graphics and Netscape - got that wrong obviously. Jim Clark apparently.
The story in "The New New Thing" (Michael Lewis followed him round for years) runs that the only reason he built Netscape is because he was going for a walk one day after selling Silicon Graphics and saw Ellison's new yacht in San Fran Bay. Which was clearly bigger than his. So he needed a few hundred million to build a bigger one so better go start a new firm.
The internet - bought to you by Corporate Small Pen!s Syndrome...
When the details are made public, let's play Deal WordWatch - a fun game for all the family:
Score 1 point for:
have a look at
review
consult
Score 1000 points for:
change the law
Smarter than many. Yes. And an interesting proposition to form "coalition" of Maori perhaps across the House to form a stronger lobby group. Great.
I thought perhaps the most important thing said re the negotiaions between National and the Maori party so far came from Tariana when she said "We'll see if the voters thought it was the right thing to do in three years' time."
We'll see if the voters thought it was the right thing to do in three years' time."
So, done deal, just have to tell "their people"
That's generally how it works. Mary. We don't like the buggers -- and enough of our fellow citizens concur -- we throw them out.
wait for the announcement that a voucher system will be used for Maori kids. Then we should alll be VERY worried....
I've got a lot of respect for Pita Sharples. I think this is probably very canny for them. They get to keep their enemies closer, where they can have power working against the policies that would hurt those they represent. Seems to make sense to me.
wait for the announcement that a voucher system will be used for Maori kids.
Is that a discount voucher? Or a "buy one Maori kid, get one free" voucher?
Is that a discount voucher? Or a "buy one Maori kid, get one free" voucher?
LOL
Buy the Maori Party, get it all for free.
I can see a policy that will fit well with both parties....road tolls.
Is that a discount voucher? Or a "buy one Maori kid, get one free" voucher?
As long as I get 4c a litre off I don't really mind...
Is that a discount voucher? Or a "buy one Maori kid, get one free" voucher?
LMAO. I omitted the word "schooling" obviously....
Road tolls. Yeah. Love it. That'll go down nicely.
I think this is probably very canny for them.
Or, just possibly, they are unscrupulous sh!ts after as much power as they can get and hence will "collaborate" with whomever will give them the biggest piece of pie at the time.
Last election it was labour, this time it was national, perhaps if ACT were the major party they'd figure out a rationalisation for working with them.
But surely that is far too cynical
I don't like the idea of the Maori Party propping up a National led Government, and I know the thought that they might, lost them one vote at the election.
But, which is worse: National going to ACT to get their policies through (bound to lead to a shift right and that wont help Maori); or National calling on the Moari party to support some slightly more centrist policies?
We have a National led government and the best that some of us can hope for is that the parties to their left do their darndest to make sure National looks their way for support and not to ACT.
I shudder to think what policies National will concoct with ACT pushing them.
Last election it was labour, this time it was national, perhaps if ACT were the major party they'd figure out a rationalisation for working with them.
Just like the Grey Chameleon, Peter Dunne. Except that last election his piddle of a party forced Labour to reject all the Green support so that he could grasp some power.
I don't see that the Maori Party used a blunt club the way other minority parties have in the past.
I don't see that the Maori Party used a blunt club the way other minority parties have in the past.
Is entrenchment of seats blunt enough?
But surely that is far too cynical
Yes, but you're forgiven. Anyway, not to gloat or anything, but my plan is coming together.
hmmm so - 4 heads good, 5 heads bad?
Just like the Grey Chameleon, Peter Dunne. Except that last election his piddle of a party forced Labour to reject all the Green support so that he could grasp some power.
UF promised prior to the last election that they would not work in a government which included the Greens. People voted for them knowing this.
After the election, he kept his word, and Labour had an option: Greens or UF? Labour chose UF; hardly "forced".
Or, just possibly, they are unscrupulous sh!ts after as much power as they can get and hence will "collaborate" with whomever will give them the biggest piece of pie at the time.
Well, you might be a little easier to take seriously if you could drop the scare quotes and a loaded term like collaborate. I've found it rather amusing that the commentariat -- which, to be quite blunt is still overwhelmingly white, middle-class, middle-aged and would seldom get closer to flaxroots Maori than the annual schlep to Ratana and Waitangi -- pontificate with such confidence about what Maori should do and think.
The Maori Party would rather get results for their constituents than get patted on the head by the likes of Brian Rudman and Chris Trotter? Hard call. Much as I hate to agree with Willie Jackson on anything, he was quite right when he said that if Maori are more interested in ideological purity than getting results, their priorities are FUBAR.
And to give a little credit where credit is due, I expect the usual suspects on the rabid right to go nuclear on Key over this, especially when he didn't need to do it to form a government. Win-win-win all around, as far as I'm concerned.
I don't get why so many people like Pita Sharples. They seem to assume that because he is a noted academic and wears his heart on his sleeve somehow that makes him a smart and canny politician. To me he comes across as an emotional blusterer and I think he is politically naive.
Tariana Turia was always going to shaft Labour if she could get away with it, and now she has achieved her main political objective of settling her grudge with Helen Clark she is getting out at next election anyway. So if this all goes pear shaped for the Maori Party it won't be Turia carrying the can. The bottom line for the Maori Party is they were looking at a clean sweep of all seven of the Maori seats until they started merely flirting with the idea of an alliance with National. They ended up with five instead, and this deal in my view condemns them as another dead end on the road of Maori Political aspirations.
The bottom line for the Maori Party is they were looking at a clean sweep of all seven of the Maori seats until they started merely flirting with the idea of an alliance with National.
That's balls, Tom. Anyone who thinks Nanaia Mahuta was going to be easy to pick off doesn't really know anything about Tainui -- and I think even the MP would acknowledge she's a damn hard worker, and that's no less true because she doesn't showboat like a certain Shane Jones or have the MSM profile of a Parekura Horomia.