Hard News: Don't bother voting
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On the other hand, the 3 News poll published yesterday prompted a story that led like this
And seems rather unclear on the notion that Labour and the Greens are actually two different parties, and Labour would be exceedingly foolish to take the Greens for granted. I will bother voting, but what I won't be doing is taking the media seriously until they try getting their heads around MMP and decide they owe us a little better than pulling governments out of their collective recta.
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Meanwhle, DPF is looking for crumbs from the Electoral Commission's decision that New Zealand First did not break the law with its 2007 donations return.
...when NZF got around to filing a return that wasn't pure fiction. Still, all that's probably proved is that when you're running a personality cult you don't really want people with brains or spines asking inconvenient questions.
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If there's any "Don't bother voting" sentiment out there, its most likely to harm the Nats. If the weather is gross on election day, and a good proportion of soft nat voters think things are a foregone conclusion, well they might just not bother voting.
From what I've read, this is one of the very few things the Obama campaign thinks could lose them the US election - voter apathy in states that are closer than some polling indicates. And I think things here are closer than the Herald's poll indicates...
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Do you think we can get the deposit back on the halls? The Herald's editorial this morning says that failng "some cataclysmic occurrence, an event resounding enough to shatter the current template", the 2008 general election is over and National has won.
Dewey Defeats Truman?
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Those polls sure threw me this morning, so decided to give up on polls.And to add to the Friday morning smorgasbord 'o' politics, can someone confirm if it's National intention to actively direct Pharmac on medicine spending?
Mr Key has said "It's a good chunk of their budget - they're not going to fund it unless we put up the money, and we're putting up the money" - does that mean that they're just going to increase funding and hope Pharmac decides that 12-month Herceptin is now justified in the budget?
Or is it going to be a "oi, Pharmac, do what you're told" deal? -
Regardless of positions of anti-Peters, doesn't it seem at least strange that such a strong prolonged campaign against him should have happened. Had such a campaign been mounted against say Hide, or Key would it have flourished given that so far the decisions have been not guilty? Media?
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Regardless of positions of anti-Peters, doesn't it seem at least strange that such a strong prolonged campaign against him should have happened.
No. There does come a time when you realise that nasty taste in your mouth is there because that chocolate is really bullshit.
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Pharmac has an International envy since its creation by National in the 90's. Its great strength was its independence from political interference. The moment that John Key said Herceptin would be funded, the independence has been shattered. This is serious.
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Craig: Why?
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For both the Herald and TV3 polls, the polling period covered the slow strip tease of the latest Wishart story, which a week ago was set to Bring Down The Government, according to ... the usual suspects.
So in both polls, the gap closed.
Make of that what you will.
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The big problem with these polls is that we don't know how they treat undecided voters - if one of them brow-beats them into submission until they choose someone and the other just doesn't count them then these sorts of differences are quite possible - really I'd like to see them state the number of undecided voters as part of the results
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It would seem that in the US there really is lilttle point in bothering to vote. At least John McCain seems to think so.
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...can someone confirm if it's National intention to actively direct Pharmac on medicine spending?
Gareth,
From my memory and understanding of the TV3 news article last night, I got the distinct impression that Key was saying Pharmac would be directed to fund herceptin. But I'm not 100% on that as I was distracted by my travel planing at the time. But I'm pretty sure.
Simon (or anyone),
what is Wisharts latest story?
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M.I.A's Paper Planes is still a much better track than Boyz.... and Santogolds Creator (also with switch and freq nasty) is infinately a better track than both. The Jay Z Version of Paper Planes is great if you can find it (especially the version with out the numerous shout outs)
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From the Pharmac website one of the criteria used when determining whether to fund or not is
The Government’s priorities for health funding, as set out in any objectives notified by the Crown to PHARMAC, or in PHARMAC’s Funding Agreement, or elsewhere; and
So presumably the Govt just needs to "notify" them that treating using Herceptin is an objective or put something specific in the funding agreement about it.
Is the current funding agreeement publically available ? Are there any specific directions of funding in there now ?
Personally I think if you believe Pharmac is compeletely independent of govt you would believe in fairies too.
Did anyone see those poor kids with prader-willi who had been denied funding because they were .5cm too tall
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It might just be me, but I find the Herceptin comment the most distasteful and cynical ploy National has pulled this election.
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And … the Guardian has a story about Tourism New Zealand's new weapon in the war for the British tourist dollar: Ladyhawke.
A bit of a controversial move there by Tourism NZ in acknowledging that New Zealand does in fact have cities and urban life.
Though it does start with Pip saying "People always think it's like Lord of the Rings", which is oddly accompanied by the classic, humanless empty New Zealand landscape shots - surely the opposite of what she's trying to talk about.
But it's a good start. Maybe with the water tested with promoting Wellington, we might eventually see acknowledgement that downtown Auckland exists.
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the Electoral Commission's decision that New Zealand First did not break the law with its 2007 donations return
"Summary of withheld decision" here
Noting that the actual decision has not been released (apparently due to the ongoing police inquiry) and the "The determination is in respect of the actions of the Party Secretary for New Zealand First only" I'm sure if they're entirely off the hook.
Pharmac
I heard someone insist they would just go around Pharmac. Which I imagine wouldn't be any worse.
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@ Mark - YES!
It occurred to me that if Labour and the Greens between them have more votes than National and Act (a reasonable possibility, given the TV3 poll, which was the more accurate poll last time around), then the Nat/Act supporter simply can't complain if Labour/Green become the government, given their protracted efforts to characterise the Greens as watermelons.
Re undecided voters: polling companies normally assign undecided voters to parties in the same proportions as the decided voters: that is, they use what is known to predict the unknown.
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So presumably the Govt just needs to "notify" them that treating using Herceptin is an objective or put something specific in the funding agreement about it.
I'd be interested in how this works in practice, but to me "Herceptin" isn't an outcome.
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"People always think it's like Lord of the Rings",
Of course they do - it's the fault of that poster in Murray's office on Flight of the Conchords:
New Zealand: Like Lord of the Rings
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And if Rodney Hide is totally okay with the commission's finding that Act failed to declare $20,000 worth of office space donated to its Parliamentary wing by Bob Jones, why didn't he front up on Morning Report today and say so?
Bob Jones blatantly colluding with ACT over the Peter's saga. Kinda puts his endless "innocent party" radio appearances into perspective. Remind me again why he supposed to be revered?
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It might just be me, but I find the Herceptin comment the most distasteful and cynical ploy National has pulled this election.
Yeah, it struck me as naked votegrabbing. Even the oncologist on morning report called it "the right decision, made for the wrong reasons". And I got the impression they were going to fund it outside the Pharmac model.
If this is an example of how they are going to govern, then I'm even happier that the Greens have come out in support of National.
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Did Hide also not declare his income from Dancing with the Stars in 2006 on the register of Pecuniary interests ?
Strangely, he announces his 'donation' of said fees to the Remuera Rackets Club, which then goes to fund a woman ( half his age) who some have said he is 'dating'
Like Bob Jones 'free' office space , does no one in ACT do anything without a 'contra' anymore
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then I'm even happier that the Greens have come out in support of National.
Duncan Garner: SHOCK NEWS, LEADING GREENS CANDIDATE REVERSES COALITION POSITION. FILM AT 11!
=P
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