Hard News: Some Monday Things
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I sincerely hope Mr Key begins to increase his influence - I'm now of the opinion that part of the deal to make him leader so quickly was that your Ryalls/Collins/Smiths/Brownlees got to push through their back-to-the-90s policies that they've been dying to reintroduce for the last 9 years.
I'm giving Key the benefit of the doubt in that he truly is more forward looking and those policies aren't his nature. If he can continue to command stratospheric poll ratings and let those Ministers a) blow off steam (not to belittle the damage they're doing) and b) continue to screw up then I hope the smiling assassin really does emerge and he takes control of the party in a way I don't think he yet has. -
As other Nats begin to realise he's taking them to defeat, they'll turn on him.
So it was said about Muldoon, year in, year out, until it began to sound like whistling in the dark. Not that I'm suggesting even for a moment that there's any parallel.
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It's frankly absurd to think it's KEY that's taking National to defeat. He's probably the only bright light they have - it's his older Ministers that may take them to defeat if they gain true control of the policy agenda.
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"Can we build things on time, to budget?"
Project West Wind is due to deliver first electricity this month
And many of the turbines can already be seen turning in the distance from Wellington hill suburbs. Even from a distance, they look a magnificent sight.
And wasn't Te Papa on time & budget?
As for shifting the BDO to Wellington: oh god no! Homegrown was bad enough in terms of underage munterage staggering the street like an RTD-fuelled zombie apocalypse.
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Be good to have more like this from Nandor you mean?
Nandor has promoted a Sustainable/Unsustainable positioning instead of Left/Right for a while now. It would make the Green's a much more realistic proposition I think.
Shame they lost him. -
As for shifting the BDO to Wellington: oh god no! Homegrown was bad enough in terms of underage munterage staggering the street like an RTD-fuelled zombie apocalypse.
You really don't see that at BDO. The checks at the entrance for illicit booze are pretty thorough, and your ID is scrutinised quite carefully before you can get the "Age Verified" wrist band that'll get you into the alcohol areas. Purchase quantities are limited, and generally people just don't get totally shit-faced. Some do, certainly, but out of 40-something-k people it's a very definite minority.
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It's frankly absurd to think it's KEY that's taking National to defeat. He's probably the only bright light they have - it's his older Ministers that may take them to defeat if they gain true control of the policy agenda.
The election was just over 4 months ago. The N.Z electorate sees Key saving babies, donating casts and hanging out with traditional non-national groups for warm fuzzy photo ops.
Remember when John Banks started dressing like Rudi Guli, now every world leaders Obamaed themselves a bit....Crosby Textor aren't stupid.
Job losses will be the test of this man or he'll lose his job ; and he'll have to sell the west wing of his swimming pool.
Early days eh?
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Actually, I think Western Springs might be a good location for the BDO. It has natural barriers (lakes, stream) and choke-points that would make securing the northern section of the park pretty straight forward.
Punters could go from the stadium to the field north of the lake, and isn't there a rugby training shed that was used as a Boiler Room during one of the Groove In The Parks a few years back ?
One of the best features of Mt Smart is that it has two levels, so the bleed from the main stages doesn't affect the other stages much.
I went to a BDO in Adelaide, and the bleed was noticeable. But the worst thing was that they had minimal controls over alcohol consumption (no areas set aside for consumption, just grab a beer and wander off with it), so there were discarded beer cans everywhere.
Of course, if that nutty idea to expand the zoo by eating into the park (to house a breeding herd of 5 elephants ) goes ahead, then there will be no large flat area near to the stadium, and it won't be as viable as a BDO location (and will impact Pasifika as well).
On the Nats, did anyone catch Katherine Ryan's interview with Anne Tolley about the new school assessment regime. Apparently, Tolley has no idea what data the MOE need, or what they are going to do with it once they get the (as yet unspecified) data. She's going to consult and see what everyone else thinks because she has no clue herself. And they passed this under urgency !
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Too many people underestimate Key's political abilities. He didn't become top dog by being weak and indecisive. But he can also work with other factions.The breathtaking speed in which he stitched up support deals with both ACT and the Maori Party after the election is proof of that.
This is not to give the man undue praise, because I still disagree with much of what he and his government are doing. But anyone who thinks Key will be toppled from within before the next election is indulging in wishful thinking.
The N.Z electorate sees Key saving babies, donating casts and hanging out with traditional non-national groups for warm fuzzy photo ops.
That's why more people voted for the Nats last year. Could you have imagined Don Brash doing any of these things? Again, it demonstrates political skill: Key recognised the image problem the Nats had under Brash, and resolved to try a different, more friendly, approach.
Politics is about perception. Not all voters are as politically engaged as PAS readers, and many people will vote for the person they like, rather than the person with the best policies.
Key does the "image" thing well. He comes across in interviews as affable and likeable, even if his language is garbled at times (but does the average punter care about his abuse of the English language?). His honeymoon with the voters is not close to ending.
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but I suspect most people realise there's little Key can do to mitigate the effects of the current global crisis.
Then again, if unemployment was to reach 1992 levels (ie, double digits), or if the G7/G20 was to declare a sustainability trade war with us, public patience probably likely starts wearing thin.
More likely though, the worst we'd probably see is a factional split.
Mikaere:
did anyone catch Katherine Ryan's interview with Anne Tolley about the new school assessment regime. Apparently, Tolley has no idea what data the MOE need, or what they are going to do with it once they get the (as yet unspecified) data. She's going to consult and see what everyone else thinks because she has no clue herself. And they passed this under urgency !
"Primary and intermediate schools are set to be ranked in league tables next year - against expert advice to the Government." And the top decile schools will still be within their powers to block out potential deadweights on their league tables.
From my own experiences, I had less than charitable experiences at a couple of decile 10 schools, and pressuring kids to succeed is a worse form of child abuse than hitting them with spiked bludgeons. -
I so prefer the way they serve booze at many UK festivals. The Workers Beer Company, a trade union based co-op, provide quality beer and excellent service. And (at least some years ago; Blair/Brown may have stuffed this up) you could wander anywhere with your pint.
I think the "dragnet" approach to underage drinking just displaces the problem. Kids still drink outside or smuggle booze in and adults can't get a beer without multiple lines.
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I think the "dragnet" approach to underage drinking just displaces the problem. Kids still drink outside or smuggle booze in and adults can't get a beer without multiple lines.
Kapka Kassabova - The unbearable lightness of being English (from the Listener, 2005)
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On the Nats, did anyone catch Katherine Ryan's interview with Anne Tolley about the new school assessment regime. Apparently, Tolley has no idea what data the MOE need, or what they are going to do with it once they get the (as yet unspecified) data. She's going to consult and see what everyone else thinks because she has no clue herself. And they passed this under urgency!
I heard it, and I thought the same thing you did. Tolley didn't seem to know anything .
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Kapka Kassabova - The unbearable lightness of being English
The link didn't go through, but I have to say that Kassabova is a national treasure, or at least should be. She's in London now, I think?
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I so prefer the way they serve booze at many UK festivals.
Tend to agree. First (and so far only) BDO I attended, I was ID'd by some control-freak state-trooper idiot who refused me a wristband on some spurius ground (I was 33, and look it). Went back five minutes later and got someone who actually knew what they were doing to give me a wristband.
I also intensely disliked being herded into a designated drinking area, and being offered a choice of export gold, or....nothing. I took the nothing.
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I heard it, and I thought the same thing you did. Tolley didn't seem to know anything.
Tolley was the incoming Minister of Tertiary Education who had to ask her officials "what is a vice-chancellor?".
This morning I'm going to ask my first year students, who have been at university for 6 weeks, if they know what a vice-chancellor is. I'll bet they do better than the Minister.
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Tolley was the incoming Minister of Tertiary Education who had to ask her officials "what is a vice-chancellor?".
I have always liked the idea of a 'Pro vice chancellor' but wonder if there are any "Anti vice chancellors"
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Too many people underestimate Key's political abilities.
Don Brash nearly won an election so even plonkers can win elections.
Keys working hard , doing some slog but he's replacing some of the finest politicians in the world and bringing with him some of the worst. He wanted the job , he wanted Clark and Cullen out. He better perform , we lost talent because of that.
The honeymoon is 4 months old, everyone wants this country to work out, sane people anyway . Look John Key needs to up his game , not so much to win the next election but to deliver all the visionary bollocks he promised us.
It's hard to get an estimation on someone we know so little about.
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George - Don't ask, you may be disappointed.....
I have always liked the idea of a 'Pro vice chancellor' but wonder if there are any "Anti vice chancellors"
Geoff -Can we make nominations ?
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I've got a harder question:
Who owns the universities?
Who chooses the vice-chancellor? -
Rich, Universities are self-owning, in effect. To be more precise they're bodies corporate, but without shareholders. As close as they get is their Court of Convocation, membership of which is specified through statute.
The Court then approves the regulations that govern the rest of how the university is run. Since most members of the Court are graduates of the institution, effectively graduates decide who will appoint the VC. -
I've got a harder question:
Who owns the universities?The Government believes it does. The Universities disagree.
Following the merger of VUW and the Wellington College of Education, the annual accounts of VUW received a qualified audit. The University looked at the additional property etc. it had received and recorded this as an additional asset it had received (maybe an injection of capital).
The Auditor (perhaps Audit NZ?) said that as it was a transfer from one part of the Government to another there was no change in the asset position. The University would not back down, and thus got a black mark in its audit...
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Oops, truncated link:
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I've got a harder question:
Who owns the universities?The Government believes it does. The Universities disagree.
Universities and other tertiary institutions are "Crown Entities" for the purposes of the Crown Entites Act 2004.
The Government wins.
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I have to say that Kassabova is a national treasure, or at least should be. She's in London now, I think?
Edinburgh, AFAIK, though she was back in NZ briefly over summer.
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