Posts by ScottY

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  • Hard News: Saying Goodbye to The Independent,

    Plunket's a fine interviewer, generally, and he has a doggedness that one needs when dealing with mealymouthed politicians. Wilson has it too, and would be a fine replacement, if only for the fact that I quite like her just where she is.

    A few politicians will be breathing a sigh of relief at the news of Plunket's departure.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: Costly indeed,

    This is appalling stuff by our politicians. So they are human after all, and make mistakes. Something has to change.

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

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Cracker: A Whale of a Tale,

    Robyn, I agree. There are endless numbers of crackpots out there pushing various deluded causes, and Lord knows anyone in the world can issue a press release. So why did TVNZ decide to interview this guy, when a quick check would have shown the group he claimed to represent had virtually no presence or following?

    And I'm not feeling the love for Mr Henry. You can forgive someone for an occasional indiscretion when they're on live TV all the time, but Henry's indiscretions are all too frequent. He may not be in the same category as Michael Laws. But he does appear to deliberately court controversy, much like that soon-to-be ex Mayor of Whanganui.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: Standing with the Poo,

    I'm sure a patient search would turn up many more examples of weird, unpleasant speech

    I have no desire to trawl Perigo's site, but I recall a post from Mr Perigo a few months ago that suggested Barack Obama ought to be assassinated if he refused to listen to the voices of those who voted for "change" in the Massachusetts Senate race.

    I wondered at the time whether that post would interest the US authorities. They take a dim view of threats to their Presidents. It might explain the airport's actions.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • The best the Net can be,

    I'm relatively new to Twitter, but it seems to have a lot of advantages that Facebook doesn't. For starters, it's a breeze to simply stop following someone on Twitter. But unfriending someone on Facebook is in the eyes of many the equivalent of leaving a turd on their doorstep.

    And you can choose to follow on Twitter only the people who are interesting. it's a great medium for links to interesting sites.

    I also can't abide inane smalltalk - and most of the Facebook entries I read are just that. Nor do I give a crap how many magic fairies or gems my friends are collecting in their online games.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: Still not all that Super?,

    I can think of plenty of rude and unpleasant things to call Rodney Hide, but "fascist" wouldn't be one of them.

    I hate the word "fascist" (small "f", that is) because it means different things to different people. It's just a term of abuse that gets bandied about, and provides no insight whatsoever.

    Hide's economic liberalism is about as far away from fascism (whatever the hell that word actually means) as you can get.

    And has Godwin's Law been repealed?

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Southerly: The Burglar Files,

    David, you write splendidly, and even at 16 were displaying a considerable literary talent. I know many of the haunts you write about in the story, having lived for a time in an especially shitty part of Glen Eden (mind you, in the early ‘80s there were no un-shitty parts). And the Westward Ho was one hell of a rough pub.

    Thankfully we were never robbed by the likes of a Hog or Shitter, because we had nothing worth stealing.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Budget 2010: What’d you expect?,

    I do have to agree with my fellow plutocrats that eating babies is overrated.

    The children of the undeserving poor are so malnourished these days that they are either quite flavourless, or having been fed or a steady diet of junk food since birth, tend to leave a slightly chemical aftertaste, and give one gas.

    The answer, dear boy, is to farm them industrially, thus ensuring they receive all the right nutrients. Of course, try getting a resource consent for that sort of activity. Bloody nimbies will stop you in your tracks. PC madness.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Budget 2010: What’d you expect?,

    what happened to the Black Robin Egg Omelette?

    Don't they only go black if you overcook them?

    That's the difficulty. If you get them wrong they taste bitter. My personal Michelin-rated chef says the secret is in to sprinkle a little gold dust into the mixture before you heat it.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Budget 2010: What’d you expect?,

    I can’t get worked up about the Bryers sentence, because the charges he was facing were relatively minor ones. The court never realistically had the option of imposing a savage sentence on him. But the SFO is looking into the collapse of Blue Chip, so there may be more to come.

    As for the Budget, at a personal level I am considerably better off, being within the higher tax bracket. But I’m also expecting childcare costs to go up. While we will be able to afford that increase, I know plenty of other parents who will struggle. With ACC levies increasing, GST going up and the emission trading scheme kicking in, I suspect those at the bottom will not feel any better off.

    The money will be useful, though I don’t feel that happy about those who are missing out.

    Those on $150,000 are, rarely, working by the hour, sure some may charge billable hours but those hours are so ridiculously expensive they cant work the 9 to 5 shift without embarrassment, so they have long working lunches and expense accounts to ease the pain. Poor dears.

    You forgot the bit about eating babies

    Eating babies is just so last year. Pickled kakapo is the only dish for the serious connoisseur.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

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