Posts by Matthew Poole
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
If, under the fulfilment of the Paula's Peril scenario, the lowest-ranked National list MP were to resign, am I correct in believing that Paula would be entitled to fill the vacancy? She would be, after all, the highest-ranked candidate on the list that was published who is not elected. Or does being elected as an electorate MP drop her from the list permanently? I can’t quite figure out the law on this one.
-
DPF is reporting that Bennett won by a nine-vote majority in the recount. Not up on any news sites yet, but if he's saying it I'm fairly confident that it's true.
-
OnPoint: Spending "Cap" is Fiscal Anorexia, in reply to Sacha,
Joshua also noted that the way the CCOs including Auckland Transport were set up by govt did not require their business being public
That's true, but it's also not required that their business not be conducted in public. They could choose to conduct the majority of their business before the public, but don't. They have a choice, and have chosen a continuation of the culture of "the public have no right to know anything unless we tell them" that existed in ARTA. Brown has made it clear what he wants, and the AT board could follow through with that expressed desire from the next meeting.
-
OnPoint: Spending "Cap" is Fiscal Anorexia, in reply to Sacha,
Presumably Auckland Transport uses the chamber, being based there? Though I guess they don’t need to conduct their business in public quite so much.
Choose not to conduct their business in public quite so much. There, fixed that for you.
As Josh Arbury notes regularly, Auckland Transport resorts to secrecy for far, far more of their meeting agendas than is proper for a supposedly public body. -
Hard News: Most Discursive Website, in reply to JacksonP,
I don’t want to slate your argument, but I think it’s full of schist.
I don't have the stones to handle these puns. You’ve all lost your marble(s).
-
Just listening to some back "issues" of The Panel, and one of the panellists made the point that Shearer was overseeing a budget of billions and had hundreds of people reporting to him (doubtless through several layers, but still).
That kinda nails shut any relativity arguments about Key's experience, given that trading floors in the 80s and 90s weren't exactly enormous and although the sums of money in play were, even then, eye-watering, they were still not the budget for which he was responsible.I haven't heard Shearer speak, though I imagine he'd be a fairly quick study with some proper media coaching, but he is definitely well-placed to be the anti-Key in terms of personal narrative. That's without buying into DPF's "making $50m vs helping save 50m lives" contrast, either.
-
Hard News: The Next Labour Leader, in reply to Russell Brown,
I think he rather surprised himself when that came out of his mouth.
And probably quite a few people associated with parties other than the NZ Communist Party (if such a beast even still exists). It's a great threat, to be sure, but probably not realistic.
I want Labour to be trumpeting from the rooftops National's pledge to sell at any price. Remind the public that every dollar we don't get from the asset sales is a dollar that must be borrowed, and it's irresponsible economic management to do anything less than hold out for a better market. It's not like the dividends will stop just because the assets might be sold in the future.
-
Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to BenWilson,
MMP is not out of woods yet. Those are advance votes only
Bugger, they are too. However, if what's been said about advance votes favouring National is true, it's encouraging for the outcome of the votes cast today.
-
MMP is safe, but I'm rather disturbed at the whacking great percentage of votes to FPP as the second choice. Thank fuck MMP has an outright majority.
Really, really disappointed at how this election has panned out. The Greens will have no power, and the parties that Key will be able to drag together to form a government all support asset sales. And looking at the results, this really is Labour's 2002. At this point, Australia is somewhat appealing. Shame Europe's so financially fucked, because I could totally live in Austria or Germany.
-
Hard News: Last Words, in reply to tussock,
could rattle though a quick change to a less proportional electoral system and keep it that way
umm, no, not quite. Thankfully. A change to the method of voting (which provides for two ticks) requires a 75% majority in the House.