Posts by Idiot Savant
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Key is a woofter for not denouncing him
Can you spare us the homophobia please?
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The mere thought of Gerry Brownlee 'suggesting' a course of action is a true worry.
Particularly given that he has dictatorial power under the Canterbury Enabling Act.
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The thing that has struck me about this debate though is how BRAINWASHED by neo-liberal orthodoxy large parts of the population has become, where the efficiency of the tax system and purity of the economic model is now the dominant consideration in thinking about taxation.
I plead guilty. But then I got better.
(This doesn't just apply to GST, BTW. Look at our response to climate change. Or the way "regulation" is a dirty word when it comes to energy efficiency. The Revolution has colonised our brains, and its not just policymakers who are the victims, but ordinary people as well. And the inability to even entertain that there might be a different way of doing things is a real problem).
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But assuming it is passed on in its entirety to consumers – not a given – a 15% move in fruit and vegetable prices is insignificant in comparison to the seasonal movement in prices, or even the gap between different outlets at any time of year.
The same could be argued about the ETS and petrol prices (its certainly much smaller than long-term swings). And yet no-one doubts its efficacy.
Small changes in price add up and shift behaviour. That's how markets work.
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under FPP only those who live in marginal electorates have votes that effect the outcome
And just to stress how important this is: the Royal Commission on the Electoral System found that the 1978 election hinged on 722 voters in 7 marginal seats, and the 1981 election on 154 voters in 3 seats. Everyone else was largely irrelevant.
Under MMP, everyone's vote counts. Under FPP, only a few votes do. And this makes a real difference in political behaviour. Under MMP, politicians have to try and appeal to all of us (or at least enough of us). Under FPP, they can just focus on swing voters in key marginals and tell the rest of us to go fuck ourselves. And in plurality jurisdictions, they do. A lot of Australian policy - the racism, the homophobia, the failure to act on climate change - can be explained by parties pandering to religious bigot swing voters in marginal suburban seats.
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Oh, the irony of turning the MMP-revanchist's argument on themselves...
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This Alan Bollard was no quiet authority figure working through the crisis, but rather a screaming, ranting madman who resorted to violence (of the armed and unarmed variety) whenever he did not get his own way. It was more like a cross between Japanese manga comics and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas than a boys-own annual.
Hmmm. Is namechecking of manga and Fear and Loathing a sign that Dr Bollard has a wild side after all?
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The suppression order has been lifted, and the Herald has all the squalid details here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10673912
Best bit:
Garrett asked to keep his identity secret to "maintain his reputation".
A hypocrite as well as an arsehole.
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Actually, I disagree. It should be valid, it's bloody tragedy it's not.
Respect for power is a weapon politicians use against us. It allows them to get away with things, as seen here. Remove the respect, remove the weapon.
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Because Garrett was an MP, someone she thought she should respect
That's a toxic meme we'd be well rid of.