Posts by dc_red

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  • Island Life: Get over it,

    Re: $2.40. My pick is that when petrol hits the $2/L mark (which it would have already if not for the "strong" NZ Dollar) there will be a tax revolt.

    Given that various duties and levies (and then GST on top) make up a very large proportion of the retail price there is considerable room for a government response to keep prices at what are perceived to be more reasonable levels.

    For what it's worth I predict National will make an election issue of it, and promise to moderate the tax on fuel somewhat.

    It will also promise more spending on roads. More spending than Labour, even.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Phoning a Friend,

    The Wealthy Observer:

    re: Soccer, it was one of the things I left the UK to get away from.

    Plus soccer viewing is by no means as universal an interest as people make out. In my office of 20 people, we had one person who followed the game enough to own a season ticket, maybe two others who watched it on telly and the rest were up for watching big finals and that was all.

    Heh, sounds like soccer-football was about as popular in your office as rugby-football is in mine here in Auckland. But shhhh, don't tell the largely sycophantic union fans in the NZ media.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Phoning a Friend,

    I don't agree with English on a lot of things, but at least you always know where he stands. With Key you simply do not.

    Agreed and agreed.

    In between those two there was Brash. On the one hand, you knew where he stood on most things. He could articulate positions relatively clearly, at least when he felt like it.

    On the other, some of this statements were so extreme and/or strange, you wondered whether he actually believed them.

    Last, Brash sometimes hesitated to take his "principled positions" to their logical conclusion.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Laying Down the Law,

    Yes, but who's the horrible excuse in this instance: the demagogic one, or Burka Bob himself?

    How tightly do the Tauranga citizenry hold their noses when approaching the ballot box?

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Laying Down the Law,

    Funny, in retrospect I always thought the Bolger/NZF coalition was a paragon of virtue when compared with the high farce of Shipley/Mauri Pacific/Random Independents.

    Remember Deborah Morris taping her conversation with Gilbert Myles ... ahh, those were the days.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Laying Down the Law,

    The guy can't be relied upon to choose the right side (whoever that may be) this time.

    Yeah, but can he be relied upon to beat that embarrassing, mustachioed bauble-rubber who currently occupies the Tauranga seat? ;-)

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Don't call it a consensus,

    McCully as Minister of Broadcasting: "Are you now, or have you ever been, a distributor of pamphlets for Judith Tizard?" What an obnoxious little turd.

    He almost lost East Coast Bays in 2002. Is it too much to dream that such an event might come to pass once more?

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: 202.22.18.241,

    I'll take a "real blog" over the New Zealand Herald any day.

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: Don't call it a consensus,

    My dislike for McCully is intense and increasingly visceral. It's not like RB is replacing failed National Party candidate Paul Henry or anything....

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

  • Hard News: 202.22.18.241,

    My favourite instance of excessive and unnecessary use of said quote marks is in a sentence that has been around in various forms for about 15 years. It might still get trotted out on a slow news day, perhaps:

    The drug ecstacy, or "E", is popular with young people at all-night dance parties, known as "raves".

    Oil Patch, Alberta • Since Nov 2006 • 706 posts Report

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