Posts by Rich of Observationz
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Polity: Meet the middle, in reply to simon g,
Clark/Cullen/Simpson were very good at politics, the current/recent lot aren’t
Not entirely randomly.
Firstly, Helen Clark (after the fashion of several other strong leaders) promoted uselessness in order to buttress her own position as PM. Michael Cullen was competent, but left when Clark did, the others were on the whole a bunch of no-marks, and are now the only material Labour has.
Secondly, the “centrist” policies of Clark led to a large proportion of committed activists choosing the Greens rather than Labour. Swing voters might *vote* Labour, but they aren’t going to join up and make the party machine work. So the party's been hollowed out, and apart from a few thinking people like Rob, it’s down to time servers and people who are philosophically National but hereditary Labour supporters (like the former Shane Jones).
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Also, what if, despite assurances from Danyl, the NZ Herald and the Chinese Central Committee, #greatfallofchina actually is serious and it leads to our rock star economy drowning in its own vomit.
Suppose BNZ crashes, with contagion spreading to the other banks - no EFTPOS or cash machines, no wages, no way to buy food or fuel.
National propose a 20% haircut on deposits and an austerity programme to provide bailout funds, with the banks staying in the hands of their Aussie shareholders.
Does Labour:
a. argue for maybe an 18% haircut and a slightly more lenient austerity programme.
b. demand that the banksters give the money back, with an immediate wealth tax on property holdings over $1mln to pay for bank nationalisation -
Around a third of New Zealand’s population are leftists. Same for right-wingers
A third of NZers vote Labour because their mum did. A third of NZers vote National because their dad did. About 5% are "interested in politics" to any degree.
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We’re learning more about every voter before we make contact
Nín hǎo Mr Lee! So, you brought your family here to take advantage of New Zealand's growing economy and 100% pure branding?
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Meanwhile, the #greatfallofchina seems to be gaining pace: over 8% down today - I wonder if the market propping cash has run out, or the government has just given up on it.
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I'm not an expert, but possibly the legal requirements vary if one is considering an existing structure or a new build, as it would be unreasonable to retrofit all existing bridges.
Only one incident in recent years is out of kilter with the 2009 figure of 27 in three months - unless it was all the one person and they're in jail now?
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Hard News: The Sky Trench, in reply to Russell Brown,
I imagine there'd be a risk assessment - is road design covered by H&S legislation nowadays? Maybe the number of incidents in an area has a bearing. But one could envisage a barrier that was less obvious - you could have it under the bridge, or a net over the road?
(or a cop on a nearby roof with a rifle to slot any scallies in the head before they throw their rocks - that's how they do it in the US)
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people throwing objects off the bridge onto the motorway below (which they clearly will not)
Sez here there were 27 incidents in one three month period:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/52460/fences-to-stop-objects-being-thrown-on-motorways
and hence fences are now a standard. -
You have to live here for two years to get permanent residence now (previously, you got 'permanent' residence immediately, but it could expire if you left the country for an extended time before two years were up).
The permanent residence system is important for migrants from countries like the Netherlands and India, who aren't allowed dual nationality by their birth country.
We know the Aussies are a bunch of racist dicks, we shouldn't drag ourselves down to their level.
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Polity: In defence of the centre, in reply to ,
People in government and politics (and the management levels of most/all large companies) generally don't have a clue about technology, they just hear about something and latch on to it: "3D printing matter transmutation! Rockets to space! Jet packs!"
Consequently, governments can't and shouldn't try and pick winners. They should just provide appropriate economic settings and let people get on with it from the bottom up.