tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59117772011-04-22T05:41:21.970+12:00Canary in the MineSpotting items and trends of importance (because you don't have time to go looking for them all yourself).Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comBlogger4941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1135242549878560922005-12-22T22:07:00.000+13:002005-12-22T22:09:09.893+13:00This will probably be my last posting for 2005. (I'm now officially on holiday!) I hope you find time for some reflection amidst the busyness of Christmas, and look forward to a fascinating 2006.Blessings, John.................................'After growing 25 per cent since 1999 against an OECD average of only 16 per cent, the New Zealand economy may be about to enter heavier waters,' Finance Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1134374290784424872005-12-12T20:54:00.000+13:002005-12-12T20:58:10.800+13:00Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters ended a series of meetings in Malaysia optimistic about the road ahead for a grouping of Asian powers that could one day rival the European Union. Leaders from the 10 Asean countries - plus Japan, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and India - are meeting in Kuala Lumpur for the East Asia Summit, the first time they have got together to talk about Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1134109819953571612005-12-09T19:28:00.000+13:002005-12-09T19:30:19.966+13:00The government seems to be blind to the inherent incompatibility of its economic and social policies. A report from the New Zealand Institute this week points out that exports currently make up only 29% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is well below international standards, even for other small countries. The Institute says we will have to substantially lift our game if we are to Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1133839897346181762005-12-06T16:28:00.000+13:002005-12-06T16:31:37.360+13:00In the UK, David Cameron will be declared the next Tory leader on Tuesday after winning twice as many votes among party members as his rival David Davis, according to a YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph."A proposal to pay women in Italy not to have abortions is rapidly gaining momentum as politicians of right and left alike give it their endorsement. The scheme - put forward by the left - comesHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1133405024699854002005-12-01T15:32:00.000+13:002005-12-01T15:43:44.723+13:00"The First Law of Holes says "stop digging". It applies, universally, to anyone who's in a hole. And Dr Alan Bollard, Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand certainly is in a hole." This piece from Keith Rankin is a very easily understood analysis of the current (and near future) state of the economy, and as close to essential reading as I have seen recently. He explains clearly the Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1133242689940296372005-11-29T18:37:00.000+13:002005-11-29T18:38:09.940+13:00I have just started a new job. Until I see how my day pans out, it is likely that postings to Canary will be a little less frequent. Keep coming back, though.Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1133242621286152102005-11-29T18:33:00.000+13:002005-11-29T18:37:01.303+13:00Air New Zealand and Qantas have declared that men are not safe to be near children. They banned men from sitting next to unaccompanied children on flights, sparking accusations of discrimination.Australian Treasurer Peter Costello said he plans to delete 2100 pages, or 30 per cent, of tax law in the biggest simplification of the country's tax code. "This is a major reform to Australia's tax Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1132808861714413592005-11-24T18:03:00.000+13:002005-11-24T18:07:41.733+13:00I've started a new job this week, which has slowed me down a bit. However, I hope to keep posting as time permits (maybe on a slightly reduced basis). Here are some of the gleanings from this week:An inquest into the suicide of a high-profile right-to-die campaigner has ended with a coroner calling for national debate on euthanasia. Nelson Coroner Ian Smith yesterday ruled Ralph Vincent had died Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1132284892859254712005-11-18T16:30:00.000+13:002005-11-18T16:34:52.880+13:00New Zealand children are not as street-smart as they once were – thanks to over-protective parents, a new study shows. Over-protective parents were to blame for the "massive" decline in children's freedom over the past 20 years, University of New South Wales geographer Dr Paul Tranter told The Press yesterday. Their restricted environment had created a generation of obese, tense, unhealthy adultsHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1132022995395817892005-11-15T15:46:00.000+13:002005-11-15T15:50:11.100+13:00Helen Clark seems to be intent on making sure that the United States stays cool towards New Zealand. Her new foreign minister, Winston Peters, raised hopes a week or two back that there might be the chance for new dialogue between our two countries. But the Prime Minister has dashed that hope. "They came in buses to the small village of Sangla Hill in the Nankana district of Punjab in Pakistan. Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1131940147273564662005-11-14T16:47:00.000+13:002005-11-14T16:49:07.293+13:00Perhaps mindful of the French example, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has refused to back a multicultural Australia, saying he preferred a cohesive, integrated society. Asked if he liked the word "multiculturalism", Mr Howard said: "No, not particularly. Different people have different versions of what it means. I'm in favour of drawing people from everywhere and when they come to this Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1131599833511803642005-11-10T18:13:00.000+13:002005-11-10T18:17:13.530+13:00Finance Minister Michael Cullen denies a National claim that the Government appears to be preparing the ground to impose a capital gains tax on investment properties. This week Dr Cullen confirmed he had asked Treasury to consider what options were available to slow down the economy, and National finance spokesman John Key said it was clear he "wants to pour cold water on the Kiwi love affair Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1131504748659476702005-11-09T15:45:00.000+13:002005-11-09T15:52:28.673+13:00Thoughts about God, deep personal convictions and social values -- it does a body good. Literally. "Reflecting on meaningful values provides biological and psychological protection from the adverse effects of stress," states a report released yesterday by psychologists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).Is alien abduction real — or a creation of Hollywood? [Hint: the first Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1131427408148595872005-11-08T18:20:00.000+13:002005-11-08T18:23:28.160+13:00A Bill attempting to ensure marriage in NZ is only between a man and a woman is back on the Parliamentary table. The Marriage (Gender Clarification) Bill was put forward earlier this year by United Future's Larry Baldock, but he withdrew it before the Election after time ran out for adequate debate, and because he was unsure it could get the numbers. The Bill's now been picked up by UF No. 3 Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1131336912485553662005-11-07T17:13:00.000+13:002005-11-07T17:15:12.500+13:00"Calm down": that's the advice of Stratfor & Investors, an organisation well-known for strategic planning, regarding the Asian bird flu threat. "Now let us qualify that: Since December 2003, the H5N1 bird flu virus -- which has caused all the ruckus -- has been responsible for the documented infection of 121 people, 91 one of whom caught the virus in Vietnam. In all cases where information on theHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1130902138397270022005-11-02T16:26:00.000+13:002005-11-02T16:28:58.413+13:00The Ombudsmen's Annual Report has lashed the Government for its suppression of official information, with the Dominion Post labelling it as subverting democracy. The report says: "We feel that holders of official information need to be reminded that by denying citizens access to information they are in fact denying those same citizens their right to participate in democratic processes."Further toHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1130745701053294402005-10-31T20:57:00.000+13:002005-10-31T21:01:41.070+13:00A larger than usual briefing today, because of several days away last week. Apologies if some is a bit passe now.Proposed new Australian laws to punish sedition are raising a storm across the Tasman. The proposals appear to go further than either the USA or UK. For instance, it is suggested that anyone speaking against Australia from overseas is liable to prosecution. The legislation's final Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1130211379985113212005-10-25T16:32:00.000+13:002005-10-25T16:36:19.996+13:00The New Zealand dollar is at an unsustainable level and may fall sharply in the face of a ballooning current account deficit and slowing economy, Finance Minister Michael Cullen says.David Blunkett says he believes one million of Britain's 2.7 million incapacity benefit claimants are capable of work - and can be coaxed out of welfare by greater benefits alongside their salaries. The Work & Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129864434417120802005-10-21T16:09:00.000+13:002005-10-21T16:13:54.426+13:00"With Labour back, the financial community has to take more seriously the bevy of policy pronouncements served up just prior to the election campaign. That’s a nuisance, because a change of government would have seen the sillier of Michael Cullen’s intentions, simply trashed," says Gareth Morgan. "The government is so busy rearranging the chairs on the deck of the ship of savings and investment, Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129781884612344162005-10-20T17:15:00.000+13:002005-10-20T17:18:04.643+13:00It appears that attempts by the government to violate the property rights of landowners is off the agenda. "Federated Farmers has welcomed some key policy announcements by the new government. The good news is that the government has finally abandoned the legislated right to impose access over private land. It will instead pursue non-statutory proposals that will involve negotiation with land Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129606739317360852005-10-18T16:36:00.000+13:002005-10-18T16:38:59.326+13:00A new school of parenting is arising that is bringing back boundaries, standards and discipline. A permissively raised "me" generation that was brought up to think only of itself is bringing back the rule book now that it has children of its own. Maggie Mamen, a Canadian psychologist exhorts parents to "believe in the importance of the family with its traditions and rituals".Parents who worry Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129521360141874692005-10-17T16:41:00.000+13:002005-10-17T16:56:00.150+13:00Spiralling personal debt is not just a problem in New Zealand. The average US household now has $8,600 of credit card debt. However, there are ways to get you and your family out of the trap.New Zealand will not be able to cut greenhouse gases without severe economic hardship, says a report that calls for carbon taxes to be dropped. The report, written by economist Alex Sundakov of consultancy Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129256386351890612005-10-14T15:15:00.000+13:002005-10-14T15:19:46.360+13:00UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last night sensationally vowed to end the tradition of being presumed innocent until found guilty. The PM pledged to turn the nation’s criminal justice system on its head and hand police sweeping new powers. He promised fixed penalty notices for ANY crime — forcing suspects to prove their innocence in court. Mr Blair admitted it was a “watershed” moment in legal Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129087415154460852005-10-12T16:19:00.000+13:002005-10-12T16:23:35.163+13:00More than one pupil in every 10 is absent from school each day, research released by the Ministry of Education shows. The survey showed overall absence of 11 per cent, including a truancy rate of 3 per cent. Absences for boys and girls were similar but boys at co-educational schools had a higher overall absence rate than their counterparts in single sex schools. Maori and Pacific Islands studentsHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1129000255544441412005-10-11T16:06:00.000+13:002005-10-11T16:11:51.356+13:00I did something perverse today - I followed instructions.The full-page advert on the back page of this week's Listener said "Don't read this advertisement". So I didn't. No doubt the advertiser had hoped that my curiosity would be sufficiently piqued that I would take a tiny peek out of the corner of my eye (while no-one was watching). But I didn't. And so I can't even tell you who the advertiserHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1128913374575051562005-10-10T15:58:00.000+13:002005-10-10T16:02:54.586+13:00Read the following and weep at what is likely to happen in a very confused school near you any time now: "Toilets and changing rooms are reported to be one of the main areas of abuse, harassment, intimidation and discomfort for gay, transgender, lesbian, intersex and bisexual students. All students must be able to access a single unisex cubicle to avoid such harassment. GLBTI students must be Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1128651618389269572005-10-07T15:16:00.000+13:002005-10-07T15:20:18.396+13:00Tasmania's Attorney-General Judy Jackson has given notice to operators of brothels that they will be closed down by police. And she says people who continue to run them will face a $50,000 fine and a five-year jail term. Ms Jackson has abandoned proposed laws that would have legalised brothels because they were not supported in the Legislative Council.Meanwhile, the mayor of Amsterdam has for theHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1128544340161398312005-10-06T09:29:00.000+13:002005-10-06T09:32:20.170+13:00Toddlers who are looked after by their mothers do significantly better in developmental tests than those cared for by nurseries, childminders or relatives, according to a new study. The findings will show that those given nursery care fared worst. They exhibited higher levels of aggression and were inclined to become more compliant, withdrawn or sad. Those looked after by grandparents and other Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1128397005653306382005-10-04T16:30:00.000+13:002005-10-04T16:36:45.660+13:00The TV1 satire programme "Face Lift" can be very funny at times, as it neatly skewers the politically correct idiocies of our politicians. Last night it left behind the funny and descended into the gutter, when it depicted Green Party leader Jeanette Fitzsimons defacating into a pot plant.The item was utterly gross, the punchline had absolutely no relevance to what had gone before, and the Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1128308936654250852005-10-03T16:06:00.000+13:002005-10-03T16:08:56.663+13:00I have to give the political commentators for getting one thing correct: the special votes did go the way of Labour and the Greens. David Farrar provides the following analysis:Labour: On the night got 40.74%. However got 44.26% of specials to get a final result of 41.10%.National: On the night got 39.63%. However got a dismal 34.47% of specials to get a final result of 39.10%.NZ First: On the Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1128053486942297062005-09-30T16:08:00.000+12:002005-09-30T16:11:26.950+12:00Netherlands Trio Wed: In the Netherlands, a country that already allows same-sex marriage, a polygamous civil union has received official government recognition, sending shockwaves worldwide. Victor de Bruijn (46) from Roosendaal “married” both Bianca (31) and Mirjam (35) in a ceremony before a notary who duly registered their civil union," reported Paul Belien, whose article in the Brussels Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1127971304915233572005-09-29T17:19:00.000+12:002005-09-29T17:21:44.923+12:00A Labour Party decision that there will be no more school closures has been welcomed with applause by teachers union members. Education Minister Trevor Mallard yesterday told the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) that there would be no more centrally planned school re-organisations once the five-year moratorium on school reviews had ended.Eighty school swimming pools are disappearing each Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1127794343916639882005-09-27T16:06:00.000+12:002005-09-27T16:12:23.926+12:00More than 1200 students aged under 16 years have been banned from NZ schools nationwide so far this year because of out-of-control behaviour. Education Ministry figures showed a total of 1205 students had been banned or "excluded" for the year to September 23.Australia's schools are on the verge of a revolution that will end "the Berlin Wall" between the public and private systems and deliver Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1127448088558794502005-09-23T15:52:00.000+12:002005-09-23T16:01:28.573+12:00Many commentators have noted that there were two elections on Saturday. The provincial hinterland voted National; ie they voted for a change of government. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Palmerston North voted for no change. There is a simple reason for this. About 45% of New Zealand workers earn their living in the tradeable sector of the national economy. The remaining 55% Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1127104959471572072005-09-19T16:39:00.000+12:002005-09-19T16:42:39.483+12:00The opinion polls before the election didn't get it very right, did they!Only one company (TNS, contracted to TV3) got anywhere near. The others were way off-course, including AC Nielsen who claimed before the day to be the most accurate. It was hard to choose between Herald-DigiPoll, TV1-Colmar Brunton and NBR-Phillip Fox for who was most inaccurate. I feel a bit sorry for NBR - the company theyHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1126756330230104522005-09-15T15:48:00.000+12:002005-09-15T15:52:10.240+12:00The future government of New Zealand could be decided by a handful of voters in Epsom. And it looks seriously like National could win the battle but lose the war. I fear that the following is the likely scenario for Saturday:On current polling, National looks on target to gain the greatest number of party votes (perhaps in the vicinity of 40%), which will give them around 50 seats in Parliament. Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1126670611190770902005-09-14T16:00:00.000+12:002005-09-14T16:03:31.200+12:00Brussels has been given the power to compel British courts to fine or imprison people for breaking EU laws, even if the Government and Parliament are opposed. An unprecedented ruling yesterday by the supreme court in Europe gives Brussels the power to introduce harmonised criminal law across the EU, creating for the first time a body of European criminal law that all member states must adopt. TheHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1126585637712769392005-09-13T16:23:00.000+12:002005-09-13T16:27:17.723+12:00Rodney Hide offers some interesting observations on the reliability of opinion polls: "In no other election have the polls varied so much, National ahead 7%, then Labour 8%, and then neck and neck and now National by 4% depending on whose poll you read. NZ used to be a pollsters paradise. Ask 10 voters in Queen Street and they would give you the same answers as 10 voters in Southland. We are now Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1126500451985958362005-09-12T16:44:00.000+12:002005-09-12T16:47:31.996+12:00In the midst of the babble of election campaigning, it's very refreshing to hear a politician stand back and take a longer view. I feel Marc Alexander's comments this week well worth passing on:"Did the last three years contribute to or curtail our progress as a nation? The economists tell us we are better off. But life is more than hands exchanging wads of cash. It’s more than products and Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1126170657935551132005-09-08T21:07:00.000+12:002005-09-08T21:10:57.946+12:00People who are undecided or unlikely to vote in this year's election could yet make a monkey of the political opinion polls, a Massey University expert says. Marketing lecturer Janet Hoek says these are the two critical things that the polls do not tell us but are the very things that could decide who wins on September 17. The undecideds, she said, could be genuinely undecided, just plain not Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1125979182684448832005-09-06T15:55:00.000+12:002005-09-07T16:27:07.096+12:00What kind of city will the new New Orleans be, when it is rebuilt. Because the old New Orleans is no more, it could resurrect itself as the great new American city of the 21st century. Or as an impoverished tourist trap. Founded by the French in 1718, site of the first US mint in the Western United States, this one-time pride of the South, this one-time queen of the Gulf Coast, had been decliningHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1125634455238710172005-09-02T16:08:00.000+12:002005-09-02T16:14:15.246+12:00The worst has happened in New Orleans and not everyone is surprised. For years, specialists warned that the city, built partly below sea level in an area of radically depleted wetlands, was a disaster waiting to happen. When it did, they said, we could only blame ourselves. That the Crescent City is where it is does not make sense in the first place. But the first European settlers, in 1718, madeHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1125547396939123452005-09-01T15:57:00.000+12:002005-09-01T16:03:16.950+12:00A website that lets you see how each MP voted on conscience issues is available at http://votes.wotfun.com/ You can also compare a particular MP against others on various issues. You might be surprised to find that Peter Dunne voted against his party colleagues on many issues, and in fact looked a lot more like a Labour MP than the leader of a supposed family-friendly centrist party.Many members Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1125371086042639842005-08-30T14:54:00.000+12:002005-08-30T15:04:46.053+12:00The Australian government has told immigrants that people thinking of coming to Australia who did not like Australian values and preferred a society that practised sharia law should go elsewhere. A day after a Prime Ministerial summit with Muslim leaders, the Government stepped up its push to get "Australian values" — epitomised, it says, by the Anzac story of Simpson and his donkey — taught Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124859080034031852005-08-24T16:46:00.000+12:002005-08-24T16:51:20.046+12:00Are There Any Good Arguments Against Cutting Income Taxes? Sinclair Davidson, of Australia's Centre for Independent Studies, looks at four key arguments used by opponents of lower taxation, and finds they are misleading or contestable. He finds that in a sharply ‘progressive’ tax system like ours, higher income earners pay much more than their fair share in taxation. Not only this, but cuts in Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124768997449134202005-08-23T15:44:00.000+12:002005-08-23T15:49:57.456+12:00What's going on with NZ First? Its party list, released today, will put six sitting MPs out of Parliament if the party scores around its current polling percentage in the Election. Newcomer Susan Baragwanath (wife of High Court judge David Baragwanath) was one to be placed ahead of several sitting MPs.A new poll reveals that almost three quarters of the British public believe it is right to give Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124685729355367252005-08-22T16:32:00.000+12:002005-08-22T16:42:09.366+12:00National leader Don Brash today unveiled a major restructuring of the tax system, providing tax relief and targeted family assistance worth about $3.9 billion by the third year.It took National a while to get their calculator up and running on the web, but it's now online at www.taxcuts.co.nz If you want to compare Labour's proposals, their calculator is here. No doubt Labour and the Greens will Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124419681599231852005-08-19T14:42:00.000+12:002005-08-19T14:48:01.610+12:00New Zealand could be faced with tough new anti-terror laws as officials eye crackdowns in Britain and Australia. The country's top counter-terror policeman, Assistant Commissioner Jon White, said new security laws planned overseas were being monitored, with the tolerance for people who incite terror winding back since last month's London bombings. He said New Zealanders may need to debate at someHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124340694005807732005-08-18T16:47:00.000+12:002005-08-18T16:51:34.013+12:00I am trying hard to pick my jaw up off the floor. For months Michael Cullen has been telling us that there is no money for tax cuts, and National will have to cut spending on health, education and the like to fund them. Suddenly, Helen Clark blithely announces that Labour will provide tax relief to 60,000 more working families from April next year. The sheer audacity of this takes the breath awayHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124252566435686542005-08-17T16:14:00.000+12:002005-08-17T16:22:46.446+12:00In this topsy-turvy world, many voters are looking for a clear moral standard, says the NZ Herald. They want a law which defines what is right and wrong and sets out a process by which wrongdoers can accept responsibility for their actions, apologise and make restitution to those they harmed.Veteran BBC newsreader Michael Buerk has complained that "almost all the big jobs in broadcasting [are] Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1124078074881831262005-08-15T15:46:00.000+12:002005-08-15T15:54:34.893+12:00You can almost guarantee this will happen in New Zealand, too, before long. A lesbian couple are launching a High Court battle to get same-sex marriages legally recognised in Britain. Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson were married while living in Canada in 2003 and now want a legal declaration of the validity of their union in the UK. Kiwi couples are avoiding making "till death do us part" Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1123811768529195112005-08-12T13:51:00.000+12:002005-08-12T13:56:08.536+12:00I missed this speech at the time, but I highlight it because of its importance. In an address entitled "Four million people in search of an idea", journalist and commentator Colin James explored the forces that he currently sees shaping the complexion and reflexes of New Zealand. James has summarised this era as two revolutions - the bi-cultural revolution (or as he calls it the 'reindigenisationHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1123559336261048422005-08-09T15:45:00.000+12:002005-08-09T15:48:56.270+12:00Nearly 40 per cent of school principals are highly stressed and about the same number are spending more than 65 hours a week on the job, a new survey shows. Results of a survey by the New Zealand Principals' Federation carried out at the end of June showed while over 80 per cent of the 1500 principals surveyed said they still got satisfaction from their job, many were suffering as a result of Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1123472109567609672005-08-08T15:26:00.000+12:002005-08-08T16:19:02.430+12:00Prime Television has axed the nightly Holmes current affairs programme, saying it will air for the final time tonight at 6pm.Was David Lange one of New Zealand's greatest prime ministers, as the Sunday Star-Times claims?To me, he comes across as a sad - and now lonely - individual. He left behind his Methodist upbringing and rejected any coherent basis for morality. He left behind his wife, Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1123213984425772212005-08-05T15:47:00.000+12:002005-08-05T15:53:04.433+12:00Police have held a crisis recruitment meeting after concerns that intake numbers are down 50 per cent and officers are leaving faster than can be replaced, the Police Association said today. This doesn't square with Police Minister George Hawkins assurances only a week ago that there was no problem. So who's right?An inquiry into problems with secondary school exams blames unstable leadership andHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1123040891416495142005-08-03T15:44:00.000+12:002005-08-03T15:48:11.426+12:00A report into NCEA, due to be released tomorrow, is expected to bring changes to the secondary school assessment system. Officials at the State Services Commission have refused to reveal details of the report, but the NZ Herald understands it will prompt Education and State Services Minister Trevor Mallard into a series of alterations to improve standards-based assessment. A source told the Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122958391846401172005-08-02T16:49:00.000+12:002005-08-02T16:53:11.856+12:00Muslims must stop the self-deception which claims that Islam is 100% peace. They must with honesty recognise the violence that has existed in their history in the same way as Christians have had to do, says Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, Director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity. This piece is an extensive analysis of what lies behind the current bombing campaigns in Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122867894899172212005-08-01T15:37:00.000+12:002005-08-01T15:44:54.910+12:00The NZ Medical Association has decided to continue its official opposition to euthanasia, despite its UK counterpart caving in. “The NZMA concurs with the policy of the World Medical Association which opposes euthanasia,” says NZMA chairman, Dr Ross Boswell.An Auckland clinic has been given the go-ahead to begin screening embryos for parents wanting to give birth to babies without genetic Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122609892716406542005-07-29T16:02:00.000+12:002005-07-29T16:04:52.726+12:00The High Court has apparently delivered a king hit to brothel bylaws around the country. The court in Christchurch is understood to have come down in favour of a brothel owner who challenged the Christchurch City Council's bylaws restricting brothels to an inner-city zone. If the decision stands, it will effectively allow brothels anywhere in the city. This report is by word of mouth, as the newsHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122523495284472632005-07-28T16:00:00.000+12:002005-07-28T16:05:53.963+12:00The Qualifications Authority has hired an independent evaluator to make sure this year's exam questions do not offend anyone. Education officials defended NCEA exam writing and checking procedures yesterday to an education select committee investigating allegations of political bias in a level 1 history exam last year. The question asked candidates to write as if they were a 1980 National MP not Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122515129477668552005-07-28T13:40:00.000+12:002005-07-28T13:45:29.486+12:00http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3359209a1863,00.htmlHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122440050617236912005-07-27T16:49:00.000+12:002005-07-27T16:54:10.626+12:00This election campaign is going to be no different from those that went before. If you want to read about the dirty tricks that go on behind the scenes in even NZ politics, this article is an eye-opener."In my judgment, few New Zealanders are looking for radical policy change this election," says Helen Clark. Someone should tell her that we weren't looking for it last election, either.The media Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122265135606175892005-07-25T16:12:00.000+12:002005-07-25T16:21:23.340+12:00This is a long extract from an interview with UK Labour MP Frank Field (former Minister for Welfare Reform), but his views on how welfare can be overhauled are an important contribution to the debate. Field is author of a book titled "Neighbours from Hell":"Over a 200-year period in Britain, we marched towards respectability, reaching an apex by the middle of the last century. What sort of peopleHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1122002562167070062005-07-22T15:15:00.000+12:002005-07-22T15:22:42.176+12:00The following extract is from one of the best articles on the question of the new Tolerance that I have read: "Tolerance once meant an attitude of patience and forbearance toward those who failed to live up to social ideals; the new Tolerance means denying the existence of such ideals. Nobody once supposed that tolerance could replace primary virtues such as honesty, fidelity and courage. But Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121911690329673632005-07-21T14:03:00.000+12:002005-07-21T14:08:10.336+12:00One of the richest countries in Africa only five years ago, Zimbabwe is now almost totally bankrupt. Zimbabwe's currency has been so debased by inflation that it has become virtually worthless. Total government spending in 2002 was budgeted at $Z5 billion. Today, that money would fill a mere 10 supermarket trolleys with groceries. Inflation hit 164 per cent last month. Economists predict that it Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121746697899343292005-07-19T16:15:00.000+12:002005-07-19T16:18:17.910+12:00Parents are asking Bay of Plenty primary and intermediate schools to put their children in male-taught classrooms amid fears they are missing out on positive male role models. Education Ministry figures show there are just 355 male primary and intermediate school teachers in the Bay of Plenty compared with 1464 female - meaning males are outnumbered four to one.Political scientists at Massey Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121662434473250492005-07-18T16:52:00.000+12:002005-07-18T16:53:54.480+12:00Megashift is the title of a recently-published book by American author Jim Rutz. It's hotly debated on TV, and one of Amazon's top sellers. It has also caused controversy in broad swathes of self-contented US Christianity. 'Megashift' is a sharp-minded analysis of current Christianity around the world - What are the main observations?* The 1700-year nightmare is over: the Constantinian Shift is Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121659468718552932005-07-18T16:00:00.000+12:002005-07-18T16:55:20.706+12:00New Zealanders have little appetite for ditching the monarchy and creating a republic, a major new poll shows. The Fairfax-ACNielsen poll showed a large majority of Kiwis would prefer to keep the Queen as head of state than see the country go it alone. Only 27 per cent of those surveyed in the poll taken last week said they thought New Zealand should become a republic, while 63% said it should Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121402932508856572005-07-15T16:47:00.000+12:002005-07-15T16:50:43.310+12:00I don't know who produces this stuff (but I love it!).Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121402822273808692005-07-15T16:43:00.000+12:002005-07-15T16:47:02.283+12:00“How did you feel when you heard that you’d been selected for martyrdom?” I asked. “It’s as if a very high, impenetrable wall separated you from Paradise or Hell,” he said. “Allah has promised one or the other to his creatures. So, by pressing the detonator, you can immediately open the door to Paradise — it is the shortest path to Heaven.” I asked S to describe his preparations for the suicide Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1121056892595182862005-07-11T16:29:00.000+12:002005-07-11T16:41:32.603+12:00The London bombings last week introduced a new dimension to news reporting. Most of the BBC images came from the cellphone cameras of passersby and people caught in the action. They were what one commentator called "witnesses to history". With cellphones almost universal in the western world, reportage may have shifted into a new cultural phase."Midnight. Shelly is getting herself drunk so that Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120795880056835012005-07-08T16:09:00.000+12:002005-07-08T16:11:20.060+12:00The following from United Future MP is so important, I had to post it in full:A cautionary tale of misplaced justice…There is an old joke that goes like this: A man who had just been burgled and beaten was found by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist leaned down to the man and asked “Do you know who did this to you? I think he needs my help”.Sadly we recently had a real life example of just such a Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120795504363201792005-07-08T16:00:00.000+12:002005-07-08T16:06:48.113+12:00Now here's a scary thought! Education Minster Trevor Mallard has revealed his political ambitions - he wants to be finance minister. Mr Mallard also summed up much of Labour's policy, telling the children the two most important aspects of the job were helping parents understand what was happening in the classroom and "helping teachers get better so you can learn more". [If that's his level of Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120709335399071652005-07-07T16:04:00.000+12:002005-07-07T16:08:55.410+12:00An education trouble-shooter says schools have become complex businesses and are too complicated for parents to run. Crown-appointed schools manager Peter Macdonald, the statutory manager of Aranui High, is calling for a review of Tomorrow's Schools, the policy implemented in 1989 which handed governance of schools to elected boards of trustees. [Yet another thing that parents can't be trusted Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120625392226792332005-07-06T16:49:00.000+12:002005-07-06T16:49:52.233+12:00On a gloomy midweek day, here's something to lighten the mood: some classic political ripostes from various eras (courtesy of the Not PC Blog, http://pc.blogspot.com/)Winston Peters would have been here, but he’s been delayed by a full-length mirror.- David Lange, in his valedictory speech to parliament.He is undoubtedly living proof that a pig’s bladder on a stick can be elected as a member of Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120540471651502002005-07-05T17:10:00.000+12:002005-07-05T17:14:31.660+12:00Today delivered two very different views on the economy. On the one hand, the economy has won a strong report card from the OECD, which says New Zealand is on track to meet the Government's goal of a return to the top half of the rich nations club. The OECD says the economy has "continued to expand at a vigorous clip". After an expected slowdown this year, medium-term prospects were "bright". On Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120449540141293732005-07-04T15:58:00.000+12:002005-07-04T15:59:00.143+12:00I think the newspapers should run a new "Spot the Ball" competition -- specially for the British Lions!Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120449475358761972005-07-04T15:55:00.000+12:002005-07-04T15:57:55.366+12:00More than 70 per cent of voters want parents to keep the right to use "reasonable force" to punish their children - despite growing support in Parliament for a controversial bill that many see as anti-smacking. The latest Herald-DigiPoll survey shows that 71.2 per cent of voters believe section 59 of the Crimes Act - which gives parents the legal defence of reasonable force - is needed, while 21 Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120191670893206012005-07-01T16:17:00.000+12:002005-07-01T16:21:10.900+12:00The case regarding the female probation officer reprimanded for refusing to bow to Maori protocol has some interesting twists. Josie Bullock says although she has been given a verbal warning, the department seems to have relaxed its approach since she kicked up a fuss about women being required to stand behind men. Ms Bullock said the probation service was a government department and was supposedHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120106167176114532005-06-30T16:30:00.000+12:002005-06-30T16:36:07.183+12:00Labour's backdown yesterday over proposed land-access legislation joins a raft of other issues and potential law changes in Labour's "too hard" basket, including the drinking age, Transpower's new electricity corridor between Hamilton and Auckland, Georgina Beyer's Gender Identity Amendment Bill, vehicle emission-testing rules and use of cellphones while driving, changes to rural school bus Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1120022446547732352005-06-29T17:16:00.000+12:002005-06-29T17:20:46.553+12:00The Government has backed down over plans to increase public access to waterways, saying there is "too much conflict" to introduce the legislation now. Pity it did not apply that logic to some of its other contentious legislation! But then, it wasn't falling behind in the polls then. The next generation's violent criminals can be spotted by the age of about three, Principal Youth Court Judge Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119930621516125892005-06-28T15:44:00.000+12:002005-06-28T15:50:21.530+12:00The latest opinion poll out today confirms that National is now running neck-and-neck with Labour. Enough's been said on the competition between the two not to need my two cents worth. Something that has not been picked up on by the mainstream media, though, is the split between the major and minor parties. The combined support for National and Labour - depending on the poll - is running in the Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119848419098479602005-06-27T16:55:00.000+12:002005-06-27T17:00:19.106+12:00Couples have been slow to take advantage of the introduction of civil unions as a legal alternative to marriage. Five weeks after the relationship-defining status was introduced, only 56 couples - the bulk of them homosexual - have sought civil unions. Only 10 heterosexual couples have been joined in civil unions. "All along we said this was same-sex marriage in all but name," said Amanda McGrailHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119585201715266102005-06-24T15:49:00.000+12:002005-06-24T15:53:21.720+12:00The gap between what we spend and what we earn internationally has widened to Grand Canyon proportions - with the current account deficit for the year to March topping $10 billion for the first time. The annual deficit was pushed to $10.3 billion by the combined effect of weaker export volumes, declining earnings from tourism and bumper profits for foreign-owned companies. Measured against the Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119584944104445962005-06-24T15:46:00.000+12:002005-06-24T15:49:04.113+12:00Deborah Coddington's reflections on prostitutionThere was a good doco on TV last night. Can’t remember the name, or which channel, but it involved stakeouts to catch men trying to buy sex from young girls of 14 or 16. No, this wasn’t in Bangkok, but in Auckland. South Auckland. It’s now illegal to buy sex from anyone under the age of 18, but since the law was changed last year, there have been noHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119500485090858522005-06-23T16:15:00.000+12:002005-06-23T16:23:30.956+12:00There are some baffling contrasts between New Zealand's planned cricket tour of Zimbabwe, and the Springbok Rugby tour of the early 1980s. Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff says the Government has no legal means and would not try to exercise any means through the law to physically prevent New Zealanders from leaving this country. The Springbok tour caused close to civil war on our streets, but Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119331292969139972005-06-21T17:18:00.000+12:002005-06-21T17:21:32.976+12:00Some changes to jury trials are afoot. The Criminal Procedure Bill introduces majority (11 to 1) verdicts in place of unanimous decisions, which will reduce the prospect of hung juries – something that has become more frequent in recent years. "Jurors will only be sequestered in hotels overnight while deliberating in exceptional cases, and although jury tampering or intimidation is not common inHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1119239746828449442005-06-20T15:54:00.000+12:002005-06-20T16:31:06.853+12:00After Michael Jones, Norm Hewitt is now my hero. But all he got was a shiny ball on a stick!!! And it wasn't even the right shape.Lack of free outdoor play is alienating children from nature and contributing to childhood distress, according to a new book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Author Richard Louv, a San Diego journalist, points to diminished Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1118982525125172872005-06-17T16:24:00.000+12:002005-06-17T16:28:45.133+12:00Today was not a day for good news. It's not hard to see a link between these items: The risk of severe droughts capable of crippling farmers and horticulturists could increase fourfold in eastern New Zealand over the next 75 years.Petrol prices have bounded to a record high, lurking just under $1.30 for each litre of standard-grade fuel. Taxpayers will be at least $1 billion worse off under Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1118894468970793832005-06-16T15:57:00.000+12:002005-06-16T16:01:08.980+12:00"In better days our state did not dream of claiming a monopoly on the right to enforce the law," says Stephen Franks. "The right of Citizen's Arrest is written into the Crimes Act, to the embarrassment of the police who keep urging people never to use it. Enforcing the law is a right and was, only a short time ago, a responsibility of every able-bodied person. It is time we challenged that smug Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1118794624691232582005-06-15T12:13:00.000+12:002005-06-15T12:17:04.696+12:00Apparently it is illegal to sell your vote (see yesterday's briefing). According to Morning Report, TradeMe has pulled the auction - it only got one $2 bid anyway. Guess politicians will have to go back to buying votes the way they always have. (There's an interesting parallel with the position that prostitution formerly had in New Zealand: it was legal to buy, but illegal to sell. Some would sayHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1118723154419450372005-06-14T16:20:00.000+12:002005-06-14T16:25:54.426+12:00Helen Clark says if we want to talk about a fixed date for every election, then we should also talk about a four-year government. [Would you want a rampant Labour government to have a four-year term in which to do more damage? Kiwis have already said several times in the past a four-year term is not on.]Meantime, political parties worried about their poll standings have been handed a solution - Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1118637474679674632005-06-13T16:33:00.000+12:002005-06-13T16:37:54.686+12:00Several key election issues were defined at the weekend. National Party leader Don Brash promises that all personal taxation will be cut from next April if National leads the next Government. And issues of property rights and land access are looming to be big this election. Farmers and rural property owners are very uptight about government plans to give the public right of access to waterways, Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1118378569372057182005-06-10T16:35:00.000+12:002005-06-10T16:51:48.566+12:00I apologise for the paucity of posts this week, but computer technical issues prevented me from accessing the blog. Solved now. So here's a recap of the missed items.A ban on smacking children has been thrust onto the election agenda, with MPs already debating whether a proposed law change would make criminals of parents. Green MP Sue Bradford last night insisted that her private member's bill Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1117162895610582762005-05-27T14:58:00.000+12:002005-05-27T15:01:35.616+12:00Judges have been told by Attorney-General Michael Cullen to point out deficiencies in law in their judgments rather than try to change the law through judicial activism. In his first big speech since becoming Attorney-General in February, he reasserted his view of the supremacy of Parliament over the courts, saying that their independence did not give them American-style powers to strike down Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1116996713886038232005-05-25T16:49:00.000+12:002005-05-25T16:51:53.893+12:00Michael Cullen looks niggardly by comparison to his UK counterpart, Gordon Brown. A revolutionary scheme to provide hundreds of thousands of struggling first-time buyers with cheap mortgages funded by taxpayers' money is to be announced this week. Under ambitious plans to turn Britain into a nation of owner-occupiers, Chancellor Gordon Brown will outline a deal struck with lenders under which Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1116910685166243212005-05-24T16:54:00.000+12:002005-05-24T16:58:05.176+12:00Bill Clinton is being seriously touted as a successor to Kofi Annan at the UN. [From one scandal-creator to another!?]UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke says the Government will, if necessary, use the Parliament Act to force through the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill. The legislation will expand the current offence of incitement to racial hatred to include instances where people incite hatred Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1116559379056411522005-05-20T15:14:00.000+12:002005-05-20T15:22:59.100+12:00Wot, not more Budget!? Yep! 'Cos there are a couple of important/interesting points you might have missed.Alex Sundakov says the real issue in Budget expenditure is the quality of spending. This is very similar to the question that corporate boards have to grapple with when they decide whether to pay dividends to shareholders, or retain earnings for investment in the company. The rule is the sameHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1116474375368142482005-05-19T15:42:00.000+12:002005-05-19T15:46:15.376+12:00Personally, I don't think today's Budget will have any appreciable effect on the coming election. Most of the spending will not kick in till well after the election, and come September I suspect people will look at each other and decide nothing much has changed economically. If anything, they will be worse off, because the rise in personal tax thresholds is pathetic, and won't take effect till Hi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911777.post-1116389626271692922005-05-18T16:08:00.000+12:002005-05-18T16:13:46.286+12:00As we approach the Budget tomorrow, it might be worth recalling Gresham's Law: The theory that bad money drives good money out of circulation. [Coined by economist Henry Dunning Macleod in 1858 after Sir Thomas Gresham, a financial advisor to Queen Elizabeth I and founder of the Royal Exchange in London.] It is also worth observing that Albert Jay Nock expanded it to mean that bad ideas, art, etcHi from John.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15897543687013464785noreply@blogger.com