She's a bit of a heifer - But I think I love Paula Bennett

[mashman]

Other that she reared a son who was as dodgy as she was. Mark Thacher was investigated in 1988 for loan sharking, a racketeering case in Texas was settle out of court. In 2004 the Cape town High court sentanced Thatcher to a four year suspended jail sentance.

Did you find out why? dodgy doesn't quite cover it if it's true... google "sir mark thatcher overthrow Equatorial Guinea", yes, Sir Mark Thatcher... go figure...

[Robert Taylor]

I am somewhat surprised you should say so, given that the two were such very different people and had such different political views. Both brilliant to be sure, but in very different ways, a sort of latter day Canning-Castlereagh contrast.

Mr Powell was a most interesting person.

And an extremely intelligent and highly educated man

[MadDuck]

It is just plain stupid to allow overseas investors establish a competitive dairy company in our own country. Madness…………….


Skyryder

Ok so I cant be bothered reading all the posts on this. But here we go. A Kiwi couldnt make it work - he got greedy and over stretched himself. Bled the farms dry. Went into receivership. So how many Kiwis out there could afford to keep these farms running as viable investments? So let the land die and rot? Give it back to the Maoris? Then we can farm gorse?

This situation has not come about because of the Gummint. It was mismanagement by the owners of the property. Now you want gummint intervention?

[Ixion]

And an extremely intelligent and highly educated man

Both insurmountable disqualifications for high political office

[Robert Taylor]

Both insurmountable disqualifications for high political office

I fear you are correct

[MisterD]

Well that is debatable. Why on earth would we allow Chinese investors establish a dairy company in our own back yard to compete directly with a NZ owned company on the international market If this is your idea of Nationals better business sense then God help us.

Property rights mate. They're privately owned entities and the Chinese have offered to buy - it's down to the overseas investment board to make the call from here unless the Governement trample over the top for political gain like Cullen did over Auckland airport - and there's your indication of Labour's lack of business nous.

[Scorp]

Here's your shortage of jobs right here

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd...9D5/0/1093.pdf

Many of these jobs have been in shortage mode thru a succession of governments, and what have any of them done about it?

"Oh we can get a fully qualified one of them from [insert favourite immigrant group homeland here], meanwhile the kiddies should be happy with a level 2 certificate in hairdresser floor sweeping, and maybe a concert in the newly created youth park. Maybe we should also introduce a level 1 skateboard repair course too, because there might be a future in that one day. Half of those other ones we'll send to boot camp, and the rest can go on a twilight golf which will instill in them leadership abilities and a strong work ethic.

Those students that manage to climb their way out of this mire of mediocrity and get themselves educated, trained and employed then realise that for a young kiwi with those skills the world truly is their oyster, and either head off overseas, or find themselves taxed into oblivion at an early age.

By this time the people imported to fill the skills gap have also realised that coming to NZ for a few years is a handy way to get into Australia, that you just don't read about on immigration NZ web site.

Or they say "Sod this for a game of soldiers" and get out of their high stress industry and become twilight golf instructors.

The govt changes, twilight golf is ridiculed by the media, is thrown out, and all of the unemployed skateboard techs, baristas and twilight golfers are put to work building cycle tracks so that the new wave of imported skills shortage employees have something to do on their days off.

Precisely. Just one more reason Paula Bennett's scheme should be seen by National voters for the smoke and mirrors trick it really is.

[Scorp]

Im totally unrepentant in my praise for Maggie and totally reject your sanctimoious left wing crap.

Who's? Not mine I hope. My sanctimonious crap is not left wing. It's trying to bail out of the plane altogether, but it can't find a parachute.

Lets go a stage further, the rot in Britain could have been arrested some 15 or so years earlier if Enoch Powell had become Priminister.

Highly unlikely. Rhetoric and made up stories may have attracted mindless voters to the stump, but they would not have been enough to actually get policy through Parliament. There's a big difference between being a good Parliamentarian and being a good PM.

Well Im unashamedly hoping that the National party is in power for a good number of years, at least theyve got more business sense.

A hope based on the assumption that 'business sense' makes a politician more able to run a country. I guess if you want New Zealand run in a way that benefits the shareholders with the greatest financial interests in NZ industry, then business sense matters. But if you want a New Zealand that's run in a way that benefits the actual NZ public, then there are other criteria much more important than business sense.

And I will vote as I did at the last referendum, for FPP. If that is an option.

Interesting. Is this because you actually like the way the country swings from right to left and left to right every few years?

FPP means that the balance of power is controlled by a vacillating minority of the population who can't make their mind up who they like most of the time then plump for the guy they think is edging it three weeks before election. It actually disenfranchises people like you who have genuine political convictions.

[avgas]

Precisely. Just one more reason Paula Bennett's scheme should be seen by National voters for the smoke and mirrors trick it really is.

Huh?
Explain that to me? Are you saying that there are smoke and mirrors due to being no work, then you have been shown a shortage list?
I don't vote national, but I am still confused but how you think Paula is trying to pull sheets over the publics eyes with this. What is she hiding?
It all seemed very clear cut to me.

[Smifffy]

Huh?
Explain that to me? Are you saying that there are smoke and mirrors due to being no work, then you have been shown a shortage list?
I don't vote national, but I am still confused but how you think Paula is trying to pull sheets over the publics eyes with this. What is she hiding?
It all seemed very clear cut to me.

It's called not letting the facts get in the way of a good story.

[Scorp]

Huh?
Explain that to me? Are you saying that there are smoke and mirrors due to being no work, then you have been shown a shortage list?
I don't vote national, but I am still confused but how you think Paula is trying to pull sheets over the publics eyes with this. What is she hiding?
It all seemed very clear cut to me.

What Smiffy said.

NZ has a constant shortage of high level skills, and at the same time a large number of unemployed people who do not have those skills. It has been that way for a long time, and will likely continue that way for a long time. Nothing fundamental changes - despite National and/or Labour policy.

Paula Bennett's new proposal won't actually change anything either. She plans to spend $88 mill now to save a possible $10mill a year - if the scheme works. Which it most likely won't. It may catch a few bludgers out, but the admin costs of finding them is going to outweigh the financial benefits to the tax payer in stopping their dole. However, it gives National voters the impression that they're doing something about bludgers, because National voters hate bludgers.

[mashman]

I was plumping for: It's a vote pleaser and as it's the bludgers that suffer, who gives a shit... type of smoke and mirrors... they know this is a popularist policy, just look around KB. What's wrong with Leaving the bludgers to it and upping the Top Tax Levy threshold from $106,000 to just $1.70 for every dollar earned?... seems rediculous to have a Top band just stop... I thought we were collecting taxes for the benefit of us all? Sorry, that'd be taking money for taxation purposes from people who can actually afford it... Hence, yet another bullshit vote winner with no real outcome other than kickking mankind when it's down...

[Winston001]

Why on earth would we allow Chinese investors establish a dairy company in our own back yard to compete directly with a NZ owned company on the international market?

Agreed but we already have the 100% Russian owned NZ Dairies Ltd operating milk plants in New Zealand in competition with Fonterra. That was permitted under Labour to answer the objections of farmers to prevent Fonterra having a monopoly.

I too am uneasy at foreign ownership of our land but if NZers have the right to invest in other countries - which we do - then it's hard to argue against investors coming here. The thing with land is it can't be removed. Certainly the profits go overseas but the land always remains.

NZ has little to fear because our land is expensive internationally. What is happening is the Chinese, the Indians, the Saudis, and others are buying or leasing huge tracts of Africa for farming. Ethiopia with 80 million people, many currently starving, is exporting food to Saudi Arabia from a vast Saudi owned farm. Funny old world we live in......

But then it was not that long ago we sold kiwi fruit cuttings and stocks to the Chinese......

Skyryder

Yes and to Israel and other countries. Plus beef and dairy breeds. I could never figure that out. Why would you sell hard won advantages which took decades to breed or develop to......competitors??

[Winston001]

Paula Bennett's new proposal won't actually change anything either. She plans to spend $88 mill now to save a possible $10mill a year - if the scheme works. Which it most likely won't. It may catch a few bludgers out, but the admin costs of finding them is going to outweigh the financial benefits to the tax payer in stopping their dole. However, it gives National voters the impression that they're doing something about bludgers, because National voters hate bludgers.

I'm inclined to agree although I think Labour voters hate bludgers too. Are there really that many New Zealanders who deliberately subsist on welfare benefits? I think the problem really is that there is a cohort of people at the bottom of the social pyramid who don't know anything different. Third generation kids who have grown up in beneficiary families, low self esteem, school failures, and they can't see a place for themselves in our society. The work ethic has gone. If we could identify such families and help them, we'd all be better off.

[mashman]

I think the problem really is that there is a cohort of people at the bottom of the social pyramid who don't know anything different. Third generation kids who have grown up in beneficiary families, low self esteem, school failures, and they can't see a place for themselves in our society. The work ethic has gone. If we could identify such families and help them, we'd all be better off.

There is no such thing as a social pyramid. Unless of course you are really classifying and pyramidifying people against the amount of money they have? Oh and whilst we're at it. Did you ever stop to think that the people who aren't working are still happy people and are happy for their life to continue in such a way? It's not all doom and gloom when you have no money ya know... And as for identifying families... that's just patronising.