Elections are coming up. What are we thinking?

[mashman]

Don't you get sick of being wrong so much?

The reason most of those places are so fucked up is that they aren't stable capitalist democracies.

Those same places are the only ones bucking the global trend towards higher income equity. You want to disagree with that too? Or have you had enough of being wrong for now?

Careful now, you might want to do some research.



Or not...

Nope.

You're denying the history that you revere so much... but I guess that's because it doesn't suit your argument.

What, you're gonna trot out some stats to back your argument up? What about the 85 richest people of the world holding as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people? See, I can do reported stats too except mine reflect reality for 3.5 billion people.

Why? I can see the results all around me... but by all means deny the reality and roll out some more stats brother.

[mashman]

But what will the tooth fairy leave under kids pillows?

Nothing. The tooth fairy giveth etc...

[mada]

Right. �Nations by unemployment�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...mployment_rate

Every nation with unemployment over 20%:

Comoros, East Timor, Sudan, Serbia, Gabon, Federated States of Micronesia, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Dominica, Nauru, Grenada, Mayotte (France), South Africa, Spain , Greece, Macedonia, Mali, Mauritania, Marshall Islands, Afghanistan, Yemen, Gaza Strip (Palestine), Kiribati, Swaziland, Kenya, Lesotho, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Nepal, Senegal, American Samoa, Namibia, Djibouti , Mozambique, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Zimbabwe.

Does that sound like a hotbed of millionaire driven depravity to you lot?

�Cause it sounds mostly like a list of distinctly squalid places no self-respecting millionaire would be found within a thousand miles of to me.

Take bullshit like Socialist dictatorships like North Korea out of the pointy end of the unemployment stat�s and you�ve got countries like:

Guernsey (United Kingdom), Kuwait, Gibraltar (United Kingdom), Isle of Man, Singapore, Macau (China), Denmark, Liechtenstein, Brunei, Jersey (United Kingdom), Andorra, Malaysia, British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom) and Switzerland.

Mostly places you couldn�t swing a fucking cat without smacking a dozen millionaires around the head, places where the locals wouldn't know what squalor was.

Bit like you lot. Perhaps it's time you revised your world view, 'cause I'd say you've been shown to be comprehensively wrong.

The majority of those "countries" have populations less than fucking Hamilton for christs sake.. Yes lets aspire to be like these tax havens that are major places of activity for shell companies and fronts for money laundering from the profits of organised crime.

Brunei, Kuwait, Malaysia - you fancy their type of "democracy", fuck even Singapore? Hardly comparable to NZ given it sits in major sea trade route. Switzerland and Denmark are about the only two comparable countries to NZ. But you'll ignore the latter cos it's too socialist. I'm sure we could emulate the "Swiss Miracle" by being a haven for Nazi Gold (or in the modern equivalent - Peoples Republic of China Gold) and manufacturing arms during the next major world war, but we might be waiting a fucking while. National seems pretty keen on the idea, especially old fatbag Jenny Shitley.

Which countries out perform NZ in most social and economic indicators (such as health, crime, and personal savings) the Scandinavians do... and they buck the trend on significant income equity with very low GINI co-efficients (remember that measure you quoted sometime earlier about the difference between the rich and poor). What are the co-efficients of all the countries in your list (apart from Denmark) they're all high and shit? While the Scandinavians also have relatively similar styled democracies to us and population sizes. Last time I looked those "socialist" hell holes weren't run by military juntas or along North Korean lines...

So how bad of me to think we could achieve some of the things they are achieving and try to outperform them... yeh fuck it lets settle for mediocracy and do nothing until third world countries catch up with us.

[Voltaire]

I haven't read the whole thread but as I was going to start one on the billboard vandalism that seems rampant at the moment, I decided to post in here rather than ending up with a thread merge.

Is anyone else flabbergasted by the wanton destruction being flaunted in this election? I am not surprised that there are people out there who feel driven to deface stuff - it's only another step along the tagging continuum. But honestly - in New Zealand - this widespread immaturity????
Are we really such a nation of neaderthals?

Defacing election hoardings is not new, its just the medias fascination with trivial details, like the John Key song they can't play on the radio...PC gone mad.
Easy on the Neanderthal's its just wong to be mean to them.

[Brian d marge]

Why? I can see the results all around me... but by all means deny the reality and roll out some more stats brother.

Being from the uk and lived in the iom i can honestly say the wealth does indeed trickle down

Not

I did steal a patch of weed from
a rich fk in highgate in london does that count

Bring it on i say . . . .ill get a new tv and the right （new) will / may understand how the world really works

Could never watch a 990 burn so one may at least keep one toy


Stephen

[Hinny]

There was never any confidence and supply agreement between the parties, only a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on policy, which is here:http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webconte... agreement.pdf

No mention of cycleways, only home insulation, energy efficiency and natural health products.

4. New Zealand Cycleway
The Minister of Tourism, Hon John Key and Green Party spokesperson on Tourism, Sport
and Recreation, and Cycling and Active Transport, Kevin Hague, will work together on the
development, implementation and funding of the New Zealand Cycleway project. Mr. Hague
will have access to officials working on the project, including from the Ministry of Tourism,
Ministry of Social Development, Department of Conservation and other agencies as
appropriate. Joint statements will be made on progress in implementing the project.
[Added 19 May 2009]

[Hinny]

Codswallop.

Any country with a comparatively large number of millionaires has higher living standards and employment than one with fuck all.

I was thinking of Mumbai.
Highest number of Billionaires of any city in the world.

[Hinny]

The current mob may not be ideal but compared to "all of the rest" it would be a travesty should there be a change! IMHO.

Ooh I am so disappointed with that comment.
You had been on a roll prior to this. Unable to give you more rep post after post.
You seem to overlook the fact that this govt. has the worst finacial record in the history of this country.
Bill English was explaining to Parliament in I think their last session that this was because of the efforts of the previous Labour govt. and it had taken them 6 years to sort it out.
Ignoring his comment after the first two years that Cullen had done a "pretty good job".
I can't imagine anything so ridiculous as his comment that the govt. was borrowing more money than they needed because it was at such good interest rates.
Is this the reason they have been adopting all those IMF policy requirements? eg reducing Public Service, opening up conservation land for mining etc.
I wonder how much of our asset sales proceeds went to pay the interest on borrowings we didn't need.

[Ocean1]

Don't you get sick of being wrong so much?.

Nope.

I suppose it is pretty obvious now that you've pointed it out...

[Ocean1]

Add the USA to the list - the current employment rate is quoted as about 6.4% - but only because they keep jacking with how unemployment is measured to make the economy seem good. Using the method they used until the late 90's, the figure is estimated to be in the region of 24%!

Who's estimate?

[Ocean1]

The majority of those "countries" have populations less than fucking Hamilton for christs sake..

The claim was that nations with lots of millionaires had high unemployment. Picking and choosing which ones to fit that theory is simply scrambling to shore up a failed personal belief.

Which countries out perform NZ in most social and economic indicators (such as health, crime, and personal savings) the Scandinavians do... and they buck the trend on significant income equity with very low GINI co-efficients (remember that measure you quoted sometime earlier about the difference between the rich and poor). What are the co-efficients of all the countries in your list (apart from Denmark) they're all high and shit? While the Scandinavians also have relatively similar styled democracies to us and population sizes. Last time I looked those "socialist" hell holes weren't run by military juntas or along North Korean lines...

Actually no countries out perform NZ in most social indicators, we're No1.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO140...ed-country.htm

"Key New Zealand findings:

Of the 54 indicators measured within each country to make up the overall Index ranking, New Zealand scores top spot in no less than 20, across a wide variety of different measures."

So your apparent dislike of our social policies is seen for what it is: Self serving bullshit.

[Ocean1]

I was thinking of Mumbai.
Highest number of Billionaires of any city in the world.

Yes. It seems obvious that you think of whatever supports your argument. I don't believe you can say I was quite that selective in sourcing my data. In fact it came from the very first link google threw up from "countries by unemployment".

So the fact remains, millionaires don't cause unemployment and squalor, and to believe so in the face of significant evidence to the contrary says more about those making such claims than it does about the effects millionaires have on employment.

[Hinny]

Yes. It seems obvious that you think of whatever supports your argument. I don't believe you can say I was quite that selective in sourcing my data.

The fact remains, millionaires don't cause unemployment and squalor, and to believe so in the face of significant evidence to the contrary says more about those making such claims than it does about the effects millionaires have on employment.

Rather than attack your well-documented unusual (to be generous) sense of logic I will thank you for recognising that I supply factual evidence to clearly and concisely support my propositions.

[Oscar]

I was thinking of Mumbai.
Highest number of Billionaires of any city in the world.

And....wrong again:

The Sunday Times' Rich List said there are now 72 Londoners with a net worth of £1 billion or more. It said Moscow ranks second with 48, followed by New York with 43 and then San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101664459#.

[Oscar]

Rather than attack your well-documented unusual (to be generous) sense of logic I will thank you for recognising that I supply factual evidence to clearly and concisely support my propositions.

Your idea of factual evidence seems to be stuff that you pull out yer arse.

More on the number of billionaires per city.
Forbes says Moscow (which might be down to using US$ and not Stg).
It also says that Hong Kong is the Asian City with the most billionaires, which tends to support Ocean's theory.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricardog...ew-york-again/