ABSOLUTE POWER - The Helen Clark Years.

[MisterD]

You mean like this...

* Labour has had education bureaucrats grow in number by 40% compared to 12% growth of teacher numbers

* Central Health bureaucrats up 51% while medical professionals up 28%

* MSD policy staff have increased 109% while MSD service staff only 23%

* Overall an increase in bureaucrats by 37%, and 1 in 50 employees in NZ is now a bureaucrat

* Salary costs for policy departments have increased 142%

* Government Administration has been the fastest growing sector of the economy

Anyone care to do the maths on this? Every single one of them will be a Union member, paying their subs...a big slice of which goes guess where?

[Daffyd]

I think my signature says it all.

[Jantar]

Given that the gentleman (and I use the phrase loosely) in question has a history of shit-stirring, biased 'reporting' and general scum-sucking and bottom-feeding, I strongly suspect that this new book will be nothing more than a careful mix of unfounded assertions and ridiculous extrapolations from fairly innocent data, liberally seasoned with emotive language.

Mr Wishart's fallacious ranting does nothing to bolster the position of those who have legitimate concerns with our current government; rather, it throws the whole anti-Labour movement into disrepute with anyone possessing an IQ in excess of their shoe size.

One of the great things about shit stirring via the written word, is that the information presented can be checked and cross referenced. eg, if he claims in the book that Heil Clark signed a painting that she didn't paint, that can be checked and treated as fact. If he claims that her marriage to Peter was arranged for no other reason than political expediency, that cannot be so easily checked, so would be discarded as not fact.

I note that because you "suspect" what may or may not be in the book that you somehow manage to reason out a conclusion that pro labour supporters have extremely high IQs with respect to anyone anti-labour.

I must be one of those with an IQ equal to my shoe size.

[MSTRS:Me]

Winston Peters ugly smiling mug will make an appearance too... of that you can be certain.

Is that the one that should have an evil glint in a beady eye and bad teeth, but instead sports a King's ransom in airbrushing??

[jrandom]

I note that because you "suspect" what may or may not be in the book that you somehow manage to reason out a conclusion that pro labour supporters have extremely high IQs with respect to anyone anti-labour.

"... it throws the whole anti-Labour movement into disrepute with anyone possessing an IQ in excess of their shoe size" does not imply that Labour supporters have higher IQs than Labour detractors.

Rather, it implies that those who are not associated with the anti-Labour movement and who have high IQs will tend toward a low opinion of it as a result of Mr Wishart's writings. An entirely different implication altogether.

I will refrain, of course, from any cheap shots based on your initial lack of comprehension of the subtleties of my remark...



In any case, I myself will not be voting Labour this election, so I'm not speaking from a partisan viewpoint. I support Mr Wishart's aims, but I don't agree with his lowbrow approach.

[rainman]

So you judge what you read solely on the author rather than on what it contains? I can understand that attitude when readinmg fiction, but not with non-fiction.

I have actually read a fair bit of his misguided ranting before, and have come to the considered conclusion that he is a lackwit of the first order. I don't have to read every word he ever writes to validly hold this position. He holds a range of views (ahem, Imaginary Friend Syndrome, intelligent design/creationism, bible inerrancy, etc ) I'm no longer inclined to try to eradicate from the collective human psyche. It's like Jehovah's Witnesses - they used to be fun to argue with, but it's just easier to hit your head against the wall.

It is possible that Ian would write something worth reading. But I'll only be alive for about 70 years and based on past experience, the chances are not good. Life is, as they say, too short to put up with fuckwits.

However, it's very generous of you to describe Mr Wishart's writing as non-fiction.

[rainman]

I’m passionately in favour of a free trade agreement with China. But I’m even more passionately in favour of free speech and the right to protest. Now let us look at the different responses from Australia and NZ:

“We urge the Chinese Government to allow peaceful expression of dissent. We call on Chinese authorities to act with restraint and to deal with protesters peacefully.”

- Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith

“The Government is concerned at the reports of violence and is trying to obtain more accurate information. It calls on all sides to exercise restraint.”

- Prime Minister Helen Clark

Yeah those damn protesters need to be more restrained as they get shot.

Every time she opens her mouth, I feel sick to my stomach.

Oh noes, Finn is channeling Kiwiblog... sensible debate is now officially doomed.

I believe it's considered polite to cite your sources, even on the interweb, so "naughty, naughty" to you, Sir. Unless you're actually David Farrar, of course - but I thought Dave lives in Wellington?

[Finn]

Oh noes, Finn is channeling Kiwiblog... sensible debate is now officially doomed.

Mr Farrar is very sensible actually. Only a leftist moron would disagree.

[Jantar]

However, it's very generous of you to describe Mr Wishart's writing as non-fiction.

As I have read very little by him, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. The only article that I have read has had data that was easily verified, and right on the mark. As with any essay of that nature (road toll) I read the data and form my own conclusions, so hopefully I'm not affected by any spin or other nuance he may use.

[oldrider]

Actually a distortion of what was going on....
Annette King appointed Peter Hauseman to a position on that board. Hauseman is a friend of King's husband and the 2 of them have a tie up with a company providing services to the DHB. The value of this business is some $50M, and the contracts were never put out to tender. A 'lowly' secretary? blew the whistle regarding this conflict of interest and was railroaded for her troubles. The (elected) board supported her and have suffered a similar fate. The only skeleton in this board's closet (that the public is aware of) is one of the members is Peter Dunkerley, a pharmacist in Hastings, whose shop has been promoted for having prescriptions filled.
The whole situation stinks of nepotism/cronyism at the govt level. The Labour govt. The same one that brought us the Election Gagging Bill. The same one that supported Philip Field in his dodgy practices, until the evidence was so public that they could no longer sweep it under the carpet. The same one that brought you Trevor Mallard, David Benson-Pope. The same one that is led by one of the most amoral women of our times...Paintergate, Convoygate, the Peter Doone affair...to mention just a few.
How much evidence does one need to have their eyes opened?

Prompts the adage: There are none so blind as those that will not see!

New Zealand is now a backward Socialist country, by virtue of it's majority brainwashed sheeple. John.

[rainman]

Mr Farrar is very sensible actually. Only a leftist moron would disagree.

Actually, to be fair, I'd generally agree with you on this. It's his vast right wing horde of fanbois that are not quite as, to say the least.

[Oscar]

One of the great things about shit stirring via the written word, is that the information presented can be checked and cross referenced. eg, if he claims in the book that Heil Clark signed a painting that she didn't paint, that can be checked and treated as fact. If he claims that her marriage to Peter was arranged for no other reason than political expediency, that cannot be so easily checked, so would be discarded as not fact.

I note that because you "suspect" what may or may not be in the book that you somehow manage to reason out a conclusion that pro labour supporters have extremely high IQs with respect to anyone anti-labour.

I must be one of those with an IQ equal to my shoe size.

I think the point to note here is that what Mr. Wishart is or isn't is almost irrelevant to the argument. Anyone with half a dozen functioning brain cells can see what Helen & Co are doing to this country.

Personally, as someone who had his head busted during the 1981 Springbok Tour (when I was young and impressionable), I feel incredibly let down by the Socialists. Firstly, they sucked up to Mugabe, now the Chinese. Clark isn't fit to walk the same corridors as David Lange.

[ManDownUnder]

In any case, I myself will not be voting Labour this election, so I'm not speaking from a partisan viewpoint. I support Mr Wishart's aims, but I don't agree with his lowbrow approach.

respect..........

[rainman]

Apologies for resurrecting a dead thread (but it's only been a day...). Came across this little gem w.r.t. Mr Wishart. Somewhat tangential to the original Helen Clark theme, but highly entertaining nonetheless.

Oh, and Finn, I hadn't picked up on it before, but fully 3 of the posts you made in this thread were straight copy-and-paste jobs from Kiwiblog, not just the one I picked up on in the first place. And no attribution on any of 'em. Tut, tut, poor form. Is independent thought not big among the "rightist morons"?

[Finn]

Apologies for resurrecting a dead thread (but it's only been a day...). Came across this little gem w.r.t. Mr Wishart. Somewhat tangential to the original Helen Clark theme, but highly entertaining nonetheless.

Oh, and Finn, I hadn't picked up on it before, but fully 3 of the posts you made in this thread were straight copy-and-paste jobs from Kiwiblog, not just the one I picked up on in the first place. And no attribution on any of 'em. Tut, tut, poor form. Is independent thought not big among the "rightist morons"?

David doesn't mind. I know him.

Talk about spot the lefty. Poor lost soul.