Congratulations 48%

[davereid]

I was making a choice. I voted... albeit by not ticking the piece of paper.

Yes some times it seems there are two choices.

Would you like to be sodomised by John or by Phil ?

Those who don't like Phil and choose John, allow John to claim consent.

Those who don't want to be sodomised by anyone and choose neither are then told they have no right to complain !.

Not voting for something you hate is as valid a choice as any other.

[oneofsix]

A million people chose not to vote, lowest since the 1880s. This should be a massive wakeup call.

when there is an oops in your post some bastard is bound to point it out.
The million people that chose not to vote was the highest since ... The voter turnout was the lowest, that is the number of people who chose to vote was at it lowest. I blame the demise of Mcgullgady Serious and Bill and Ben Party for the lack of turn out as these parties at least gave people a reason to vote even if they didn't like the 'real' politicians. Or perhaps it was the silly advertising rules where by your local radio station couldn't link the voting to its weather report and therefore remind people to vote.

[Oscar]

Like I said - brainless fucks. Only a country of morons would elect a right wing government during a global recession in a country with a severly eroded tax base....Cut cut cut etc

So you would prefer the tax and spend left?

[nosebleed]

when there is an oops in your post some bastard is bound to point it out.
The million people that chose not to vote was the highest since ... The voter turnout was the lowest, that is the number of people who chose to vote was at it lowest. I blame the demise of Mcgullgady Serious and Bill and Ben Party for the lack of turn out as these parties at least gave people a reason to vote even if they didn't like the 'real' politicians. Or perhaps it was the silly advertising rules where by your local radio station couldn't link the voting to its weather report and therefore remind people to vote.

Aint that the truth...

I think you were referring to: The McGillicuddy Serious Party

[oneofsix]

Aint that the truth...

I think you were referring to: The McGillicuddy Serious Party

yep an oops for an oops.

[mashman]

Yes some times it seems there are two choices.

Would you like to be sodomised by John or by Phil ?

Those who don't like Phil and choose John, allow John to claim consent.

Those who don't want to be sodomised by anyone and choose neither are then told they have no right to complain !.

Not voting for something you hate is as valid a choice as any other.

In my naivety, I figured that NZ may well have been different. I'd had a guts full of it in the UK. Thought we'd try somewhere differen... somewhere has to have gotten it right?

5 years on and I see the same shit, Red v Blue... just on a lightly smaller scale and with a more restrained media.

As far as I can remember voters have had 2 main choices, the Red v the Blues. And in the 23 years I've been allowed to vote, I've yet to see any political party try and unite a country through its policies. Granted you can please all of the people all of the time, but FFS it'd be nice if they made an effort. That effort going along similar lines as:

hey Reds, what do you think of our Blue policy...
Ooooh it's rad, but if you add this and do that, it could be slightly better...
You're right, let's do it...
Hi, Greens here, if you changed that to be similar, you could have x benefit...
Fuck yeah, now we're talkin.

Some want to save the land, some want to rape it for money... no contest for me, I'm here for the blink of an eye and have generations to come after me. Wont someone think of the children.

As I said, I'm naive... at least I think it's me that's be naive.

[Indiana_Jones]

I've yet to see any political party try and unite a country through its policies. Granted you can please all of the people all of the time, but FFS it'd be nice if they made an effort.

+1

It would be nice if they actually gave a fuck about the country, they only seem to care about getting their fat snout into the public trough.

-Indy

[oneofsix]

Granted you can please all of the people all of the time,

You can? Well done. You should rule.

[mashman]

It would be nice if they actually gave a fuck about the country, they only seem to care about getting their fat snout into the public trough.

I wish it were that simple. Perhaps the next election should be political parties up before KB'ers, the whole party, and be ready to answer questions... hell we'll give them a chance to phone a friend, which they seem to be doing an awful lot of. That's the bit that gets me, seeking advice, finding out what they're allowed to get away with now that they have the peoples' mandate. They're supposed to be the ones coming up with the ideas, isn't that why we put them there? well you put them there.

You can? Well done. You should rule.

Fecksake you're on a roll this mornin Mr Corrections Nazi

[Spearfish]

Sew hoo one tha election?



Eye mis Helen...

[oneofsix]

Fecksake you're on a roll this mornin Mr Corrections Nazi

Yes but it is the pot calling the kettle black. Not often I spot the mistakes as I am usually the one making them.

I wish it were that simple. Perhaps the next election should be political parties up before KB'ers, the whole party, and be ready to answer questions... hell we'll give them a chance to phone a friend, which they seem to be doing an awful lot of. That's the bit that gets me, seeking advice, finding out what they're allowed to get away with now that they have the peoples' mandate. They're supposed to be the ones coming up with the ideas, isn't that why we put them there? well you put them there

Getting back on topic. IMO you have hit on the secret here "we'll give them a chance to phone a friend, which they seem to be doing an awful lot of". Who "we" decide would be best to run the country don't really get the power to do it, they get manipulated by their "friends" (leave the r out and the word would be more correct). The election is only one step in the process, protest, referendums, partitions are all examples of the additional steps. If you look you can see how all these steps that like the people have a say in how the country is governed are always being attacked and the attempts to weaken them however they are still affective. The problem the power players have is that if they weaken the peoples power too much they end up strengthening it as when protest no longer works or gets too risky you get revolution and at this point I am in danger of stepping into the Occupy thread.

[mashman]

Yes but it is the pot calling the kettle black.

mmmmmmmyes.

Getting back on topic. IMO you have hit on the secret here "we'll give them a chance to phone a friend, which they seem to be doing an awful lot of". Who "we" decide would be best to run the country don't really get the power to do it, they get manipulated by their "friends" (leave the r out and the word would be more correct). The election is only one step in the process, protest, referendums, partitions are all examples of the additional steps. If you look you can see how all these steps that like the people have a say in how the country is governed are always being attacked and the attempts to weaken them however they are still affective. The problem the power players have is that if they weaken the peoples power too much they end up strengthening it as when protest no longer works or gets too risky you get revolution and at this point I am in danger of stepping into the Occupy thread.

Nope, that's a conspiracy theory, you'll burn for that... and if you're gonna keep rightin like that I might have to step into the BDOTGNZA thread proper like. As for the power players. I'm hoping that's gonna be the case as I can't see any other way forwards. I'd rather revolution didn't happen, not a physical one anyway, but it would seem that we all know that they're sliding their appendages in oor poop shoot, yet are happy to allow them to do it (whoever "they" are)... and yet they claim to be the intelligent ones. I find it quite comical these days.

[slowpoke]

Who's mining what ? And what do NZers get out of this mining ? 200 jobs was it, cool ! That'll help much !

Not quite that simple, Bill. Most of the profits will go overseas but the gubbermint claims royalties from whatever is recovered and millions upon millions goes into the economy via setting up and servicing the operation. The operation may only directly employ 200 people but someone has to supply the tucker, the consumables, the transport, the machines, the housing, the IT, the clothing, the safety gear, the cleaning, blah de blah blah and all that dosh gets spread around. The nett benefit is a helluva lot more than just 200 jobs.

Some want to save the land, some want to rape it for money... no contest for me, I'm here for the blink of an eye and have generations to come after me. Wont someone think of the children.

Why does it have to be one or t'other? Why can't we lead the world in clean green mining and sell the tech overseas? The smart thing to do would be to set stringent criteria and let the resource companies investigate ways to meet the criteria, then start talking brass tacks. But no, we just knee jerk a response and delete the option without even investigating it. Most people know fuck all about any form of resource recovery yet have already formed an opinion. Thinking of their children? I hope the kids are happy with 14/hr in 2025.

[mashman]

Not quite that simple, Bill. Most of the profits will go overseas but the gubbermint claims royalties from whatever is recovered and millions upon millions goes into the economy via setting up and servicing the operation. The operation may only directly employ 200 people but someone has to supply the tucker, the consumables, the transport, the machines, the housing, the IT, the clothing, the safety gear, the cleaning, blah de blah blah and all that dosh gets spread around. The nett benefit is a helluva lot more than just 200 jobs.

... and the money that's brought in goes straight out again via us buying stuff ... sorry, just had to. It's only ever a short term gain (5 - 10 years) imho. Why can't NZ have it all?

Why does it have to be one or t'other? Why can't we lead the world in clean green mining and sell the tech overseas? The smart thing to do would be to set stringent criteria and let the resource companies investigate ways to meet the criteria, then start talking brass tacks. But no, we just knee jerk a response and delete the option without even investigating it. Most people know fuck all about any form of resource recovery yet have already formed an opinion. Thinking of their children? I hope the kids are happy with 14/hr in 2025.

Very true, there are alternatives... but you highlight there's a knee jerk response. That knee jerk response has 1 main factor that stop us from researching, designing and building the tech to accomplish the clean green way. budget constaint. I won't say lack of investment, because researching etc... is just too fackin expensive and won't return enough quickly enough, unless you sell shitloads of the new tech very quickly. Something I can't see happening in such an established industry... although I could be wrong.

[Mental Trousers]

I wasn't opting out in my eyes. I was making a choice. I voted... albeit by not ticking the piece of paper. As has been mentioned elsewhere, if there was the option of "Noone" on the piece of paper, I'd go to the polling booth and tick it. There isn't, so I don't, but I have still voted.

There is. You go to the Polling Station, collect your Voting Form and walk straight to the ballot box without putting any ticks on it.