Thursday, May 3, 2012

TVNZ7 replaced by an 'insulting lowest comon dem---

I think we get the picture Mr Dunne--- where were you when all of this was discussed? There has been a great deal of opposition to dump the TVNZ 7 channel, with its high quality free to air programming. Were you hiding in a retreat for disenchanted Cabinet Ministers or have you just pulled your head out of the sand?
I do not believe that you haven’t noticed the outcry that ensued when the ‘Government,’ to which you have so happily attached yourself to, announced that TVNZ7 was about to go.
You are of course the ‘Revenue Minister, so I guess you have a lot on your shoulders, supporting the government in its desire to save money.
How now can you come out and attack TVNZ and its decision to put up a poor copy of TV1 as a substitute for the loss of a quality TV channel?
Maybe you have been frightened by the demonstrations outside your local electorate office, maligning you for your lack of guts in challenging the government asset sales programme. You are in a position where you could have made a difference, but instead you have chosen to go down the path of political oblivion.
Make a brave choice and start speaking out for what most NZers want. It may be your swan song--- but hey--- you are near retirement, so why not go out with a bang!

Latvia joins us

We are getting more and more countries joining us.I wonder if we can get readers in every country in the world--- our own United Nations. All we need then is to actually talk to one another. What a cool aim.

Is it back to the old 'Cold War days?

I got quite a shock today when I saw the headlines that a Russian general is talking about making a pre-emptive strike against the missile system being proposed for Eastern Europe. This is a NATO-USA led inactive and it reeks of the old Cold War Days.
The USA says that it is in response to ‘threats from Iran. We all know about the controversy involving Iran moving toward a possible nuclear future and that is enough to raise the hairs on anyone’s back. It is almost akin to the feeling one gets when North Korea starts strutting its stuff along the same lines.
I doubt anyone wants to turn the clock back to the bad old days when we had nightmares about a possible nuclear confrontation. How do we avoid this terrible scenario?
 We step back and put ourselves in the shoes of our ’counterparts.’ By that I mean, the USA needs to be a lot more sensitive to the way Russia feels about this issue and have talks that really matter. On Russia’s part, they need to look south at Iran and see the bigger picture. Perhaps they are in a position that South Korea feels--- about its northern neighbour. Russia may be a vast country but having a neighbour that is seeking to arm itself with a nuclear capacity should be enough to push it towards a ‘common’ approach with its NATO neighbours.
That Iran sponsors terrorism is also another reason to bring a voice of reality to the table. Do we have to go back as I said before? One difference now is that I know Russians have access to what Western commentators say in a manner they never had before. They have many more outlets in which to express their point of view. I know that Russia is my third largest readership group. That would never have happened in the distant past.
It is time for Russians to be aware of the threat we can assume in the rhetoric reported in today’s papers. We must never get to the point where we are going to bed at night knowing that nuclear clock is once again approaching midnight.
Russia is little different to the USA. Just take the issue of the war in Afghanistan. The vast majority of American people are against this war, but the USA is still actively involved in that country.
 I wonder if the Russian people are happy with their government’s stance on the issue of taking Russia to the brink. Time will tell, hopefully in a manner which will let us all sleep.
USA---- Russia---- NATO partners---- talk to one another.

Make a promise and get bitten on your butt

Politicians never learn. Come election time and for a good deal of the time in between elections, politicians and their ‘wannabe’ mates make all sorts of promises. These utterances can be from those in opposition to the ‘power –clingers.’
I don’t need to search archives to bring up a few clangers, but the issue of the ‘gap’ between Australian and New Zealand incomes is never far from the front pages. Both main parties in NZ have used it to raise their profiles and both have distorted it, hiding in behind half-truths and downright lies.
Of course this then leads to accusations from either party about the outflow of New Zealanders, heading across the ditch to reap the rewards of the land of OZ. Higher incomes and lifestyle are the main attractions and the debate has raged for many years about the accuracy of the various claims.
 The National Party Government in New Zealand wants it both ways.  They claimed that NZers were heading to Aussie in ever increasing numbers, while Labour was in power and that they would turn the figures around and narrow the income gap. That has not happened; if anything the flow is looking more like a flood now. So what does the government do to reverse this outflow? --- It increases the payback rate of student loans and limits student allowance support to four years of study.
How stupid and unfair is that? Is it not making educational achievement beyond those first four years an aspirational goal only achievable for the rich? Where is the fairness in this policy? Is this not going to add to even more NZers leaving our shores, because they are cut off from financial support, just when they are about to put the cream on their qualifications? How short sighted and nasty is that?
We need to invest in our young people so that all have the opportunity to take part in all sectors of economic life. So National---shine the torch on to the land of OZ and say---‘go for it, because we are not going to assist you any further.’ What can young people think? –‘Might as well go there as soon as we finish school in NZ--- start planning for it now.’
Pull your head out of the sand, Mr Key and your advisors, or better still leave it in there--- the worms will tell you how short sighted you have become!
Maybe you should think a bit more about the promises you make--- all political parties, that is.