Don't let the bastard go

c Trace 2008

Amongst all the recent political news of those close to Labour bugging the opposition National Party conference, Ruth Dyson advocating for multiple partner relationships and having the State financially support them, ACC rorts and The labour Party frothing at the mouth over John Key and his Party's policy to make welfare a much less rosy alternative , we seem to have all let one Winston Peters head out of the noose.

This slippery little bugger has had a few problems with secret donations to him or his political party from big business going astray and political corruption likely over donations made from the Vela racing family and Peters as minister of racing passing favourable tax laws to enrich his benefactors.

The worst seems to be over for him, and if all he gets is bad press inches from his underhanded backroom deals and lies, this country and its political masters should be well ashamed if they let him get away. Again.

I guess we cannot expect much from a group of people who would pass a retrospective law to make legal something they did illegally or indeed set their own pay rates and employment conditions.

We really need to hold this little prick to account though. To let him get away with it means the new low that he would set for politics will be limboed under by some other polly in the future.

Winston Peters payola scandal @ Political Animal

Dompost reels in another Peter's Payment

Winston isn't a conspiracy theorist: Yeah right!

Winston Peters lost in Wonderland

Winston Circus hangover continues

Discretion was the essential part of Vela Donation

Winston Peter's Glenn donation scandal: But wait, there is more!

Peter's hangs himself in February Paul Henry Interview

Peter's admits lying about Glenn donation

Winston's silence is telling

Labour gets tangled in Peter's lies

Leaked Glenn Email

Winston got secret donations from Owen Glenn

The Owen Glenn Story: Singing the same tune but hitting a bum note

c Political Animal 2008

VIDEO: Japanese tribute to Helen Clark ( ゆっくり話してください)

どうぞ

It is hump day and we all need a good laugh on this often hard to get by day.

From the talented half of the former Mickey Havoc and Newsboy team comes Jeremy Wells with a Japanese ode to Helen Clark and her exploits around the globe.

Mr Havoc's funny bone seems to have disappeared since he disappeared so far up Helen's posterior he needs a proctologist to get him out.

Done in the typical "game show" style that the Japanese seem to love the 1 minute clip is very funny.

If the Japanese people in the audience knew and loved Helen like us in New Zealand do they may well not be laughing so hard though.

トイレ は どこ です か !!

c Political Animal 2008

Ruth Dyson triple whammy denied

Ruth Dyson had favoured a Threes Company approach to families of
the future but now denies giving support for such a menage a trois.





Fairfax has finally got hold of this story, a week later, but never mind.

It is the story of Ruthy Dyson and her penchant for supporting diversity, with taxpayer money, in the bedroom.

I got it wrong on Monday that Dyson gave a speech in Parliament in which she mentioned her now infamous "triples" remark. The speech was apparently delivered by Dyson at Victoria University on May 6 and Gerry Brownlee asked a question in Parliament about it.

She was referring to de factos, civil union couples and "triples", etc, etc and her governments future support for them.

Now she denies having said it or in fact that it was written for her:


"I get speeches a lot that I don't give. I don't want to be too critical of people who draft my speeches, but I get a lot of speeches, in draft, that I never use. They have no relationship with what I say."

She "didn't have a clue" what the speech notes meant nor what they were referring to.
"I haven't bothered asking because I'm not interested in it "


Below is the question(in full context) referring to a speech Dyson apparently made at Victoria University in May. Gerry Brownlee in Parliament from Hansard. It was moved from its original URL:


9. Social Trends—Recent Advice

[Advance Copy - Subject to minor change before inclusion in Bound Volume.]

9. RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER (Labour) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Has she received any recent advice on New Zealand’s social trends?

Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister for Social Development and Employment) : Yes, I have. I have been advised that the gap between rich and poor households has closed for the first time in 20 years. The proportion of people with low incomes is also considerably lower. The earnings per person was higher in real terms in 2007 than it was in the mid-1990s, and overall poverty fell from 19 percent in 2001 to 13 percent in 2007, using the Social Report measure, representing a total of 190,000 fewer New Zealanders in poverty in the last year.

Russell Fairbrother: Has she has received any advice that explains why the gap between lower household incomes and higher household incomes has closed?

Hon RUTH DYSON: Yes, I have. The fact that incomes for lower and middle income households has grown more rapidly than others is attributed mainly to the Working for Families package. This is, of course, why National’s Bill English says their message to the public before the election is to keep Working for Families intact, because they do not want to be seen as taking money off people. However, after the election, if National is the Government, it will give it “a bit of a sort out”.

Gerry Brownlee: Does she recall giving a recent speech in which she said: “We must cater for the diversity we know exists. By this I mean the range of relationships, from single, couples, triples, blended de facto, and so on. That’s where we are going with social policy.”, and in the recent advice she received on social trends in New Zealand, was there a description of the relationship she describes as a triple; if so, what was that advice?

Hon RUTH DYSON: No.

The speech was clearly written for her because she doesn't deny a speech existed and she cant anyway because it was posted on the Parliament website, then removed.

It seems someone may have got to the Labour loving website scoop.co.nz as well. A Monday press release from the "Family Party" about this has been removed as well, from a Google search:


Scoop: Labour gearing for more social engineering
11 Aug 2008 ... In a May speech to Victoria University social policy students, Dyson ... Here Ruth Dyson signals Labour’s intention to broaden that scope ...www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0808/S00171.htm - 58k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this


Just click on "Cached" to get the story though.

Ruth Dyson's comments regarding her denial of having made her "triples" speech seems to fly in the face of evidence to the contrary. The speech was definitely written so why would Dyson deny it was hers?

Another secret labour agenda?

I say a resounding yes!

Related Political Animal reading

Bigamy on Labour's secret agenda?
Not that there is anything wrong with it

c Political Animal 2008

Know your market

Sorry to my regular readers, this topic is something of an obsession of mine.

The piece that I wrote last week about the failure of Starbucks in Australasia got me thinking about Burger Fuel Worldwide [BFW] again.

Starbucks [SBUX] failed in Australasia partly because the model that the coffee giant has used in the United States and other regions across the world doesn't fit local tastes.

The "coffee culture" in this part of the world, especially in Melbourne and parts of New Zealand, is much more sophisticated than in the United States and we already have our favourite cafe's here, owned mostly by smaller operators who know their market well. They know what to sell them, how to price the product and where to put their stores. Their customers therefore are loyal to their local cafe and wont go within a lattes' roar of a Starbucks.

Consequently Starbucks failed.

Ho does this relate to Burger Fuel?

Well, Burger Fuel has a very strong local New Zealand culture. It also knows its customers very well, they have a strong youth appeal, it is trendy, upper end and loved by those who frequent it on a regular basis.

Like Starbucks though, a question one has to ask if one were to invest money in Burger Fuel shares is, how will Burger Fuel management successfully transport the culture that they have fostered in New Zealand to new international markets that might not fit the culture that has made the company such a success locally?

I mean, that is where Starbucks went wrong. Many other fast food chains that have entered this country have entered thinking they could just import an idea from the USA, without changing it to fit the local market, then expect to see the money roll in.

El Pollo Loco, the US chicken chain, a couple of taco chains and even Wendy's Burgers, who are now doing well here, all entered New Zealand in the 1980s and 90s and failed quickly.

They failed to adapt their franchise model to fit the local tastes. Assuming you know your market is one of the biggies when it comes to starting a business, get that wrong and you might as well forget the rest.

In the case of Burger Fuel, they have a concept; trendy high quality, high priced burgers with an edge.

In their first international market in Sydney Australia though, this concept has been well established for years and those operators have lengthy local knowledge, which as I have said above is all important when transporting a foreign business and expecting it to fly.

What have BF management done to fit local Australian tastes and expectations and how will they change that model to fit in when they begin business in their newest territory, Dubai?

I have previously shown an interest in investing in this company, at a lower than current share price, but given the Starbucks example that I have pointed out above and some more thinking, I would have to now completely ditch any ideas that I had of buying a stake at any price.

What was I thinking?

Its too tough a burger to bite on.


Burger Fuel @ Share Investor

Discuss this company at the Share Investor Forum

Stocks Id buy: At a price
Burger Fuel leaves investors hungry
Burger Fuel management cagey over company progress
Burger Fuel cooks up Dubai deal
NZX share trades with strings attached
Don't buy Burger Fuel, yet
Burger Fuel: Inside info?
Burger Fool IPO: Burger Fool?
Exclusive Interview with Burger Fuel's Josef Roberts
Burger Fuel's Daytime drama
Burger Fuel share price out of gas
Beefing up store numbers
Director explains share price drop
Burger Fuel slims down in value
Burger Fuel and Coke
Marketing Burger Fuel's future
Pumpkin Patch VS Burger Fuel
Burger Fuel results and commentary

c Share Investor 2008

70 years of dependence and failure

Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage helped introduce

the Welfare State to New Zealand in 1938. This move

led to thousands of New Zealanders becoming dependant

on taxpayers and the inevitable breakdown in families,

crime, abuse and recently the murder of countless young'

children and babies. Savage is held as a hero to the present

Labour Government but in reality his introduction of welfare

has led to 70 years of decline for our society and will get worse

unless something is changed. John Key yesterday telegraphed

a change.

In the wake of John Key's forward looking announcement of a "restructuring" of the welfare system yesterday, today Helen Clark celebrated 70 years of the welfare state by opening a "museum of social security".

I had to take a second look at the TV and open my ears as I couldn't believe the news report. Yes a museum of welfare!

Ms Clark and her party are stuck in the past and are continuing in action the phrase that the hapless Michael Joseph Savage coined in 1938 "from the cradle to the grave".

John Key's announcement yesterday could well be as momentous and pivotal for this country, in a positive way, as Savage's introduction of welfare was destructive.

Far from celebrating the socialist cotton wool wrapped welfare State that Labour and Sir Arnold Nordmeyer foisted upon the New Zealand population in 1938 and has largely destroyed thousands of kiwis lives since, we should be instead pinpointing that day 70 years ago as the start of the decline of the New Zealand way of life.

From that date we were no longer independent individuals. We became dependant slaves of the State machine.

Savage and Nordmeyer are collectives not to be looked up to, for their introduction of welfare and the dependence and grief it has subsequently caused is something shameful and must be critiqued at every opportunity.

Only the truly ignorant and those in the present Labour Party with their socialist agendas would celebrate such a failure as the welfare State.

Kiwis now clearly want a return to a fairer system of welfare, one used as a backstop, not a lifestyle and any celebration of the creation of the welfare state should be done so in dark rooms, with whispers, Labour Party disciples only and downward cast eyes.

So today should be a day of mourning for our welfare system, not celebration.

Simply because it doesn't work.

Related Political Animal reading

The Bludging must end

c Political Animal 2008

The Bludging must end

The announcement by John Key today on the NZ $12 billion vote welfare, yes 12 billion dollars out of a total government budget of $60 billion goes on welfare, got me excited about National's plan for the future of welfare in New Zealand.

For too long taxpayers money has been doled out irresponsibly to welfare recipients.

There have been no responsibilities attached to free taxpayer money and it looks like Key's plan to get single mothers working, dole recipients actually looking for work and sickness beneficiaries reassessed to see what there status actually is, will be a good start towards that crucial responsibility.

Welfare has been at the heart of this countries economic and social decline, especially as it has increased to record numbers, with the introduction of working for families welfare, under the Labour Government over the last 9 years.

Free money simply means recipients will not respect where it comes from and who it is taken off, the taxpayer, and over generations this lack of respect and freedom to spend other peoples money has led to poverty, of a monetary nature Cindy Kiro, but primarily a poverty of spirit and attitude.

You have heard it all before and it is true. If you don't work for what you have, you don't respect what you buy with that money and what you use the money to look after; children for example.

No more is the failed welfare experiment more obvious that in Labour's failed social experiment, South Auckland. A cot case, and even more so over the last 9 years, free money has achieved; dependence, poor self esteem, violent crime, poor health and education levels and little hope for improving ones future.

If welfare was going to succeed in New Zealand it would have years ago. The simple fact is you don't solve the current welfare problem buy doing what the deluded Helen Clarks and Sue Bradfords of this world advocate, even more welfare!

The definition of absolute stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Add to that people from government welfare agencies saying "we are here to help", when these are the people who caused these problems in the first place by doling out this free taxpayer moola.

Granted, there has to be a welfare backstop, one that will be there for all of us, temporally and with strings attached, but welfare has become a way of life for many and it is my personal opinion that the working Kiwi is sick to death of funding other peoples lifestyles. I get a sense that we just wont take the dropkicks and time wasters continuing to sponge off those who work for what they have anymore.

John Key has sensed this, he should know, he comes from a welfare background, one that was a backstop. I came from a similar situation to John and it helped my mother for a short time, with her family and its responsibilities. She worked at times though.

No disrespect to Helen Clark, no really, she was brought up with a privileged family background so isn't able to understand the complexities of a life at the bottom of the heap or on welfare, she thinks throwing other peoples money at the situation is the answer. Clearly that is wrong.

John Key understands how welfare can be used, with strings attached, as a short term tool to get individuals and families through temporary hard spots in their lives.

When one looks at welfare in this way, one goes back to its origins, but the current welfare state mentality, that other taxpayers will look after you from cradle to grave is unsustainable, monetarily, socially and spiritually.

Simply not to change, as Key has telegraphed today, means New Zealand is destined to ending up a spoon fed, fat, lazy, moral free corpse of disrespectful, angry dependant, ambitionless people.

And broke.


Related Political Animal reading

Labour's Socialist peril
Labour's state control out of control
Pointing fingers in the playground
What happened to risk?

c Political Animal 2008

Bigamy on Labour's secret agenda?

I was looking for a written quote from a bizarre speech that Ruth Dyson made in Parliament last week on the Parliamentary website but couldn't find it but someone from KiwiBlog has posted it on their site. It has been removed from the record of Parliament website for some reason, which is curious because it is supposed to be a complete record of Parliament and its speeches.

“Shifting the focus from social welfare to social development is about considering the wellbeing of the whole population, and communities within that population, rather than solely focusing on the traditional family group. We must cater for the diversity, we know exists. By this I mean the range of relationships from single, couples, triples, blended, de facto, and so on. That’s where we’re going with social policy.”

Ruth Dyson 2008

I covered this area of Labours social policy on Friday, in relation to Helen Clark's enthusiasm for minorities rather than the majority of middle class families that pay the bulk of the country's taxes.

Dyson though, was talking about a "shift" that she wanted to make in social policy, even further away from the nuclear family to focus on a more "inclusive" one that recognised all the above. The most curious of all being the "triples" inclusion.

That word got an immediate response from the majority of those that were in parliament the day of Dyson's speech, a collective "huh?" was heard across the benches.

Now in the light of the Labour Party lurching further and further towards the extreme in terms of social policy, to envelope the bizarre and fringe areas of life and normalise them, Dyson really needs to explain what she means by "triples".

In the absence of an explanation, we can only speculate what Ruth Dyson meant by the term "triples". The first logical conclusion would be that Dyson is referring to bigamy, practiced in New Zealand illegally at present by a part of the Muslim population.

Is Labour looking at legalising bigamy?

What other possible permutations could there be?

3 homosexual males
3 homosexual females
3 male friends
3 female friends
2 homosexual females and a sperm donor
2 homosexual males and an egg donor
2 homosexual males and a German Sheppard

Yada, yada, yada.

There are loads of other possibilities. The New Zealand public just don't know what Ruth Dyson is talking about and she needs to explain her bizarre speech in Parliament. Public money will be spent on investigating such possibilities should Labour be re elected this year and welfare money will once again be used to support the fringe dwellers in our country, at the expense once again of the majority of Kiwis who will pay for it.

Is it yet another secret agenda of Labours, let out in Parliament last week by accident? It certainly gives a lie to the fake family of a mother, father and young child pictured in Labour Party election propaganda outed by media at the beginning of June.

To normalise bigamy?

Surely not.

Related Political Animal reading

Not that there is anything wrong with it

Fully aware of Muslims: Jihad and understanding

Having a multiple Muslim

New grab by at taxpayer funds by Labour comes with fakes included

c Political Animal 2008

John Key gives away parliamentary salary

John Key, the National Party's leader, is going to continue to give part of his salary to charity when he becomes Prime Minister in November.

Rodney Hide praised Key as a "generous Kiwi" and the spiteful Winston Peters called the gesture "politically motivated".

Bizarre coming from Peters as he generously gifted NZ$155,000.00 of stolen taxpayer money from the 2005 election campaign to 40 different charities recently instead of paying it back to where it came, and he clearly got no political capital from it!

It is not the same thing though.

No comment from Helen Clark, the wealthy property owner who only likes to give other peoples money away, to buy votes.


Related Political Animal reading


John Key's success should be celebrated
The John Key Story-Part One
The John Key Story-Part Two
Pointing fingers in the playground



c Political Animal 2008

POLITICAL POLL: Peter's gone in Tauranga

A major blow to Winston Peters in a snap poll in the Tauranga Electorate, and significantly Labour because Peters and his NZ First Party supports Helen Clark and her Labour Party. She will need him if the coming election is a close one.

Peters polling would have been seriously dented by the corrupt donation processes that have been enveloping him over the last 3 weeks.

More bad news for Labour and NZ First when they least need it. Labour is suffering under the veil of crumbing government departments and infrastructure, overspending scandals, rorts at the ACC and the bugging of the National Party conference two Friday's ago.

Aug 10, 2008 6:51 PM

A ONE News Colmar Brunton snap poll shows Winston Peters getting a hiding from a national party newcomer in his old stomping ground of Tauranga.

He is nearly half the age of his rival Peters but according to a new poll he has nearly twice the support.

The snap poll taken this week shows that National's Simon Bridges is on 48%, Peters well behind on 28% and Labour's Anne Pankhurst is in third place on 15%.

Continued

Related Political Animal reading

Dompost reels in another Peter's payment

Winston isn't a conspiracy theorist: Yeah right!

Winston Peters lost in Wonderland

Winston Circus hangover continues

Discretion was the essential part of Vela Donation

Winston Peter's Glenn donation scandal: But wait, there is more!

Peter's hangs himself in February Paul Henry Interview

Peter's admits lying about Glenn donation

Winston's silence is telling

Labour gets tangled in Peter's lies

Leaked Glenn Email

Winston got secret donations from Owen Glenn

The Owen Glenn Story: Singing the same tune but hitting a bum note

c Political Animal 2008

KiwiRail's first main trunk service begins

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

KiwiRail's first Wellington to Auckland train service begins. The three day trip will be accompanied by sausage rolls, cold Bell tea, 2 day old club sandwiches and frequent stops to take on board more coal.

c Political Animal 2008

Not that there is anything wrong with it

This video is from the 2007 "Big Gay Out". In it Ms Clark espouses, gay,lesbian and "trans gender rights" and waxes lyrical about Civil Unions and the right of these kind of people to have their relationships "recognised by the State".

In itself there is nothing wrong at all with this or as Seinfeld would say "not that there is anything wrong with that".

Having said that there is no media available; audio, video or written transcript of Ms Clark espousing the rights of the Nuclear family; Husband, wife, house and kids, you know, those families who pay the bulk of the taxes that support the nations wheels of commerce, Government expenditure and all the various social(list) programs that Ms Clark and her merry bunch like to roll out under the banner of "diversity".

There is reference to Labour's "rainbow caucus" wing and Labour's Gay movement in the party having an impact on legislation. I have never seen Ms Clark so excited about a sector of the community before, her openly gay members; Tim Barnett, Chris Carter, Maryan Street and Charles Chavel and others not outed yet in the Labour Party are used as examples of eminently upstanding individuals in a "strong rainbow group".

My point is Ms Clark has never been so excited about mum, dad and the nuclear family-where she gets mostly of the taxes from-and in fact seems to take every opportunity to attack those families.

From the anti smacking laws, to Working for families welfare, where working families are spending less time together because they have to spend more time at work funding WFF and other anti family social(list) meddling, there is little enthusiasm for the goose that lays the golden egg.

What New Zealand needs, rather than Ms Clark's main focus on extreme minorities (not that there is anything wrong with it) is a focus and emphasis back on the family and therefore extricating ourselves from the ever decreasing moral cesspool that we have found ourselves swimming in.


c Political Animal 2008

Deep Throat 2: The devil in the detail

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

More visitors from Labour HQ

Those at the Labour Party Blog, The Standard have once again passed on links to their mates at the Beehive and once again someone from the Labour Party came to check out a couple of articles.



Was Helen Clark making an episode of
The Simpsons last Friday when the
National Party conference was bugged
or was she using a stand-in for an alibi?

Number of Entries: Entry Page Time: Visit Length: Browser OS Resolution

4 8th August 2008 16:36:58 3 mins 45 secs MSIE 7.0 Windows XP 1024x768

Returning Visits: Location: Hostname: Entry Page: Exit Page: Referring URL:

0 Lower Hutt Wellington New Zealand mswfb1.parliament.govt.nz (202.68.87.70) [Label IP Address] darrenrickard.blogspot.com/2008/08/acc-staff-spending-on-day-spas-and.html darrenrickard.blogspot.com/2008/08/roy-morgan-poll-1-august-2008.html www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=2706

This time the visitor is from MSW, which I think is the Ministry of Social Welfare, and once again, like the Labour Party visitor from Parliament the other day, this visitor came through Labour's Blog site.

I only mention this again because the people who post at The Standard, keep claiming they have no relationship to the Labour Party but evidence of their cosy marriage, or in Labour's case un-civil union, is blatantly clear.

These are the people who also claim that even though they had two members of The Standard Blog busted outside the National Party conference last week, dressed up trying to look like National Party members, right down to rosaries on their lapels, that they were not responsible for bugging the conference and leaking secret tapes-with more to come says TV3's disgraced Duncan Garner-to Television three.

The folk at The Standard claim that the tapes were made and leaked to TV3 by a "National Insider". A comment so silly it doesnt require a reply from my good self. I mean who stands to benefit from the dirt gleaned from a setup at a drunken National Party piss up?

The Labour Party and its leader Helen Clark will clearly be implicated if the deep throat within their propaganda organ, The Standard, is exposed as the little tiddler who piddled his way into National prominence by bugging another political party.

It is clear from all this, if Labour will stoop to spying on their political opponents they will do anything to keep the reigns of power in the run up to the 2008 election.

Gag me with a spoon.

Related Political Animal reading

Labour loves Political Animal Blog
Four tape leak suspects
Political Animal gets a visit from the Labour Party
Those behind Labour's Blogsite behind Labourgate affair
Sub-Standard Political attack backfires
Who is the deep throat?
Dirty, Filthy Politicians

c Political Animal 2008

Labour backs ACC rorts

The Labour Party Blog, The Standard, has today come out and supported ACC staff using taxpayer money to get face lifts and pet grooming done for themselves.

...makes great economic sense. At a cost of just 0.005% of ACC’s total salary bill the activa contribution has led to improved productivity, less sick leave and improved staff retention, leading to a more stable and effective workforce.

Now, call me a dumb ass, but how do botox injections, pet grooming, day spas, and face lifts "improve productivity", and lead to a "more stable and effective workforce"?

Clearly they don't, and the folks at The Standard who leaked the audio tape from the National Party conference last weekend, will clearly support any sort of State agency, even if it is as corrupt an inefficient as ACC clearly is, just because it is in Labour's central mantra to back these large money wasting schemes because they are State run.

Clearly another case of philosophy triumphing over common sense.

But Maryan Street's backed ACC in Parliament yesterday:

Hon MARYAN STREET: I presume it is a case of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) practising what it preaches, in that it is trying to prevent injury. I commend it for that.

The back up coming from the Labour Party Blog, The Standard, today will backfire in Labour's face as it did with Street's backing of Housing welfare staff luxuriating at a 5 star resort last year.

When will they learn that kiwis have had a gutsful.

Gag me with a spoon, before socialism does.

Related Political Animal reading

ACC staff spending on day spas and pet care

c Political Animal 2008

Labour will flip flop on Herceptin

Watch for a major back flip and flip flop by Labour on the denial by their drug deliverer, Pharmac, of Herceptin for women dying of breast cancer.

National quite rightly, will fund the life saving drug when they take office in November 2008.

In the wake of crippling polls, a State infrastructure crumbling before our eyes, a deep Labour fed recession and a scandal over ACC staff rorts out yesterday Labour need to do the common sense thing to retain votes.

Funding Herceptin is the right thing to do. Funding pet grooming and face lifts for State ACC staff is clearly mad.

Related Political Animal reading

ACC Staff spending on day spas and petcare

c Political Animal 2008/ Cartoon c Stan Blanch 2008

VIDEO: Paris Hilton for Prime Minister

As the readers of Political Animal know, we are never, ever trivial, and I would like to say that the video that is being presented here is about as serious as one can get when it comes to politics and the political landscape in 2008.

Unlike the New Zealand Labour Party, Paris is always relevant, has serious issues to broach and has a...like really, really, really good energy policy.

Paris Hilton also has an interest in the environment, health care, business and a policy to end war in the Middle East.

The best part is though, in this pre-Presidential video, is that little Paris is unable to conceal any secret recording devices to tape her worthy opponents. The girl is almost naked and lets face it most politicians wouldnt look good nude but like hey, Paris does.

Good on ya for being upfront Paris, we could use your political savvy here in New Zealand.

Not only more intelligent than the whole Labour Cabinet put together but much easier on the eye than our current Prime Minister Ms Helen.

At Political Animal we endorse Paris Hilton's run for President.

We love Paris, we Love Paris!

c Political Animal 2008

ACC staff spending on day spas and petcare

In the wake of the Accident Compensation Corporation failing to look after the British Scientist who lost all her limbs at a work place accident in New Zealand last year and the Labour Government that passed legislation earlier on this decade to limit maximum payouts under ACC to NZ$100,000.00, come revelations today of extreme wasteful spending by the beleaguered, inefficient and expensive public "insurance" government department.

In Parliament today Pansy Wong asked a series of questions and they were answered by the Minister for ACC, well known for condoning overspending by government departments:

Pansy Wong: How does giving staff $250 each per year to spend through the activa card on activities like manicures and day spas promote a more active lifestyle and keep staff fit and well for work?

Hon MARYAN STREET: I presume it is a case of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) practising what it preaches, in that it is trying to prevent injury. I commend it for that. It is in fact an operational matter that is under the jurisdiction of the chief executive officer. But I suppose it is good to hear the National Party spokeswoman on accident compensation actually saying something about the portfolio at least once every 6 months, given that she was not able to—or not allowed to—say anything about National’s policy when it was released.

Manicures and day spas part of "preventing injury"? I think not.

Pansy Wong: Does the Minister believe that the active and healthy lifestyle of ACC staff is promoted by spending $250 for each person per year on animal care, including pet grooming?

Hon MARYAN STREET: I have no idea what that has to do with the health and safety of ACC staff, but I am happy to look into that for the member.

What part of an employers responsibility is it to look after employees pets?

Pansy Wong: Can the Minister assure the House that ACC staff are not spending $750,000 worth of taxpayers’ money on Botox, facelifts, and other cosmetic treatments that are services provided for through the activa cards, or does she think that this is an acceptable use of ACC funds?

Hon MARYAN STREET: In respect of the first part of the question, I think I can assure the House of that. But I will check that with the chair of the board, given the member’s obvious concern about the expenditure of ACC money.

If this is a fact then it is a scandal.

Nothing on TV news this evening or in the newspapers.

This sort of corrupt practice, the spending of taxpayer money on things that individuals should be paying for themselves, in the face of a recession and high taxes, is a very good reason why this government department should be subject to competition at the very least.

Personally I think it should be sold.

The bleating from the left about the ACC being fair, efficient and a wonderful State apparatus is clearly quite wrong in the face of the above and more the public dont know about.

The Minister clearly has little trouble with wasteful spending machinations at ACC because it is a State department and it is taxpayer money they are wasting and that clearly doesn't matter when it comes to this Minister and the Labour Party.

Related Links

Full transcript of Pansy Wong's question

c Political Animal 2008

A tale of three rising stocks

The market really seems to have forgotten the bad economic news, credit liquidity and recession in New Zealand over the last week or so.

No stocks more so than Sky City Entertainment [SKC] and Telecom NZ [TEL] and Fisher and Paykel Healthcare [FPH].

Sky City was up around 25% from its lows in the first week of July, Telecom has risen a similar percentage and Fisher more than 35% off its lows.

Telecom is a weird one, there is no material reason for its share price increase, perhaps the coming profit announcement,to be made Friday morning 8 Aug 2008(NZ time), got the overseas buyers scooping up shares for the dividend. Analysts expect around NZ$700 million for the full year 2008, but its 2009 profit of sub-$600 million will not excite the punters. Its long term outlook is not good.

Telecom NZ Chart.


Fisher and Paykel Healthcare started rising before the market as a whole did when the kiwi/US dollar cross started going in the company's favour. Every cent in decline against the US dollar means around NZ$ 2.5 million straight to the bottom line. The increase in share price is quite understandable then.



Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Chart.

I actually intended to write this post just about Sky City Entertainment but got sidetracked as I often do. So here goes.

The rise in this stock started before the general market improvement as well. From a low of NZ$2.90 just four weeks ago to close at $3.62 today.

This stocks prospects haven't improved materially due to any known factors apart from the Aussie cross with the Kiwi dollar improving their Australian Casino returns back to their New Zealand currency base.

The new CEO Nigel Morrison, has a reputation for cutting corporate fat and he has done some already. Strikes last weekend from the Auckland Casino floor staff because of a 4% wage rise offer didn't move management to make a higher counter one to get them back.

A 25% rise might indicate a good profit result to the year ended June 30 2008, due Monday 25 August 2008 (NZ time). This sort of movement in price before such announcements is common with this stock on good news.

Insiders should be ashamed.

I think SKC has been oversold though, like many other listed NZX stocks have.

Having said that I still fail to understand the collective amnesia that seems to envelop the stockmarket when they forget the reasons why they sold over the last few months and are now buying stocks as their share prices go in an upwards trajectory, on higher volumes traded.

Go figure.

Disclosure I own FPH & SKC shares.


Related Share Investor Reading


Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

Why did you buy that stock? [Fisher & Paykel Healthcare]
Drinking and Trading
Share Investor's 2008 stock picks
Fisher & Paykel: A tale of two companies
FPH downgrade masks good performance

FPH Investor Relations


Sky City Entertainment

As recession bites, Sky City bites back
Sky City outlines a clear future plan
Why did you buy that stock? [Sky City Entertainment]
Sky City Share Volumes set tongues wagging
Sky City half year exceptional on cost cutting
NZX Press release: Sky City profit to HY end Dec 2007
Sky City Cinemas no Blockbuster
Sky City Entertainment share price drop
New Broom set to sweep
Sky City Management: Blind, deaf and numb
Sky City sale could be off
Opposition to takeover
Premium for control
Sky City receives takeover bid
Sky City Casino Full Year Profit to June 30 2007
Setting the record straight
Sky City CEO resigns
Sky City Casino: Underperforming
Sky City Casino 2007 HY Profit(analysis)
Sky City Casino 2007 HY Profit


Telecom New Zealand

Telecom NZ faces a watershed period
Business Mis-management
Telecom New Zealand hangs up
Telecom NZ rewards ex CEO For Mediocrity
Business Gobbledygook a barrier to communication

Telecom Investor Centre - full profit announcement

2008 profit announcement - one page profit summary



Related Links

2008 SKC Interim Result 2008 Interim Report 2008 Interim Result Presentation Media Release NZX Announcement Financial Statements Result Briefing Webcast

2007 SKC Annual Result 2007 Annual Report 2007 Annual Result Presentation Media Release NZX Announcement Financial Statements Result Briefing Webcast

c Share Investor 2008

Labour Loves Political Animal Blog

Should I be paranoid for speaking my mind?

Will my rubbish bin searched?

Am I going to get caught on secret tape from a Labour Party stooge connected to The Standard Blog, saying something controversial like Hello?

Is a toilet bowl cam on their list?

Are agents 2.01 and 006.5 on my tail?

Well I might be forgiven for being just a little paranoid. Since I started talking about Labour Party's Blog, The Standard yesterday, I had a visitor from the Labour Party almost straight away, checking out the interesting points that I had to make about their covert operation at the National Party Conference last weekend.

They have now been on the site for over 17 hrs:

Number of Entries: Entry Page Time: Visit Length: Browser OS Resolution

5 6th August 2008 18:25:10 17 hours 18 mins 33 secs MSIE 6.0 Windows XP 1024x768

Returning Visits: Location: Hostname: Entry Page: Exit Page: Referring URL:

0 Wellington New Zealand pspc18-241.parliament.govt.nz (202.22.18.241) [Label IP Address] darrenrickard.blogspot.com/2008/08/sub-standard-political-attack-backfires.html darrenrickard.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-is-deep-throat.html www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=2685

Apart from the fact that they are wasting my taxpayer money on surfing the internet, instead of working, it is curious as to the connection between the Labour person on Political Animal all day today and those Labour Party supporters who run the Labour Party Blog, The Standard.

Even looking at hermaphrodite porn all day would be more productive than trolling my weighty opinions looking for reasons to come knocking on my door.

My readers can join the dots, I'm sure Barry Sopher, who knows the exact names of the group connected to The Standard, who did the bugging, will hold on tight to his sources. He has standards and principles.

It is a shame those connected to Labourgate clearly don't.

Related Political Animal reading

Four tape leak suspects
Political Animal gets a visit from the Labour Party
Those behind Labour's Blogsite behind Labourgate affair
Sub-Standard Political attack backfires
Who is the deep throat?
Dirty, Filthy Politicians

c Political Animal 2008

Four tape leak suspects

Some of the people indirectly behind the leaking of the tapes from the National Party conference in the weekend.

The tapes were provided by individuals connected to the Standard Blog, the Labour Party's propaganda machine on the internet.

Related Political Animal reading

Political Animal gets a visit from the Labour Party

Those behind Labour's Blogsite behind Labourgate affair

Sub-Standard Political attack backfires

Who is the deep throat?

Dirty, Filthy Politicians

c Political Animal 2008

Political Animal gets a visit from the Labour Party

How the staffers at the Labour Party Blog The Standard look in my imagination. They wont identify themselves, so this will have to do until they get the testicular fortitude to do so.


Although someone from Parliament or the Labour Party "rainbow youth" visits this site on the odd occasion , they were quick off the mark after the publishing of the connection between the Labour Party Blog, The Standard, and the bugging of the National Party Conference last weekend.

*Please note that the visitor from Parliament went through the Labour Party Blog to get to mine.

Number of Entries: Entry Page Time: Visit Length: Browser OS Resolution

2 6th August 2008 18:25:10 2 hours 4 mins 37 secs MSIE 6.0 Windows XP unknown

Returning Visits: Location: Hostname: Entry Page: Exit Page: Referring URL:

0 Wellington New Zealand pspc18-241.parliament.govt.nz (202.22.18.241) [Label IP Address] darrenrickard.blogspot.com/2008/08/sub-standard-political-attack-backfires.html darrenrickard.blogspot.com/2008/07/winston-peters-gets-donations-from-owen.html www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=2685

The connections between The Standard and Labour are clearly in evidence here. Tipped off by a stooge at the Blog, a Labour minion visited not long after.

They spent over 2 hours here too, clearly they loved it!

Related Political Animal reading

Those behind Labour's Blogsite behind Labourgate affair
Sub-Standard Political attack backfires
Who is the deep throat?
Dirty, Filthy Politicians

c Political Animal 2008

This punk wasnt lucky

Nike-Greek goddess who personifies victory.

My inaugural Dirty Harry award for taking out the trash goes to the brave individual who shot a scumbag in the face when they tried to rob his dairy.

He calls himself Nike, and how appropriate, most Kiwis will be behind him, except of course the cops:

"I don't want other people to think it's okay to do what this gentleman has done," he said. "Certainly we discourage what he's done'.

Detective Constable Matt Grant.

It seems the detective forgets that Narjev Singh lost his life in a South Auckland liquor store a couple of months ago when he put his hands up after a Maori individual held up his store. An assailant shot him dead. Had Narjev owned a gun he might well have been alive today.

Given that, Matt Grant gets the inaugural Louise Nicholas Wanker Award, so named because of Louise' fondness for cops and her governmental appointment to "survivor advocate" to,a "collect stories of other sexual violence stories" even though she isn't a victim of such a crime herself.

Related Political Animal reading

Go ahead, make my day

c Political Animal 2008

Those behind Labour's Blogsite behind Labourgate affair

Who are the people behind the taxpayer funded Labour Party Blog, The Standard who were behind the bugging of the National Party Conference in Christchurch over the weekend?

Do a whois and you find:

www.thestandard.org.nz is hosted on a server at 202.74.226.119
A WHOIS on that IP address gives us:

inetnum: 202.74.226.112 - 202.74.226.127netname:
LABOURPARTY1-2DAY-NZdescr:
New Zealand Labour Partycountry: NZ

From Kiwi Blog an incriminating email:

From: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxDate: 11 June 2008 12:24:42 PMTo: labourmembersofparliament@parliament.govt.nzCc: pm@ministers.govt.nz, mike.williams@labour.org.nz Subject: The Standard Blog

Dear all

I have a serious issue to raise with you all. It has come to my attention that two Ministerial staffers - Chris Elder and Andrew Kirton, both political employees - are blogging anonymously at the Labour-hosted, anti-John Key blog the Standard, www.thestandard.org.nz.

Given that a large number of these posts (most notably those by Chris Elder or all_your_base, a communications staffer on the ninth floor) occur during office hours, do you all believe it is appropriate that political employees are spending their time blogging anonymously? Is this approved behaviour?
Kind regards
xxxxxxx xxxxxx

This email is from a parliamentary staffer, reports KiwiBlog and also goes on to say that other posters and managers of thestandard.org.nz are either Labour party insiders, employees or union members.

The Standard claims:

We’re The Standard - a collective who saw a gap in the New Zealand political blogosphere and decided that we should have a go at filling it. We write here in our personal capacities and the opinions that are expressed on the blog are individual.

We come from a variety of backgrounds and our political views don’t always match up but it’d be fair to say that all of us share a commitment to the values and principles that underpin the broad labour movement and we hope that perspective will come through strongly as you read the blog.

They also claim that the "Labour Movement" funds them.

All bizarre claims when one considers their involvement over the bugging of the National Party conference, their connections to the Labour Party and the funding of the blog from the taxpayer.

I loath everything Labour stand for but don't support National.

My blog is free to host, I am an individual, I am funded by nobody, am a member of no political party and never have been, and unlike those at The Standard can speak freely.

They wouldn't post this blog of mine on their comments section because they don't like dissenting opinion from another point of view, unlike this site which clearly trumpets free speech.

Those connected with the bugging of the National party conference are being sneaky, slippery and don't have the balls to stand up and say who they are.

I can, they are those connected with The Standard and are knee deep in this Labourgate scandal.

You are free to comment Steve Pierson from The Standard. Be a man and admit your organistion's involvement.


Related Political Animal reading

Sub-Standard Political attack backfires
Who is the deep throat?
Dirty, Filthy Politicians

c Political Animal 2008

Sub-Standard political attack backfires

It has been revealed today that two members connected the Labour Party funded Blog Sub Standard were waiting outside the National Party Conference in the weekend. Dressed in National Party get ups. The president of the Young Socialists Labour Party confirmed it this morning.

It was someone connected with the Labour Party who secretly taped the conversations and then leaked them to the media.

This is the real scandal. Dirty filthy spying. There was nothing on the tapes that was secret or revealing. No big deal.

It is a new low in NZ politics to have a Watergate style attack on your political opponents.

It is the sign of a desperate, dying government, clinging onto power, in the face of a recession, crumbling public services, high crime rate and a funding scandal surrounding its major support party Winston Peters NZ First.

The bloggers on the sub-standard need to come out and reveal their involvement in this spying scandal, they know who deep throat is I’m sure.

It is going to blow up in your esteemed leaders face. Kiwis don't like the sort of underhanded sneaky behaviour like that from a Labour Party plant at the National Party conference.


Related Political Animal reading

Who is the deep throat?

c Political Animal 2008