Auckland Mayoral Election

[canta_brian]

Sorry, but that's just a bullshit non-excuse rationalisation for those who try to justify their non-participation. Aside from that, it wasn't the previous Labour government that authorised any bullshit revenge-oriented missions that we now know involved slaughtering women and children.

Aside from that, it's not Labour that in the last 9 years that has overseen the national debt skyrocket to pay for tax cuts that only benefited the already wealthy, increased GST that hit the low-income earners the hardest, has put in place educational policies like the fucking National cunting Standards that has seen academic achievement for students stall, has removed financial support structures for the needy which their own fucking ministers benefited from (I'm looking at you, Paula Bennett, you fucking parasite - tell us how the Training Incentive Allowance was expendable, you fuck), has defunded support centres for rape victims and mental health programmes, retroactively legalised illegal activity by the GCSB, privatised prisons which saw appalling human rights abuses - and had the fucking audacity to joke about it (go fuck yourself Judith, you know full well what the fuck you were saying, you fucking scum), state education funding has stalled while private schools get more and more money each year and shockingly mismanaged for-profit charter schools were introduced with no oversight whatsoever, and employment law that is regressive, predatory and exploitative was introduced targeting the young and vulnerable, all while putting state houses on the market while there's a fucking homelessness crisis going on - one of which was the cunting home John Key fucking grew up in.

Oh, and I haven't even mentioned that fucking flag referendum that was so fucking pointless that it resulted in no fucking change in the fucking flag with no actual definitive fucking understand of fucking whether or fucking not the fucking people of this fucking country fucking want another fucking flag. Fuck. And guess what? That shit cost over $100million to organise, while that fucking smug cunt with a fucking five-head cried poverty.

One's no worse than the other? Fuck off. The previous Labour government saw 9 consecutive surpluses which helped this country ride through the GFC comparatively unscathed, as well as other useful things like Kiwisaver. The fuck has National given us? All they're about is putting shit off until it becomes an overwhelming catastrophe for someone else to deal with, while pulling up the ladder they climbed up and kicking downwards. Fuck them.

Well said.

[J Dory]

I'm still trying to figure out what the bowie knife toast buttering thing meant.

[morepork]

I see free trade deals with China are all the rage on the NZ Harold website. Jesus, is it possible to open your legs that wide?

[jared_7]

I see free trade deals with China are all the rage on the NZ Harold website. Jesus, is it possible to open your legs that wide?

But that was offset by the article smartly outlining Richard Branson's view that we should restructure our faming economy around growing the most potent ganja known to man, man.

[morepork]

Once again, the media fawns over one of the architects of "economic reform". With all due respect to the family of the recently deceased, fuck you Doug. You and your round table mates freed up everything to engineer a quick profit for about a dozen old white guys whilst simultaneously savaging social welfare, education, and income. I especially like the way you guys tried to base the benefit threshold on the physiological minimum energetic intake a human body needs to "survive"

[morepork]

Johns Keys given a knighthood. Lucky he reinstated them when he was in power. What are the criteria for these things? Selling out then running away when you can sell no more? What a fucking joke.

[morepork]

....and Julie Christie.....sweet baby jesus...

[zer0]

Johns Keys given a knighthood. Lucky he reinstated them when he was in power. What are the criteria for these things? Selling out then running away when you can sell no more? What a fucking joke.

Knights were typically the ones doing the dirty work of screwing the peasants for their masters, so it would seem quite apt that he officially be made one.

[morepork]

What the fuck is happening to the Labour party? A dull culinarily handicapped replacement Prime Minister that advocates for austerity over a functional infrastructure, has irrigated half of the country into a toxic nitrate wasteland, covers for a shambolic for-profit ponzi tertiary education system, ignores a mental health system in obvious crisis, and dialogue in the media regarding the opposition is dominated by how charismatic the leader of the opposition should be?? Are there assassination squads gunning for investigative journalists or what?

[Mr Mwenda]

It's the same all over. They've worked at that killing journalism takes the inconvenience out of politricks.

[morepork]

There's been a massive downward shift in the quality of investigative journalism, where shrieky sensationalists like Paddy Gower and Duncan Garner, as well as smarmy propagandists seem to get the plum jobs, while people who've done some fucking great work in the past like Campbell get turfed out from TV.

Basically, fuck this stupid country.

It's looking pretty grim. I don't think people in NZ are really aware of how badly fucked over they are by the purging of the media. I mean stuff like the ministry of transport whistleblowers and Bridges blocking an OIA request just blows away. What about abuse of wards of the state over the last 30 odd years? Is that too hard to look into?

[Spy]

I agree that we're probably heading for a change of government. It's been a remarkable turn-around in fortunes over the past 3 weeks or so, and demonstrates the power of personality in politics. After 3 terms of a government, I think many people are looking for a change, and Adern has offered that. Pretty much what happened to the last Labour government. Tide comes in, tide goes out.

It annoys me that Winnie P will play the Kingmaker role again. It seems he's much more likely to go with Labour than National, but who can tell with that guy.

Re English, he'll surely be finished as leader if National lose this election.

[morepork]

That's quite a role call of fuckheads for National there. You want to talk about personalities in politics, every one of the individuals on that list represent a serious disconnect with what is happening on the ground. Has anyone on here been to towns on the East Cape or in the Waikato over the past few years? It's fucking grim for young people out there. Infrastructure is fraying, and people are suffering. Slashing budgets, selling out infrastructure and sucking off dairy farmers is not really a long term solution. The instigators of this remedial "policy" know this and will all trundle off to various boards and directorships with their pockets lined. Note the reduction in chirping from media cheerleaders following the departure of John Key. It's an absolute disgrace, and I just hope the damage is not irreparable. There is a generation coming through that has eft-all to look forward to and that has to be dealt with.

[morepork]

Joyce just shat the bed on Radio NZ. Not going well for Mr. Smirky.

[morepork]

The NZ Harold have wheeled out their old white dudes to step up for National. John Rougham (John Key's personal fluffer) says:

"The heart is wrestling with the head. The heart says it would be healthy to have a change after nine years and let's face it, an attractive young female Prime Minister would be good for our image in the world. The head says don't mess with success."

Hard hitting stuff.


Is it as bad on TV there?

[scuzzaman]

What the fuck is happening to the Labour party? A dull culinarily handicapped replacement Prime Minister that advocates for austerity over a functional infrastructure, has irrigated half of the country into a toxic nitrate wasteland, covers for a shambolic for-profit ponzi tertiary education system, ignores a mental health system in obvious crisis, and dialogue in the media regarding the opposition is dominated by how charismatic the leader of the opposition should be?? Are there assassination squads gunning for investigative journalists or what?

But some people just keep on believing that one career politician is better than another.

I still see no evidence of this fantasy.

[morepork]

By hokey Bill English is potato.

and Mike Hosking couldn't grill a piece of tofu.

[morepork]

Which one of you has been arseing about on the bobcat over fuel pipelines?

[Spy]

Unreal. I'm supposed to be flying out for a much-needed holiday on Saturday. This is classic NZ, really. Some clown farting about with a digger looking for swamp kauri fcks up the aviation capacity of a nation.

[morepork]

Bummer boss. I get the impression infrastructure is a little stretched at the moment? Squillions of tourists, no hotels/motels every now and then, then not enough motion potion to fly them in so they can dump in fields and rivers for a month.

[Spy]

Some things yes, some things not so much. Been plenty of big infrastructure investment in Auckland roads and trains, which has been good. Need to be spending more central government money to fund tourist infrastructure in areas which have plenty of tourist interest, but a small ratepayer base.

I used to be sympathetic to the idea of freedom camping, but much less so now. It creates a mess, and is a cost to the economy. It's annoying going down to the beach and finding a collection of ferals shitting in the dunes and leaving rubbish around rather than paying a few bucks to stay in the camp ground a couple of hundred metres away. Get off my lawn, you unkempt youngsters. Hotels/motels is really a private sector issue.

[morepork]

Auckland Auckland Auckland, always bloody Auckland.

[canta_brian]

Auckland Auckland Auckland, always bloody Auckland.

Nearly 1.4 million in Auckland these days. With proportional representation I guess there are rewards to be gained in targeting that population base. I'm not sure if these benefits are quite so accentuated in a first past the post system. Could be parliament would adjust constituency boundaries anyway to end up with the same result but it skews national policy in an unwelcome way in my opinion.

[zer0]

Thing is that the only thing National really targets Auckland for is shitty and unpopular policies and projects that are straight out of the Robert Moses playbook. It sees them suffer at local elections yet they still do well enough in the general election.

[canta_brian]

I would have thought that refusing to consider a capital gains tax would play particularly well with those who think massive house price inflation is making them richer. Auckland has seen greater house price increases than elsewhere I believe?