The Rockefeller Skank

Kudos to Mike Hosking - I saw him at some stage last week decrying synthetic cannabinoids without a hint of conscience about his blatant shilling for the much more destructive gambling sector.  There are very few people who are sufficiently self absorbed and venal to be able to do that kind of thing with a straight face.


Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way, Baby, 1998

Walking Off A Cliff Again

If only we were still try to catch up with Australia.  Over there they can see the need to resign over a scandal, even the ones from the Mad Monk's Party.  Meanwhile back in NZ even a sticky stinky scandal leaves our politicians pretending it wasn't them.

Dear Mr Key, where are those higher standards and transparent government you said you would deliver?

Mint Chicks - Mint Chicks, 2006

It Doesn't Change

When your only solution to everything is "the market", everything is for sale.  Everything.

The Church - Seance, 1983

Girl On The Wing

Gosh, a month since I last posted, and still the sore I last posted about festers.
So, Judith Collins had a shocker at QT in Parliament today.  In spite of all that's been said and done, she used "it was a private dinner" as a reason for not answering questions about the scandal she has ensconced herself in.  So, let's test that idea: 
Would the dinner have occurred if Mrs Collins had had to fund the costs herself?  If no, then it was not a private dinner.  
Would the dinner have occurred if Mrs Collins had not been a Minister in the NZ Government?  If no, then it was not a private dinner.

The Shins - Oh, Inverted World, 2001

Knives

Let's stop the equivocation; Judith Collins has to go.  She's caught in a clear conflict of interest that hasn't been declared properly or in a timely fashion.  That's totally unacceptable.
What's Regular John done to piss me off this time?  Where do I start?  From the beginning, I suppose:
- He's given Mrs Collins a "final warning".  Too soft, dismiss her.
- He's described the behaviour as "...cumulative effects of her interactions...could lead to a perception of a conflict of interest".  Ummm, no, it's much worse than that.  Any of the individual interactions do lead to the perception.  And forget the perception, there's a real conflict of interest.  
- He's applied a different standard to himself than he has to Mrs Collins, as folllows:
"Judith had a responsibility when she was asked the questions not just to answer the question directly but to tell me and the New Zealand public everything that had gone on," [Mr Key] said.
In the spirit of "telling the NZ public everything", let's see the advice you relied on, Mr PM, so we can confirm that the failure to check the non-English version of the website is the only incorrect piece of the advice.  
Let's sort that out for starters and see what happens next.

Therapy? - Troublegum, 1994

All Over The World

A day after the election date is announced the press have bad news for Mr Key.  This evening I'll highlight just one example - Stuff's headline that says "Key misled media over Collins Chinese link".  Indeed he did, and more than the article dares to admit.

Not to be outdone, Granny has said
"A string of National Party high-flyers have been entertained by the milk exporter at the centre of a conflict of interest row involving Justice Minister Judith Collins and her husband, a director of the company."
In the article Bryce Edwards labels the approach as pragmatic, and on reading this the begrudging respect I held for Dr Edwards' views vanished.  Mrs Collins' behaviour has been corrupt, and this has been compounded by her nonchalance; Dr Edwards should know better.

Pixies - Bossanova, 1990

Bank Holiday

The election is to be held on 20 September, thanks in part to Mr Banks and the most prominent of his public transgressions.  Goes to show that this is a government that is out of ideas; they don't even have enough in their legislative program to fill out the full term.

Blur - Parklife, 1994