A Permanent Holiday

I’m starting my Christmas holidays with a road trip this week.  After some consideration I’ve decided it’ll also start a permanent holiday for 100 Word Blog.    

 

While it’s been fun, the 100 Word format was always an experiment and I think I’ve proved that a 100 Word blog is practical.  Also my Minnow Party project’s over and I can’t think of another I want to pick up just now.

 

So all that’s left is to say thanks to everyone who’s read, commented on, linked to and/or provided material over the past year and a bit. 

 

Really, thank you all.

The Flyover: Bypass Redux

How tiresome.  The dogmatism that characterised the anti-bypass campaigns has reappeared unchanged for changes around the Basin Reserve.

If the anti-flyover people are to be believed it’s being proposed because road planners are stupid and engaged in a conspiracy to build more roads.  It’s like reading SOLO on climate change, a plot by climate scientists to feather their nests.

 

If building more and better roads is so harmful why aren’t they recommending reducing capacity on the existing network?  That seems to be the logic to their arguments.  Funny they’re not using the bypass as an example of things going wrong.

How to euthanise a goldfish

Bubble became grew thin and then was found at the bottom of the tank.   We decided that we had to be cruel to be kind, but how?

After some research, spurred by my reticence at flushing a live goldfish down the loo, I discovered a comparatively humane way of sending Bubble to the ornamental pond in the sky. 

Apparently goldfish hibernate at low temperatures, so popping a goldfish in a plastic bag of its tank/pond’s water and popping that bag in the freezer is the relatively peaceful demise.  Much, much better than the single hammer blow someone suggested!

An Open Letter to the Republic of New Zealand Party

Chaps I see you are ’reviewing‘ your site.  I hope you review your whole party.  Your elections results can’t be much more than you’d get from mistaken votes alone.  

  

There was not one thing you did competently during the election campaign, little campaigning that there was.  You couldn’t even get the basic paper work right.  Bumbling aside, you give republicanism a bad name by using it as a cover for your primary purpose of promoting your brand of “Men’s Rights”.  Stick to men’s rights and you may make a contribution without besmirching other causes with your antics.

Free, universally popular and you can announce it immediately

One of the best political satires ever, The Thick of It, has one episode where a British Government Minister asking his assistants for a policy that’s free, universally popular and something he could announce immediately. 

 

I tried to think up such a policy myself.  Only one came to mind, but it’s a good one – get rid of government agencies’ fancy branding.  Such branding is unnecessary. While government campaigns might need a brand, there’s no need to brand WINZ.  Phase it out and there’d be virtually no cost.  With easy guidelines, design could be done on standard software.

New Political Caricature Blog

The Linesman is a new blog of digital caricatures of New Zealand politicians.   Not Sure what Bill English is supposed to be in the one above (Emperor Palpatine?), but this could be a cool resource for other political blogs.

I’ve been tagged!

The rules:

• Link to your taggee
• Post the rules
• Share seven random or weird facts about yourself
• Tag 7 random people at the end of the post with their links
• Inform those 7 they’ve been tagged by commenting on their blog

1. I name my goldfish after Popes
2. I’ve two official names
3. I’ve worn a suit in West Africa
4. I cook curry on a Tuesday
5. Frankfurt is the city I’ve most visited without staying overnight
6. I know way too much about jet planes
7. The only car vs. motorbike accident I’ve had was while driving someone to pick up a scooter.

National Front’s restart

 

The National Front are restarting themselves as a political party, but still one of nasty bigots.

 

Their website demonstrates their racism with a whites-only forum and their views on homosexuality differ only from the Third Reich by the absence of gas chambers.  Their association with the despicable Jim Saleam at their recent Flag Day shows them in their true light.

 

Amusingly their leader was described by current ally, Anton Foljambe, as an embarrassment to be associated with. 

 

I expect they want to emulate the British National Party’s modicum of success, but there just aren’t enough racists in New Zealand.

Minnow Party post election round up

While the Christian parties had 1996 to give them hope, most knew they had no chance.  While the Libertarianz and the Workers’ Party would be happy just to stand by their ideals, you have to wonder why the Alliance doesn’t just join Labour or the Greens or why the Marxists of RAM are so coy about their politics.

And then there’s the sheer embarrassment of the results.   Having poured their efforts into Mangere, the Family Party gained only 856 votes.  RAM claims 3,000 members but the overwhelming majority didn’t vote for them, they only received 405 votes.   

 

Election Day – 80s style