I was surprised to note that the Direct Democracy Party has a new secretary, this got me thinking. As it’s still registered it must have made its annual declaration that it has 500 members.
Googling found that when first registered it had a three year term for membership. Those original memberships will have expired this month. Having been inactive for some time, I’d be very surprised if it still has 500 financial members.
Given that the party is unlikely to contest the election, without the driver of former leader Kelvyn Alp’s delusions of credibility, it’s all a bit irrelevant anyway.
The problem I have with them is that a Prius is too small to be a taxi. In the back seat there’s just not enough leg room and it’s too narrow to fit three people in the back comfortably. Until Green Cabs start using a decent sized car I’m sticking with Wellington Combined’s Maximas and Falcons.
The increasing likelihood, and growing threats, that many in the Mugabe regime may be candidates for war crimes may actually make it more difficult to remove them from power. The less likely it is that Mugabe and his cronies can walk away without ending up dead or in prison, the more likely it is they’ll cling to power with the consequent increase in brutality.
Regrettably, a resolution to the situation in Zimbabwe seems further away than it did than it did before the last round of elections.
Campbell Live had a typically sanctimonious piece on the number of liquor stores in Manukau recently. Amongst other things it pointed out three liquor stores within a few hundred metres of each other – so what?
Are the foolish people of Manukau really drinking more because there are three rather than one liquor stores in one place?
You could argue that more stores causes more drinking through increased competition driving down prices. Then the obvious answer would be jacking up taxes rather than restricting the number of stores as done for cigarettes. Have we tried restricting the number of cigarette outlets?
Having read that McDonald’s is being sued by Devo for ripping off their trademark hats (actually trademarked and copyrighted), I noticed that one of KFC’s current TV ads is also Devo-esque.
With Devo having been legitmately used for a Dell ad and also playing at MacWorld 2008, I wonder if there’s revival on the way?
I’ve been a bit surprised at the lack of fuss over the Reserve Bank’s forecast of 6% unemployment in 2011 in the June Monetary Policy Statement.
Given how a couple of hundred lay-offs usually makes the news, I’d have thought the possiblity tens of thousands out of work might have caused a stir.
I guess there are two possiblities it hasn’t been news. Perhaps 6% unemployment is seen as a particularly surprising outcome, the current rate is historically low. Alternatively there are few people taking the RBNZ seriously. The Treasury seem to think the RBNZ’s going to be proven wrong.
One thing I love about the internet is how you can instantly background or fact check things. You don’t have to rely on other people’s choices of experts; you can check someone’s credibility yourself.
I stumbled across a great example this week. Real estate commentator Kieran Trass is one of the first people the Herald runs to for a quote. While looking for a bit more on Mr Trass, I found a few of his comments on a property forum. Turns out he talks total nonsense at times and has business associations with some suspect types. Some expert.
Artist Grahame Sydney’s objections to the Project Hayes windfarm highlight little more than his personal preferences.
Stating the importance of Central Otago landscapes as “vital to many people’s sense of identity” seems odd while preferring nuclear power, when NZ’s nuclear free status is arguably vital to many people’s national identity.
The landscape in question is deforested sheep farms and not unique. Arguments against windfarms here are ones against anything built anywhere, which is what Sydney did for Project Aqua too.
Sydney’s anti-business rants provide insight into his protests. Isn’t business people’s spending on artwork what keeps Sydney’s ilk employed?
I’d always assumed he thought he had all the answers. He certainly puts his views forward as such.
Perhaps he doesn’t consider that he’s an ideologue but is simply aware of the objective social and economic answers that the rest just don’t appreciate.
The alternative is that McCarten is only concerned with the ills affecting his particular cause. This matches his successes in building political parties.
