The Inquiring Mind

Ignorance, racism and hypocrisy now the main NZ characteristics

adamsmith1922 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:42:44 +0000

The above characteristics, which are it seems the key elements in the thinking of many New Zealanders, are fully displayed in the comments made in the NZ Herald’s Your Views on the Crafar Farms decision.

Many seem to hate all foreigners, the majority are out of touch with any form of economic reality and furthermore attribute a degree of mendacity towards Chinese that is appalling and frightening.

Makes Adam ashamed of New Zealand.

Crafar Farms – some facts #2

adamsmith1922 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:26:48 +0000

Overheard on Jim Mora’s panel discussion today.

Apparently Ngai Tahu have sold, yes sold some forestry land, yes land, to foreigners. Yes nasty foreigners, in this case Swiss, have purchsed land from Ngai Tahu.

Where is the hullabaloo about this?

Where is Winston Peters re this?

Where are the iwi protesting the sale of land?

Adam thought Maori did not sell land?

Where is the MSM manufacturing news re this?

What benefits do the Swiss bring to our forsetry sector?

Where is the left wing outrage?

Where is Caspar in this?

Seems that white yodelling Swiss are somehow not as dangerous as men from China.

Again Adam says far too many people in this Crafar matter are two faced hypocrites.

Crafar Farms – some facts #1

adamsmith1922 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:01:16 +0000

So Government is to permit the Crafar farms to be sold to Chinese interests.

Immediately we see out pourings of faux indignation.

For example No Right Turn writes:-

so we end up with a strategic asset and a significant chunk of our dairy production falling into foreign hands

Reading that one might be concerned.

Yet apparently in mid-2005, there were 12,786 dairy farms, with a total area of 2.1 million hectares. Adam understands that the Crafar farms are some 8,000 hectares max. So this so called strategic asset, about which NRT and others are so concerned is 0.003% of the land in dairy. My god that really, really is strategic NOT

Then the 16 farms represent 0.001% of the number of farms, another hugely significant chunk of farm ownership.NOT

Given that it is estimated that of NZ productive agricultural land that some 7% is foreign owned, it is hard to take the concern of NRT seriously, other than to conclude that he like many has a hang-up about inward investment.

Yet as usual in NZ it seems that many, including some politicans are not afraid to let facts get in the way of a beat-up, xenophobia or good old hyprocrisy

Adam’s Little List

adamsmith1922 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:06:12 +0000

Drawing upon the immortal Gibert & Sullivan operetta, The Mikado, where the ‘patter song’ was about those who would not be missed if dispensed with, via the executioners block. Adam has some thoughts in a NZ context:-

Winston Peters

Trevor Mallard

The entire crew at The Standard

Darien Fenton

Maryan Street

Andrew Williams

Andrew Cunliffe

Brian Edwards

Bomber Bradbury

Penny Bright

Patrick Gower

Tapu Misa

John Campbell

Mark Sainsbury

Petra Bagust

Brian Rudman

Duncan Garner

Rajan Prasad

Raymond Huo

Jonathan Coleman

Ruth Dyson

no particular ranking and there are others, but a starting point.

Please feel free to add new names

Here is Thomas Allen from the Proms, enjoy

Guess who!

adamsmith1922 — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:35:36 +0000

Which blogging legend, in his mirror’s view, wrote this drivel:-

” we revel in a year of media banality and political apathy as the country slowly faces the collapse of the entire neo liberal Washington consensus hegemonic structure with all the awareness of a brain dead coma patient.”

There is no need to parody or make fun of anybody who can write such mind numbing crap, as they do the deed all on their own.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all

adamsmith1922 — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:50:56 +0000

Thanks to all my readers and commenters.

Enjoy this time and relax

Greens on foreign policy

adamsmith1922 — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 06:06:03 +0000

Whilst not converted to their viewpoint, Adam has a liking for their looking at foreign affairs as a Global Affairs issue as Kennedy Graham writes thoughtfully

Ministerial competence and other things

adamsmith1922 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:42:53 +0000

Trevor Mallard has been blogging about how the number of Ministers appointed by John Key is ridiculous, to some extent Adam agrees, but let us look at the Ministry as of November 2005, just after H1 was returned for the third time:-

1 Rt Hon Helen Clark
Prime Minister
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Ministerial Services
Minister in Charge of the NZ Security Intelligence Service
Minister Responsible for the GCSB

2 Hon Dr Michael Cullen
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Finance
Minister for Tertiary Education
Leader of the House
Attorney-General (includes responsibility for Serious Fraud office)

3 Hon Jim Anderton
Minister of Agriculture
Minister for Biosecurity
Minister of Fisheries
Minister of Forestry
Minister Responsible for the Public Trust
Associate Minister of Health
Associate Minister for Tertiary Education

4 Hon Steve Maharey
Minister of Education
Minister of Broadcasting
Minister of Research, Science and Technology
Minister for Crown Research Institutes
Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office

5 Hon Phil Goff
Minister of Defence
Minister of Trade
Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control
Associate Minister for Trade Negotiations
Associate Minister of Finance

6 Hon Annette King
Minister of State Services
Minister of Police
Minister for Food Safety
Associate Minister of Defence
Associate Minister of Trade
Coordinating Minister, Race Relations
Minister of Transport

7 Hon Trevor Mallard
Minister for Economic Development
Minister for Industry and Regional Development
Minister for State Owned Enterprises
Minister for Sport and Recreation
Associate Minister of Finance

8 Hon Pete Hodgson
Minister of Health

9 Hon Parekura Horomia
Minister of Maori Affairs
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
Associate Minister of Education
Associate Minister of State Services
Associate Minister of Fisheries

10 Hon Mark Burton
Minister of Justice
Minister of Local Government
Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Deputy Leader of the House
Minister Responsible for the Law Commission

11 Hon Ruth Dyson
Minister of Labour
Minister for ACC
Minister for Senior Citizens
Minister for Disability Issues
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF)

12 Hon Chris Carter
Minister of Conservation
Minister of Housing
Minister for Ethnic Affairs

13 Hon Rick Barker
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister of Civil Defence
Minister for Courts
Minister of Veterans’ Affairs

14 Hon David Benson-Pope
Minister for Social Development and Employment
Minister for the Environment

15 Lianne Dalziel
Minister of Commerce
Minister of Women’s Affairs
Minister for Small Business

16 Hon Damien O’Connor
Minister of Corrections
Minister of Tourism
Minister for Rural Affairs
Associate Minister of Health

17 Hon David Cunliffe
Minister of Immigration
Minister of Communications
Minister for Information Technology
Associate Minister for Economic Development

18 Hon David Parker
Minister of Energy
Minister for Land Information
Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues

19 Nanaia Mahuta
Minister of Customs
Minister of Youth Affairs
Associate Minister for the Environment
Associate Minister of Local Government

20 Clayton Cosgrove
Minister for Building Issues
Minister of Statistics
Associate Minister of Finance
Associate Minister of Immigration
Associate Minister of Justice

21 Hon Jim Sutton
Minister for Trade Negotiations

MINISTERS OUTSIDE CABINET

22 Hon Judith Tizard
Minister of Consumer Affairs
Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand
Minister Responsible for the National Library
Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Associate Minister of Commerce
Associate Minister of Transport
Auckland Issues

23 Hon Dover Samuels
Minister of State
Associate Minister for Economic Development
Associate Minister for Industry and Regional Development
Associate Minister of Housing
Associate Minister of Tourism

24 Hon Harry Duynhoven
Minister for Transport Safety Associate Minister of Energy

25 Hon Mita Ririnui
Minister of State
Associate Minister of Corrections
Associate Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Associate Minister of Forestry
Associate Minister of Health

26 Winnie Laban
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
Associate Minister for Economic Development

27 Mahara Okeroa
Minister of State
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Associate Minister of Conservation

MINISTERS OUTSIDE CABINET FROM OTHER PARTIES WITH CONFIDENCE AND SUPPLY AGREEMENTS

Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister for Racing
Associate Minister for Senior Citizens

Hon Peter Dunne
Minister of Revenue
Associate Minister of Health

There were 29 in this ministry.

Trevor has opined as well that many ministers, especially in the latter part of the rankings were effectively deadwood, so does he mean:-

11 Hon Ruth Dyson
Minister of Labour
Minister for ACC
Minister for Senior Citizens
Minister for Disability Issues
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (CYF)

12 Hon Chris Carter
Minister of Conservation
Minister of Housing
Minister for Ethnic Affairs

13 Hon Rick Barker
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister of Civil Defence
Minister for Courts
Minister of Veterans’ Affairs

14 Hon David Benson-Pope
Minister for Social Development and Employment
Minister for the Environment

15 Lianne Dalziel
Minister of Commerce
Minister of Women’s Affairs
Minister for Small Business

16 Hon Damien O’Connor
Minister of Corrections
Minister of Tourism
Minister for Rural Affairs
Associate Minister of Health

17 Hon David Cunliffe
Minister of Immigration
Minister of Communications
Minister for Information Technology
Associate Minister for Economic Development

18 Hon David Parker
Minister of Energy
Minister for Land Information
Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues

19 Nanaia Mahuta
Minister of Customs
Minister of Youth Affairs
Associate Minister for the Environment
Associate Minister of Local Government

20 Clayton Cosgrove
Minister for Building Issues
Minister of Statistics
Associate Minister of Finance
Associate Minister of Immigration
Associate Minister of Justice

21 Hon Jim Sutton
Minister for Trade Negotiations

MINISTERS OUTSIDE CABINET

22 Hon Judith Tizard
Minister of Consumer Affairs
Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand
Minister Responsible for the National Library
Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Associate Minister of Commerce
Associate Minister of Transport
Auckland Issues

23 Hon Dover Samuels
Minister of State
Associate Minister for Economic Development
Associate Minister for Industry and Regional Development
Associate Minister of Housing
Associate Minister of Tourism

24 Hon Harry Duynhoven
Minister for Transport Safety Associate Minister of Energy

25 Hon Mita Ririnui
Minister of State
Associate Minister of Corrections
Associate Minister in Charge of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
Associate Minister of Forestry
Associate Minister of Health

26 Winnie Laban
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
Associate Minister of Pacific Island Affairs
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
Associate Minister for Economic Development

27 Mahara Okeroa
Minister of State
Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment
Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Associate Minister of Conservation

were all deadwood. If not he should tell us after all it is unfair on the competent to tar them all with the brush of incompetence.

Intriguingly a number of names at the lower end of the rankings have achieved much exposure and higher rankings recently. Were any of these amongst those Trevor did not rate as competent?

Has the whiteanting of the Shearer front bench begun?

Helengnomes – unmasked

adamsmith1922 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:37:27 +0000

The previous post showed the Helengnomes en masse, in caucus, but here we have a rare picture of one, unmasked, in it’s native habitat, warts and all:-

Look familiar?

Helengnomes – caught in caucus

adamsmith1922 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:52:18 +0000

Adam really enjoyed the sobriquet coined by Cactus Kate and thinks it highly appropriate.

The prevalence of these people in Shearer’s regime is disturbing

High are the Helengnomes caucusing, as caught by a fearless snapper:-