New Zealand Conservative

MaCain is not wasting his anti-abortion lead with the choosing of Sarah Palin as Presidential running mate. The Democrats are currently bleeding support from the 25% of American voters who are Catholics ( see drop of 11% from July to August ). Those same voters have traditionally determined who wins the Presidency, and with the Democrat's Nancy Pelosi's attempt to justify abortion as an ok Catholic choice, Catholics have over the last week heard strong refutations from their Bishops as to the wrongness of that stance. The Democrats have attempted to shore up the Catholic vote by Obama's choice of Catholic Joe Biden as his running mate, but Biden also has a real problem with understanding Catholicism's absolute stance on the evil of abortion . So choosing Sarah Palin is giving Catholic voters in America a real choice between those who would support life and the family and those who would destroy life and the family. Awesome! "The inspired choice of Sarah Palin ...

I've not been following the Winston saga in any great detail as I've been far more interested in the Nancy Pelosi gaffe and the implications for Catholic support for the Democrat party in the US. Especially now that Joe Biden has become Obama's running mate for the American presidency. I've been trying to write a post on this whole thing and I think I'm going to give up and let my post stay in my huge draft graveyard I've got going on NZ Conservative. How's everyone's week been going? One of my kids was sick earlier in the week with ear infections and throwing up, but he's chipper now. I'm off to get pizza soon, so have put this post on a delayed timer, sort of. I'll probably be back by the time this post self-publishes. So, I'll see you all soon.

This morning while I was listening to NewsTalk ZB to Justin Du Fresne, I heard that the Ministry of Education had decreed that handwriting is no longer to be taught in NZ schools. I can well imagine the logic would go something like this: Children today are being taught to use the computer to express themselves. During this age of increasing computerisation the art of writing on paper will no longer be necessary in the future as everything will be done electronically, even if there is still some need to write legibly now. So, in order to prepare for this bright future and save teachers time (to teach the very necessary new green social sciences and socialist values) we need to cut out handwriting altogether. Last year, when my children were still at school, I was amazed that my older child's new teacher's solution to his inability to write legibly was to suggest that he do a touch typing programme at home so he could do all his work on the computer. Now, more than a year lat...

The pay gap between the rich and poor has shrunk for the first time in 20 years, according to a new report on the nation's social wellbeing. But we are supposed to think this is good. Mr Gray said over the long-term social outcomes were improving. Several indicators also pointing to a reducing gap between Maori and Pacific Islanders and other groups ... So, when the gap is negligible, ie we are all poor and need hand-outs from the Government, those percentages that the Ministry for Social Development work off will look just great. The annual report, released today, shows that at the end of 2007 a household edging into the top 20 per cent of income earners is 2.6 times better off than one sitting at the top edge of the bottom 20 per cent. That is a fall from 2.7 per cent last year and the first fall since 1988, when the ratio sat at 2.2 per cent. The report, which is compiled from a range of previously released statistics, also says there are fewer people living on lower incomes tha...

The Maxim Institute has made a submission to Inland Revenue arguing the case for income splitting. Like me, they would prefer a flatter tax system but if this is not to be, then they say looking at a family as a unit in social and economic terms makes sense. They also make a good point I had not considered before: The approach taken to the assessment of welfare programmes like Working for Families reveals that we already accept that the existence of family relationships is relevant to the financial assessment of members of the family. “Working for Families uses the family, rather than the individual, as its basis for determining the appropriate level of assistance for families.” If this logic is appropriate for the assessment of benefits—and we submit that it is—then it is appropriate for the tax system and supports the introduction of income splitting. It would be inconsistent to conclude otherwise. Fair point. The point is made again when the submission goes on to state that "...

I see in the paper the Greens have released their IT Policy and have a few simple demands to achieve digital utopia. Some eyebrow raising policies that leap out at me on my first scan of their document: 1. Ban software patents 2. Require the government use free and Open Source software 3. Require the government to favour locally produced software 4. Set up free (tax payer funded) municipally owned wireless networks 5. Force internet providers to supply redundant access 6. Remove any freedom of an ISP to choose what information it carries. 7. Duplicate all public information held by the government in Te Reo Maori 8. Require government to provide more free (tax payer funded) or low cost public information online. 9. Introduce the concept of "E-waste" and promise to research then tax and legislate E-Waste out of existence. 10. Introduce public and democratic scrutiny of any proprietary system responsible for human life or gathering votes. 11. Potentially give tax breaks on soft...

Back in 2004, Michael Wilson did a documentary in the same "style" as Michael Moore. He just did it from the other side of the fence. So, a more Conservative, centre-right view rather than the liberal left-of-off-centre. Instead of Michael Moore pointing out all the reasons he feels ashamed of America, Michael Wilson sets out to show America does have its success stories. As well as being a bit of a parody on the persuasive power of deceptive documentaries, it also pokes a bit of fun at Moore. Wilson chases Moore around the country, trying to get an interview with him, and being refused by the multi-millionaire champion of the little man. Exactly like Michael Moore has done in his own documentaries and TV shows. Ironically, the title is probably the meanest part of the DVD but the point is well made. I only mention this in passing, 4 years after the release of the movie, because I noticed it tonight on the new releases shelf of my local DVD store. I'll have to get ...

[Warning R13 Content. R16 concepts. Occasional Satire. Facts to be taken with Grain of Salt (although the Kindy Disco story is true) Void to read where prohibited.] Steve Crow has released the September Queen Street Parade Schedule as his concerns mount that New Zealand is not free enough, and women emancipated enough. "It is important all New Zealanders turn out regularly to support our democratic right to promote and foster a healthy attitude to sex and sexuality." The parade schedule for Queen Street is as follows: Sep 01: Boobs on Bikes Sep 02: Tits on Trikes Sep 03: Hooters on Scooters Sep 04: Racks on Tracks Sep 05: Knockers for Fokkers Sep 06: Mamas for yo Papas Sep 07: Norks for the Dorks Sep 08: Jelly for the Telly Sep 09: Fun Bags on Slags Sep 10: Helens with Melons Sep 11: Beamers in Beamers Sep 12: Grand Glands on the Strands Sep 13: Bristols with Pistols Sep 14: Ta-tas for Martyrs Sep 15: Titties for the Cities Sep 16: Breast heading west Sep 17: Marshmallows ...

Yes, it seems there have been enough signatures collected to force a referendum on the smacking law. This is a good thing and yet I'm not completely happy. In the first place, it seems they're not going to hold the referendum in tandem with this year's General Election and instead hold a postal ballot next year; the reason? That recommendation [by Justice Minister Annette King] refers to the experience of 1999, when two referendums were held with the general election, causing long delays in vote-counting, confusion among voters, and congestion at polling booths. Ms King last night dismissed calls to hold the referendum earlier. I voted in 1999 and answered the referendum questions and I can't remember any confusion or backlog of people. This is simply another two-pronged tactic by the Government to delay or water down the referendum. One: they don't want the question put to voters this year as it will lose Labour votes - a good 70% of the country di...

Looks like I've beaten Zen to it, tonight. Even though I am very late. I'll check in later as I'm hosting a dessert evening from 8pm.

Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable. -- G. K. Chesterton Update [Finally get to finish my thought]: The Boobs on Bikes Parade is all about Women's Rights. A bare breasted women promoting a porn expo is all part of their self development and growth as a human being. That's why we all need to support Steve Crowe on this issue. Go Steve, we know where you are coming from, and our sisters thank you. --End Sarcasm--

Just for you techno geeks (of which I am one). If you haven't been into iTunes for a while, you'll notice something new - Kiwis can now buy and rent movies straight from iTunes; not that it helps me, having no broadband (thanks again Telecom!). I might rent a movie (if I could) but I don't know about buying one from iTunes. I'm too fussy when it comes to picture quality.

This blog's long-time nemesis, Chris Trotter, has finally entered the anarchistic world of blogging. Out here on the unedited, uncensored fringe of the media, things do not work the same as Chris is used to. For instance, consider the long-standing honourable tradition of the pseudonym. Many of us spend years cultivating our secret identity to the point where we would never dream of masquerading as another. With a bit of time and patience, newbies can easily discover who is who and what they think far and beyond what that person might reveal under a real name in real-life. A pseudonym is not something to be afraid of. It doesn't really hide the individual any more than meeting someone down at the pub who is introduced by the name of "Joe" is hidden by the lack of a last name. If someone met me in person and I never told them my last name, the only thing it would stop would be tracking down my phone number afterwards. No one needs my phone number, they know where...

... Judge Mathers said although some councillors may deem the parade to be offensive, she did not agree, even if it was tacky. Females walking down the street bare-breasted was not unlawful. But she added her decision case was made by considering the law not morals. It used to be that the law was based on morals. For my position on the Boobs on Bikes parade, see my previous post: Fig leaves on their faces . Related Link: Boobs on Bikes parade gets go-ahead ~ Stuff

I hardly ever watch TV, but the Olympics drew me in. And I was ever so impressed to discover Westpac had something to do with the Olympics. They were the official bank who paid the most money of any bank to have the rights to say they were the official bank of the Olympics. Although, maybe that was only for Australia and New Zealand TV stations. Perhaps banks in other countries were busily being official sponsors of the Olympic Brand for their country. No matter. I'm distracting myself from the obvious conclusion. So impressed was I that Westpac were advertising themselves as official sponsors I of course did what any viewer would be expected to do: I resolved to switch all my accounts to Westpac on the Monday. But then disaster struck. National Bank rode in with a more powerful offer. According to their advert, whenever I had to think about money, a black horse would gallop past my Window, and possibly stomp bandits to death and scare away any tax collectors. That seemed...

Here on the Kapiti Coast, we have just experienced the most incredible amount of hail. It's almost covered my paths and garden outside in a complete blanket of white. I don't think I've ever seen this much hail before.

o - s - t - mus - tis - nt ~ Latin verb endings for memorisation I started teaching my children (boys, ages 7&11) Latin from the start of this year using Memoria Press's Prima Latina for young children. It's very basic Latin which could almost be a bit too young for my older child, but I thought that it would be far easier to teach the same thing to two children and that it would be a gentle lead-in for my older child who really didn't like to work too hard. A few weeks back we started really getting into the grammar rules for types of words. Not having learned anything like this at all myself beyond passing references to nouns, verbs, etc, I'm finding that the classical approach to learning for younger children looks to be very beneficial. The idea is that they memorise (dirty word in modern education!) facts so that they are easily assessable in their minds when they need them. I'm finding in teaching of grammar facts, for example, as they relate to Lati...

Point Zero One. The Kiwi twins cross the line and we require German precision checking to see who had the most paint on the bow. That's what I call a photo finish, and the Evers-Swindell sisters guarantee a huge contract on Weet-Bix boxes for the next 20 years. Oh yes, they also took Gold for New Zealand in the 2000m double sculls. What an oar-some night for rowing, with a well deserved bronze by 2005 World champions Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater in the men's pair event, right after Mahe's huge effort. Rob Wadell and Nathan Cohen unfortunately were around 1 second off a bronze in the mens double sculls, making a great charge right at the end, but not quite enough time to catch. Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh also missed out on a medal in the women's pair event, coming in at 5th position - still a great achievement to be in a final. Beijing Medal Table [not always current]

Wow! What absolute commitment! I just watched Mahe take bronze in the singles 2000m, and I think he may well be disappointed. There is no question in my mind though that his effort was pure gold. We know of course he's been sick this week, losing up to 4kg of weight this week. It's amazing he even turned up for the final, and we've seen him give everything he had. He's just been carried off by paramedics. Mahe, you may not have got gold today, but you did yourself proud. Fantastic effort and we all know the Gold would have been yours on another day.

It's Friday. What a week! If you've caught any of the Olympics then you'd almost be forgiven for missing what's happening in the rest of the world. Awesome stuff. Speaking of awe and shock, Georgia is on many minds of course. Did the world change, or did we just open our eyes a little bit wider? And in the more mundane world of New Zealand life, Georgina Beyer seems to have given up on NZ, and wants to go to Australia, where apparently, they'll offer her plumb jobs. Helen didn't, and that's just not fair. And socialism is all about fair. And fair leads to entitlement. And entitlement is about what's owed, and how fair is it to be in debt? What else is fair is the Tuhoe demands to separate from NZ with the parts of it that they had taken as their own before someone else took it from them. They want it back, so the Government will agree on behalf of all New Zealanders to take it from all New Zealanders. How come fair means that someone always l...

Are breasts offensive, LibertyScott asks? Of course the answer is no. But that is not the correct question. The correct question is, is it offensive to parade topless women down the street to sell pornography? The fact is that the Boobs on Bikes parade draws large crowds of men to leer at topless women. For that reason alone it should be restricted to a private venue, not a main street of Auckland. But, but, but, what's wrong with leering at topless women, what's wrong with pornography? Yes, I can hear the brains ticking of some of the readers out there. Psychiatrist Leslie Farber and others have described the depersonalizing effects of pornography most vividly by stating that it transfers the fig leaf to the face. Pornography encourages people to think of others as objects for their own use. Leering at topless women is using those women for your own gratification. Once you learn to use others for personal gratification, it's not restricted to the boobs on bikes wo...

Pro-Soviet propaganda is oozing from the Dominion Post. Yesterday there was an editorial and an article from Gorbachev, and today chief Soviet apologist, Chris Trotter , is unleashed. We all know where Chris stands on the Soviets. A number of years ago he wrote an opinion piece excusing Soviet hesitation when faced with the destruction of Warsaw by the Nazis in 1944. Only a true Soviet supporter could excuse what occurred there. But wait, wasn't the Soviet Union disbanded in 1990? Err, yes. Tell that to Russia who seems to think she still can "defend" territory not her own and then use that "defence" as a means to take over a former satellite. But the Dom Post editors seem think this view is the correct one, with what was said in the editorial yesterday : That means accepting Russia's message that this affair is Moscow's business, and the West should butt out." Pretty clear when the Dom Post stands, then. Other former satellites are suitably ...

Forty years ago Pope Paul VI predicted that widespread use of the contraceptive pill would create social disaster. His prediction was presentient - you'd almost think he had some help from the man upstairs. Humanae Vitae’s specific predictions about what the world would look like if artificial contraception became widespread. The encyclical warned of four resulting trends: a general lowering of moral standards throughout society; a rise in infidelity; a lessening of respect for women by men; and the coercive use of reproductive technologies by governments. In the years since Humanae Vitae’s appearance, numerous distinguished Catholic thinkers have argued, using a variety of evidence, that each of these predictions has been borne out by the social facts. And the facts just keep on coming. Today I read in the Dominion Post that "The pill can lead to choice of wrong partner" . Apparently the hormonal changes of the pill stuff up a woman's ability to choose a compatib...

TVNZ has apologised for a glitch which meant thousands of viewers up and down the country missed out on seeing kiwi swimmer Moss Burmester's epic effort this afternoon in the mens 200 metre butterfly final. A switching failure at the TVNZ headquarters in Auckland meant that viewers receiving the broadcast via satellite - either through SKY or on Freeview - missed the race. Live streaming on tvnz.co.nz - which uses a satellite feed - was also disrupted. TVNZ was quick to explain that the glitch test was a huge success and testament to all technicians involved in the trial run. "Once we confirmed we could blanket the news for the whole country we've realised that we are in fine shape for future broadcasts, where we may need to re-examine the newsfeeds and adjust according to the best interests of the public. Borrowing from China, we have a few extra tricks up our sleeves." Accordingly: * Olympic Racing Events for the 1500m may mysteriously blank for several minutes an...

As Michael Phelps cruises to his 10th career Gold Medal, we reflect on some of his secret training techniques: Speed training is an important part of a swimmers development Stick to pools with ample water And keep your lane clear And review video playback. It's amazing the inspiration potential. Related Link: Michael Phelps - Gold Plated Legend

A Telegraph blogger asks the question, is the US missile sheild (to be set up in Poland and the Czech Republic) aimed at Moscow? Has Poland's president confirmed what Moscow has long suspected? That the US missile shield in Eastern Europe is not directed at rogue states like Iran, but at Russia? [snip] The point remains however, that the US is adamant that Russia is not the real strategic target of the shield. But did Poland's president Lech Kaczynski, who is leading the delegation of Ukrainian and Baltic leaders to Georgia today, let slip the mask last weekend? Then, according to DPA, he declared that the war in the Caucasus was a "very strong argument" for Poland to make a missile defence deal with the US. Personally, I have held off commenting about this because of the extreme danger for Poland in dealing with Russia. The only thing I will say is that right now, where Russia has said they have stopped fighting in Georgia, but the reports on the ground say somethi...

As a follow up to the article on TBR and our post HERE , it seems that the Fire Service has issued a warning concerning the new compact fluorescent bulbs. The say to replace them if you notice them flickering as several fires may be linked to the new bulbs. More fuel to the fire I think, and reason to ditch the things.

Oh Georgia, No peace, no peace I find Just an old, sweet song Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind) Already, Russia blames Georgia. How can Georgia attempt to justify what they are doing? It was Georgia who started the bombing in South Ossetia. Russia had to respond to protect the citizens who had Russian passports. Georgia blames Russia. As I write , Russia is waging war on my country...This war is not of Georgia's making, nor is it Georgia's choice. and the [leftist] West blames America and oil. If the US were not so hell bent on building their empire and dominating oil supplies then none of this would be happening. President Saakashvili already has hit the g-spot with some commenters. Saakashvili must be blamed by international community for committed genocide. Some are more interested in the hardware. I would prefer watching an aerial combat between Su-35 and F-35. I believe that the russian iron is much better and their pilots are smarter, but that needs to be pro...

National has just come out with their plan to get DPB parents working. Once the youngest child turns 6, there will be an obligation on the parent to find part time work. I suppose the theory is that while the child or children are at school, the parent can work. Sounds good. Kind of. Personally, I'm not impressed. This policy does not solve the problem of the DPB being seen as a genuine "career" option for many young NZ women already born into disadvantage. The requirement to seek work and therefore not being so much of a burden on society can easily be circumvented by having another child. In fact, I predict that if this proposal ever becomes Government policy, the effect will be more children born to DPB women so as to always have a youngest child under 6. Related Link: National Benefits Policy Backgrounder ~ National Party UPDATE: It seems I'm not the only one to figure out how to get around the requirement to look for work when the youngest turns 6. Topp...

Is Labour's secret agenda legalising polygamy? This question is asked at No Minister who points out a few interesting links. One of those links made for interesting reading: Trad this week said he'd proposed to a second woman because he'd fallen in love and thought it sinful to commit adultery. His wife, Hanifa, said she'd approved, because it would mean "having (sex) in the right way instead of having it like go to a prostitute . . ." It's all very fine to allow consenting adults to do anything they like, but does that include tearing apart the fabric of our moral and cultural values? Such changes to our society are profound and far reaching, even if we can't see it. We can get a clearer view by looking back in history, or even into Islamic cultures. Liberals and Muslims and possibly the gay lobby will be pleased with legalizing polygamy, thinking we are moving forwards. It's not until you they get to the final destination will they suddenly ...

I said, do you speak-a my language? He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich [Men at Work] I came across some thread titled "Forget the Maori Language" and a comment from Greenstonegroup about this topic: Language, Race, culture, religion is unimportant in the struggle to evolve. language is only used for a means of communication, not a way to soul. To hang on to something from the past is to stay in the past. Oh no. I disagree. Communication is much more than just "communicating". Language is a window into the soul of a people. Race is less important - in that it is just another facet of a culture, a cultural marker as it were - but a culture is indeed the essence of its people, and their language will express that essence. How does a language evolve? Just think of the process of building language from nothing. How do people agree on the grammar? What ideas are important to express? These ideas will drive the development of their society. Language carri...

Police solved only five of the 53 aggravated robberies of South Auckland shops in the six months before liquor store owner Navtej Singh was fatally shot in a hold-up, according to figures held by Chester Borrows. That means 90% of aggravated robberies in that area have gone unpunished. Unless it is just a small pool of people offending repeatedly, or further arrests are in progress. Either way, the figures still are not good. Labour pledged (on their pledge cards) extra police last election. So where are they, and what has been the net rate of adding officers to the beat? Where's a journalist when you need one?

It's Friday. Don't the Olympic Games kick off today? I found a picture of the opening ceremony. It's good they got a bright sunny day, and obviously they've now got the smog under control. About 90% of the athletes have tested positive for high levels of chemicals, but it turned out to be pollutants from the surrounding city. They are allowed to compete, if they recover in time. Stop by and drop a comment. But before you read on, warning - this 5 minute brain dump may be far too contemplative for a Friday of idle chit chat. Read it at your peril. Or are you yellow? Many people are already over the Olympics. Part of the problem is that China wanted to use them as an entree into the Western World as a new, improved, re-marketed, re-branded and re-modeled country. In many ways they are, and China is a country full of promise and potential and it's impact on the world stage in the next 50 years is perhaps going to be bigger than we can imagine. However, China...

I see Pharmac have made the brave decision to decline Roche's application to fund Women's Breast Cancer drug Herceptin for a full 12 months. They will continue to fund a 9 week treatment of the drug. They've relied on cold hard scientific evidence, and spent a lot of time and effort coming to what seems to me to be a reasonable decision. Now they just have to combat the public, who usually have a lot less information at their fingertips and don't want to read it anyway, but will be very worried, because more is always good and less is always bad. Perhaps more importantly, women undergoing treatment for breast cancer may have seen this drug as the gold plated weapon in their battle against a very scary disease. In such battles, attitude and hope can make a big difference to the outcome. Those women and their families will have to take heart that they still have a range of treatment available, and combined with the 9 week herceptin course, have good chances to have g...

A Christchurch dairy owner, who pulled out a slug pistol and opened fire at two machete wielding robbers, has been inundated with support from all over the country. Add me to the list. Yes, I do support violence in the issue of self defence. Machete wielding thugs need to take note. The government wont protect you. You could try setting up a union and going on strike. "No more robberies until the Government can guarantee my safety". Fill out a form and join the queue. Note to Police: Be careful who you side with on this issue. You will be judged by the company you keep.

A new book is out which is so controversial they can't even use the word "Maori" in the title [of the news article]. "Controversial book on kiwi cannibalism released" Apparently, all the evidence is there to confirm Kiwis (the Maori ones) ate their enemies after a battle. Although I thought this was already fairly well known, the author, Professor Paul Moon, makes the point that this is a topic that is often 'avoided' by other Kiwi historians. Already, people are on the warpath over this and I suspect some will be doing their best to make him eat his words. The evolution of a culture is such an interesting topic. But I'm busy right now, so I'll leave it to the comments to explore any such interest. Caio. Related Link: Controversial book on kiwi cannibalism released

New Zealand's Olympic cyclists are secretly testing in France a revolutionary new cycling suit they hope will shave critical seconds off their times. Apparently, all perfectly legal, with just a slight question over how much an advantage this latest development might provide. This was front page Dominion Post this morning. And suddenly, every thing fell into place. A suit with slip stream qualities par extraodinaire ? Teflon coating that represents a quantum jump in technology? One that shaves seconds and indeed keeps rivals second guessing just where in space the Kiwi Cyclists will materialize? And also on page one Winston accused of receiving another undeclared donation. But Winston has always said there are perfectly reasonable answers to these impertinent questions. And I've figured it out. He's sold his suit design to the NZ cycling team, and has been living off the royalties. These large amounts of money going into various trusts are not so much donations as r...

I made a passing comment on DimPost concerning his review of the recent National Party Conference. I've scrapbooked it here because I felt like it. I suppose this leaked comment Could have come through anytime, Clarkson’s Brethren joke somewhat Cold lonely, puritan. To those little Labour Gremlins - What are you fighting for? Don’t need your spin. Its not my security. The polls? Labour versus National, but Its just an old war, Every three years - Not even a cold war. Solzhenitsyn is dead. Don’t say it in Russian. The Berlin Wall is down. Don’t say it in German. Bill may have said it. Say it. Say it in Broken English. Related Link: Dim's Broken English

All the morality and all the rights in the world plus a dollar will get you a cup of coffee. If you have some means of enforcing the morality or rights, then you might get the coffee without the dollar. Mike Huben Could I have a cup of coffee please?

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. And I thought Trotter might actually be sorry for his recent article I deemed " Hate Speech ". But I was wrong. He comes back today in the SST defiant and proud. And oh, the reasons! Oh, his humanity! "OH DEAR, oh dear, oh dear. All of my adult life, I've had to listen to the National Party heap abuse on Labour's core constituencies, and yet, when the tables are turned, just once, the squeals of protest can be heard from Cape Regina to the Bluff." Just once, Mr Trotter? Just once? I know, I know. The holocaust didn't happen either, and those rich bastards in the Twin Towers had it coming and only the poor donate to charity. As Trotter compares his turn with heaping abuse with select moments in history, we see that my own sarcastic use of the phrase "hate speech" (a typical leftist device) becomes also ironic as Trotter justifies his because of theirs: "solo mums and beneficiaries were also on the end of...

This is Part II of a review of Winston's speech made at Hutt Golf Club, July 31, 2008. Click here for: Part I - Front 9 . Winston's caddy for the game, ZenTiger takes us through the back nine holes. Hole 10 - Lakeside - Par 3 This is a tricky par 3 across Illot Lake. Everyone has to play over the water, and so Winston provides the bridge in his two point tax plan: "New Zealand First wants to see a tax free threshold of $5,200 introduced." "New Zealand First also wants to see GST reduced to 10% across the board." No chance of a hole-in-one with that shot. He spends a bit of time explaining why this is such a good shot, and yet at the same time he says that one hole does not a round of golf make. It gave him another par. It makes eminent sense in terms of both practicality and fairness for the most vulnerable in our society to have relief from tax on the first part of their earnings. The reason is simple – a tax cut will increase your income, but only a r...

Winston played a round at Hutt Golf Club on Thursday, the venue for his latest speech. He was shooting for birdies, but dropped a few shots as he found the hazards driving hard from the Tee. We interviewed caddy ZenTiger after the game to get a complete rundown of his speech to the club. Uppermost in our minds was how he played the game. Zen, can you take us through the first nine holes? "Delighted to" Hole 1 - Buglers - par 4 Well, the first hole was a short par four, dogging left. This has suited Winston's recent style of play, as he has been consistently dogging left for the last three years. He decided to play short of the green on his second, but was badly affected by the slopes leading up to the bunker on the right. I heard him mutter "Bloody typical", but I advised him not to let racism affect his game and keep his head down. He changed it to "those things that do not kill you will only make you stronger" which got him nicely up onto th...