tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99271252008-11-30T14:54:53.949+13:00Ellis in WellylandMichael Ellis is a political junkie. He OD's on Parliament. His favourite hit is National.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.comBlogger797125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-18916300412903187542008-11-30T14:51:00.002+13:002008-11-30T14:54:53.964+13:00Bevan on his Christmas PresentBecause Bevan's Christmas present was too heavy to lift up into the garage roof to store, I put it together yesterday. I didn't finish until after Bevan's bedtime, so this morning was the first time he could play with it.
Watch how much fun Bevan has on his new trampoline, and watch as he gives Dad a big thank you hug (or three).
(Apologies for the lack of sound, I must have not pressed the Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-16371509324299667492008-11-12T20:48:00.000+13:002008-11-12T20:49:13.701+13:00The PM, the redhead, and meMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-80497919748108970652008-11-10T19:29:00.002+13:002008-11-10T19:36:10.747+13:00The best candidatesI was wondering which candidates did the best at the election, so had a look at how the majorities had changed. I didn't factor in boundary changes, and took out Botany (a new electorate) and Ohariu (where the candidate was endorsed by another party) and got the following list:
(click to enlarge)
All the candidates are National Party. If Ohariu was included then Charles Chauvel of Labour Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-62203372823601234182008-11-07T13:00:00.005+13:002008-11-07T13:38:59.593+13:00Who is going to win?
SeatCandidateParty
Auckand Central Nikki Kaye National
Bay of Plenty Tony Ryall National
Botany Pansy Wong National
Christchurch Central Brendan Burns Labour
Christchurch East Lianne Dalziel Labour
Clutha Southland Bill English National
Coromandel Sandra Goudie National
Dunedin North Pete Hodgson Labour
Dunedin South Clare Curran Labour
East Coast Anne Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-57560933116537037782008-11-04T22:04:00.002+13:002008-11-04T22:11:05.970+13:00What if there was a meeting and no-one came?A neighbour told me this - Trevor Mallard advertised a street corner meeting opposite my home for Monday at 5.15pm (I didn't get an invite - must be the National Party sign on the fence) and no-one turned up apart from Trevor Mallard.
What's really bad is that he didn't even organise supporters to make it appear like he was popular.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-79228909324738092202008-10-20T21:20:00.001+13:002008-10-20T21:22:46.374+13:00Free Poverty!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-82213115521895047752008-10-18T21:07:00.002+13:002008-10-18T21:10:28.761+13:00What's missing?I didn't have a camera with me, but guess what is missing from Ron Mark's hoardings in Rimutaka.
An authorisation name and address? Nope, got that.
A slogan? That's there too.
A photo? Larger than life.
The thing that is missing is the words:
"New Zealand First"
It shows how damaged NZ First is that the candidate at number 3 on their party list won't even campaign as their candidate.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-13843041781947475632008-09-20T10:06:00.002+12:002008-09-20T12:27:17.359+12:00Labour 2002 vs National 2008Yest another opinion poll has shown that National is miles ahead. I am always cautious of complancency, and thought that National's lead mirrors the posistion Labour was in when Helen Clark called a snap election in 2002, when Labour led by a substantial margin.
Here is a graph of the One News Colmar Brunton polls for the last twelve months before the 2002 Election, and for the corresponding Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-37315205626101018912008-09-17T19:36:00.002+12:002008-09-17T19:38:56.902+12:00Who will win the US Election?I have no idea. But found this game for a bit of fun. See if you can get the Terrorists out of Dubya's underpants, stop Hillary from knifing Barack in the back, and keep McCain from having Vietnam flashbacks.
Play Games at AddictingGamesMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-84028488629575661702008-09-09T19:51:00.002+12:002008-09-09T19:58:53.715+12:00Winston PetersFor all that's been written, said and broadcast about Winston Peters, I'm sure that it has passed a lot of the public by.
Most people who despise him haven't changed their minds about him, most people who were ambivilant probably interpret the scandal as more about politicians point scoring and behaving badly. And there are those who would vote for Winston no matter what - and this has been Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-19066904110668766612008-09-02T19:42:00.000+12:002008-09-09T19:50:30.757+12:00It was twenty years ago ...... and I was at school for the last term.
Last week about half the year of students I went to school with got together and reminisced about the good ol' days. I was surprised at what a diverse and sucessful bunch of people we've all become - included in my class are people who've become leaders in their professions, those who have travelled, and those who are raising families - some have even Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-73684628823072946092008-08-26T19:33:00.002+12:002008-08-26T19:36:29.832+12:00Aucklanders and their trainsAucklanders are complaining about some of their trains being overcrowded.
Meanwhile, Wellingtonians are regularly catching trains that are up to 60 years old -and the most modern trains were purchased in the 1970s, packed in sardines, with services regularly late.
Only difference is - Wellingtonians have put up with this for 10 years. It's a new phenomenon in Auckland, but something we've grownMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-30943098924531800582008-08-26T19:29:00.002+12:002008-08-26T19:32:46.803+12:00Who ate all the pies?Community Service workers in Taranaki don't want pies for lunch. It's unhealthy, one of them says.
I'm unsympathetic - If you don't want Department of Correction pies for lunch, then don't commit any crime.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-45541511404887864372008-08-23T17:32:00.002+12:002008-08-23T17:37:52.384+12:00Jacque Rogge vs Usain BoltJacque Rogge thinks that Usain Bolt's antics during and after winning races are unseemly and unsportsmanlike.
I say that if Usain Bolt has enough time to showboat and fool around before finishing a race, and still win, then he has every right to tell the world that he is number one.
Personally, I think it is a good sign that an athlete enjoys winning - after all, Vince Lombardi once remarked Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-5211376739109267232008-08-20T20:03:00.002+12:002008-08-20T20:45:20.224+12:00Changes for the OlympicsTake out:
Soccer - the Olympics is a third rate competition behind the Word Cup, and the various regional championships.
Tennis - Who won the last Olympic Gold for Tennis? And who won the last four majors?
Baseball - The sport is big in North and Central America, but a complete nothing everywhere else.
Then add:
Kabaddi - the politically correct may have banned Bullrush, but this is as close Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-17215389109322617602008-08-07T21:18:00.002+12:002008-08-07T21:42:15.563+12:00Boycott...Every day there is a news story about the Chinese Government imprisoning dissidents, forced evictions, and other human rights infringments - all to prepare for the Olympic Games.
As an event, the Olympic Games is reliant on the money from sponsors to pay for the infrastructure and running of the games. If the sponsors refuse to support future Olympics in countries with poor human rights recordsMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-31110375260463618062008-08-03T16:06:00.002+12:002008-08-03T16:41:53.206+12:00Even the Pro-EFA protesters don't like the EFA!Final proof that the Labour Party don't like the EFA - Otherwise the Labour Party protesters distributing the flyer outside the National Party Conference would have added an Authorisation to this anti-National flyer:
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-42254973177309311342008-08-02T22:09:00.003+12:002008-08-02T22:22:42.630+12:00Re-opening of Epuni StationFor the past two months I've been unable to catch the train from the closest station - Epuni - as it has been closed due to asbestos being found in the roof.
It has been due to reopen in "Late July", but was still closed when August began. On Friday I rang TranzMetro and spoke to the manager responsible - shortly after my first call, a news article on the progress of remedial work was placed onMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-52191091775452592852008-08-02T21:12:00.003+12:002008-08-02T21:19:11.936+12:00It's just not like the old days ...I've spent the day at the National Party conference in Wellington. Labour had their conference earlier this year at the same venue, and there were rowdy protests against the EFA, support for US by having troops in Afghanistan, against the police raids in the Ureweras, and probably a dozen other causes.
Outside the National Party conference - not a single protester.
Oh well, tomorrow is anotherMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-83268709135669890952008-08-01T20:34:00.002+12:002008-08-01T20:38:14.031+12:00Harry Potter and the Half Blood PrinceOkay, you've probably seen this by now, but ...
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-2469844737375969132008-08-01T20:13:00.003+12:002008-08-01T20:24:14.264+12:00I think Winston is being brilliantWinston Peters has started tossing the dirt around in Parliament, with his first target being ACT Leader Rodney Hide. The dirt he's throwing is all old news, and not very good - some of it not even true. (I've never heard any ACT staffer call any group of donors 'the girls'.)
To someone like me who follows politics closely, it looks like a desperate attempt to divert some attention away from Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-12242317209876065152008-08-01T20:06:00.002+12:002008-08-01T20:10:22.389+12:00First in line ...Beer and Books! What a great combo - Sign me up!Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-33140477460407731122008-07-24T19:20:00.003+12:002008-07-24T19:29:52.426+12:00An Election Advertsiement?Over at Kiwiblog and The Standard, there is debate over whether the Electoral Finance Act covers the half page advertisements the EMA ran in todays papers criticising proposed legislation that means renumeration cannot be different because of the Kiwisaver legislation.
Essentially, the cost of the advertisements will certainly exceed the Third Party limit - so if the advertisements were Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-58906979317831406632008-07-23T20:50:00.003+12:002008-07-23T21:19:34.400+12:00Good NewsNews that Radovan Karadzic has been arrested and will probably face War Crimes in The Hague is welcome.
During the 1990s I watched the war in the former Yugoslav republics from afar and thought it was a mess of factions and paid little attention to the issues behind the conflict. But two years ago I went to Bosnia and Herzegovina and saw things in a new light. What struck me the most was Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9927125.post-14494798840726693272008-07-23T20:28:00.003+12:002008-07-23T20:35:52.193+12:00CompareSpoil Yourself in Wellington
Lose Yourself in Melbourne
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143204319427258454noreply@blogger.com0