An 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 Election Advertisements then the EMA should have registered as a third party to comply with the Electoral Finance Act (EFA).

In my view, the adverts are not covered by the EFA, as they do not ask or appear to encourage anyone to vote for (or against) any party. This is the test of the EFA - you can freely criticise policy only - but have to stay away from parties. No release or advertisement from the EMA mentions the Labour Party, only the portfolio of the Minister of Labour gets mentioned.

If the Advertisements had mentioned the Labour Party, or the Government, then it might have been caught. But the campaign from the EMA has clearly been designed not to be captured by the EFA.

Good News

News 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 how any open space in Mostar had been converted into cemetaries - mostly filled with young, Muslim men.

And in Sarajevo, I was horrified at the displays in the City Museum at the ineffectiveness of the UN and the daily struggle for normality that the residents tried to keep. What got me the most was not the pictures of maimed and dead adults, but the drawings children made. One set of drawings were of foods that the children most wanted to eat when the siege was lifted - the children were so hungry some of them dreamed of eating salad.

The crimes that Radovan Karadzic perpetuated are beyond the wildest imagination of most New Zealanders - if the International Court of Justice completes their trial and finds the evidence is strong enough for conviction I hope he gets locked up for the rest of his life.

Compare

Spoil Yourself in Wellington



Lose Yourself in Melbourne

Just who has it in for Winston?

The past two weekends have seen two damning articles for New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters.

First the Dominion Post revealed that Parlimentary Staffer Tommy Gear was the over-entuastic supporter who displayed unauthorised signs in Tauranga. But more interesting was the questions that relate to Tommy Gear's employment and duties, and the reports that many within NZ First do not know what Tommy Gear does.

Secondly the New Zealand Herald published leaked emails that appear to confirm that Monaco based Billionaire Owen Glenn made a donation to NZ First - contradicting denials made earler this year by Winston Peters with his infamous "No" sign. (As an aside, you have to wonder why TVNZ Reporter Guyon Espiner kept that sign - did he suspect it would come back to haunt Mr Peters? What does that say about the integrity of the NZ First leader!)

The allegations are very damning to a politician who has long campaigned against hidden donations and has accused other politicians and parties of secret deals to enrich their 'mates'. You can only suspect that the two leaks are unrelated but are an orchestrated leak by a disgruntled member of the senior NZ First heirachy. And you wonder if this is it, or if there are more revelations to come!

Who is responsible for binge drinking?

Police statements thatSupermarkets who sell cheap beer and wine deserve blame for alcohol related violence are bunkum.

In Europe, beer and wine are usually about the same price per litre as soft drink, and drinking ages are lower - 16 year old Germans can buy beer. And it is supported by a culture of responsible drinking.

In New Zealand we have a culture of getting plastered - even if we originally intended to have one or two.

If Police want less alcohol related violence then they need to start cracking down on binge drinking culture - closing bars where drunk people are found by opposing licence renewal and prosecuting managers of those bars. Police also need to patrol hot spots like Courtenay Place and advise people to head home before they cause trouble.

Police also need to turn up to rowdy parties and shut them down - it shouldn't be hard for them to work out where they are if they are in touch with their communities as it will always be at the same places.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of family, friends and drinkers themselves to drink moderately and take care not to cause problems when drinking - not retailers.

Bayne Warnes is a Banker

News that Wayne Barnes is back to (assistant) referee an All Blacks game shows that the IRB process for appointing referees is flawed.

There is no over-reaction in New Zealand to his performance - although there is to much focus on Luke McAlister's sinbinning and that forward pass.

If you give Barnes the benefit of the doubt and say from where he was standing it might have looked like Luke McAlister took out a French attacker - and remember he didn't give a penalty try because the All Blacks got back in time.

Also, Barnes can get the benefit of the doubt over that pass - an All Black attack broke down, and the French speculated a ball down the field before regathering and passing. Barne would have to be an Olympic Medalist sprinter to keep up with the ball.

But what was his failing was his inability to take advice from the Touch Judges (who advised him of the forward pass) and his obsession with refereeing Richie McCaw - to the point where he forgot about refereeing the French who committed obvious, blatant fouls such as stealing the ball in rucks using their hands, or persistantly playing offside for most of the second half.

On that basis, Barnes has not yet proved he has a big game temperment needed for vital clashes. And an All Blacks versus South Africa test match (which will probably decide the Tri Nations winner) rates as the biggest game outside World Cup elimination matches.

I have no doubt that Barnes will learn from his mistakes at Cardiff - he did show the potential to get the appointment - but to involve him in big games with the All Blacks does not help. Barnes should not be refereeing the top tier teams playing each other until he shows he won't get star-struck by a big game again.