blogging it real

Ain't it Rick Barker Minister of Customs that introduces the petrol tax?
Bennyasena
 

What about the legendary umpire, Jeremy Lloyd? Who managed to upstage Flem and Martin as the most incompetent git at Eden Park.

http://www.cricinfo.com/perl/picture.cgi/035613

I would prefer Don Brash to Winston or Peter Dunne any day of the week, but I detect my views are further to the right of hte political spectrum than yours. Having said that, Franks is a complete tosser

Dinkas
 

Thanks Dinkas. No problem with you being to the Right of us, but I would have imagined that those on the Right would place as much value on consistency and sincerity as those on the Left ... and Don Brash has been found very deficient in these areas of late I think. I can tolerate an honest classical liberal ... but McCully is trying to turn him into a conservative culture war warrior, a la those Republicans intervening in the Florida feeding tube removal case.
 

Well the political targets look very tempting but I'm going to go for John Bracewell. The smarmy bastard never admits defeat even when he's been.... um... defeated.

He's had his day. Get John Wright in there after the Sri Lanka series or a caretaker for a bit till he can do it.
 

I nominate Astrid Andersen, Director of The Events Company in Christchurch. She gets my vote for raking in $230,000 in management fees over two years to run a garden festival, yet only managed to raise $2000 in sponsorship. The festival (funded by the Christchurch City Council) is all but stuffed after councillors declined to underwrite the event to the tune of $100,000 today.

Two years, no festival, 230 grand in the bank. I've got to get me a job in events management.
 

I shouldn't have rushed my previous comment.

Yeah of course I was pissed over Brash's change of view on same sex marriages, but apart from I like him. I actually don't think he is against same sex marriages. I saw it as more of a a political stunt to call for a referendum, but believe if one was actually held he would have voted for same sex marriages (remember he was one of the few members of National to vote for decriminalisation of prostitution).

Grandstanding is often necessary evil in poiltics and Brash can't alienate the social conservative base of National. I am of the neo-liberal persuasion and Brash fits the mold. Apart from the same sex marriage issue, what else has he done? (I've been living out of NZ for too long and wasn't aware of anything else). Brash is for voluntary euthanasia so I wouldn't see him intervening a la Florida.

If not Lloyd, then I second Yamis for Bracewell. He has good a job with the one day team, but with the Test team he has been horrible. But it is not just the bad job he has done with the Test team, but his idiotic comments to the press. I agree with this article and think Flem would be a better captain without Bracewell around. In the past, Flem seemed to have very good judgement, but this seemed to go downhill when Bracewell came along. I don't think this is just a coincidence.

Dinkas
 

Rick Barker gets to introduce the petrol tax but only because the Customs Act is the vehicle for it. The honour of owning the policy that lies behind it goes to the Rt. Hon Michael "smartarse" Cullen.

Don Brash is only a partial tosser, McCully's reinventing of him (and the Nat's positions on issues) notwithstanding. Since the award is intended for all-round, 100%, no holds barred tossers it has to be between Bracewell for disservice to New Zealand test cricket and to Stephen Fleming especially, and Stephen Franks for being the complete political horror that he is.

Honourable mentions could be made of George Hawkins, for being likeable but lamentable, the guy who put the axe in Helen Clark's electorate office, Rodney Hide for leading ACT to what must surely be oblivion (hope he takes Franks with him), Tariana Turia for reasons that should be obvious, Ali Williams for stomping on the next "greatest All Black of all time", and John Banks for being so bad at local body politics that he got beat by a man who produces breakfast cereals and disappears without trace after being elected.

Just a few random thoughts.
Cheers, wiremu1306
 

How about Graham Capill the former Christian Heritage party leader who has just pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child?

He was the man puched outside the Christchurch Court a few weeks ago and has just had his name suppression lifted.

The again, tosser might be too kind a term.
 

Thanks Anon, just read your comment after posting something on Capill that suggests much the same thing. As you say, "tosser" isn't quite the right term for a criminal deviant. And whatever Stephen Franks' and John Bracewell's numerous faults, I don't think they've been convicted of anything.