blogging it real

“Let’s get to the point: Nandor and the Greens - the only party that opposed making P a class A drug - want cannabis legalised any way they can get it. This United Future-driven amendment is a setback for them and their aims, which frankly don’t have an iota of principle behind them.
“And in terms of Nandor talking about our supposed ‘fetish’ with cannabis, this is a little rich coming from a man who has built a political career on the single issue of a green leaf.

United Future deupty leader Judy Turner is really sticking it to the Greens - who dare to question the wisdom of the clearly effective war on drugs - here.

Interesting that UF trys the single-issue line, coming from a party that piggy-backed all its politicians into Parliament on the back of a telegenic worm.

Not too sure what to make of the Government's front-page 'crack-down on asylum-seeking immigrants' press release in the Herald this morning:

He [immigration minister Paul Swain] said there was a feeling the balance had shifted away from "New Zealand’s right as a sovereign state to determine who comes or goes". He wanted "firm, fast and fair immigration processes". The multi-layered appeal regime for some overstayers and spontaneous refugees - who, like Mr Zaoui, seek refugee status at borders - should be much simpler and faster.

Is this a political move to hit back at the authority that allowed Zaoui to stay or just an attempt to minimise the impact of Winston Peters' speech this Friday?
Whichever way, Labour's spin doctors must be chuffed its announcment got such prominent coverage - it even shared the front page with the infinitely more interesting Roscoe.