Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sniffing at the royal pantaloons
Nothing like the betrothal of two English aristocrats to bring out the forelock tuggers.
John Key appears easily impressed:
"The Prime Minister is thrilled at the news of Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement and wishes them all the best for their upcoming wedding," a spokeswoman for Key said.
The spokesperson for the odious Monarchy NZ has a go at the fiction that William & Kate are somehow, actually, um, New Zealanders:
"They're part of New Zealand's royal family, now Kate's going to be the newest part of that family," he said.
"Ultimately this is part of our royal family of 16 realms, so that'll bring focus to not only to the UK but also to New Zealand if we use the opportunity right."
New Zealand's royal family eh? Just a happy coincidence that it's identical to the British one? And that the terms and conditions of becoming a member of "New Zealand's royal family" are determined by archaic British law (Act of Succession, etc.).
John Key appears easily impressed:
"The Prime Minister is thrilled at the news of Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement and wishes them all the best for their upcoming wedding," a spokeswoman for Key said.
The spokesperson for the odious Monarchy NZ has a go at the fiction that William & Kate are somehow, actually, um, New Zealanders:
"They're part of New Zealand's royal family, now Kate's going to be the newest part of that family," he said.
"Ultimately this is part of our royal family of 16 realms, so that'll bring focus to not only to the UK but also to New Zealand if we use the opportunity right."
New Zealand's royal family eh? Just a happy coincidence that it's identical to the British one? And that the terms and conditions of becoming a member of "New Zealand's royal family" are determined by archaic British law (Act of Succession, etc.).
Labels: forelock-tuggers, william wales windsor
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Cost of living debate: Chevrolet Cruze vs Holden Cruze
The Cruze has caught my eye lately as a potential family car, and since it's offered in NZ (with a Holden badge) and Canada (with a Chev badge) with the same 1.8L petrol 'ecotec' engine and a 6-sp manual gearbox, I decided to compare prices:
Alberta incl GST $17,275
(NZD22,204 on today's exchange rate)
New Zealand incl GST $29,300
So that's NZD7000 (25%) more!
If sales tax here was 15% (which it is in some provinces) the price of the Chevrolet Cruze would increase to CAD19,000 (NZD24,422), so it would still be NZD5000 cheaper than exactly the same car in New Zealand, albeit with the steering wheel on the other side and no running lights.
Rip. Off. Alert.
Alberta incl GST $17,275
(NZD22,204 on today's exchange rate)
New Zealand incl GST $29,300
So that's NZD7000 (25%) more!
If sales tax here was 15% (which it is in some provinces) the price of the Chevrolet Cruze would increase to CAD19,000 (NZD24,422), so it would still be NZD5000 cheaper than exactly the same car in New Zealand, albeit with the steering wheel on the other side and no running lights.
Rip. Off. Alert.
Labels: cost of living debate, cruze, rip-offs
