Friday, February 06, 2009
Diplomatic Protection Squad: Useless
History teaches us that Waitangi is the place at which New Zealand Prime Ministers (and Leaders of the Opposition, for that matter) are most likely to be assaulted. It has a singular, and uniquely crap, quality in this regard. Pretty much everyone who's ever taken the slightest interest in the event knows this. You'd think the Prime Minister's security detail would too.
Instead, the PM has been out of his car for what, 45 seconds, when he is assaulted by not one, but two, belligerent Maori males. In the end no great harm was done, and the two schmucks have been arrested and await trial, but did anyone else notice how slow the PM's security was to react?
As it was, the PM ended up in a rather painful-looking tug-o-war with the second attacker pulling him one way by the neck/shoulder, and old rent-a-quote Harawira pulling him the other way by the arm. This lasted for a good couple of seconds before the DPS managed to move in (sluggishly).
Instead, the PM has been out of his car for what, 45 seconds, when he is assaulted by not one, but two, belligerent Maori males. In the end no great harm was done, and the two schmucks have been arrested and await trial, but did anyone else notice how slow the PM's security was to react?
As it was, the PM ended up in a rather painful-looking tug-o-war with the second attacker pulling him one way by the neck/shoulder, and old rent-a-quote Harawira pulling him the other way by the arm. This lasted for a good couple of seconds before the DPS managed to move in (sluggishly).
Labels: belligerence, Diplomatic Protection Squad, incompetent time wasting fucks, john key, painful tugs-o-war, waitangi
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Good Call
I've been there a couple of times and refused to go on the grounds because I had to pay. It just wasn't right on any level. And don't get me started on Tourism Rotorua and their philosophy on fixing entry charges.
Waitangi free for Kiwis
Thursday Oct 02, 2008
New Zealanders can now visit the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi free of charge, but overseas visitors will still need to pay. Former All Black Sid Going yesterday had the honour of being the first to enter the grounds without having to pay the $12 entry fee. Overseas visitors must pay $20 for a two-day pass. Waitangi National Trust chief executive Jeanette Richardson said the grounds host nearly a quarter of a million visitors a year. The trust was criticised last year by Labour MP Shane Jones for charging people to visit the site known as the birthplace of the nation.
And here's one for comrade dc_red to have a mocking laugh at...
Jennings delays lecture
Thursday Oct 02, 2008
Billionaire Kiwi Stephen Jennings has postponed a lecture in New Zealand because of the turmoil in global financial markets. Mr Jennings, who made his fortune in Russia, was to have given the Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture to the New Zealand Business Roundtable next week.
However, the Roundtable said yesterday Mr Jennings had reluctantly advised he could not travel because of problems within the Russian investment banking community.
Waitangi free for Kiwis
Thursday Oct 02, 2008
New Zealanders can now visit the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi free of charge, but overseas visitors will still need to pay. Former All Black Sid Going yesterday had the honour of being the first to enter the grounds without having to pay the $12 entry fee. Overseas visitors must pay $20 for a two-day pass. Waitangi National Trust chief executive Jeanette Richardson said the grounds host nearly a quarter of a million visitors a year. The trust was criticised last year by Labour MP Shane Jones for charging people to visit the site known as the birthplace of the nation.
And here's one for comrade dc_red to have a mocking laugh at...
Jennings delays lecture
Thursday Oct 02, 2008
Billionaire Kiwi Stephen Jennings has postponed a lecture in New Zealand because of the turmoil in global financial markets. Mr Jennings, who made his fortune in Russia, was to have given the Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture to the New Zealand Business Roundtable next week.
However, the Roundtable said yesterday Mr Jennings had reluctantly advised he could not travel because of problems within the Russian investment banking community.
Labels: rotorua, tourism, waitangi
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
When to hold 'em, when to fold 'em
Posted on behalf of Bennyasena:
John Key paying $1.47 to win the election at centrebet.
HC paying $2.60.
Good performance there from Key considering I can't think of one thing he's done or one policy that's significantly different.
[Editor's note: I think he is willing to mouth a prayer at Waitangi to a deity he doesn't believe in, which HC won't. And hongi with Maori radicals with dubious enthusiasm for firearms. HC also steers clear of this.]
[Editor's note numero dos: anyone else wondering if John Key is like Hillary Clinton - both run for office because they can (and because they can win), not because they appear to believe in anything? To clarify: I would still rather see Hillary in the White House than a Republican, but she, like John, appears to be, well, hollow.]
John Key paying $1.47 to win the election at centrebet.
HC paying $2.60.
Good performance there from Key considering I can't think of one thing he's done or one policy that's significantly different.
[Editor's note: I think he is willing to mouth a prayer at Waitangi to a deity he doesn't believe in, which HC won't. And hongi with Maori radicals with dubious enthusiasm for firearms. HC also steers clear of this.]
[Editor's note numero dos: anyone else wondering if John Key is like Hillary Clinton - both run for office because they can (and because they can win), not because they appear to believe in anything? To clarify: I would still rather see Hillary in the White House than a Republican, but she, like John, appears to be, well, hollow.]
Labels: john key, politics, waitangi
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Good grief, New Zealand
The long-awaited Ikea store (which would be an excellent addition to the retail landscape, especially in the currently over-priced furniture department) can't go to Mount Wellington because it might ... um, generate traffic. No shit. After it took me 50 minutes to get to work this morning, instead of the 20 minutes I was enjoying until last week, I suggest the Environment Court refuse resource consent for schools.
Apparently there were just two windows to pick-up pre-paid tickets at Eden Park for the T-20. The organizers of the event blame people not turning up early enough and being unfamiliar with the "intricacies" of Eden Park. Which rather disregards the idea that people generally, um, work on weekdays. Y'know that thing you do until at least 5pm, and quite often 6? As one disgruntled fan put it, "Do they assume that as they already have our money we will accept this?" Yes, that's exactly what they expect.
Right-wing talking point of the week is that Clark was cowardly in not attending all the events at Waitangi while Key looked prime ministerial. Audrey Young notes that previous visits have seen the PM and Labour MPs subjected to (1) accusations of treason, and associated death threats; (2) being shouted down by the usual suspect; (3)jostled by aggressive assholes; (4) perhaps most disgustingly, sprayed with urine. In the face. And add to that (5) Don Brash being pelted with mud, to which he replied rather wittily, "nice shot", but to which he would have been perfectly entitled to reply: "fuck off you little fucking c8nt".
If I'd had similar experiences in a place I wouldn't set foot in it. Quite why those responsible for law and order in New Zealand have let events like that unfold in the past is beyond me.
And for a little Darthwatch, this week he blames primary teachers for not "sorting out the little shits early enough" (although he doesn't deem to provide us with his thoughts on how this might be done); expresses support for more "real men" (read: heterosexuals) in primary school teaching; raises the old right-wing bugbear of performance-based pay for teachers (without suggesting even one criteria by which said performance might be measured); bashes teachers' unions; and prattles on about the government-in-waiting.
Yawn.
Apparently there were just two windows to pick-up pre-paid tickets at Eden Park for the T-20. The organizers of the event blame people not turning up early enough and being unfamiliar with the "intricacies" of Eden Park. Which rather disregards the idea that people generally, um, work on weekdays. Y'know that thing you do until at least 5pm, and quite often 6? As one disgruntled fan put it, "Do they assume that as they already have our money we will accept this?" Yes, that's exactly what they expect.
Right-wing talking point of the week is that Clark was cowardly in not attending all the events at Waitangi while Key looked prime ministerial. Audrey Young notes that previous visits have seen the PM and Labour MPs subjected to (1) accusations of treason, and associated death threats; (2) being shouted down by the usual suspect; (3)jostled by aggressive assholes; (4) perhaps most disgustingly, sprayed with urine. In the face. And add to that (5) Don Brash being pelted with mud, to which he replied rather wittily, "nice shot", but to which he would have been perfectly entitled to reply: "fuck off you little fucking c8nt".
If I'd had similar experiences in a place I wouldn't set foot in it. Quite why those responsible for law and order in New Zealand have let events like that unfold in the past is beyond me.
And for a little Darthwatch, this week he blames primary teachers for not "sorting out the little shits early enough" (although he doesn't deem to provide us with his thoughts on how this might be done); expresses support for more "real men" (read: heterosexuals) in primary school teaching; raises the old right-wing bugbear of performance-based pay for teachers (without suggesting even one criteria by which said performance might be measured); bashes teachers' unions; and prattles on about the government-in-waiting.
Yawn.
Labels: darth george, schools, travel, waitangi
