Just how desperate is Phil Goff?

Phil Goffs recent statement to Federated Farmers that he intends to abandon the bi-partisan consensus on monetary policy just shows how desperate Phil Goff and Labour are getting. Even worse was that Goff offered no alternatives. None. He hasn’t got a clue as to what his alternatives are! Why am I not surprised?
Just how desperate is Goff for attention? Labour trapped in low poll ratings, Goff personally rating below 5% in preferred PM polls and Labour unable to find an issue to latch on it. So he’s trying to create one. Well good luck Phil, but maybe you need to do your homework first and actually come up with clear policy before you go shooting your mouth off. It’s a bit hard to take you seriously otherwise.

Fill Gap and Labours year of failure.

John Key and National are more popular now than when they were on election night just over a year ago. We’ve endured the loss of promised tax cuts, a recession, rising unemployment, govt spending cut backs, increased borrowing and ACC levy increases. Include in that continuing trouble with the festering sore that is the Maori Party, a carbon emissions trading scheme that is going to have serious costs no matter which way its drawn up and one minister dumped, Melissa shooting herself in the foot and Rodney Hide acting out because he’s not getting enough love… and yet Labour have been unable to make ground anywhere since election night. Labour are set for defeat in the 2011 election. So what’s gone so horribly wrong for a party which was supposed to be such a lion in opposition but has turned out to be a toothless, lame, cowardly donkey with a weak bladder?

Leadership failure:

Labours senior leadership have basically done nothing. Phil Goff stands about, looks earnest and that’s about it. The ‘back to Labours roots’ trip to the South Island West Coast which Phil led was a disaster. In some meetings there were more Labour MP’s than members of the public and frankly Labour is hated on the coast after everything they’ve done to them such as destroying he forestry industry. Phil is desperately trying to project an image of a mans man to get back that male working class vote but just hasn’t worked especially when he screwed up suggesting that the dole be paid to the partners of middle class married couples when one of them loses their job because their property investments went south. This wasn’t leadership, this was stumbling about desperately trying to look for an issue that wasn’t there to exploit.

Trev Mallard, Chris Carter- would anyone really describe these guys as talented? No of course not. Mallard just has a talent for violence both in and outside parliament and Chris just has a talent for spending large amounts of taxpayers money on overseas trips for him and his partner. Ruth Dyson? Well this former drunk driver has a talent for ideological ranting but that’s as far as it goes. Annette King? No even knows she exists frankly. Rick Barker? Well apart from running dubious polling operations there’s not much to him. The others in Labours stable I’m not even going to bother with mentioning.

Economic Policy failure:

Labour offered no alternative budget. Nothing.Zip. Nil. Instead Labour simply demanded the govt borrow, borrow and borrow some more and then spend it like mad. This just goes to show that without Michael Cullen labour are now all at sea in the field of economic policy. It will be some time before someone with a half decent economic brain emerges from the Labour primeval soup.

Tactics failure:

Labour still believe that the tactic that lost them the respect of the public and helped lose them the election are best; the tactics of smear. Claiming the head of Richard Worth was meaningless. It dented National not a jot and made Phil Goff’s fingers look a little sticky in the whole matter. Attacks on Bill English got some attention but again what was the point? Its direct impact on peoples everyday lives was nil and Labours MP’s were soon implicated to be doing the same sort of thing. It also brought to light Chris Charters spending habits with public money and not a moment to soon. Ultimately Labour still haven’t learnt that the tactics of smear led nowhere.


Failure of purpose or vision:

What does Labour stand for these days? What is Phil Goff all about? Socialism? Marxism? The market? Phil Goff doesn’t really know. Probably whatever you want him to stand for he will and if the guy beside you wants him to stand for the opposite he’ll stand for that too. Phil Goff represents what Labour has currently become: a gray sort of shape shifting blob constantly trying out new shapes to see which one most people will like. No principles. No policy. No. purpose. No vision.
Just the pursuit and retention of power.
No change there then.

I wonder if Andrew Little will be holding a post defeat BBQ at his place after 2011?

Two different future paths for Maori.

Maori have two different futures to choose from: one is represented by Hone Harawira and the other is represented by the Kati Kuri people (a sub-tribe of Ngai Tahu) of Kaihoura.

Hone represents the past: resentment, bitterness and anger combined with bewilderment with the modern world and Maori radicalism with a bit of race hate thrown in. This approach has an emphasis on compensation for past wrongs and chains Maori identity to the Treaty of Waitangi and casts Maori as permanent victims unable to escape the trauma of the past. In a future with Hone Maori would be like a victim of a crime who is psychologically crippled and utterly unable to get over what happened to them long after the perpetrator has been caught and forced to pay recompense.

The Kati Kuri people represent a future that would be far more positive. Faced with economic decline in Kaikoura five Maori families got together and started Whale Watch Kaikoura.

“Whale Watch was formed in 1987 at a time when Maori were casualties of Kaikoura's declining economy. At this time of difficulty, Kati Kuri leaders like Bill Solomon believed the local Sperm Whales held the answer to the unemployment problems of the Maori community. They knew their ancestor Paikea had journeyed to a new life in New Zealand on the back of the whale Tohora. It seemed appropriate for Paikea's descendants to again ride on the back of the whale to a new life.”

-Whale Watch Kaikoura

What the Kati Kuri people did was boldly step forward themselves to not only look after their own people but contribute to the wider NZ economy by earning foreign exchange through tourism while at the same time keeping a firm grip on their own identity. By doing this they are able to deal with the world on their own terms not as victims unable to escape the past but instead as proud people, ambitious , independent and Maori and ending once and for all old stereotypes still held by far too many Pakeha today.

Hone as black minstrel:

Hone is in reality pandering to stereotypes of Maori even encouraging them: the angry Maori radical living off the taxpayer etc. He is playing out a role defined for him by NZ media and wider Pakeha society. He may as well be performing in a black minstrel band.

Taito Phillip Field behind bars: Time to write a book?

It was with great satisfaction I heard the corrupt ex-Labour MP and ex- Labour minister Taito Phillip Field was found guilty of corrupt practices and bribery and with even more satisfaction I heard his sentence of six years behind bars.

Since Taito will now have plenty of time on his hands (apart from the prison cleaning roster, kitchen duties, laundry duties etc) in minimum security will he write a tell all book and get his revenge on Helen, Phil and the rest of the Labour old guard?

Here’s a few working titles he could use:

10. Betrayed: The true story of an honest, humble, god fearing Samoan betrayed by the Labour Party.

9. Taito Phillip Fields guide to God, Property development and the NZ Labour Party.

8. Get me out Phil or I’ll spill the beans on ya!

7. Never trust Left wing parlungi’s

6. My clean heart and Labours dirty hands.

5. Never trust Left wing lesbian and gay parlungi’s

4. I’m serious Phil! Get me out or else!

3. Taito: One mans holy mission to bring God to Labour party shirt lifters and Thai nationals.

2. Their all as guilty as me!

1. Helen, where art thou?

Two remaining things on this matter: Well done Lockwood Smith for helping bring Field to Justice and whatever happened to the Thai Laborers involved?

Top ten ways you know your part of the urban middle class.

10. You believe your child has ADHD because their a swearing, nasty, rude spoilt little brat.

9. You buy organic carrots.

8. You make a point of loudly telling supermarket staff that you are gluten intolerant and that the supermarket should have more gluten free products.

7.You and you partner have invested far too much borrowed money in rental property.

6. Your income is $100,000 + yet you claim WFF payments.

5. You obsess over your Childs performance at school, sport, music, drama and any other damn thing you can enroll them in.

4. You drink wine every night and sometimes also during the day but you know your not an alcoholic like those dirty people you see in the central city streets.

3. You believe Maori are a wonderful people you just don’t want them living in your street.

2. You oppose any and all developments in your area- car parks, cell phone towers, liquor license applications, bus lanes,- anything at all because they “ruin the character of the neighborhood daring”.

1. Your outraged the govt is removing tax payer funding for your night school ball room dancing lessons.

Tragic corrupt lying cheat returns. Yes its Winston Peters.

Winston First, Opps I mean New Zealand First will it seems attempt a comeback in the 2011 election. They’ve launched a party website which is chocka with mindless platitudes to suit all ages and tastes all mixed up with that special touch that Winston Peters brings which is called racism and immigrant bashing.

The NZ Fist website provides no costing for his policies which promise high spending and low taxation which as any year 12 economics student will tell you means he’s either lying or he’ll mortgage several generations of future New Zealanders to pay for it.

One very amusing and yet somewhat sad touch of the website is the blatant, crude and desperate appeal to the youth vote (which in the case of NZ First means anyone under the age of 65!) Winston is shown posing with the some doggy looking pimply faced kids to show just how hip, concerned and in touch Winston is with ‘da youth bro’.
With anyone else it would be just funny but with Winston considering his utterly tainted past of corruption and abuse of his former offices and his total reliance on the rapidly aging and dying Robs mob…well its just tragic.

I could almost shed a tear of pity for the evil old bastard to see him so desperate. Almost.

Carrying on Helens war becuase we have to.

National has made the decision to send the SAS back to Afghanistan for another tour of duty while NZ scales down its other contingent of troops focused on rebuilding.
Labour have predictably and hypocritically criticized the move but what National is doing is simply carrying on the war that Helen Clark got NZ involved in. So putting aside this sort of pointless political sniping we are left with the question; should we be there? The answer is yes.
Why?

The Western alliance needs our visible, physical support. When it all comes down to it the US is a democracy. So is Australia, so is the UK and so is everyone in Western Europe and they are all there in Afghanistan. At a time when the Chinese model of tyranny with capitalist features is on the rise economically, politically and culturally around the world, we must stand firm. The threat facing us now is far more dangerous than the fascist and later communist ideology which both threatened to overwhelm our free way of life in the past.

This is not a war with Afghanistan. It is a war with an ideology which wishes to do us and the people of Afghanistan harm. They want world domination in the same way the Nazi’s did and the Communists. Radical Islam does not like our way of life, our freedom, our culture or thinking. Radical Islam wants us gone. So the West can’t sit back and just let an ideology like that grow in power and military capability. Kit can’t just sit back and let it expand across large sections of the world population otherwise it will be 1939 all over again accept this time with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Easy for me to say these things of course because I don’t have to go. But then, I don’t have to go and probably won’t in the future (and neither will future generations) precisely because we’re taking this action now, which is the whole point no?