If National wins ...

[GTM 3442]

I see an article on Stuff with the summary

"Environment Minister Nick Smith says his new swimmable water quality standards won't see him labelled as the "Muddy Waters Minister" in New Zealand's history books."

Could someone perhaps suggest a suitable title for Nick?

[fungus pudding]

I see an article on Stuff with the summary

"Environment Minister Nick Smith says his new swimmable water quality standards won't see him labelled as the "Muddy Waters Minister" in New Zealand's history books."

Could someone perhaps suggest a suitable title for Nick?

Never met him myself, but from all accounts he's a hell of a good bloke and an excellent and popular MP in his electorate.
Saint Nicolas perhaps?

[Baa_Baa]

Never met him myself, but from all accounts he's a hell of a good bloke and an excellent and popular MP in his electorate.
Saint Nicolas perhaps?

Perhaps he is a "good bloke" FP, he's certainly a good mate of the Prime Minister and in a precious protected position.

But as a keen fresh water angler, I'm very very disappointed in the sustained National governments' inaction, and very conservative responses to the condition of our waterways.

Now we're looking at decades to recover mid-low land water quality that have been compromised by poor policy and controls over urban and particularly farm waste management. It goes back beyond the National government, but as the incumbent stewards, I expect a lot more decisive action from Mr Smith.

Even my sickening bogan neighbour can run his pigs and sheep in the otherwise iconic local stream, let alone his cows which are apparently allowed to stray into and sh1t in and around the water way. Makes me puke watching it. Complain? No one is listening. They don't even reply.

There's didymo, algal blooms, human waste discharges, farmland nitrate leeching, animals grazing .. it's a mess, a really bloody huge mess.

Nick Smith is the smiling politician, the 'not on my watch' type, 'she'll be right', 'we've got it under control', but I don't think he has got it under control. I think he is charlatan and a rouge when it comes to NZ's water ways.

[fungus pudding]

Perhaps he is a "good bloke" FP, he's certainly a good mate of the Prime Minister and in a precious protected position.

But as a keen fresh water angler, I'm very very disappointed in the sustained National governments' inaction, and very conservative responses to the condition of our waterways.

Now we're looking at decades to recover mid-low land water quality that have been compromised by poor policy and controls over urban and particularly farm waste management. It goes back beyond the National government, but as the incumbent stewards, I expect a lot more decisive action from Mr Smith.

Even my sickening bogan neighbour can run his pigs and sheep in the otherwise iconic local stream, let alone his cows which are apparently allowed to stray into and sh1t in and around the water way. Makes me puke watching it. Complain? No one is listening. They don't even reply.

There's didymo, algal blooms, human waste discharges, farmland nitrate leeching, animals grazing .. it's a mess, a really bloody huge mess.

Nick Smith is the smiling politician, the 'not on my watch' type, 'she'll be right', 'we've got it under control', but I don't think he has got it under control. I think he is charlatan and a rouge when it comes to NZ's water ways.

Good bloke though.

[westerly]

It is tricky with capital gains as you would want to encourage the reinvestment of asset proceeds into productive assets. However it tends to be the wealthier who benefit from capital gains, whilst the poorer are more dependent on fixed interest and/or other taxable income.

So even with a tax-free threshold but excluding capital gains, a flat tax plus GST, may mean that the tax system becomes regressive with the wealthier ending up paying a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than poorer people who spend larger proportion of their after-tax income on items subject to a further 15% GST.

GST - a regressive tax
http://theconversation.com/factcheck...come-tax-45052

Estonia 21%, Latvia 24%, and Lithuania 15% flat tax rates. But they also have VAT rates around 20% and CGT taxes plus social security taxes.
The argument that GST is a consumtion tax and is fair indeed ignores the fact that low income earners spend their income while the better off can for example buy shares, receive tax free dividends, and capital gains ( I know, they are supposedly taxed when they sell the shares ) along with other ways of cicumventing or minimising taxes.

westerly

[Bjauck]

Or find better ways without increasing spend.

Of course, as long as blood is not expected from a stone and an allowance in made for the increase in population and change in demographics.

You are right; Aussie grammar is also bad. Strange as it may seem to some, American kids are far more articulate, and well grounded in grammar, albeit some American grammar is 'foreign' to us - but they know their rules.

Americans tend to be more vocal than Kiwis. kiwis tend to be more reticent lest they offend. The Americans (I have met) seem to be well-versed in Shakespeare and some of American language usage seems archaic (to me.)

British grammar is the worst by far, 'it were broke' which I heard the one and only time I watched a few minutes of Coronation Street. Two words wrong in a three word statement" Only in England!

I guess the script writers try and portray informal register Mancunian speech. I would expect more of someone answering a quiz show question...

Less/fewer - amount/number, all part of the same rule.

The most common error, perhaps.

[fungus pudding]

Of course, as long as blood is not expected from a stone and an allowance in made for the increase in population and change in demographics.
Americans tend to be more vocal than Kiwis. kiwis tend to be more reticent lest they offend. The Americans (I have met) seem to be well-versed in Shakespeare and some of American language usage seems archaic (to me.)
I guess the script writers try and portray informal register Mancunian speech. I would expect more of someone answering a quiz show question...
The most common error, perhaps.

The most common error I believe is the misuse of participles in place of past tense verbs. How often have you heard I rung, they sung, the boat sunk....etc? More frequently than the correct word I'd say.
You'll even hear I done and I seen; less frequently, but you'll hear it in good old New Ziland

[Sgt Pepper]

The most common error I believe is the misuse of participles in place of past tense verbs. How often have you heard I rung, they sung, the boat sunk....etc? More frequently than the correct word I'd say.
You'll even hear I done and I seen; less frequently, but you'll hear it in good old New Ziland

I am sure this must be on our PMs agenda to remedy. After all he has a BA in English Literature after all. Its only those silly Labour Finance ministers who had maths and economics degrees.

[fungus pudding]

I am sure this must be on our PMs agenda to remedy. After all he has a BA in English Literature after all. Its only those silly Labour Finance ministers who had maths and economics degrees.

Unfortunately I don't think it is. And surely it's not just the silly Labour MPs who have maths and economics degrees as you assert. I'm sure over the years there must have been at least one sensible one also.

[craic]

Rubbish! I followed the same principal - no finance companies, no banks, no insurance companies or anyone else who wanted my money to invest whatever on the promise that they would give me a share of what they made and that would/might exceed what I could get from bank interest. Friends of mine asked my advice and then went off with "professional" advice and came home broke. I qualified for a substantial dividend the other day, Thursday, I think. Next day figured the share price was too high and sold up and bought back much cheaper a couple of hours later. The ten-cent differential gave me 2G less bank fees of $300. Now this has nothing to do with politics, press warning, the financial sector or any other of the Lefts imaginary devils. It's simply a matter of using your wits. If being a Labour supporter prevents you from doing this because your friends haven't any then you need a change of friends