If National wins ...

[Daytr]

The US gave Saddam a little help! LOL. Pull the other one. Suddam did play both sides of the fence, both Russia and the US.
And quite frankly its absolute BS that the US didn't play a part in Saddam coming to power.
They had involvement back in the late 50s and 60s in various power struggles in Iraq.
And to be honest, none of really know how much involvement either the Russians or US had as a lot of it was covert.'
However we are talking about the cold war period & I would suggest both were heavily involved and tried to influence as much as possible.
A little bit like Syria, now, its difficult to say who is backing who & I certainly don't believe everything I read in the Western media.

Well EZ if you are automatically lining up behind DayTr you ought first to make sure he's not an oxymoron....

Further back he says that the US were responsible for the 2 Gulf Wars. So I commented so the US was responsible for Saddam invading and occupying Kuwait and its oil? I'm ROTFL and he then says Nope, not at all, you have a vivid imagination.

Then he claims that the US was responsible for installing Saddam (you should recall that it was an Iraqi military coup with Saddam overthrowing his older Iraqi military mentor and if you look at Saddam's history you'll see he spent some time in Russia being trained by the Putin's lot the KGB).
There was no US involvement in Saddam coming to power and you won't find any credible historian who says there was.

Obviously when there are several mutually antagonistic enemies involved things get a little complicated and difficult for bears of very little brain (Daytr and EZ) to follow. So both Saddam and Iran were US enemies, Iran is much bigger and stronger than Iraq so when Saddam mad headedly invaded Iran the US helped him a little, for a while. But Kuwait is a democracy and an independent country so when Saddam invaded Kuwait naturally the US (and lots of other democracies) came to Kuwait's aid just as when Hitler invaded Poland. You have the same situation in Syria, Bashar Assad = Saddam, ISIL = pure extreme evil, the moderate Moslem rebels = the best hope. So the US etc tip Bashar the wink when they are going in after ISIL and his forces stay out of the way. But at the same time they are backing the moderate rebels, and the Kurds, to knock Bashar off. Ok? No, too much for your tiny little prejudiced left wing brains...

[Daytr]

Nice one BP, great fiction all around.
I didn't flee anywhere and actually left NZ shores when National was in power under Jim Bolger in the early 90s until his own party knifed him in the back when he was put of the country.
The mass immigration to Aussie in the 2000s was more related to China than anything else & the massive commodity boom that Australia benefited from. Nothing to do with taxes, but certainly very well paid jobs that were being offered.
The same thing happened post 2008 where may Kiwis headed home from the UK as the world economy went into a tail spin.
That's typical, people head home to what they know.

Actually the situation under Labour was that government debt was reducing to under $20Bln and the NZ economy was in fine shape.
No selling of assets in depressed markets at what will no doubt be bargain basement prices.
Wow what a great time to sell dairy holdings and forestry blocks!
Key from the world of finance and all he knows how to do, is borrow money, get the country in the biggest hock by multiples and all while selling billions of dollars of assets. Anyone (besides perhaps MVT) will tell you, borrowing more, whilst reducing assets is a recipe for disaster. Perhaps sell assets to reduce debt, but certainly not whilst increasing debt!
This National government are economic morons and are going to leave NZ with a mountain of debt and less assets to generate income to pay it down. But no doubt a new government will manage it, yet again, paying down a National debt mountain.

Thanks to the wisdom of the Australian treasurer can we now better understand the cause of all of our problems:

URL:http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/hockey-...acting-aussies

Our taxes are too low, and this causes a flood of Aussies to leave their shores and flock to ours. I guess this must be the ultimate reason for the Auckland housing crisis as well. The only thing we need to do to fix all this is to crank up taxes (thanks Mr Hockey) until nobody wants to live here anymore (well, but the beneficiaries). This will free up lots of Auckland houses, and market forces will make sure they are affordable again. Aussies and Kiwis alike will flee back across the Tasman to work for the lucky country ... and NZ can go back into hibernation.

Hold on - wasn't this the situation we had during the last Labour government? Lots of capable Kiwis left New Zealand to make their fortune in Australia (daytr - I think you have some personal experience in that regard .. fleeing to Australia, I mean). National even had an election slogan related to Kiwis leaving (when NZ was still under Helens iron fist) ... and hey, they turned the flood around and now everybody including the valued Australian treasurer complains about too many people wanting to go to NZ.

So maybe it is time to get Labour back holding the reigns to get rid of all these unwanted new dwellers Mr Hockey is envying us for (people with Australian sounding names and some Kiwis as well) ... and all our problems are solved.

Freedom for daytr's fishing spot!

[elZorro]

Granted elZ. you have worked tirelessly to make this a labour party propaganda thread. Your dedication has not been upset by the stupidity of the NZ voters who have failed to follow your lead and I'm sure you will be equally strong after the next election when the labour party is set to fail again. And even if there is nothing left of the party after that election, you will still be there with your banner and your John Key doll and a new packet of pins. As to the divergence, a little is good now and then. I didn't go up on the hill this morning. I instead I went to the funeral of a man who served his country and I did the honours - Last Post etc. on behalf of the nation - This afternoon, I may sharpen a saw or two.

Craic, you must be pretty good on the cornet, that's not an easy job. Impressed.

[BlackPeter]

Nice one BP, great fiction all around.

Thanks - but can't take credit for what you call "fiction" ... it was the Australian treasurer who said that things are now so good in NZ that Aussies are migrating to our shores instead of paying their tax to him ... just read the article

[Daytr]

Funny I wasn't talking about the article, just the things you added or interpreted.
Hockey isn't the sharpest tool in shed & the Abbott & Hockey's right wing government in Australia makes even Key & his party look good at times.
What tax rates do you think he is referring to? Must be the top tax rate & yes its typical of National to only look after the already well off. In Australia your first $18k is tax free! I would suggest Hockey is just softening up the Aussies for tax hikes to try & balance their budget, as like National here, government debt has ballooned under them as well.
What is it with the current right wing and their inability to manage finances?

The monk is just a straight out embarrassment, but its not the first time right wingers have elected dubious leaders.
George W Bush comes to mind & he somehow got re-elected! Now maybe we get comb over Trump!
Gawd help the world if he gets the top job in the US. Mind you he's probably a step up from George W or another Bush, well maybe at least.

[elZorro]

More about the work health and safety bill from a govt appointed taskforce member.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post...25+August+2015

Even Rawden can see that National are now talking about Easter trading days in a bid to divert attention.

[Daytr]

The reserve bank sends out a fresh warning in regards a housing price collapse in Auckland. And what do you know they sight a rapid rise in immigration & investors as the main drivers. Investors covers both foreign and domestic buyers. However Key points to Christchurch as an example where property prices have stabalised. Christchurch! Hardly a typical property market and a city unfortunately where people have left in droves and the main driver of property prices there was because of the limited safe housing available and a huge workforce that needed to be housed. Does Key think the NZ population are morons & will continue to swallow his tripe ?
The RBNZ tried to raise interest rates to stem the Auckland market, however the economy under National wasn't strong enough to handle it & as a large component of the driving forces in the Auckland market are coming from offshore it has no effect.

Nationals latest long term infrastructure plan of building masses of motorways to cater for a growing population.
$110Bln! What if you don't have a growing population or just a very small amount of increase?
What would need spending then? Where is the imagination in this plan? More roads!
No thought to the environment in regards spending on efficient public transport systems.
That's what we want, more trucks & cars on the roads!
More traffic, more consumption of fossil fuels.
The way NZ is going we will end up being a miniature UK, littered with motorways & roads & populations littering the countryside in every direction with no planning or infrastructure besides a road to cater for them.

[craic]

no cornet or trumpet. I simply conduct the RSA ode etc. call for the Last Post, Reville ,the placing of poppies and a few words n behalf of the Nation. Sometimes we have a trumpeter but mostly a recording. Yesterday was at a Requeum Mass on twenty hours notice for someone I did not know.

Craic, you must be pretty good on the cornet, that's not an easy job. Impressed.

[craic]

no cornet or trumpet. I simply conduct the RSA ode etc. call for the Last Post, Reville ,the placing of poppies and a few words n behalf of the Nation. Sometimes we have a trumpeter but mostly a recording.

Craic, you must be pretty good on the cornet, that's not an easy job. Impressed.

[elZorro]

no cornet or trumpet. I simply conduct the RSA ode etc. call for the Last Post, Reville ,the placing of poppies and a few words n behalf of the Nation. Sometimes we have a trumpeter but mostly a recording.

Craic, I was imagining a ruddy-complexioned older chap doing a beautiful rendition of the last post, making it look like it's easy. Of course it isn't, it takes a lot of ongoing practice, and I haven't seen a brass band for a while. Anyway, you did more than most, good on yer.