Time to purge Immigration service

The NZ Immigration Service is damnably corrupt, Idiot Savant calls a government department "Rotten to the core" and he's right. The escapades of the Immigration Department and its lying ex. CEO Mary Anne Thompson have been news for some weeks now, and it is absolutely scandalous that the Minister isn't calling for the whole place to be purged and restructured.
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Clearly the Pacific Division has been dominated by a nepotistic culture that sounds remarkably like the kind of public service culture all too apparent in Pacific Island nations where "who you know" is terribly important. 19 cases of theft, bribery and fraud over three years. It has clearly operated like a third world bureaucracy.
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For once I agree with Idiot Savant "Led by a self-serving fraud, agreeing to lie in unison to prevent proper public oversight, and now taking bribes and kickbacks for favours. And they want even more power to abuse? Screw that - they can't possibly be trusted. The whole department needs a full, independent review to cut out the rot - and once that is done, it needs to be watched like a hawk to make sure it never reappears."

Of course it could help if a qualified open door policy was allowed on immigration, which means allowing anyone in on condition that they are not eligible for taxpayer funded education, housing, healthcare and welfare, not convicted of a criminal (violent, property, fraud) offence, not linked to a terrorist group and have the means to look after themselves for three months (and the means to leave). That would mean confronting the xenophobia of both NZ First and the Maori Party, and the socialist beliefs of those who support the welfare state, but it would help avoid bribes to be allowed in, and only let in those who wont be a claim on the state, or risk committing crimes against the rest of us.

Bailey Kurariki enjoying home detention

The Sunday Herald reports how Bailey, the country's youngest convicted killer, has been enduring much punishment:

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"Since being released a fortnight ago the 19-year-old baby-faced killer has had KFC, Burger King and pizza delivered most nights to the secret Auckland address where he's staying. At his birthday party on the day he was released, he was presented with gifts including a $180 pair of shoes, a stereo and a PlayStation console."

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Meanwhile, Michael Choy's mother gets nothing, and Michael Choy remains dead.

"Kurariki's mother Lorraine West told the Herald on Sunday her son was now making up for "all that stuff he hasn't tasted for ages". He was learning how to text because until now he had never owned a cellphone."

Meanwhile, Michael Choy's mother gets to endure seeing in the media her son's killer "making up" for what he lost, and Michael Choy can't make up for it. Maybe if Bailey worked the rest of his life earning enough to live on and then paying the surplus to Michael Choy's mother - Rita Croskery - he might get sympathy. No, he's the latest celebrity crim. Watch out for his Myspace, Bebo and Facebook sites, cool eh?

Sunday Herald advocates intervention in Burma

Its editorial states "World leaders have condemned the junta's response. President Bush called the regime "isolated or callous", and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon registered his "deep concern and immense frustration". But the time for words is past. "

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It says the US should take the lead "It should lead a multinational force which intervenes, by force if necessary, and delivers desperately needed aid. It would be a fitting last gesture for President Bush and one which, unlike his invasion of Iraq, the whole world would support and applaud."

Well the whole world wouldn't, there would be many wringing their hands about state sovereignty, but yes. I've been arguing for intervention the last week or so.

Meanwhile Time reports the referendum held on the constitution last Sunday had 99% turnout with a 92% yes vote - and I am waving at the little piggie up in the clouds. CNN reports on continued delays in getting French aid into the country. Contrast this with the heroic efforts in China to respond to its earthquake.

Nats want to revisit MMP

So says the Sunday Star Times. Actually the Sunday Star Times (which has tended to be friendly towards Labour) said "MMP Future in Doubt undr National", implying the Nats would abolish it, rather than hold a referendum. Bit of spin there that Labour will be happy about.

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Well frankly I don't care much either way. Why? Because I can't get very excited about the different ways you can count heads, rather than what's in them. I opposed MMP for the same reason, and because most of its advocates were Alliance retards, xenophobic Winston groupies or academics. The fact the NZ media didn't for a moment ever probe how organised leftwing support was for MMP is a damning indictment on how uncritical it was in the early 1990s. The truth is the switch to MMP was a reaction to the reforms of the times, a referendum on politicians which ended up putting more in Parliament!

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What's crazy is that talking about abolishing MMP hands Winston Peter another "conspiracy of those rich bastards" story to wind up the talkback listening economically illiterate xenophobic mediocrity mob.

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Of course if the Nats want to make a serious difference with electoral reform they could just abolish the Maori seats - but that would require having courage of your convictions, but there is neither courage nor convictions with the Nats nowadays. Abolishing the Maori seats would improve proportionality, and better match constituencies to constituents, but it wont happen. The Nats aren't prepared to answer the inevitable gutter comments from the left of "racism".

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Another worthwhile option would be having runoffs or preferences for constituency seats. This means that any seats without 50% of the vote to a single candidate would see the top two have a runoff. Clearly if MMP remains, this could be bolted on and make little difference, except for parties below the 5% threshold relying on a single constituency (4 do at the moment).

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Meanwhile, the polls are showing the Nats may get a whopping majority. Of course this wont quite happen. The polls underestimate the support Labour has from those who don't answer polls as often as angry middle class voters - low income Maori and Pacific Island voters - the people Labour likes to frighten. Don't forget how National's win on election night 2005 was eroded away when the large south Auckland constituencies came through.

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It's worth noting some of the poll findings though. Clearly voters on the left have started to be a bit clever, with the Greens at 6%. Leftwing voters may have got the idea that if Labour is bound to lose, they may as well cast a vote for a party that reflects their beliefs. This could be the Green's best election in a while.

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By contrast ACT has inspired no one with only 1%. You'd think ACT could also take advantage of the same trend in reverse, as the Nats are guaranteed victory a vote for ACT could better reflect values of smaller government and reform. It isn't working yet.

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The more telling result is that the vast majority of voters want tax cuts, income, GST and fuel. Now setting aside the arguments about GST and fuel (which I think deserve greater scrutiny and I do not support as such), it shows a strong majority in favour of government taking LESS money from everyone. Those on the left who think the opposite may pause to think, whereas National and ACT might just wonder why they can't simply reflect, in one way or another, what people want?

Don't forget Zimbabwe, has Africa?

While the Presidential election run off is to happen on 27 June in Zimbabwe, the disasters in Burma and China have diverted global attention from the utter brutality Mugabe's Zanu-PF thugs have been inflicting upon opposition supporters. Morgan Tsvangirai says he will return to Zimbabwe for the campaign, but he is risking his life doing so.

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The Voice of America reports Amnesty International's concern about Zimbabwe "the beatings, abductions, arson and killings in Zimbabwe have reached crisis levels. It says at least 22 deaths and more than 900 assaults have been recorded."

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Harrowing images are emerging of the vile brutality the savage scum of Zanu PF are applying to Zimbabweans. The Daily Mail reports the story of Memory:

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"Robert Mugabe's paid assassins came hunting for 22-year-old Memory, a married mother-of-two. They burst into her home, seized her and her children, and took them to their temporary headquarters in the local village school. ...She told me how on arrival at the school (which she had attended as a child), she had been ordered to sit in the playground with a group of supporters of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - the opposition party led by Morgan Tsvangirai. On the dot of 8am, the beatings started. Groups of eight people at a time were ordered out for treatment at the hands of a band of around 200 members of Robert Mugabe's militia, each wearing Zanu-PF T-shirts and green, red and yellow bandanas signifying the national flag. Many of them were high on drink or drugs. She watched as four of her close friends were beaten and kicked to death. A fifth friend later died, and others remain unaccounted for. "

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If you can stomach it, the images of the state of her body after being beaten are here on the This is Zimbabwe blog. No one with any sense of justice can fail to be sickened by this, sickened by the vileness of Mugabe and his thieving murdering cadres. The US Ambassador to Zimbabwe reported on the BBC's Newsnight programme tonight reports of a woman in her 80s who was hit with an axe, because her grandsons were activists for the Movement for Democratic Change.

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Meanwhile, Mugabe still has his friends, such as Mohau Pheko who doesn't believe Mugabe is to blame, but then she's one of the great and influential in South Africa being one of the ANC kleptocracy . She's on a board of an organisation called People Opposing Women Abuse, but I bet she wont visit Memory and apologise for providing propaganda for Mugabe - sanctimonious evil bitch. She shares the blood spilt by the savages of Zanu PF.

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If African governments cannot collectively ensure that the Presidential runoff is free and fair, and Mugabe's thugs don't oppress the population to vote for them, then it will prove they are not fit mature members of the international community. It will show at best their impotence against great evil in their midst, at worst their complicity and appeasement while fellow Africans are murdered, tortured, starved, beaten, bullied and stolen from. The moral leadership and great hope of South Africa after apartheid will have evaporated, as President Thabo Mbeki shakes the hand and treats with respect a murdering tyrant who, if he were white, Mbeki would be demanding worldwide sanctions, and would be funding and arming his opponents.

Mugabe's reputation as an anti-colonial hero is protecting him from scrutiny, criticism and from being arrested, tried and imprisoned for his role in decimating his country and oppressing his people. The tinpot Marxists and collectivist kleptocrats who bully, bribe and connive their way to power in far too many African countries have enough in common with Mugabe to not want anyone to look in their backyards. South Africa is proving also that it is led by a tinpot Marxist who'd rather protect his mate than tell him to stop murdering the common people. Zimbabweans are being murdered and beaten, and South Africa continues to feed and support those commiting those crimes.