British Conservatives remain a mixed lot

You wouldn't notice it, but the Conservatives have been having their party conference - overshadowed completely by the financial crisis.

The policies coming from the Tories are all over the place:
- Council tax to be frozen for two years (a bit wimpish but a start);
- Private rooms for single mothers in hospitals (more government);
- University scholarships for apprentices (still more government);
- Abandon central government housing plans and reduce regulations that hinder construction (ok);
- Wasting £20 billion on high speed rail links and stopping a private company from building a third runway at Heathrow airport with its own funds (appalling);
- Scrapping national child database (excellent); and

Boris Johnson has announced a council tax freeze for London.

However one of them blames career women for the breakdown of society.

Oh dear oh dear, doesn't he recall who one of the most successful recent Tory Prime Ministers was?

So it's better than Labour - but that's about it - it can't stop spending money, and it can't stop interfering with the private sector. *sigh*

US taxpayers saved, financial markets sink

The Democrats could have passed the bill on their own - to take US$700 billion from future taxpayers to bail out the foolish borrowings and foolish lendings by US banks, encouraged implicitly by a central bank that kept extending the money supply - but even they couldn't be convinced. Too many saw their constituents demanding why they should be forced to bail out Wall Street. Many more Republicans said the same, and reacted to the lies that this was the result of "8 years of economic mismanagement" as rich little leftwing Democrat Nancy Pelosi bleated. Democrats want this to be painted as the fault of Bush and the Republicans, but their hands are far from clean. This goes back before Bush and even before Clinton - it is a longstanding problem of government growth in the money supply, and the long held belief that the government will step in.

So, according to CNN the Dow Jones has plummeted 7%, it is about time to do some bargain hunting.

Obama and McCain don't know what to do. Obama is trying to make hay from it, McCain is trying to say Obama would spend even more taxpayers' money on new programmes.

The truth is both look like less than Presidential material at the moment - neither give the public confidence in the economic future. Gerald Warner in the Daily Telegraph says that as McCain and Obama both supported the package, US voters chose "none of the above" in putting huge pressure on Congress to say no.

For now the taxpayers have won the battle - the question is what the cost of that will be in the short to medium term.

Nudity legal all over Wellington?

The Hive notes the story that an old bylaw, that is apparently unenforceable, banning nudity for over 8 yos on the beach has been repealed by Wellington City Council. This follows the same action by Kapiti Coast District Council. I assume Lucyna at NZ Conservative wont say its because Kerry Prendergast is a heterosexual National Party member. Mind you, the old bylaw was never enforced - but the publicity in the media means that people now know they can't be arrested for mere nudity - the question is whether it is indecent exposure.

However, to be serious I don't doubt that conservatives will fear this will result in a bout of flashing, perverted showing off and the like. Certainly people ought to not fear other people at the beach, their children especially shouldn't fear others. It shouldn't be a problem, because such aggressive behaviour will remain summary offences. Most Wellingtonians living on the Miramar Peninsula know only too well that Breaker Bay is an unofficial nudist beach. What will be legal is simply going into the water naked, or sunbathing naked, essentially minding your own business. Nudity is not, per se, sexual. Indeed in some contexts it is abundantly beautiful, it leads one to look at it because it is so - it is the difference between those who see nudity and think "porn" (which admittedly the majority of teenage boys probably think), and those who see it and appreciate it for how the human form can be quite exquisite.

Now having said that I doubt if 90% of those who may be nude on a beach in New Zealand would fit that mould for me - and I expect they also aren't being nude to be admired, just to be comfortable, and rather "laissez faire".

The Dominion Post reports that the legal position is more than just beaches, but any public place in Wellington City. Nudity in a park, nudity walking down Lambton Quay. Quelle Horreur!

Now Section 27 of the Summary Offences Act says that indecent exposure is when someone "intentionally and obscenely exposes any part of his or her genitals".

Simply lying on your back in the Botanical Gardens might not be the case, but certainly showing off and drawing attention to your genitals would. Also interestingly, it means breasts are allowed - regardless - they are not genitals.

However regardless of what you think - this is the tragedy of the commons. As long as peaceful people do not initiate force (or threaten it) against each other, the law should not be concerned. Private property rights mean you can control your land, your park, your mall, your shop - but that is where it ends. The solution to concerns about nudity in public is private property rights. The solution to those who think nudity is an opportunity to threaten is the existing criminal law.

Hamish McCracken - Labour's candidate for apostrophe abuse

Hamish McCracken has Labour's number 50 spot, he is also the candidate for Northcote.

Now for Hamish to get elected, Labour has to do a bit better than in 2005, which is a bit optimistic, but not out of the question. He has a profile, photo and a website.

That's when the learning begins. Hamishs’, Hamishs, Hamish’s’s, I mean Hamish’s profile lets Labour down with a fine example of educational failure “I want a society that values it’s people and demonstrates this through first class public health and education.” Well Hamish you need that education to have a promiscuous apostrophe inserting itself where it isn’t wanted.

You see Hamish has no idea how to use apostrophes, which of course makes him qualified to be a university lecturer despite saying on his website “Education policy for me remains the backbone of all else.”

I found where he stole the apostrophe from: “Tomorrows Choice”. Grrr, first class education he has and he’s still failing reasonable literacy standards! Click the annoying policy link and you’ll also find “Workers rights” which doesn’t link to anything at all, like most of the policies where appear non-existent. He also has “many NZer’s lives”, “many of Labours policies”. More illiteracy with “New Zealand has a special role in the pacific” the world’s biggest ocean not deserving of a capital. “one of the worlds first sustainable economies” arrgh when will it end!

How damned hard is it to get your material proof read, or are all those around you a bunch of leftwing unionist grunts?

Well don't worry, Hamish doesn't just lack in literacy.

“I am proud also that in championing sustainability Labour is extending the logic of egalitarianism, not just across society today but down through the generations to come. I want to be part of a government that will lead the world on this issue.” The “logic of egalitarianism”? What is that? It is “logical” that everyone be the same? Yes the Khmer Rouge thought so. “Lead the world on this issue”? Go on Hamish, raise the red flag to egalitarianism, you need it given your poor literacy.

The profile on the Labour website gets the link to his website wrong, but I worked it out. His website says “Hamish also has a passion for Economic Policy. He lectures at the Auckland University of Technology Business School.” Yes, spot the rot in education when the lecturers stand for Parliament. He has been a unionist too (Labour is SO diverse). He channels Tony Blair with “Labour has been tough on crime but more importantly we have been tough on the causes of crime.” Yawn.

He thinks taking money from families to give money to, families is an “investment” “Working for Families package – benefiting 370,000 families and worth $1.1 billion per annum. This is a logical step in encouraging people from welfare into work and an investment in New Zealand families” Yawn. He wants taxpayers to be forced to pay for – Tai Chi! “In times of record house prices” obviously in touch isn’t he?

“Labour supports greater democratisation of the United Nations and strengthened powers for the General Assembly. The current veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council should be abolished.” Oh really? What should the General Assembly be doing? More resolutions against Israel, but none against Zimbabwe, Iran and North Korea? Nice to see another cultural relativist in Labour. Nice to see such enthusiasm for an organisation that treats Libya, Cuba and China on a par with Europe and New Zealand on human rights.

“In Michael Cullen we have a finance Minister who has given significant assistance to kiwi families but who also has carefully shepherded our financial resources” Whose financial resources? Oh that’s right, everyone elses. Oh Hamish, your literacy deprived ravings are interesting, but that’s about it.

Carefully shepherded!

Surely though this has to be the best disclaimer:
“The Labour party has a rigorous policy process whereby we debate ideas and establish the eventual party manifesto. It is the party manifesto that represents the official party policy. While unsurprisingly as a participant in this process I support the manifesto, on this site I have endeavoured to give my own personal views and thoughts so you will know where I stand on issues. In the majority of cases these will be in line with party policy, if however you want official Labour party policy please visit http://www.labour.org.nz”

So it could all be his views, just to protect Labour.

Now Northcote is fairly marginal. National’s Jonathan Coleman took it off Labour’s Ann Hartley by 2383 votes last time, and he should remain fairly comfortably ahead, but it is clearly a seat to watch. National got 43% of the party vote in 2005 against Labour’s 39.1%, so it is a battleground seat for the party vote in particular. Hamish lets Labour down, as a lecturer who can’t use apostrophes or capitalisation where relevant, as a unionist who thinks Michael Cullen “carefully shepherded our financial resources”, this should give his opponents plenty of fuel to fight him over. Thankfully, Hamish has a low chance of getting elected.

3 more Labour candidates - 1 without profile

To continue my series, I thought I'd countdown from numbers 53 to 51 on the Labour Party list.

Chris Yoo – list only- number 53: No profile, no photo, no website, no interest, no chance. Even he doesn’t think Labour will get far over 40% of the vote. This you see, is where you wonder how ambitious Labour is being? If it seriously thinks it is getting this far, why is this candidate without any profile at all?

Errol Mason – Te Tai Hauauru – number 52: Profile and photo. Errol has a long familial link to Labour, and says “It is important for Maori to have a united voice in Government. This Labour Government has delivered great opportunities. More Maori in employment, working for families’ package and affordable health care to name but a few.” Setting aside him wanting to sit in one of the racist seats, his profile is nothing special, but not mindlessly awful either. He has a considerable battle on his hands though. He is up against Tariana Turia who gained 63% of the electorate vote last time, against himself on 33.5%. Party vote in the seat remains mainly Labour with 53.1%, and the Maori Party second on 31.7%. He wont win the electorate, but I kind of wish he would. Turia after all is far away with the fairies.

Erin Ebbor-Gillespie – Wigram – number 51: Profile and photo. “I was motivated to join the Labour party in the late 1990s. I remember the “Mother of All Budgets,” state asset sales and restructuring. It was a dark time in our social history.” Took her a while, since the “Mother of All Budgets” was 1991, asset sales started under a government that included Helen Clark and Michael Cullen, and “restructuring” has happened on a grand scale under this Labour government (look at transport). Silly bint doesn’t understand history or economics, puts her in good stead to run against Jim Anderton though! She’s a family lawyer, which begs the question why she wants to control people’s lives? She concludes “If the self determination of the people is strong, the well being of the people is assured”. Yes Erin, but Labour takes much of the proceeds of people’s “self-determination” and spends it how it sees fit. She’s probably good at her job, but not much sense beyond her own experience.

As long as Jim wants to hang on, she has no chance in Wigram, where Labour comes third behind National in the electorate vote with 19.1%, (Anderton got 47.6%, National 22.2%). For party vote it is different, Labour led in 2005 with 48% of the party vote, so that’ll be what she is chasing. Fortunately it isn’t likely to be enough to get her in.