Show Me The Money!!!

These are the immortal words of our show pony PM to Phil Goff. Now we know what elections and politics are all about. Money, money, money! As a former currency trader he would no doubt have urged this on his clients. He showed the rich the money by giving them a tax break. The idea of helping the rich is an old one in capitalism and is aptly described by a US economist. Its called "trickle down." He said that a horse eats the chaff at one end and the product is ejected at the other. The sparrow then grazes behind the horse pecking at the "trickle down." The trouble is that there's always millions more sparrows than horses. The poor are the sparrows. For the last three years unemployment has risen and so have beneficiary numbers. Housing problems in over crowding have arisen. The homeless wander the streets of all our major towns and cities. It's a sad and demeaning sight to see in a country that once was up in the top five of countries on per capita incomes. So Mr. Keys and Mr Goff; Show the money to those who need it; the sparrows not the horses. And Mr. Keys? Cut the horse shit!

Victory At last: But Don't Exaggerate One Point

I must confess. I said before the RWC I was sick of it before it started but I was drawn in especially by underdogs like Tonga beating France the eventual finalist. I preferred the 2nd tier teams. There was some good rugby but there didnot appear to be much variation in style. It was. the same old maul, maul, maul. However, the French showed how dispite their 7-8 loss to the Abs that they were a team that could vary their play to suit. And they almost pulled it off. They were always looking for a way through. The Abs on the other hand just kept to Plan A regardless and in the last 2 minutes the play suddenly went their way. Lucky.

Anyway that's the rugby. Now we can get back to the real world and leave the circus until the next time. The Nats appear to be well ahead and the countryside is scarred by billboards reminding us that there is an election soon. First MMP; should we continue with it? Well, of course. It's kept the power brokers guessing, and the variety of MPs of all hews and colors stops the bland two party tweedledees and dums. Second; Who will in fact win? Didn't we think the Abs were going to win by a wide margin? Does politics foillow rugby? Will all that gunk from that ship still stuck on the rocks off Motiti influence the voters? It will me but I'm only one.

I predict a narrower victory for the Nats than that predicted for the last year but not a hung parliament.

All Rena's Gunk and other things........

Well. Te Whanau A Apanui told you so Hekia (Nat MP). It took a blind Filipino captain to show us what could happen if....Now we await events off Tikirau. I know I'm being smart after the event. Heck yeah. I didn't predict this oil disaster, let alone that it would upstage the RWC. However like the rest of the country I waited with great anticipation for our show pony PM and his loyal sidekick McCully to take over the surrounding sea like they did down town Auckland after the opening of the RWC and fix it within 24 hours. Instead they waited for tohungas (ie experts) from off shore for four calm days. It's a typical capitalist private enterprise balls up. The fact is those who could have done something were waiting for the money first but since no hands went up to pay then they sat on theirs. Hasn't the govt got a "Hobbit Fund" for such emergencies? Hekia. Go fix it girl.

Tainui: Tuku stop picking on your able women leaders like Tania Martin. Haven't you heard of women's lib. and gender equality? In spite of it men should nevertheless be gentlemen. Open the door for Tania and let her go through first.

Dr. Mutu: I hear you got off being a racist by the Human Rights people. You were right if you meant that our immigrant policy has been race based (ie white) since it began. The demographic truth is obvious. Even you and I are examples. You should be grateful though. The High Court Judge of your recent victory against the whole of the USA was Judge White. You see? Blood is thicker than water.

The Election is fast approaching. Since it started I liked MMP or more Maori in Parliament. And why not? What they must not do is sell our interests down the river in favor of party. The FS and SB Act is an example of it. I felt for Mita Ririnui in his last speech and comments. He had to tow the party line against his better judgement. Georgina Te Heuheu is a good example of someone who stood up for Maori against her leader Don Brash. History wont be kind to arguably the most racist leader in history and we have had a few. But Georgina will be remembered as a Maori Nat. MP who stood up against it.

From 17 To 4 Terrorists

Douible Click Image: Subversive Stuff

So; after holding ones breath for 4 years the terrorism threat is down to four. I'm not sure we can breath more easily. There's intentions of the four conspiring to murder someone but so far no bodies. The targets of this conspiracy are not known but how many of us have felt like shooting at least one of our politicians, and may have blurted it out while watching TV? And how about a referee during RWC not to mention a greedy or two in the midst of poverty? There's arms charges and a cashe of weapons that sound like Gaddafi discards in the desert while on the run. There's even molotov cocktails although whether it is a few beer bottles full of petrol or gelignite made on instructions from someone on the internet is not known. Honestly the "Keystone Cops" have nothing on our lot.

Our Judiciary have taken it seriously and have revealed their judgements. The evidence on the cleared 13 is "inadmissable" or more bluntly a pack of innuendoes illegally gotten by the Police (or was it the SIS?). They have been eaves dropping on the boys in the bush and in their homes and tapped their phones. As Tame Iti said; they could have just rung him instead of lurking in the dark. He may have invited them in for a cuppa. That's what another terrorist Princess Te Puea Herangi MBE did during the war when her home was under surveilance by an SIS agent sitting alone in his car outside her place.

Joking aside what happens next? We have to wait until February 2012. By then some of the facism displayed by those out to get Tame might dissipate in favour of picking on some other iwi. There's still those apposed to oil drilling.

Four Years Later!

Looks like Tame Iti and 3 others have to wait until next February for justice while all the other "Terrorists" are let off. The police and the government just don't want to admit that it was gung ho over the top policing. The Maori Party have for once gone against their Show Pony P.M. and suggested a Commision of Emquiry into the whole shamozles. Somebody's head should roll over this and I suspect it is a top cop. But he's gone already isn't he? Frankly its been four years of rank stupidity and whoever gave the order should front up with an explanation. I suspect some SIS idiot had something to do with it.

Really this stuff leaves me speechless. Tuhoe's relations with the state have been for 150 years the pits but you'd think the current government would stop it. Now we know that this is all part of a refusal by the Govt. and their faithful to give back the Urewera National Park. Do they fear a terrorist army being nurtured in the bush? Our system of justice sucks and it and the top cops are fast losing our respect.

Mate Atu He Toa: A Brave Warrior Has Died

"T" is standing 3rd from left. His lovely chidren are the two right of their Great Grandmother.

Double click to enlarge picture:

My Mokopuna Turoa Kaweka Johns passed away last Thursday after a brave struggle with cancer at the age of 23 years. For the last 8 weeks he was cared for in the Gallagher Hospice in Hamilton where we assisted in looking after him. His care there by staff was appreciated very much by whanau. Turoa bore the pain with dignity and without complaint and having his father and brother there throughout and the rest of us assisting helped immensely. Finally he died in his sleep and peacefully.

We called him "T". At his tangihanga at Waitahanui his friends from Toku Mapihi Kura Kaupapa in Hamilton, Hato Petara in Northcote, and Te Aute College in Hawkes Bay, as well as his partner's whanau from Tauranga Moana, and his mothers whanau from Ngati Tamatera, Waikato, and his father's whanau and many others came. It was the largest that the locals had seen at a tangi for many years. It is difficult to describe but the occasion was more a celebration and the rangatahi performed not only with talent but mana fitting the ocassion. Sad though the ocassion, we were blown away. If there's such a thing as a good tangi, this one was great and memorable.

The Taurawhiri I Te Reo have said that in spite of developments in Te Reo in the last 30 years or so, the reo is struggling and close to extinction. I didn't get that impression during this tangi. It was young people rather than old who got up on the marae and in the whare on the last night to korero and waiata. Even though it was formal, the young speakers were up to it. I will never forget it.

Na reira kua poroporoakitia tenei moko ki tona hikoi. Kua tangi nga tangi. Ko nga waihotanga ko ona tamariki tokorua me nga mahara noaiho e mau tonu ana.

Mana is about winning

So Hone won the Tai Tokerau by-election after all and quite easily as such elections go. It is likely that if the Maori Party had not fielded a candidate he may have lost. However that party decided to keep faith with its supporters regardless. At least that's what they are saying now. It might have been a wiser strategy not to stand all be it a convenient one. Now Hone is on a roll and his campaign into other Maori electorates could sweep the Maori Party aside. How it would help Maori is not certain.

The Mana Party has some policies on poverty, low incomes, and other negative statistical issues that should resonate with at least 25% of the electorate if they can get them to vote. But that is the problem. They have moved to the left which is what I approve of. I used to be a Labour Party member for that reason. I also tried as a Maori Party member to get them to adopt a policy on "full employment". And I meant for Aotearoa not Australia. I do think that the Maori Party has not developed policy on child and whanau poverty, low incomes and job creation compared to Mana. In this respect they need to hurry up if they are to retain any support. In retrospect they have been tarnished by their association with National. The policies I have just espoused do not sit well with the Nats and are no comparison to "Hobbit" movies.

I do have one piece of advice however for Hone. E hoa. Kia tupato. Kei hinga koe i to hianga.