It is reckoned that student debt has soared to $9 billion and students, strangely, since they are the ones who all gleefully accepted the lollies at the election are now having a massive whinge.

[quote]These bastards aren't stupid; they think you are. The fact is that after an unprecedented burst of economic growth, fifteen per cent of working age people -- over 300,000! -- are still on welfare, and they've been there since 1990!

In a country of only four million people, this is nothing to boast about.[/quote]

It shows us the truth of  the syaing "There are lie, damn lies and Labour party Spin" 

According to this news article at 4pm this afternoon Bob McCroskie says he has spoken to two social workers who say exactly that.

The Audio file above is the pertinent part of the news with out having to listen to the rest.

If true this is further evidence of the utter contempt for democracy this government has.

Peter Brown of NZ First has told NewstalkZB that Cullen has withdrawn the request for urgency. 

In other Section 59 news, a Research New Zealand poll , which questioned 497 people, found that nearly three-quarters opposed the bill and believed it was unenforceable.

The poll showed 73 per cent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the bill's provisions.

It also showed that 72 per cent of those questioned thought the bill, if it was to be passed into law, would be unenforceable.

Given that poll plus all of the others one wonders why the government is so intent on whipping its members to support the bill? 

Russell Brown in his posting on March 22 did a "pot, kettle,black" piece about C&R Now  and conflict of interest and linked Dr Tony Bierre  through his profile he submitted for the ADHB board elections.

Similarly Helen Clark, Annette King and Wayne Brown have sought to malign Dr Tony Bierre in the press, essentially calling him a liar.

Now, I hold no opinion that is good about Dr Tony Bierre, but a quick look at the evidence kindly linked for us by Russell Brown would suggest that the Board Chair at the very least knew of a potential conflict of interest from even before the onset of negotiations. Why?

Well look at the last paragraph of Dr Tony Bierre's profile submitted BEFORE the election of him to the board.

[quote]Conflict of Interest Statement
I hereby disclose the following conflict of interest with the Auckland District Health Board that may arise in the future: I am currently employed as a part-time Senior
Lecturer at the University of Auckland School of Medicine. The Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) is the major funder of pathology services in the Auckland region. All pathologists working in the region served by the ADHB are either employed by the ADHB or have a contractual relationship with the ADHB. At present I am not employed by ADHB nor have a contractual relationship with the ADHB.
However there is a possibility that this may change in the future and may represent a conflict of interest.[/quote]

It is there in black and white, issued before his election to the board. The issue always was and remains an issue of poor governance and contracts management on behalf the three Auckland District Health Boards. More importantly it shows that Wayne Brown and Ross Keenan in particular, being the handpicked servants of the government are the one most accountable.

It is telling when neither the Minister nor the Prime Minister refuse to express confidence in the board even when they are running around obfuscating at the same time. it is a clear double strategy in place....step one hurl dirt and innuendo, if they don't buy that step two sack the board...the only problem is they haven't seen through to step three, the public don't buy that either and toss out the government.

The deal is subject to Overseas investment office approval.

First up she has questioned aloud whether Dr Tony Bierre has broken the law in the Laboratory Contract scandal. The scandal that is threatening to take out her chosen, nay, handpicked board members and possibly the Health Minister. This surely can only be a distraction from the pressing issues of poor handling of the decision by the three District Health Boards.

Secondly she wades into the police morals campaign, with fresh evidence of the moral turpitude that our police force has fallen to arising over the weekend. this again has all the hall marks of Prime ministerial meddling in a portfolio that she has previously taken a very close interest in.

Helen Clark and her Ministers have clearly lost control of several areas of important state business and now they are flailing around trying to gain some, any sort of initiative on anything.

Stil no sign of any money. Pay it Back thieves!

Why?

Because Dear Leader announced to the world, well to NewstalkZB listeners anyway, that George Bush is a "Smart man" and a "clever man".

Yep, she did, listen to the clip and If you don't believe me listen to the download from NewstalkZB.

Apparently work is still being done to finalise the scheme. It has taken almost a year into a to year trial and it still isn't finalised!!

[quote]John Gray of the Leaky Homes Action Group complained that the loans were too late to help many people who had suffered while officials dithered.

"Is it a bad joke?" he asked. He had helped officials to establish the loan criteria.

"But nothing has been forthcoming," he said.

The Government never put a time limit on the money and had got good publicity from last year's announcement, he said.[/quote]

Yeah. absolutely right, that is the form of this government, announce with fanfare a "solution", then take forever to do anything, when it gets found out blame someone else and annnounce a review and round and round we go.