My Right

"The situation is absolutely under control," Transport Minister Ephraem
Magagula told the Swaziland parliament in Mbabane. "Our nation's merchant
navy is perfectly safe. We just don't know where it is, that's all."
Replying to an MP's question, Minister Magagula admitted that the
landlocked country had completely lost track of its only ship, the
Swazimar: "We believe it is in a sea somewhere. At one time, we sent a
team of men to look for it, but there was a problem with drink and they
failed to find it, and so, technically, yes, we've lost it a bit. But I
categorically reject all suggestions of incompetence on the part of this
government. The Swazimar is a big ship painted in the sort of nice bright
colours you can see at night. Mark my words, it will turn up. The right
honourable gentleman opposite is a very naughty man, and he will laugh on
the other side of his face when my ship comes in."

Mate - I tried to post this comment and got told to naff off cause it's over 1000 characters. Maybe you can post it yourself?

As a taxpayer, someone that participates in the democratic process and a born and raised kiwi - I consider that I am a stakeholder in the government of the day - regardless of whether I voted for them or not.

That being the case - I relate it to a private sector example where I pay for some shares in year 1 and four years down the track the company posts a 7.4 billion surplus and still hasn't paid me a dividend. Nup.

It's good politics from Labour - their voter base as historically and will remain the lower to middle class voters. So Cullen is making damn sure they stay in that bracket with his fiscal policy and sucks in their vote back with the social policy. The main thing is that this bracket remains the predominant one and those in it don't consider for a moment what a tax break could do for them and their families. Just offer the ambulance and they'll hitch a ride!

I commend my right for giving voice to his views - I share them and I wish National would come out and simply take my vote with a well thought out tax policy - it's there for the taking. Defence is another issue that concerns me - but that's a comment for another day.

Higher than expected tax revenue and profits have helped the Government post a massive $7.4 billion operating surplus which, at 5.3 per cent of gross domestic product, is a record.

"For the first three years of this Government real wage rates actually declined, and only recently has there been a small rise. A less than 4% rise in real wages over almost five years is not much reward for working people.

"With no change in tax brackets, take-home pay has grown at an even slower rate," says Dr Brash.

So my question is this, can you at least look at raising the threshold for the top tax bracket to $80,000??

an·ti·cli·max Audio pronunciation of "anticlimax" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nt-klmks, nt-)
n.

1. A decline viewed in disappointing contrast with a previous rise: the anticlimax of a brilliant career.
2. Something trivial or commonplace that concludes a series of significant events: After a week of dramatic negotiations, all that followed was anticlimax.
3. A sudden descent in speaking or writing from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential, or an instance of it: “Waggish non-Yale men never seem weary of calling ‘for God, for Country and for Yale’ the outstanding single anticlimax in the English language” (Time).

"Mr Maharey set CEG up to fail. He took it out of WINZ, where it was part of a bigger employment strategy, and foisted the dubious high-risk Social Entrepreneur programme on it. Further, it has had to administer another failed Maharey flagship: the $8 million Community Employment Organisation strategy.

"Then, when the failures hit the headlines, the Minister ducked for cover. He even left the Labour Department to do his dirty work and announce the cancellation of his Social Entrepreneur scheme. As CEG Minister, it is Mr Maharey's future that should be under review when Cabinet meets today," Dr Newman said.

Smith was found guilty of murdering a man in Johnsonville on December 11, 1995, and of sexual offences against the man’s son. Smith, then 22, was sentenced in August 1996 to life imprisonment and ordered to serve at least 13 years before being considered for parole.

Wellington lawyer Tony Ellis is taking Smith’s case back to the Court of Appeal as a test case for about 1500 convicted criminals who were refused legal aid for appeals.

Last month the Privy Council in London overturned the convictions of 12 New Zealanders who it said didn’t get a fair appeal after they were refused legal aid. The 12 included two convicted murderers, two convicted rapists and two convicted robbers.

"I am determined to prove at the full hearing that I should be restored to my full duties as principal of Cambridge High School.

"I believe that the best interests of the school will be served by my return. I am confident that I can work with the commissioner and a new board," she said.

The decision means Mrs Annan is employed by the school's commissioner, Dennis Finn, and is not authorised to return there unless asked to by him.

Mr Finn, who was appointed to the role last week after Education Minister Trevor Mallard dissolved the board, said: "That's not going to happen under any circumstances. As far as the school goes, it's business as usual."

Stepping above the parapet

Sage ventured out into the void. Here I am. opinionated white male. driven from the shores of helengrad by the need to care for my family. driven to distraction by the incredible hypocrisy and nanny statist of pricks like Marjorie Maharey with his Hugo Boss suits, provincial college professor in sociology or some other inane crap.

Mrs Annan's lawyer claims she was under intense pressure and in a "very distressed state" when she announced her resignation last month. Whether this argument will be used in tomorrow's Employment Relations Authority hearing has not been confirmed, but it must be noted Mrs Annan is no stranger to intense pressure and has been unrelenting to the point of tyrannical in her belief that her methods of running a secondary school were the right ones.

This newspaper has previously stated that by resigning, Mrs Annan took the right, and only, action open to her following the damning report on the school by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority report. Nothing has changed.

The over-riding priority in Mrs Annan's bid for reinstatement is neither the semantic argument nor the emotional circumstances that may have contributed to her decision to resign. It is what is best for the students of Cambridge High School, some of whom have been the victims of an education method exposed as a fraud.

"Sitting in Auckland today, the Select Committee heard a submission from representatives of Tuhoe, who claim absolute sovereignty through their rohe with title over the sea extending 400 nautical miles offshore," Mr Shirley said.

"In answer to my questions, they also confirmed their claims of absolute sovereignty over all air space to the heavens above. It was specifically stated that, once the Foreshore and Seabed legislation is resolved, they would be approaching Air New Zealand and other airlines to negotiate compensation for all incursions into their air space.

"They drew the parallel of other sovereign states where missiles are deployed to shoot down unauthorised aircraft. The group also confirmed that it would be approaching NASA and other authorities in respect of their satellites that orbit the Earth.

TVNZ received numerous complaints about its decision to cut into TV One's scheduled programmes to screen live the explosive end to the Russian hostage siege.

However, Friday's bloody climax to the hostage drama was a ratings winner, according to ACNielsen media research. The coverage attracted 13 per cent of the potential national audience - 2 per cent behind Holmes and Rick Stein's Food Heroes, which screened earlier on the same night - and 44 per cent of all viewers watching at that time.

"I'm constantly appalled by the right's eagerness to fling charges of "treason" at anyone who disagrees with them, and sadly our local right-wing bloggers are no exception. In response to last week's comments by Margaret Mutu, MyRight suggested that she be prosecuted for terrorism, under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002." [My Right has not been spoken to like that since the infamous - "I'm not angry, just disappointed" speech from Forever Right Snr in 1989]

Labour increased the top rate of tax by 6c to 39c after the 1999 election saying it would use the money for health and education and promising that only the wealthiest 5 per cent of taxpayers would be affected. That has since risen to 10 per cent with wage hikes.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday a booming economy was the reason. She indicated Labour was unlikely to alter the top rate.

"In the end you have to weigh up whether you want to give tax cuts or keep pouring the benefits back into health, education and the services that the New Zealand public like and want and deserve and should have."