TVNZ's coverage of this story is predictably negative. http://goo.gl/9vGor
And worse still, they interview the twat from the 'Dog and Lemon' guide for
comment. I'm know my cars, & the guide is a lemon itself.
I supported Labour when they brought the Beemers, & I support National
upgrading them. In fact I'm rather surprised they've take so long given the
new models been out for a while.
1. The 730d is efficient on fuel, and is a quality car.
2. Government Ministers rack up a huge number of kms, so they need
something reliable with minimal maintenance requirements.
3. Status. Members of Parliament need something prestigious.
4. The old stock will be sold to off-set the cost of the new cars. Plus
the Beemers have good residual value.
5. Accounting. The old fleet was due for retirement.
Yeah, sure the initial cost is expensive. But given the Beemer's low
running cost & good residuals, the total cost for run the cars over three
years probably wouldn't be too different compared to a cheaper alternative.
Besides, the cost is nothing compared to the money the National govt is
saving us. Budget spend is down from $2.2 billion a year under Cullen, to a
spend of $800 million.
I look forward to see the new model BMW 730d out and about.
Lo and behold today I discover Kiwiblog now has a mobile version. http://m.kiwiblog.co.nz/. Sweet as.
Ironically I recently updated my mobile which has a decent mobile browser which could actually handle the full site. But nonetheless, I welcome the low-bandwidth version.
On the topic of Kiwiblog, when it comes to good humour Kiwiblog pwns TheStandard.org.nz any day of the week. Case in point is this post by DPF (http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2011/02/00.html). A good laugh can also be found in the comments section.
By comparison TheStandard.org.nz is seriously dour, like most leftie blogs. The psychology behind why the traditional left are so humourless is worth researching.
I watched the raw footage of Tony Abbott's much criticised conversation with a US general where he said 'shit happens'.
Tone & demeanour is everything. It was obviously to me that Abbott was referring to the perils of war.
Yet, lefties everywhere are insinuating he was referring to the loss of Australian life. I think you'd have to be pretty cynical to draw that conclusion.
A common practice among lefties is to villainise their opponents to almost cartoon-like dimensions. I'm not saying the right doesn't do this, but the left really take the cake. Even political debates are villanised i.e. the 'evil' rich & the downtrodden poor. Climate change accepters vs deniers, supports of anti-smacking & child beaters.
The hard-left are quick to use the words like hate, racist, and greedy to describe opposition – as if their arguments aren't strong enough to stand on their own. A rather convenient way of dismissing an opponent's arguments is to reduce them to something akin to evil. It's also selfish and egotistical to cast yourself in the role of the heroic crusader.
I find it ironic the left go to such extremes given their PC proclivities.
I'm interested to see whether this characterisation of Tony Abbott backfires.
UPDATE:
About me
- NX
- Interests: Politics, New Zealand
The catalysis for this blog was my dislike for the Clark'n Cullen Labour govt - particularly their transgressions during the 2005 general election & treatment of then opposition leader Don Brash.