Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: A plot point is reached

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  • andrew llewellyn,

    WRT the comment upthread, I feel personally equipped to be an advocate for wine.

    Who did take over from Jonathon Hunt anyway?

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    There isn't a minister for retail

    There is one for consumer affairs ... is that close enough?

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Michael Savidge,

    Well if everyone else is claiming an industry portfolio I want to be Minister for Marijuana. That kind of cash makes the racing industry look like small potatoes. Mmmmm....potatoes......

    Now where did I put that white paper...

    Somewhere near Wellington… • Since Nov 2006 • 324 posts Report

  • Paul Williams,

    Really? According to the 2005 Briefing to the Incoming Minister it was responsible for $424 million of GDP, or about 0.37%. $130 million of that is export sales, but that's nothing large.

    I'm clearly out of touch... compared with racing in NSW, which claims to be responsible for 40,000 FTE jobs and gross direct economic benefits worth $4.2b (direct, not GSP)... now I've got questions about the methodology of this 2003 study, particularly about externalised costs, but it's the basis for a claim on a Ministerial position.

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report

  • Paul Williams,

    The job is to be an advocate for racing.

    You mean like the Minister for Courts? I thought that was just 'cause judges are wankers?

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report

  • Paul Litterick,

    Technically, it's a Minister for Racing. The job is to be an advocate for racing.

    We should have a Minister for Pokies, as well, just to even up things.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1000 posts Report

  • A S,

    We should have a Minister for Pokies, as well, just to even up things.

    We do. That Minister is also known as the Minister of Internal Affairs.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2007 • 269 posts Report

  • Matthew Poole,

    We should have a Minister for Pokies

    As opposed to a Minister for Porkies, a Cabinet post for which every politician of the two major hues is unquestionably well-qualified. I suspect most of the pollies of the minor hues are also adequately trained to be competent holders of this particular portfolio, but right now Winston seems to be the clear winner of any competence-based appointment process for the portfolio.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report

  • Mark Graham,

    ...Stewart as Winston, in a plot twist to stun us all.

    (also starring Katherine Hepburn as Helen Clark...

    Simon - not sure how to break this to you, but Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn are, erm, dead.

    I was astounded at Peters' galling hypocrisy in stating that NZ First had done nothing wrong by splitting the donation into seperate bits of less than $10,000 each, because they had

    consulted the Electoral Commission

    and therefore weren't trying to hide it! WTF???!!!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 218 posts Report

  • Rob Hosking,

    From memory we didn't ahve a Minsiter for Racing before 1996 - when they have Tau Henare the job.

    There may have been a minister of racing in the 50s; not sure.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

  • Stuart Coats,

    ...Stewart as Winston, in a plot twist to stun us all.

    Your money's not here. It's in that trust. And that trust. And that trust.....

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 192 posts Report

  • Paul Rowe,

    From memory we didn't ahve a Minsiter for Racing before 1996 - when they have Tau Henare the job.

    There may have been a minister of racing in the 50s; not sure.

    Minister for Racing was a role Bolger offered to Muldoon in 1990, a role outside Cabinet, of course. Muldoon turned him down, calling it an insult. Lord knows who got the job, Bolger probably gave it to himself.

    (If Henare had it, it would have given Peters ample opportunity to see the potential for baubles it offered.)

    My only source is a fairly hazy memory.

    Lake Roxburgh, Central Ot… • Since Nov 2006 • 574 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    Wasn't falloon minister for racing at some stage?

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Paul Williams,

    I vaguely recall Jack Elder briefly being Minister for Racing too... Jack was a horses-ar*e, so that makes sense (even if it's not confirmed by Jack's wiki entry)

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report

  • simon g,

    Simon - not sure how to break this to you, but Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn are, erm, dead.

    Don't be silly. I saw them last night.

    This committee hearing belongs to the world of newsreel cameras and hats labelled "Press". Peter Williams is Gregory Peck.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    First, Rich, nobody is stopping you talking about whatever the hell you want. (And anyone around here who tried to "thread Mom" or direct discussion tends to get told to naff off, so I'm not stopping you.)

    In that case lets talk about flying cars :-)

    I'm not so much talking about this site as the general sense of the media that what's important about the election is not what the parties plan to *do* for the next three years, but whether X's new hairstyle is going to go down well with Y demographic. Of course for the US elections, that's stuff amounts to 100%).

    Treating politics as cricket, in other words. It is slightly more important than that.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • LegBreak,

    Minister for Racing was a role Bolger offered to Muldoon in 1990, a role outside Cabinet, of course. Muldoon turned him down, calling it an insult.

    And so we come the full circle.

    Muldoon gets ultimate insult.

    Finds his loyal allies in caucus and throws toys out of cot.

    And leading the allies was Winston…

    2 years later NZ First is born.


    Who knew that racing could have such a big ongoing influence in NZ politics? The tail wagging the horse.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report

  • Stuart Coats,

    but whether X's new hairstyle is going to go down well with Y demographic

    I vote purely on hairstyles. If Brian Tamaki ran I would vote for him. Good head of hair, good head of hair.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 192 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    I think a few people are losing their hair as we speak (type)

    Russell Fairbrother is suggesting he was acidentially talking to Wayne Peters who had borrowed Winstons cellphone and sounds like him!!

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • JohnAmiria,

    coupla things:

    how do you 'deposit' a bombshell?
    One News Win Peters Story

    and from kiwiblog:

    My God how desparate. Russell Fairbrother is suggesting he was acidentially talking to Wayne Peters who had borrowed Winstons cellphone and sounds like him!!

    Cullen also pushing the notion that someone else answered Winston’s cellphone and pretended to be him.

    If Wayne was using Winston's cellphone, that presupposes that Owen's cellphone had the number saved??

    hither and yon • Since Aug 2008 • 215 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    how do you 'deposit' a bombshell?

    Almost exactly the opposite way you'd insert a steinie.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • JohnAmiria,

    also from kiwiblog

    Just had confirmed from a second source indirectly that Mike Williams was on Owen Glenn’s boat - not months ago but only a few weeks ago. Williams has confirmed this it seems.

    The story is he was visiting donors in London (imagine the fuss if National’s President flew overseas to solicit funds) and decided to pop on over to see Owen.

    (if true) Was Williams on Owen's boat to 'visit donors' - or find out what Owen planned to tell the Privileges Committee? And/or 'finesse' him?

    hither and yon • Since Aug 2008 • 215 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    If Wayne was using Winston's cellphone, that presupposes that Owen's cellphone had the number saved??

    Personally, I'm tempted to demand a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the liquidity of Russell Fairbrother and Michael Cullen's lunches. It would be funny, if it wasn't quite so serious. Then again, the whole idea might be to tip the proceedings into farce.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Dan Slevin,

    And it was not a donation according to that TVNZ story:

    Glenn says that without a personal approach he would not have made the loan.

    Wellington, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 95 posts Report

  • simon g,

    Spare us the predictable line from Kiwiblog, John. In fact, if you look at Glenn's evidence, he has indicated the opposite of what the right wing blogs have been peddling for months. The deal was not brokered by Labour - according to Owen Glenn.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report

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