We’ve always known it. We are miles ahead of the New Zealanders.
Last night in tortured reminiscence of our own political events post the 2010 election, NZ king/queen maker, Winston Peters announced he would support Labour and the Greens in loose coalition and allow Labour to form minority government. Thus Jacinda Ardern became NZ’s fourth prime minister in the last 18 years.
We have proven we can manage that feat in the space of about 18 months.
Bill Shorten got so excited he forgot how to spell or at least forgot how to spell the name of the freshly anointed political big wig of New Zealand, omitting the second ‘r’ from Ardern.
A correctly spelled missive was quickly dispatched but it did make me wonder. For the last 50 years the Americans have been having fun with our prime ministers’ names. From the simple misunderstanding over Malcolm Fraser’s preference for using his middle name as the more familiar to his first, all the way to our current PM who is known in Washington DC as Marlon Tumblington at last check.
Full column here.
Actually, i always thought it was the Land of the Short Clipped Vowel.
think that may have been a John Clarke special.
Our Kiwi cousins are so poor they can only afford a single vowel.
Not so funny, I guess but the NZ accent, more pronounced in the South Island, has its origins in the Scottish accent.
Coulda fooled me . . .
Welcome back Swantoono
Thank-you, Tracy. It may be a brief return but we’ll see what happens. Good to talk to you again.
Go to a bar in Dunedin and have a couple of Speights with the locals and see if you can understand what they are saying. No self respecting Scot would have a clue. They aren’t any better when sober.
The Scots or the locals?
apologies for going off topic so early, but i saw this,
note the date, i didn’t read it at the time, i was being fed so many drugs then i was understudy for Keith Richards
goo.gl/Fb5al0
it remains good advice for the GOP establishment.
I see the Victoria state government appears to have turned full circle and has once again acquired the incomparable capacity to have unto itself the power to administer state sponsored homicide.
That’s a fairly grave take. You should read the bill and understand that it is the Victorian parliament, not the government that has passed it on a conscience vote. I’m reading lots of similar takes about the state as a killer but this bill relates to those in intolerable pain as determined by two doctors (one independent with no prior connection with the patient) who is also suffering a terminal condition. That would account for very few palliative deaths but of course those who say no are pushing the slippery slope argument. In my view public opinion is a mile ahead of parliaments on this issue.
Jack, your possible inadvertent use of the term “grave” in the circumstances seems quite apt. However, the lower house decision, as unpalatable as it may be to some and the SSA notwithstanding, in essence constitutes homicide nevertheless.
To people in intolerable pain who are in a terminal condition. Read the bill. Don’t mouth off again until you do. If you want to go further ask an anaesthetist what steps in pain management are available to a person suffering intolerable pain in a way that would curtail it. I’ll give you a hint: there aren’t any.
I think the opioids are still the strongest thing we have Jack and the body starts to tolerate the dosage hence having to increase said dosage, I could be wrong.
In the case of really acute and enduring pain, there is nothing that can make it stop.
Jack, point taken. As a long-time carer I know a bit about pain but still no excuse for my perceived insensitive, boorish commentary. Apologies, should have known better.
No need, Carl. Just read the bill. Have a think about it. Bear in mind it strictly deals only with people in unbearable pain who are terminal and who request intervention.
Can’t agree with you there CotC, nor can I agree with Paul Keating’s take on the Victorian governments decision. I won’t go into the fact that the NT Government introduced a right to die legislation some years ago only to have it overturned by the loathsome little Kevin Andrews. Thankfully the Feds can’t do that to a State legislature. Unless you have seen people in intolerable (and we’re talking unbearable) pain here, as I have, then you should be careful about calling the authorities murderers. Many years ago my Aunt was suffering from pancreatic cancer and was in intolerable pain….the doctor heard her begging for relief (there was none) and shooed her daughter and my mother out of the room. Within half an hour my aunt had died and was at peace. No-one doubted what had occurred but the relatives were incredibly grateful that she was no longer in pain. No Doctor should be put into the position of having to do what he did which is if course against the law. The majority of people I know agree with right to die legislation and I for one salute the Victorian Government for what they have done…
Sorry realized I should have used the word parliament, not government…..
Father in law died from pancreatic cancer, Penny. A nasty experience. As an old farmer and from a breed that didn’t like to show pain or weakness it was good that his wife spoke up for him to the doctor, otherwise when asked how he was he just say not too bad, or the like. He died in his lounge room with us around him. Pretty sure he was on the morphine and possibly they just increase this as the pain increases or the patient demands it. I recall Jack mentioning once, years back, on how an older doctor had said that heroin was the most efficacious in pain relief.
When you hear of some of the terrible physical horrors, indignities and pain that can occur to some people, if their condition is terminal, and it is their choice, then it would be cruel to simply let them endure.
Though it is no doubt a complex issue and one that requires strict guidelines in place.
Forgive my naïveté, but I assume having one of the family pop down to the local smack dealer for grandma is by no means an ideal option either by any stretch of the imagination?
For a whole host of reasons, no.
Rhys – well, if they were going anyway? But I see your point!
Carl on the Coast
So you would prefer state sponsored TORTURE by allowing people near death with intolerable pain that cannot be eased to take weeks to die in absolute agony.
That’s drawing a fairly longbow, even for you JS. In the absence of any change, the obvious corollary to your comment is that we already have the situation you have presumed I prefer. Now that in itself is intolerable.
Well, CotC, should I have the misfortune of experiencing one of those horrific lingering deaths for which palliative care is ineffective, I shall at least have the consolation of knowing at the end that my utter degredation has allowed you an unsullied conscience.
I pray that you don’t NFY, but I’m unable to offer a covenant that my moral compass will remain intact as you infer.
Lets compare and contrast New Zealand and Australia shall we?
New Zealand managed a treaty with our indigenous people and with the exception of a few wars where the Maori fought England to a standstill there was no wholesale genocide, unlike Australia.
New Zealand managed to avoid having a Rum Corps thus escaping the entrench corruption that has bedeviled Australia.
First country to introduce universal female suffrage.
Despite New Zealand size it has managed to produce enough talented musicians, artists, actors and directors that an envious Australia claims them as Australians. Is there an Aussie inferiority complex here?
Three Female prime ministers none of whom were knifed by their own party.
Three Female governors general, Cath Tizard, Sylvia Cartwright and Sian Elais.
New Zealand managed to introduce same sex marriage without any of the nastiness and and expensive postal survey.
If there is any sneering to be done, its us Kiwi’s who could do it, but we’re not like that.
As I think I made clear, the Kiwis have fallen well behind not just Australia but the western world in political dysfunction but they are catching up fast.
And you live where?
The HRC would object strongly if we doled out the same rubbishing to the anybody else.
Sides, they can dish it out in return.
Apologies off topic but WTF is wrong with this government. It seems unless your are white married and a religious fantasist this government will assume your a criminal. . Disgraceful government. I will be a referee to that fact.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/20/forcing-single-parents-to-be-verified-is-intrusive-and-demeaning
It essentially looks like Winston Peters has finally return to vreak his reweng-e on the dibbly-dobbler, Bill English for booting him out of the National Party back in 1991, by screwing him over in favour of the far lovelier Jacinda Ardern.
In terms of international trends, it seems a fair few are becoming younger and better looking (that new bloke in Austria (31), Justin Trudeau, and now over the Ditch) – perhaps politics isn’t going to be show business for ugly people much longer?
“The words New Zealand and power simply don’t belong in the same sentence” um? All Blacks?
All Blacks and power sure. NZ and power not so much.
Hate to bring it up but isn’t 37 a little young to have the responsibility of a PM job? I certainly wouldn’t have wanted it at that age, egads! Although I must admit, I was single and still exploring/enjoying the carefree bachelor lifestyle.
I see someone cracked it over the wall with the long white teeth joke. Some photos of her are very flattering, others, not so much but I better stop, don’t want to dampen Milton’s ardor. She is quite a dish Milt, but her age will allow Winston Peters to steamroll her (read bully or browbeat) I reckon.
Theodore Roosevelt was not much older.
Teddy had a lot of life experience in those early years though. Probably more than a few lifetimes of most folks.
Young Jacinda obviously can’t wait to get her teeth stuck into the job Mack, let’s hope her youthful enthusiasm doesn’t cause her to bite off more than she can chew.
There, that should be enough to make Milton’s eyes water.
Tell that to the 31-year-old about to become Chancellor of Austria.
Yep, read about that. Good thing though, he will probably get a lot of real-time public opinion feedback in the nightclubs.
She could eat an apple through a tennis racket and i’d still love her, Mack!
a very attractive lady in a chad morgan kind of way
Nobody younger than me should even be allowed to vote, let alone stand for office.
Hear, hear!
hopefully that rules me out bowie….it only encourages the bastards
What a delightful choice Winston made too imho Mr Insider. The lovely Jacinda will make a superb PM am sure, whatever her policies. As the date line starts near our wonderful NZ Cuz’s Country do wonder is this a sign of what’s to come for Aussie Politics, hence Bill Shorten all at sixes and sevens trying to gather himself to spell “Ardern”. Rolling thunder is gathering across the ditch, Mr Insider and may sweep Bill into the Lodge in the not to distant future. Ms Ardern has many admirers here in Australia, I for one am smitten!
I know it’s not polite to say but I find my eye drawn to those teeth everytime she’s on the news, can’t help it.
Haven’t a clue how the NZ electoral system works but an MP who lost his seat having a say who forms government is (to put no finer point on it) bollocks.
Mad.
Alfred E Neuman?
That’s Christopher Pyne.
The lovely Jacinda can put the bite on me with those lovely chompers anyday!
On other matters i’m thinking of taking my mother in law on an extended holiday in Victoria…
Teeth like piano keys, Tracy. I’m in by the way.
Goodo, I have to admit to the phrase “pass the chaff bag”…….I didn’t say that.
What you mean is more teeth than Jimmy Hannan OR his grand piano!
No black ones. Yet.