Gavin

One thing for sure Pete, my response would have substance and wouldn't be passive / aggressive fluff. This website has completely lost it's appeal for me as it morphing into another oxidation pond. There has been no robust debate. Just condescending National Party supporters who not only target our female PM with derogatory abuse, but they then attempt to justify it with their blinkers on while ridiculing anyone who has the audacity to defend the woman. Adios.

1. It is a minority Government - the Labour Party did not win the largest percentage votes of any party; 2. It appears Labour spent 9 years in Opposition sitting on their arses and have no policy instead we now have a plethora of committees and even stage managed conferences to develop policy. All under the guise of "reaching out", "engaging communities" and "inclusiveness." See it for what it is - the circumvention of democracy and the determination of government policy and action by committee which reports back to the politburo; 3. Unilateral policy making by Ardern without consultation of cabinet or her coalition so called "partners". There has been more than one example of this but the one that sticks in my mind is her decision to stop oil and gas exploration. That single decision may eventually force us to third world status. The lower income workers who diligently drive to and from work to help produce the goods we sell to the world won't be able to afford $3 a litre for petrol let alone $5. 4. Lastly the "first baby". For a start it isn't the first baby my own is first. I've always said if there is one thing that do in life it is her to keep my baby safe - nowadays that includes keeping her safe by respecting her privacy. Neve's mother has used the "first baby" as a political prop, has not defended her privacy, has paraded her on stage at the UN (albeit an empty one) and carted her across the world and all the attendant news media. What for? To further the cause of working mothers (real ones are struggling to pay for the fuel to get to work)? Or further her own cause? 1) There is absolutely nothing wrong on principal with a minority Government when the biggest party has enough coalition support parties to create a majority and form a Government. That's what we have now under MMP. We've had exactly the same setup with a National Government. The biggest difference here is that the party with the most votes is not part of the Government. Those with a vested interest blame Winston Peters for that but looking at the bigger picture tells a different story. If National had friends which is critical under MMP, they would still be Government. Why were their coalition support parties sent packing? The answer is because they propped up a Government growing numbers of Kiwi's no longer wanted. National's short sighted and underhanded tactics against Winston Peters orchestrated by Steven Joyce were an epic and extremely arrogant miscalculation. 2) Labour did sit on their arses for 9 years. You are correct but look deeper. Why? They were completely bereft of meaningful leadership. Being led by inadequate men was extremely unhelpful. Key's Government were gifted a free pass by the likes of Goff, Cunliffe and Little. They were leading Labour into political oblivion. Then, at the last fence, Andrew Little is confronted by the reality he'd been denying that hibernating Labour supporters had been seeing for the entire 30 months he led the party. A hospital pass to Ardern quickly followed. You can ridicule "inclusiveness" etc all you like but that is Ardern's style. That just couldn't be more obvious or more real. It's perplexing that the finger pointers can't see that, in fact they ridicule it. 3) Unilateral policy making? In the words of John McEnroe, "you can't be serious"? Dominant Governments such as the previous National Government made unilateral policy making an art form. There are examples of it everywhere that future generations of New Zealanders will be paying through the nose for until the second coming of Christ. Your example of stopping oil and gas exploration is absurd. If you think that is the off the cuff decision of one person, you are seriously deluded. The doom and gloom about this issue is off the charts. There is every chance this action will lead to enormous benefits for NZ and further afield. It must also be remembered that as has been the case over the last few decades, future employment etc will very likely come from areas that don't yet even exist. An open mind is essential in this area. As for the price of fuel. New Zealanders have been paying through the nose for fuel since Adam was a cowboy. Are we going to blame this on Ardern now? Something had to be done to unclog our motorways. National's answer was to do virtually nothing and just watch the situation worsen. How did that work in an alleged rock star economy? 4) You are in my opinion, 100% wrong about Ardern and her baby. Your screaming bias is on show. Ardern is clearly and unmistakably looking at the big picture. Strongly motivated by the rights and treatment of women and equality. There is considerable evidence of this. She's a breast feeding mother who just happens to be a Prime Minister. She's been a trail blazer and has done more for New Zealand and for women, especially working mothers in the last week than any other NZ women including Helen Clark has done in decades. Obviously, her baby needed to come with her on the US trip. Has she capitalized on that situation for the greater good? Absolutely yes. Should she be ashamed of that? Absolutely not.

Chief Stipe Administrators 541 3,657 post As you know I'm a proponent of free speech hence BOAY however can we keep the party political broadcasts to another part of the forum? E.g. Other stuff or The Vent. In any event you've nearly driven me to off load on a topic that I generally steer clear of on BOAY - the site is about sport and racing. But I will say this Arden's minority government is as dangerous to the principles of democracy as is Trumps to the great republic. Her Government IS a MINORITY government patched together with the looney greens and the reincarnation of a Maori Muldoon whose narcissistic ego is only matched by Trumps. As far as I'm concerned it is open season on Ardern for the fact of what she has done and is doing to democracy in this country. She has no principles but has glib shallow political slogans. There are numerous reasons why I detest her Government but here are a few: 1. It is a minority Government - the Labour Party did not win the largest percentage votes of any party; 2. It appears Labour spent 9 years in Opposition sitting on their arses and have no policy instead we now have a plethora of committees and even stage managed conferences to develop policy. All under the guise of "reaching out", "engaging communities" and "inclusiveness." See it for what it is - the circumvention of democracy and the determination of government policy and action by committee which reports back to the politburo; 3. Unilateral policy making by Ardern without consultation of cabinet or her coalition so called "partners". There has been more than one example of this but the one that sticks in my mind is her decision to stop oil and gas exploration. That single decision may eventually force us to third world status. The lower income workers who diligently drive to and from work to help produce the goods we sell to the world won't be able to afford $3 a litre for petrol let alone $5. 4. Lastly the "first baby". For a start it isn't the first baby my own is first. I've always said if there is one thing that do in life it is her to keep my baby safe - nowadays that includes keeping her safe by respecting her privacy. Neve's mother has used the "first baby" as a political prop, has not defended her privacy, has paraded her on stage at the UN (albeit an empty one) and carted her across the world and all the attendant news media. What for? To further the cause of working mothers (real ones are struggling to pay for the fuel to get to work)? Or further her own cause? Geez.....you should see when I really off load on stuff political! Invariably there is more than one way to see the same thing. Using very strong emotive words such as "detest" to describe the new Government says more about you than it does anything else. The justifications you put forward have to my eye very little or no merit. I don't appreciate your patronizing statement about "Party Political Broadcasts". National Party supporters can and do put up scathing and very personal / insulting derogatory abuse all over the internet all day every day. Of course none of it is motivated by bias or strong resentment at no longer being Government courtesy of MMP. For the record, I couldn't give a flying toss about the Labour Party. I don't defend them. I defend Ardern from the relentless personal attacks the brave souls riddle the internet with. Anyone who defends Ardern is described as being ignorant or a cult member. Clearly, attacking a woman is seen by a disappointing high number of Kiwis as fair play where as defending the same woman is not. I'm also a supporter of Winston Peters. Anyone who puts NZ first has my approval. I will put up a retort to the four affidavit like points in another message or this input will stretch to Africa.

Bro, I respect your call to walk away from a site you feel robust but respectful yarns are not possible but I ask you to reconsider. This site needs people with gonads and colour. You have both and I enjoy your input. Cheers, Gav.

Bloody poor show Pete. I left the oxidation pond several years ago as robust discussion was not welcomed. There was a narcissistic flea of a man on that site desperate for power over others who tried to bully and ridicule anyone who had the audacity to hold a different perspective to him. It actually put me off horse racing and online communication for about 18 months. This site does not need yes men / women unless of course it only wants sterile yarns. I'm no apologist for Labour or their cheerleader. I do however think Ardern is the bees knees. I have good reason for believing so. I'm not a typical red supporter. I'm university educated but have a lot of colour in my life. I generally don't vote as I subscribe to the ethos of Billy Connolly. "Don't vote, it only encourages them". No issue whatsoever with people who disagree with Ardern's politics but I do have issue with the open contempt and ridicule that anonymous misogynistic far quits routinely direct at her online. They think it's being astute and funny but they are neither. Most are gutless trolls who will happily target a female online. Worthy of contempt only. Right up the top of those I detest most are the cowards who feel it's fair play to talk down to others in a condescending manner because they don't share the same political perspective. If you confronted them offline most would have piss running down their leg as they tell you it's all been a big misunderstanding. I've had experience with such people. Since when is it ok to routinely butcher a woman's given name just to show what a true hero a man is? When is it ok to ridicule a ladies teeth ? There has been an incessant and cowardly campaign against Ardern from day one. If she was my wife, sister, daughter etc I would happily hunt down and confront the arseholes involved. Charlotte Dawson was a beautiful lady but was targeted by cowardly trolls. I hoped our society would have learned something from that tragic situation. The hospital pass Andrew Little gave Ardern several weeks out from the 2017 election should have resulted in Labour being thrashed at the polls but remarkably It took an underhanded National Party campaign to stop Labour having their nose in front on election day. National had no meaningful opposition since Helen Clark was Labours leader. A series of inadequate male leaders guaranteed that. What Ardern achieved in the election campaign was unprecedented in NZ politics. I'm absolutely convinced of two things about that. The first is there was no other person in NZ who could have achieved what Ardern did. The fact she did it going up against the extremely well oiled National Party machine desperate to retain power only increases the gravity of her achievement. Any person capable of that is more than capable of being our PM. Secondly, I feel many Kiwi's are just too bias and or too far king stupid to truly understand the enormity of what Ardern achieved. What sort of NZ do you want to leave behind for your children and grandchildren? One where disgraceful and extremely divisive abuse is routinely directed at our female PM? One where on the very day Ardern's grandmother passed away, three days from election day, hundreds of National Party trolls attacked her online with despicable abuse and accused her of being the nasty lowlife who would exploit her grandmothers death for votes? How about the sort of cowardly and obnoxious shitheels who celebrated online the death of Ardern's pet cat who was run over and killed outside her home? How about the mostly male input where Ardern's marital status is incessantly ridiculed and her very young daughter is bastardized in a desperate attempt to gain political traction? There is no end to the vile directed at Ardern and no depths the brave souls will sink to when attacking her. I'd like to see her given the 3 year electoral cycle to put her vision in place. If she fails, she will rightfully be sent packing in 2020. This bullshit from online superheroes every step of the way is chunder material.

Newcastle today. Race 1 horse 1 sums up the Governments performance over National. Preformance if your name is Brendon. Race 2 horse 5 at the same meeting sums up our PM. Race 3 horse 3 there beautifully describes yours truly. Race 5 horse 11 there is the National Party cry at Bwidges being their leader, Race 6 horse 6 is what we are all expressing here on BOAY. Race 7 horse 3 there is a very astute man. Race 8 horse 11 there is what National Party supporters have in copious amounts and will continue to have for many years to come. Hope you all back a few winners today boys. As long as you support our Government you will be backing a winner. Nice. Enjoy.

Hey Wally. Teachers made numerous protests to the previous Government regarding serious issues in many areas of the education system. Their compelling anecdotal evidence was treated with total contempt. People don't strike if they know the outcome will be more Government indifference. Exactly the same scenario with the health system. Nurses made dozens of submissions regarding woefully inadequate incomes and unsafe staffing levels to then health minister Jonathan Coleman who most involved in the health system described as NZ's worst ever health minister. He displayed his usual complete indifference. All of these workers knew well they would be pissing into the wind if they striked. The outcome would be more Government indifference while their patients and or students were let down. That all changed when a new Government took over that actually listens to and values them. Biggest mistake the teachers and the NZNO nurses union made was not to strike in the lead up to the 2017 election. No Government could ever afford to ignore such action at their most sensitive time. Politicians as a breed are highly motivated by power and self preservation. The boat was well and truly missed there. As for the housing situation. Supply and demand is huge. Domestic housing should never have been opened up to investors, especially offshore investors. Chinese buyers especially dominated the NZ market which is exactly why Governments around the world do their best to hide the actual numbers involved. They will happily push the 3% number despite it having as much credibility as a $6 banknote. I know many people who attended hundreds of Auckland house auctions over several years hoping to buy a family home. They had 0% hope of success. Every auction was dominated by Chinese buyers with very deep pockets. The only real competition these Chinese buyers had was from other Chinese buyers. House prices started to go through the roof. The immigration floodgates remained wide open. The outcome was only ever going to be a serious shortage of housing and unrealistic house prices. A crisis with all the connotations of that was encouraged. There are numerous investors who have added many houses to their investment portfolio who will happily leave their properties vacant and write the loss off via tax yet happily are spared any kind of capital gains tax. Investors in Hong Kong especially had the NZ domestic housing money tree and all it's huge advantages displayed to them up in lights on a daily basis. I witnessed it myself both times I was in Hong Kong. NZ was being sold as a country of rich mugs just waiting to be exploited and a Government that will help you achieve that. Treasonous for certain. The usual scenario is that the tea lady in the office ends up paying more tax than the investors.

Why do you, like so many National Party worshipers feel compelled to be condescending toward anyone who has the audacity to value people over $$ ? You accuse Government supporters of blindly strolling around like Mr Magoo to whats been unfolding in our beautiful country despite that ironically being the exact same thing National Party supporters have been doing since Key became PM in 2008. They were doing fine thanks very much so the rest of you can go fark yourselves. Never once have I read anywhere a National Party supporter expressing concern about a housing crisis created mainly by greed that prevented so many young NZ families especially from owning their own family home in their home town or the worsening state of our health system negatively impacting on so many. Nurses and teaches being routinely ignored while infrastructure became overwhelmed. The gap between the rich and poor reached a record diabolical new level. National's answer was to just deny there were serious issues despite the carnage being created for so many. NZ was being gifted to offshore investors in what is best described as a treasonous short sighted ethos. Our country was changing forever and those with their eyes open could see our children and their children would pay a very high price for the farcical and alleged rock star economy. National painted the letter box so it appeared all new, but meanwhile, the actual house in the background was going up in flames. Despite that situation being so overt, they couldn't due to a warped selfish ideology, acknowledge it. Along comes a female leader determined to restore a much healthier balance to NZ. Anyone who supports that is deemed to be part of a "cult". I think for myself thanks and follow no person or party with blind loyalty. Time you and your ilk got over the fact your time has been and gone. Young NZ is rejecting National's "them and us, conquer and divide". Our Government is inclusive. The previous was all about me me me and is incredibly divisive. Thankfully and mercifully thanks mostly to the very astute Winston Peters, National have been sent to Coventry. Have they learned anything? Absolutely not. Still as arrogant and divisive as ever. Still no hope of any coalition partners . Apart from the superb leadership of Ardern, we also have more great news. That being that National and their supporters actually believe that Simon Bridges is their answer. Hilarious. He's their version of David Cunliffe on steroids morphing into Andrew Little. Has as much hope of being PM as either of those inadequate leaders ever did. Hilarious. Please retain him as your new Messiah and the rest of NZ will continue enjoying the sunshine. Happy days.

It is Barry. I've made my perspective known in a thread I didn't start. Always makes me smile when National Party folk who were previously supremely confident they were 100% correct are confronted with the uncomfortable reality that they just might be completely wrong and start then looking for a parachute. Good fun.

Anyone who watched her speech today and are scathing of it, wouldn't know if their arse was on fire. They know nothing about public speaking, nothing about leadership and even less about sincerity. Look at the Dipton Double Dippers farcical speech on election night. Completely contrived. Reeked of insincerity. Was little more than the arrogance of National attempting to hoodwink and brainwash NZ into believing they had won the election. Hands raised in the air in the traditional celebratory victory style and even had the victory balloons drop from the ceiling. What a farking joke. The actual result was that National's coalition partners were gone and they now needed Winston Peters to get back into Government after attempting to wipe him off the political landscape. This was a virtual worst case scenario for National yet they attempted to sell it as a victory. As for English's non existent leadership and public speaking skills. Look how many times he has long sustained looks at his written speech. If he had been sincere, he would not have needed a contrived speech. He knew he couldn't just repeat the same boring narrative about strong stable Government bla bla bla and was brutally exposed. Despite that, his mostly male cheerleaders championed his woeful performance. Then look at Ardern today. Total sincerity and completely natural. The only people who are negative about it are the entitled and still sulking blue cheerleaders who are desperate to get traction against her. They have lost all sense of balance. Their time has been and is now mercifully, gone. We now have a real leader who believes homes are for housing people, not for increasing the investment portfolios of National Party supporters etc etc etc.

So every person who supports our Government just doesn't get it. Conversely, every person who supports National does get it. How convenient and what a coincidence. Anyone who agrees with you is correct and anyone who disagrees must therefore be incorrect. Again, what a complete shock. National were very "hands off" you say. A euphemism of course for deny and display indifference to the plight of everyone who's not a National Party voter and needs support. The familiar and divisive National Party catchcry of fark em back on the table. There is the undeniable stench of condescending arrogance all through your input. Ironically, that same stench is often apparent when National Party supporters are communicating online.

What you're suggesting Pete, amounts to tinkering with the system until it suits your chosen party. I agree that it's ironic that NZF had the power to decide which party would be Government. I do believe NZF took that role seriously. Had National been gifted the first bite of the cheery, it wouldn't be MMP.

I have some sympathy with National being shown the door after gaining more votes than any other party and it being NZF that showed them the door. This has caused considerable bitterness and resentment from those who feel they should be Government. Under MMP, having more votes than other parties is not enough. Coalitions are the name of the game and for good reason. Look what happened to National's coalition support parties. Gone! Why? If National were so bloody wonderful, why did NZ reject and send their support parties to Coventry? Mandates are grossly overrated. I would much rather have different coalition groups working together than having arrogant Governments forcing policy onto NZ regardless if that policy is bad for the country. What we have now is far healthier. As for Governments being decided by parties with a low % of the vote. That's just the way it is. If you don't like it, vote to return to FPP or whatever electoral system you prefer. Interesting to note that had that party with a low % of the vote chosen National in October, I'm certain you would have been very happy with the arrangement.

Never thought for a moment Andrew Little would do ok in the role. Good man and good politician but inadequate leader. Labour supporters were rightfully in hibernation when he was leader. Same scenario with Cunliffe and Goff. Bridges is in the same boat. NZ is not buying what he's selling and never will. I'm sure many within National are now quietly conceding that. . These "leaders" just don't connect with people in the way Key and Ardern do. The only way National can beat Ardern now is by also having a female leader. Amy Adams is as dull as ditch water but is one of their best hopes alongside Nikki Kaye who I believe is their best option at this time. That aside, if the don't have any junior coalition partners, National can whistle Dixie until the second coming of Jesus. Who would want to go into coalition with National? The only hope they have is for someone with very deep pockets who is in the mood to commit political suicide. The cat killer is out but his party seems like their only option which is just sad. Ms Ardern is way more than just our PM. She represents a significant baton change for all Kiwi's, especially the younger folk who are the countries future. There had to be another way of getting the job done that valued people over and above all else. Ardern is that change and it was well overdue. National did a great job of showing NZ how much it needed someone exactly like Ardern. In general terms, I can't stand politicians. They give me the shits. Ardern is the first politician who I embrace. Not because she's labour but because of who and what she is.

Bridges will see out Christmas as the blue leader hesi. The timing for him to be shown the door now is not right. These things tend to be cooked up over summer and resolved in February as was the case with Bill English. National are desperate to gain traction against Ardern and know Mr Bridges at 10% is not doing the job despite his incessant bleating and NZ road tour. There is 0% hope of him being the blue leader going into the 2020 election. As for Simon being a nice guy. National have some good folk in their team. I don't consider him to be one. I've seen nothing that would indicate he's a good / nice guy. Labour will be a hot fav to retain Government in 2020. Ardern will be PM for at least 9 years but likely to be even longer. The Nats will retain their good level of support but under MMP, that's not enough. They need friends and are further away from having any now than they ever have been. That penny won't drop for them any time soon as they still arrogantly believe they can govern alone. How well did that work for them in 2017?

Is that your thing mate? Bravely via your keyboard slag a person off who just happens to be a woman? A knuckle dragging misogynist up in lights. If that's not enough, you feel compelled to butcher the ladies given name and ridicule her teeth in the same breath. You're one of lifes true heroes. Award yourself a VC and Bar. While you're at it, how about putting up a photo showing your own teeth etc so the country can pass judgment. Ms Ardern is someones sister, daughter, mother and partner. How would you feel about anonymous jellyfish ridiculing your daughter, wife or sister? You epitomize the divisive bullshit being spewed out all day every day by National Party supporters who just can't get over a party other than National having the audacity to govern NZ. Totally incapable of owning and reflecting on the carnage created by the previous Government and the socially inclusive policies of the new crowd who want all New Zealanders to have a fair crack. That's the kiwi way which has been awol for the previous 9 years much to the determent of a large portion of good NZ folk. I'm genuinely shocked at how many tax and economic experts have slid out from under rocks in NZ over the last year to pass their scathing judgment. What are their credentials to give their perspective any merit whatsoever? As for the new Government having done "feck all". You can't be serious. They have been busier than any NZ Government in my lifetime with an enormous to do list. Valuing all the people of NZ is not a bad thing deserving ridicule. The previous crowd were highly successful in looking after anyone of their ilk and divisively treating the rest as an annoying feral inconvenience. Ironically, this also sums up a good number of their supporters. The good news about this for many Kiwis is that the National Parties arrogance has resulted in them having no support parties which in an MMP environment will prevent them governing NZ for many years. Their supporters are wonderful at reminding folk why National have no political friends. National's answer to NZ horse racing, housing, health, poverty, clogged motorways etc etc was to deny there was a problem and standby and do far king nothing while things worsened. Resolve a problem by ignoring it is not known for resulting in a successful outcome. If National weren't going to address issues, it was time to give them the Spanish archer and give the job to someone who would.

They are for sure, the blue doom and gloom in the room. Without wishing to state the bleeding obvious, horse racing has been munted for many years. There are a myriad of reasons for that. Racing was virtually the only game in town when I was a young fella. It still is in some locations. Clubs ran 9 or 10 races, sold expensive beer, maggot packs and had sweet FA between the races over five or six hours. Punters don't mind giving but dislike being bent over. Time is more important now than it's ever been. The number of people running red lights around the joint is testament to that. Folk have too much to do these days to stand around with their finger up their date for 9 x 35 minute gaps between low value races. So much easier and convenient to watch a few races on TV while doing other things. To the fridge for a beer that does not leave you feeling the bar was taking the piss while pouring it. Off to the pantry with no sign of maggot packs,reheated hot chips and those bloody horrible things called hot dogs. I only go to the races a couple of times a year now and only ever on premium days. Quality racing, good atmosphere,happy people and not a hot dog in sight. Other than that, racing is good, but not that good.

Who are these ordinary NZers you refer to? My pick is they are the very people Ardern and Co are now trying to assist after the previous bunch of wankers displayed complete indifference to their plight for 9 years. Part of Ardern's role is to be where she is now. This pointing fingers at her over every far king thing she says or does has a real sexist aspect to it. I've been interested in Politics for a few decades now and I can't recall one word of disapproval or questioning the merit of male PM's on these trips. Petrol prices will always go up and down. Should Governments go into panic mode when it occurs? If so, I suggest every PM would be frozen to their chair for years at a time. Are you concerned by the constant nose to tail on our motorways or Nationals refusal to do anything other than watch it worsen? High rents have been a way of life for many for some time. Allowing a housing crisis to unfold and worsen to the determent of these "ordinary NZers" you referred to was a treasonous type situation. This has very clearly impacted on rents. Now we have a Government committed to doing something about and the blue team supporters haven't stopped whining since day 1. The domestic residence investment portfolios of some including offshore investors blossomed under National. Who pays the price for that? You guessed it. ordinary NZers. Those same people were hurting under Key but there was apparently nothing in the kitty to address their plight. Infrastructure was underfunded resulting in neglect. All this while "ordinary NZers" were enjoying an alleged rock star economy. Still, their was enough money in the kitty for Key to have his very expensive ego driven flag referendum before he snuck off. Those funds were desperately needed elsewhere but hey, Key and English got knighthoods to go with every other benefit they held their hands out for and "ordinary NZers" will be paying for in upcoming decades.

Some of what you say is accurate Pete. They did football association when in opposition and were not expecting to be Government in 2017. None of that has diddly to do with Ardern. Look who has been leading Labour for the previous 9 years. Phil Goff who was already well past his use by date. Had 0 % hope of ever being PM. David Cunliffe (sorry for being a man) may well be a decent man but was a woefully inadequate leader. He inspired nobody and was never going to be PM if he lived 10 lifetimes. Labour supporters went into hibernation and virtually gave up hope of being in Government. John Key had a truckload of reasons to feel very smug. Then came Andrew Little. Should NEVER have been appointed leader. He never got out of the margin of error in the most preferred PM polls. At no point did he ever connect with Kiwis in his 30 months as leader. As long as he was Labour's leader, National were guaranteed reelection. The woefully inadequate males leading Labour helped John Key sleep easy. Andrew Little may well be an excellent politician but he has the charisma of a rotting fish. Should have stood down at least 18 months before he finally did. I assume Little felt he would eventually win because people would reject National and he would be the beneficiary. Obviously a flawed plan despite it working numerous times previously. Interestingly, Little's own rating actually dropped when John Key stood down as PM. Very telling. Simon Bridges is National's version of Andrew Little. I blame Andrew Little for Labour being a non contender. The moment he gave his hospital pass to Ardern was the same moment Labour supporters came out of hibernation. No wonder they were not expecting to be Government. What Ardern achieved in the election campaign was unprecedented in NZ politics. It was the equivalent of hiking up Mt Everest with bare feet, wearing a blindfold while carrying a vacuum cleaner. I don't believe many people truly understand the enormity of the task she faced. I'm certain there are very few people in NZ who could ever achieve it. Truth is, if not for the well orchestrated water tax protests and Joyce's dead cat on the table, Labour would not have needed NZF to form a Government. Labour had actually taken the lead in the polls and all the momentum was theirs. I won't hear a word about Ardern not being a good leader and or being incompetent etc. Anyone who makes such claims is displaying a very high level of ignorance. We voted in MMP. Ardern is our PM via MMP. She has a vision for NZ and has 3 years to bring it to fruition. If she fails, in 3 years she will rightfully be gifted the Spanish archer. All the bullshit of trying to undermine her every step of the way is extremely divisive and sucks a turd through a straw.

Hey Pete, I've seen more doom and gloom comments / predictions about our PM and Government over the last 12 months than in any other period along my life journey. The usual are the PM is out of her depth, has woeful leadership skills and the Government will be gone before Christmas, bla bla bla. Important to see where those comments hail from to find perspective. The most common place are vested interest media commentators and unhappy National Party supporters still resentful at the election outcome. These same people sat there as quiet as church mice over the previous 9 years while NZ was changing forever in ways that negatively impacted hundreds of thousands of Kiwi's. They condone what National did despite the carnage it was creating for so many. The clear inference coming from them was that they and their ilk are doing just nicely thank you very much so everyone else can piss off and whistle. What I witnessed was a new divisive "them and us" being created where selfishness is encouraged. That was most definitely not the NZ I grew up in or want to leave behind for future generations. The most telling aspect of the anti Ardern campaign for my money is that it started the moment she became PM. What personal qualifications do all these experts have in the area of leadership to give insight and any validity whatsoever to their relentless and incessant claim that Ardern is a woeful leader who's out of her depth? My contention is those claims come straight out of their arse. They will have little or no experience with leadership but are very comfortable to pass their expert judgment as if it was accepted fact. They wouldn't know if their arse was on fire. For most, their idea of a good leader is Bill English or Simon Bridges. Both National and both male. Try merging three competitive Rugby teams together with all the personalities and ambitions etc involved. Try managing that team for 12 months while you are being incessantly ridiculed and condemned every step of the way. Then come back and comment about leadership skills. The biggest disappointment on the political landscape for me over the last 12 months is the level of personal vitriol directed at Ardern. It's been relentless. Equine references to her appearance are common place. She's weak, she's a liar, she's incompetent, her name is routinely butchered etc etc etc. I'm genuinely shocked that wankers come out of the woodwork and start judging her morally for having a baby out of wedlock. FFS. Most of the comments fall into the area of online bullying / misogynistic abuse. I have never seen a NZ PM or any NZ female for that matter subjected to such cowardly personal abuse. The offenders all think they are being astute and or funny. In most cases, they are just being dickheads who need to go and have a long look at themselves. NZ was in desperate need of a Government that valued all of it's people, not just the more fortunate ones and that's mercifully, what we have now. Our coalition Government is not perfect but they stopped the hemorrhaging and not a moment too soon. No longer is it acceptable to display indifference to the less fortunate, neglect basic infrastructure and allow / encourage that to worsen all the while denying there are major issues unfolding that were negatively impacting on more kiwis every week. If our present Government is not the answer, one thing for sure is that the previous Government sure as hell wasn't / isn't.

So you're the Brighton supporter Pedro. I've got a program and a few other bits and pieces around the place from when the All Whites played Brighton many moons ago. Happy to concede Ms Ardern was not what I hoped she would be as PM on two conditions. 1) She gets into a routine of stuffing up. 2) Nat supporters admit that their party did horrendous damage to the country over their 9 year NZ nightmare. There is as much chance of either of those scenarios unfolding as there is of me winning lotto for the next two weekends....and I don't buy lotto tickets. MMP isn't perfect but neither was FPP. Not only am I a supporter of J.A but I also rate Winston Peters highly. My boat won't be overcrowded around here

Complete crap. She's been subjected to an unprecedented undermining campaign by the sore losers from 2017 who arrogantly believe that only National should ever govern NZ. It matters not one jot what Ms Ardern says or does, the mud slingers with their water on a stone campaign will just continue on with their incessant and divisive bullshit. The very minor hiccups with Curran and Whaitiri are no reflection on Ardern or her inclusive leadership style. They are also a splash in the ocean alongside McCully's farcical Saudi sheep deal etc etc etc etc etc etc and the carnage left behind by National. Rock star economy. Do me a far king favour. Ardern is a superb leader and those critiquing her leadership skills wouldn't know if their arse was on fire. There will be no early election. Ardern will be PM for at least 3 terms. The good news there is NZ will be put back on track where people rate higher than $$. The bad news is we can look forward to many more years of tantrums and tears from the sad Nats and their cheerleaders.

2 Mile races on the grass were mothers milk to me as a young fella enjoying a punt. There was something special about those races that gets into your blood. I built my Saturday punting around that one race. Almost every horse in the race quoted is a memory to rekindle. Stortford Lodge for Ted Lowe and Paul Young was always a double anchor in those races. Could stay all day. Not so good against the big bangers but different ballgame in a 2 mile race on grass. Double Cove for Richard Brosnan was more versatile. I recall him winning on cup day. He was a tough horse that was often hard to beat, even against cup class horses as the link below shows. My favourite in the field was Lopez MacFaber for Trevor Thomas. Out of Lopez Star who of course was by Lopez Hanover. Was a fan of all the Lopez horses, especially on grass. I was in Nelson and knew L.M was running at Addington on the Friday night. I drove four hours to watch him and punt him up. Was paying handsomely. I had around 4k on him. Was last turning for home and then started doing a Lord Module. He was storming home and would have won easily but broke 150 out, lost a lot of ground and then stormed home again to run fourth about a neck from the winner which was a Devine horse. Either Sun Seeker or Capri from memory. Cop it on the chin and move on like most punters but the memory is burnt into my brain. An "if only" moment along my journey for sure. (14/09/2018@06:49) NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club Inc Saturday 25th August 1984 Results Enquiry Race 6 Commercial Union Handicap, $10,000, OC PACE, 2600m Weather: Fine Track: Fast Plc Bk Horse Barrier Hcap Stakes Fav Time Margin Driver Trainer 1 1 Double Cove fr 6,500.00 5/5 3-23.2 R J Brosnan R J Brosnan 2 13 Hands Down 25m 2,000.00 4/4 P N Jones D G Jones MNZM 3 2 Borana fr 1,000.00 7/7 G D Shand G D Shand 4 3 Our Mana fr 500.00 2/2 C J DeFilippi 5 4 Agrinion fr 0.00 9/8 R D Butt 6 5 Stortford Lodge fr 0.00 10/10 W E Lowe 7 12 Norton 15m 0.00 1/1 P G O'Reilly Snr 8 6 Hilarious Guest fr 0.00 8/11 M G Vermeulen 9 7 Derby fr 0.00 3/3 R J Brosnan 10 8 The Sting fr 0.00 12/12 T F Thompson 11 9 Joy Boy fr 0.00 6/6 W D Dickson 12 10 Kind Nature fr 0.00 11/9 J T F Curragh $10,000.00

Unless I'm mistaken Brodie, you're advocating the best way of dealing with one of the biggest scandals in harness racing for many years is to ...not talk about it ? The journo is not there to promote / help harness racing. I have some personal experience in this area. He's not attacking anyone. As for defending the alleged offenders, that's the role of their legal representation. We all accept that there are ongoing rorts in many sports. That in no way detracts or lessens from what's on the table here. If the journo was aiming his piece at folk in the industry, I can see your point but he's not. He's explaining how it's done to inform the populus which is his role. I feel he's done so rather well.

Hey Brodie, I've always enjoyed your input despite not necessarily agreeing with it at times. Having said that, I totally disagree with you on this one. The fact you disapprove of Kermeen's article is fair enough but I'm incredulous to the level of contempt you display. As we know, in recent times the subject of race fixing has been receiving a lot of airtime in mainstream media. Many people with no intimate knowledge of harness racing are hearing about a subject in the news with no real understanding of what it all means. Are rival trainers / driver or their loved ones being threatened with bodily harm if they don't cooperate with a race fix? Is their organized crime / gangs involved? Is blackmail involved? etc etc. Just what does race fixing actually mean? Kermeen has set out to explain how it can unfold and I feel he's done an excellent job. Don't shoot the messenger. If you want to point the finger of blame at the appropriate time, I respectfully suggest you do so at the alleged offenders when the term "alleged" is no longer involved. Those people have done considerable and possibly irreparable damage and that will be felt for many many years to come. It's right up there at the top of the list with things our sport needed the least at this time. When I first started in the game, I'd get tips from shirt pullers who seemed to be in the know. I could break them down to three types of tips. 1) Tipster was hugely impressed with it's previous form and felt strongly said horse would be too good for it's rivals. 2) Tipster knew the horse was working brilliantly and was ready to run a huge race. 3) Tipster would advise that a horse was "trying" today. Options 1 and 2 are self explanatory but 3 isn't as straight forward. Aren't all horses in a race trying? I tuned my eye in to understanding exactly what it meant. Option 3 can of course just mean a combination of options 1 and 2. It can be almost a work of art. Those looking for drivers wearing prison clothing and facial tattoos as a show of guilt will miss the show. The beautiful part of it from the drivers perspective is the fact there's 38,697 reasons a driver can put forward to justify their actions or lack thereof. This is how they have got away with this rort for so long at the expense of punters who wagered their hard earned in good faith. This has taken on a life of it's own in recent years when trainers could now say such things as the performance enhancer in the horses system was likely licked off a fence post in the bottom paddock. Anyone who suggested a result was dubious because of whatever reasons they put forward were ridiculed. At times that ridicule was warranted but one size does not fit all. Same circumstances apply to the thorny topic of team driving. I've seen thousands of unmistakable examples of it over the years. Often from drivers / trainers with the same "respected" family name. No horse should be deliberately advantaged / disadvantaged by a stablemate / family member in the same race but it happens every raceday. The major difference this time is the voice recordings of the alleged offenders and I assume, betting activity that matches those recordings. That's hens Gold teeth right there. If proven guilty, I hope the offenders all receive life bans. We all pay the price for their diabolical selfish greed. The strongest deterrent needs to be sent by people who have largely failed to do their job in this area for decades. For all of the reasons above, I sincerely believe that there has never been a better time than now to wager on NZ Harness Racing. https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/racing/106865910/how-the-outcome-of-a-harness-race-could-be-fixed