Election Review - Sunday 18 September 2005

New Zealand voters went to the polls yesterday to say who they wanted to be in the next goverment.

The result is now a curious position between National and Labour, as we wait and see who can cut the best deals to secure a stable government.

National secured 49 seats, while Labour secured 50.

The Maori Party took 4 seats,
Progressives 1,
Greens 6,
NZ First 7, and
United Future 3.

The new right have shown their hand, and been seduced by the opportunity to get a tax cut.

Whether Labour can pull it off cutting a deal without alienating its membership is another story.

A tie at 61 seats each, with approximately 218,000 special votes still to be counted, may make the difference. Or perhaps we may yet go back to the polls.

The Maori Party are the interesting ones to watch, while NZ First and United Future have both said they will go with the party with the most seats, currently Labour.

We watch and wait.

Meanwhile, I have decided to continue on attending public meetings, and will start with the Health Board who are discussing their 10 year plan for Otago.

I may start reporting on them on my new blog, and will post the information here.

Yours,
Pink

Don't go out and buy gas if you don't need it

George Bush. What a joke. All he cares about is the eight oil refineries blown out by Katrina, and how he can get those darn gone "folks" down there back working.

The riots, rape and pillage is happening because people decided to forget about the people in the middle of the US's biggest hurricane, a Category 5.

What you are seeing on the images coming out from New Orleans is devastating and like some freaky science fiction movie. Forget The War of the Worlds, it is happening right now under our noses, and basic things like food, water and decent shelter are irrelevant when you live in New Orleans.

The George Bush address can be viewed at www.whitehouse.gov - I urge you to view this, watch the body language (completely out of his depth), listen to his voice (high pitch "help me Mommy I'm in trouble voice", and watch Clinton and Bush Snr on his flanks.

You can read the editorial and more online at the New York Times.

Check out the Chevron story here at:
NYTimes.com oil story
Chevron are advertising a toll-free number for its workers, and their number one priority is to find out where their employees are.

These stories alone tell you what is most important in the mind of Bush and Co.

4 days since Katrina struck.

During this time people have died curled up in their wheelchairs, men putting blankets over fellow men who are just "dead", and their is no money or support to evacuate the local public hospital, yet the private one over the road was evacuated.

I'm speechless frankly, and have a feeling the tipping point is now been reached.

The depression is coming, petrol is reportedly up to $4 a gallon in some places in the US already.

I ain't buying a house this year or next year that is for sure, and no extra car either.

Citizen Reporter, Pink.