NZ Election 2005 Part 2

Aaahh, so Aunty Helen has finally sent out the invites, asked for the Governor-General's blessing and announced an election date. Saturday 17th September. A rugby free day or is it? I better check the NPC fixture.

The date was hardly a surprise to those following what's been happening. Drag it out for as long as possible; hope the current polls are make believe.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks and what they will bring. No doubt we will see and hear about:
- mudslinging
- discrediting of the polls
- reiteration of the value of public polling
- promises that are made to be broken
- the worm saving someone
- leaders who are unfit to do anything other than tie a shoe lace
- lies and deception
- how Winston still has fans in Tauranga who are now celebrating their 90th birthdays
- the percieved influence the Yanks have had in certain policies
- Iraq and terrorism in general

I could go on and on. I probably have. There will be moments of humour and idiocy.

I wonder in Wellington Central when we will see Marion Hobbs? In some parts of Australia there are children who have grown up without ever seeing rain. Same thing here except substitue rain for Marion Hobbs. Not a criticism but an observation.

Having previously publicly declared myself to be a fool and idiot predictions do not scare me. I believe NZ will see a change of government some time in late September, early October. The make up of that government will be in the hands of the King of The Blue Rinse. I suspect a party or two might bite the dust. I suspect United will not be as influential. The election, put simply, will be about who can or can not accept Don Brash as the next Prime Minister. I know a few who will be only to happy to.

Disclaimer: Better put this on again to remind people that this comment and any other on this site can not be attributed to the organisation I am employed by [and still wish to be - nothing's changed there] and are my personal opinions and observations.

The Ashes 2005

The last time I made a prediction I was proven to be horribly wrong. Only fools and idiots make predictions. Sometimes fortune tellers have a crack.

I am a fool and an idiot so will choose to make a prediction for the current Ashes series. The result will be either 4-0 or 4-1. Whatever the case, the Aussies will wipe the floor of the Poms.

Just watching the first test at Lords suggests the Poms are not even in the same ball park. While the English put up an admirable performance on the first day it didn't take long for the Aussies to hit back and show their class. Surely there was a hint when the Aussies could only muster 190 with the Poms follwing up with a meagre 155. One mate suggested that the Poms were in the box seat and would probably win on the third day or so. I listened to a somewhat reasoned argument and when I put down the phone thought to myself - 'what a load of bollocks!'

It has been amusing to say the least to watch the lead up to the real thing. Sure the Aussies were beaten by the Poms in 20/20 and a number of ODIs; they even were humiliated by Banglidesh along the way. So what?! We all know that 20/20 and ODIs are not real cricket. Anyone who says otherwise probably thinks the world is flat. The lead up games are but a distraction and delay to playing for what they really came to do.

I, like most people, am thrilled the Poms are somewhat competitive. They are even in 2nd place in the world test rankings which surprised me a bit. It is about time. Even though they have won their last five test series, they have been nothing short of woeful over the years. Dare I suggest their best will be a long way short of what's needed to topple the champs?

There is a massive gulf between the first placed team and the rest. The Kiwis had a crack and were dismissed out of hand. The Aussies have won 16 series straight. That's a long time to breed a successful and winning culture. Sure they have lost a series here and there but the vagaries of touring foreign lands will always throw up the odd poor result.

I am enjoying the dominance of the Aussies. People with short memories will have forgotten the forlorn years when we were pummelled regularly and how distressing and depressing it was to see the likes of the great Windies teams of the 80s, even the Pakis having a batting line up that appeared to go on forever and a bowling line up that ripped through all and sundry.

Getting back to the current series, it is raining in London as I type. That will be the only hope the Poms will have. I can't see much else saving them. If they do contradict me and perform better than anticipated, I say well done to them now. We'll see if I have to eat my words in the next few weeks.

Foreign Correspondent

I have introduced a foreign correspondent to my blog. Not sure how regular the posts will be because that is dependent on the [unnamed] source emailing me with random tales of woe, tales of his life over in the Old Dart. If anyone does read these articles I hope you enjoy them. I certainly do.

Disclaimer: Any names mentioned in these pieces are purely fictitious. The events described, however, are a different story; nearly on par with 'Only in America'.

Here's the first correspondence ...
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So its been a while since I sent one of those emails out that says what I have been up to that bores everyone. I therefore thought that it was time that I rectified this. Or am I?

We are off away this weekend to Cornwall. I have finally convinced Sarah to go camping so we went out and bought a tent last weekend. The whole trip almost got canceled yesterday though.

At lunch time I jumped on the bike to ride to town and had a slight accident.
Actually I did a bit of a superman over the handle bars, the boot of the car and did a commando roll on the ground. The blimin thing turned left right in front of me without indicating and I had nowhere to go. I got of easy with only a scratch on the arm and a sore wrist. Bike is ok. Could have been worse as I was not wearting a helmet. Lesson learnt and I am now wearing one again.
Believe me when I say I was cruising at the time seriously I was only doing about 25kms per hour. As it happened I was not thinking oh no, or oh jeez, but oh not again!

I reckon that you are more likely to stack while cruising than going hard out.
When you go hard out you concentrate and when you cruise you don't as you dont normally need to. I have now decided I should ride hard out most of the time.

I have been for a few rides lately. I rode up a big hill the other day and went flat out on the way down and managed to get to 85kmph. I was a bit scared but it was an open road and there was heaps of room to overtake a few cars. I can get to work from the flat in under 10 minutes. It usually takes me longer to get home though as I ride along the seafront and there are heaps of people to look at (Gotta love the European tourists) and you look cooler cruising than going hard out.

So anyway the trip is on afterall, as long as I get all the work done in the office that is. Its real busy here and is keeping me honest during the day. I still have major reservations over the English work ethic but that is a novel unto itself.

The thing that guts me about going away this weekend is that we are going to miss the German GP. Not happy about it, but I suppose I can miss one every 10 years or so. Anyways its not like Ferrari are going to win it. The car is so slow this weekend that the bugs keep flying into the back of it. The rules still suck the big one as well.

I hear that Messers Ridge and Ellis are looking like they are in a bit of hot water at home. I would be out the country as well.

Last week I made a significant step in assimilating myself into English Culture. I have joined up to the fantasy football league that all the guys in the office are in. I have a decent team if I do say so myself. Two players in my squad are named Paul Robinson. Obviously I know what I am doing. After the Lions tour I just want to make sure that i am not last.

Wilky-may need you to give me a few tips on decent football players.

Looks like I better go and surf the net. I have just heard that they have evacuated three tube stations in London including Shepards Bush.

Catch yas later

Tale of Woe #2342315

International roaming.

I was recently in Sydney [as a number of previous posts have attested to] and had organised international roaming for my mobile phone. I am not a Telecom customer.

When I arrived in Sydney all was well and my phone registered with Vodafone Australia. No problems. However, every now and then I noticed my phone automatically switch networks while walking around town. First to Telstra, then to Optus, back to Telstra. I had to manually reregister with Vodafone Aust each time. I didn't think much of it until the other day.

I checked my account balance the other day and was advised it to be rather more than my average. I thought I might have accidentally rung someone during peak hours who happened to live in Tunisia or the like.

I rang Vodafone NZ to investigate the nature of the costs and was advised it was during my time in Sydney. I had made a couple of shortish calls and one that lasted 15 minutes. It was with suprise [I could suggest other more descriptive words] I received the news that a 15 minute call cost approx. $84.00! This call was made using the Telstra network. Far out. Another marginally shorter call cost $45.00 this time on the Optus network.

I am annoyed to say the very least. You haven't heard the end of it.

NZ election 2005

Would love to be able to tell you when it is but no one knows. Not too much to ask the incumbent government to announce? Not to much to give the people what they want?

It doesn't really matter when the election is or its announcement. They are only delaying what I see as the inevitable. There will be at least one new party governing NZ. Let hopes the balance of the coalition is palatable.

Fine line between arrogance and confidence.

Disclaimer: This is the opinion of the author only and not that of the organisation the author is gainfully employed by [and would like to stay that way.]

Poor planning

'Your failue to plan properly does not necessarily constitute my emergency.' Unknown source.

Incompetence is everywhere.

Reply to Fanmail 12/07/05

I would not expect people to agree with me not the least you. Of course what I write is my opinion of which we are all entitled to have one. I find myself in contradiction to many people from this far flung land and I manage to get a rise on many occasions. This, on most occasions, is not a deliberate act of incitement.

Feel free to advertise my blog to your many contacts. No point writing something if no one is ever going to read it. I have made it easier for people to add comments and removed the need to have them register.

I am looking forward to the tri-nations and tend to agree with SCW that NZ have not proved a great deal. I shall wait to see how they go in the 3 nations and then the grand slam tour. While it is a bit of a moot point, the RWC is the only thing that a nation can lay claim to being the best if they win yet is based on one off performances at a point in time every four years. Having said that, NZ have failed to win it more than once and no matter how well they perform in the interim they will always be measured by that lack of success. Should they win it, well then there is no disputing their status.

I think the coaching trio have done wonders for this team and will continue to serve them well. I like what they are doing and the depth they are developing even though I don't like or rate some of the players. The NZRU did well to secure them through to RWC2007 and it is just commonsense to have some continuity.

Now on to the cricket. While the Aussies have had a somewhat uneven start to their tour I wouldn't be worrying too much. None of what they have done in terms of failures has any great impact on test cricket. They are different forms of the game and who can take one day cricket seriously?! The Aussies should still put the Poms away and crush the delusion [and or illusion] that they are any good. Though it is pleasing to see them at least somewhat competitive again. Cricket needs all nations to be playing at a reasonable standard to remain current and of value.

The English are probably only good at accepting losses because they have experienced it so much. If they had a winning mentality and winning culture they would never accept losing. Do you remember when the Aussies were shyte during the late 70's early 80's? They vowed to never be that bad again. Since that time they have built themselves a dynasty. I don't know how the Poms haven't managed to do that too. It should be noted that Rod Marsh is being attributed to the improved performances of the Poms. Another thing, the Australian Institute of Sport was predicated by Aussie's dismal performances at the Olympic. They invested a truckload of dollars and are now competitive in many sports on the world stage.

Will you be going to any of the games? Get yourself onto http://Lions-Tour.com and have a squiz at the message boards. Some good reading amongst the entertainment. The site was developed for the Lions Tour, naturally, but is going to continue and will cover lal things rugby. Worth a visit.

Fanmail 12/07/05

I am not going to say that I agree with everything that you say on your Blog Ernie. Its inconsequential if I do or not. Anyway you know that I do not agree with a lot of what you come up with.

I am going to say that you should carry on with this blog. Its better than a lot of the tripe that is out there. So keep it up. I like a good laugh at work while eating my lunch and if the Service Levels on my queue are not enough of one the blog does the trick.

2-1 in the test series is one of the funniest things that I have heard this year. -Mind you I thought the same for a wee while.

My pick for Tri nations based on events of the last few weeks. Australia to win but not the Bledisloe. The former is what my head thinks, the latter is what my heart thinks. I think that the BIL were really that bad. I watched every game including the argentina game and think that they would have lost a test series to Argentina let alone NZ. I am not putting Argentina down in saying this. I rate the team. I think that they would roll any of the home nations given a full strength team and were robbed of a win in Cardiff.

The Ashes. Unlike you I have never lived in Aussie. I have lived in England though. I am going to support England in the Ashes. Not. I have so much respect for the Australian Cricket team and that smoking, drug taking, philandering, potty mouthed spin bowler (Shane Warne) that I am going to support Aussie.
There is an unwritten rule over here that Antipodeans stick together and by gove I am going to. Sure they have not looked all that good so far, but they can do it.

I heard a funny thing on the radio last week. An Aussie sports Journalist from Melbourne talking to Radio 5 (Radio Sport equivalent) about how hard the Aussies take a loss etc. the pommy git was saying that the Aussies take it to hard and should take a leaf from the English who are good at accepting losses from their sports teams and athletes. The Aussie was absolutely gobsmacked by the comments. Sorta explains the difference in attitude between the two nations I think.

Chip n chase

I have never understood why rugby players chip and chase the ball. It appears to be the most futile of efforts and rarely comes off. A very low percentage of play considering that more often then not it has taken the attacking team a mighty effort to win the ball back ..... unless of course they intercepted a chip and chase.

The Gary Owen has a better success rate but why kick the ball away [other than to gain considerable territory] when possession is the name of the game? Can't score a try if you don't have the ball.

End of the tour

Well here we are. It seemed such a long way away when the hype of the BIL Tour was kicked off last year and there was talk of a ticket ballot and thousands upon thousands of visitors descending on these shores. And that they did.

I was fortunate enough to have had a ticket to both the Wellington Lions and All Blacks' games. I support neither team or really the BIL for that matter. Didn't matter to me. I had an immensely enjoyable time especially at the second test. Worth the coin forked out. I wonder if some people are now regretting thier decision not to get a ticket. Sure I still have issues with the way the Wellington and NZ rugby unions treated us season's ticket holders but not to go would be cutting my nose off to spite my face.

I must admit I did have a soft spot for the Lions. My grandfather was Scottish, my grandma was Irish. I am, in some roundabout way, Irish and a citizen of the EU. But then again, I am also Australian and Vietnamese and have been in NZ long enough to claim Kiwi status.

I felt the Lions would perform well in the tests. I kept telling myself their midweek performances were holding something back. I somewhat agreed with Sir Clive [SCW] with his 'funny' feeling. I predicted a 2-1 win to the Lions. I have posted as much. I was wrong. I was fooled into believing they would be better than they were. If only they had a better build up or were here for another three weeks things might have been different.

I wonder whether SCW's funny feeling was a hit to the head or something. He got me going. He did not endear himself to many people. He did it his way. It proved to be wrong. Obviously, if they had've won he would be acclaimed a genius.

What would've happened had he picked on form and not reputation? What if Dellaglio and BOD weren't injured? What if ... Lots of hypotheticals which we can't truly answer.

It has certainly been six weeks that have captivated this rugby obsessed nation. Will it be the same again? I hope it changes for the better and that Kiwi and all sporting fans in NZ support their teams in the spirit the thousands of BIL fans did.

It was certainly a time I won't forget in a hurry. Being in the pubs talking to strangers like we never do; Courtenay Place filled with colour; the waterfront chockers. Being in the stadium with the noise, the colour, the atmosphere, the occasion. I would mention the haka but I couldn't bloody hear it. Lions! Lions!

I am glad to have been a part of it. It also might take me until the next tour here to register as many posts as some of you.

If you get a chance, check out Lions-Tour.com and have a read about what the northern hemisphere fans have to say about rugby.

Saturday Afternoon Fever

An email I sent to the the author of Saturday Afternoon Fever, Matthew Hardy. It is a book about growing up in Melbourne and following your footy team. Some of you will have absolutely no idea of what I am talking about. Some of you will.
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G’day there,

I hope my efforts don’t go to waste and someone reads this. Ideally this should be Mr Hardy but feel free to read on even if you aren’t him. Oh, and if you aren’t him can you pls forward it to him afterwards?

Obviously I am not the first [and I am unlikely to be the last] to comment on your book which I have just completed. I only bought it a couple of weeks ago when visiting that AFL Mecca, Sydney! Living in New Zealand for the last 8 years I am somewhat removed from the daily goings on in AFL land even though we are only a 3 ½ hour flight away. Other than a weekly highlights show on Sky TV I feel somewhat aligned to your situation in London. Prime TV couldn’t even get excited about buying the rights to the Friday Night Football to replay on a Saturday morning. Instead we get some crappy rerun of movies from the sixties. At least the internet brings me opportunities to listen to and read about footy.

I am a passionate Collingwood supporter and when growing up I always wondered why some of my mates followed the likes of St Kilda and Footscray. Conversely, they couldn’t understand why someone with a good upbringing could follow the Pies. To this day a good mate of mine, Tim, follows the Saints as passionately as he did when younger. [By the way, in a number of long distance calls he often asks if I had heard of you and mentioned how funny you were and that I should tune in to SEN.] His family is not unlike yours to an extent; him and his elder brother experiencing the misguided [!] fortunes of the Saints over the years. Having come to some conclusions and epiphanies the majority of hardcore footy fans are no different other than the colours they choose to adorn on a weekend. [I exclude wannabe ‘rabid’ fans from this as per my rant below.]

Thank you for a great read. Whilst I found it to offer a multitude of opportunities to laugh out loud I can safely say it was not the funniest book I have ever read [as claimed by G. Lyon. I am not sure how many funny books he has read but I don’t reckon he has read ‘Around Ireland with a Fridge’ by Tony Hawkes. That is a gem.]

I had all the footy cards. I even had multiple Alle de Woldes but heaven knows where they are now. Should I have sufferings of guilt that I may have deprived you? Like other readers’ comments I had many similar experiences to yours but only a black and white version; many a day spent at Victoria Park.

I remember meeting Rene Kink at Prahran MacDonalds, meeting Dermie at a school clinic and copping abuse from Russell Greene in history classes especially when the Pies beat any team he was in. My own glorious career came to an end when I was wrapped around a goal post in an inter-house game in Year 10. I chose to pursue hockey after that, a much safer sport.

I, like you, have had to adjust to an ever-changing football world. My partner and I flew to Sydney recently to watch the Pies at Telstra Stadium. When we went to purchase tickets I was blown away by the $68.00 asking price for a premium seat. Sure if it was a final but for a home and away it was nonsensical especially when I could get the aisle next to the premium area for $29.00. Call me cheap. I call it being fiscally prudent. But then again I had already spent a few dollars on airfares and accommodation.

While at the Homebush Bay Brewery Bar I met some so called ‘lifelong Sydney supporters’. Geez, they [The AFL and Sydneysiders] have a long way to go in the harbour city. I asked them how long they had followed the Swans and in their best broken English replied that it had been since the Swans came to Sydney. I then asked if they had followed Sth Melbourne [the accent should’ve given it away] and they replied ‘who?’ Then when I got to my seat I saw a number with ethnic backgrounds eating roti and the like and cheering any time the Swans marked the ball. Like a football in the face, the realisation hit me - the face of football has changed forever.

I still have my old footy jumper with the VFL logo. My scarf still has the VFL logo. I even have a footy jumper [bought in 1999] that has the actual sponsor’s logo sewn onto it. I see the modern day version is just an imprint. Maybe I need to move with the times but there is nothing wrong with being a romantic. Your book certainly reignited the memories. I have converted my partner [a Samoan Kiwi] to following the Pies. I regularly attend the rugby here but it has nothing on Aussie Rules, the excitement, the fan fare. I will urge her to read the book and Steve Streven’s Keeping the Faith so she can understand more about how I grew up and what footy means to so many Melburnians. [On a side note, is it only the ignorant and/or Sydneysiders that refer to those from Melbourne as Melbournites? I had never heard that reference before.]

Hope you’re still with me on this [and thank you if you are!] but one last thing. I read in that round’s AFL Record [Round 13] about Rebecca Wilson being a rabid Swans fan. If watching people eat roti wasn’t bad enough I had a read of Rebecca’s article. I was so incensed I wrote to Michael Lovett about it. He has probably treated my email with contempt and that the ravings of a madman. You are probably agreeing as you read.

In terms of being a rabid fan, I ask you how the following earns you the right to consider yourself rabid:

Firstly, how does one change from following Carlton to Sydney? [Only a woman who changes her mind.]

Secondly, wearing a Swans scarf and a bit of red in her outfit. [At least she knows what colours they wear.]

Thirdly, choosing not to follow the team to watch a game interstate early in the season but then deciding if they are a chance to make the finals she will do so. [Perhaps she should read about your episode on the train.]

In closing, I must mention that I am thankful I have been able to witness a premiership unlike many of my mates. I tend not to acknowledge Essendon or Carlton fans and their teams’ achievements. And also, I really should take Steve Streven’s lead and write a book about the Pies. I figure that with a fan base of supposedly half a million surely there must be money to be made.

NZ Sheep ratio falls

December 3, 2004

It may be time to retire the sheep jokes.

Statistics New Zealand this week broke the news that the national flock had fallen to a mere 39 million at June 30, its lowest since numbers peaked in 1982 at 70.3 million.

For the record, there are just over 4.06 million humans in New Zealand, meaning there are now less than 10 sheep for every person.

By comparison, Australia had 103 million sheep at the end of June - also near historic lows - and an estimated population today of 20.23 million, leaving Australians outnumbered by sheep five to one.

New Zealand's ovine population has long made it the butt of jokes.

"When I was growing up in the '70s we were known as the country of 60 million sheep and three million people," said Graeme Peters of the Federated Farmers of New Zealand.

The federation says the elimination of agriculture subsidies in the 1980s is behind the decline.

"Prior to 1985 ... it didn't really matter what you produced as long as it had four legs," North Island lamb farmer Ian Corney said.

Where's Al Part 2

Al at the zoo checking out some long lost mates.

Where's Al?

Al in Sydney out and about.

London July 2005

Time to put our differences aside for a moment. I echo the sentiments of other posters and offer my condolences, sympathy and thoughts to those that have been affected by the events in London.

There is an ad in NZ some of you may be aware of that has the catchphrase "We don't know how lucky we are". We don't.

Kia kaha.

A review of The Travelodge Sydney

My partner and I have just returned from a week in Sydney. Our accommodation was part of a package deal and when we booked we were sceptical at first of the quality of the Travelodge. Admittedly we were not going for four or five star accommodation but we wanted somewhere clean and comfortable. The Travelodge certainly met our requirements.

We echo the views of most of the reviews on this site tripadvisor.com. We found the place well located to trains and buses with a short stroll for most of the shopping and eating.

The room was serviced to a very good standard and we did not want for anything.

We would certainly stay there again but before we do we will check to see if there are any exchange student tours staying there. We came across quite a large group of American students staying over the course of a week who on the whole were fairly well behaved but on other occasions thought they owned the place.

If you are very self sufficient and not looking to spend a small fortune on accommodation this place is ideal.

Murray Mexted

A post of mine on a Lions Tour website.

Quote:
"When I look around there is more red than black so there is an equal support base here."
Unquote.



Can someone please, please, please take him back to the British Isles with you?! Perhaps he could help SCW .... there's more English than Welsh but we have equal numbers in the team.

PS. And if you have room, try and fit Grant Nisbett in too can you.

Arrogance or confidence

I have a copy of the Dominion Post the day of RWC2003 semi final against the Wallabies. The headlines were asking who would be playing the ABs in the final the next week. The arrogance of the Kiwi rugby public [and media] knows no bounds. They are now heralding Dan as the saviour. [Gotta admit though he ain't half bad!]

I look forward to seeing the ABs brought back a peg or two but it seems like they will 'rest' a few players in this years Tri Nations so we may not get to see a true indication of where they are at. Unless, of course, their lesser lights wipe the floor of the Jaapies and Aussies. If that happens we really should be concerned.

Dreadful losers, ordinary winners. Only a couple of years to go until the four yearly choke. Two years is a long time in rugby. It will be a good test for Henry and co to keep this group together and playing a step ahead of the opposition. At least the NZRU have seen sense and contracted them through to France 2007.

The Jaapies, while only having played some average opposition, seem to be compiling quite a handy playing list and certainly have found some pace out wide. Their forwards are looking fitter but still have a way to go. The sleeping giant maybe?

As for the Wallabies, I am not convinced this is their year. I would love to think so but injuries and a transition period may mean a little patience from their fans.

I look forward to the ABs taking on the home nations in a few months time. Should be a ripper of a tour.

To all Lions Supporters in NZ

I want to say thanks to all those who have ventured out to NZ and Wellington in particular. The colour, passion and sense of enjoyment has certainly livened up the city. I trust you have had a whale of a time [not withstanding some results ].

I just hope the locals can take a leaf out of your books.

Of all the people I witnessed being spoken to by the coppers around town all were Kiwis. It disappoints me that Kiwis, while being terrible losers, aren't that humble in victory either. Some of the rubbish the tourists had to put up with is not overly endearing.

I went to the game and had a brilliant time; in spite of the result it certainly was worth the extortionate amount of money the NZRU extracted from me. Also despite the shoddy treatment by WRFU etc over our seasons tickets at the Stadium and being shunted out, last night has helped me move on rather quickly.

The colour and noise we won't probably see here again for a long long time. I have got some great photos and memories and [somewhat] wish I was in Aussie in 2001.

I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting such a diverse lot. I look forward to seeing some of your lands when I, one day, get up off my arse and decide to venture further than the Stadium [oh and, my beloved Orstraya!]

Safe travelling to you all.