Here is some quick analysis of the candidates' responses to some of the questions:



Please note that not all questions were phrased as Yes/No questions or for short answers, so in some cases this table represents our interpretation of candidates responses. For explantations, justifications and the candidate's own words, please read the full survey.

ACT members will have now received their voting forms for the 2010 ACT Board Elections.

This year, ACT on Campus has conducted a survey of the various candidates and we're pleased to present the results for members to read before they cast their votes.

Board Candidate Survey 2010

The candidates are:

Bruce Haycock - Vice President
Kevin Campbell - Vice President
Nick Kearney - Auckland North (Board)
Peter Tashkoff - Auckland North (Board) - Withdrawn
Lech Beltowski - Auckland South (Deputy)
Clyde Johnson - Auckland South (Deputy) - No Response
James Read - Waikato (Deputy) - No Response
Carl Freimann - Central (Board) - No Response
Robert Douglas - Central (Board)
Ivor Watson - Upper South (Deputy)

Ballot papers must be returned before 4pm on the 23rd of February, so there is plenty of time, but don't leave it too late!

The US Supreme Court has today voted 8-1 and 5-4 to strike down various campaign finance restrictions on US elections, including the infamous McCain-Feingold law.

The laws banned spending that was seen to "influence" a vote in any way or that could "potentially" rather than actually lead to corruption, but contained exceptions for unions' spending - very reminiscent of the Electoral Finance Act here in New Zealand.

One organisation has already announced its plans to run a campaign against "earmarks" at the 2010 election.

[Via WSJ]

ACT on Campus is today pleased to welcome new NZUSA Co-Presidents, David Do and Pene Delaney, to their positions for 2010.

"I, for one, welcome our new student overlords," explained ACT on Campus Vice President, Peter McCaffrey.

"Clearly students are incapable of thinking for themselves and need their views on all the major political issues of the day dictated to them by two unelected apparatchiks. Without NZUSA telling us how and what to think, we'd all be lost and hopeless."

ACT on Campus is also pleased that NZUSA has given up on representing the views of its forced compulsory members and has instead decided to make its key focus for 2010 the defeat of a bill that many of their members support - the Voluntary Student Membership bill.

"Why would NZUSA support students and represent their beliefs when it is much easier and more efficient for them to simply promote their own policies? Students can't leave their student associations or get their money back, so there is no reason for NZUSA to waste time and energy on such activities."

"Representing the views of your members is an outdated idea whose time has long passed. We look forward to another decade of NZUSA's generous and benevolent wisdom and guidance." said Peter McCaffrey.

Those who have seen Not Evil Just Wrong will remember the references to Malaria in Africa and the US. That reference was simply to show how a majority can be wrong, as with the banning of DDT in Africa and its subsequent re-introduction years later after Malaria rates skyrocketed and millions of people had died.

That section of the movie ended with an African woman telling some US environmentalists how unfair it was that the US had been able to use DDT to rid itself of Malaria, but then wanted to prevent African countries from doing the same. The environmentalists response was that Malaria had never exited in the US and they hadn't used DDT. The movie then cut to scenes of streets, houses, schools and swimming pools being sprayed with DDT in the US in the '20s and '30s.

The following video is slightly different, but along the same lines. During a debate over the recent ClimateGate issue, one interview talks about how the UN should be spending the money its collecting for Climate Change on combating things like Malaria in the third world. The interviewer jumps right in and claims that rising temperatures from Global Warming will cause more Malaria, and the second interviewee joins in, plainly stating: "Malaria never happened in Russia before, now it is."

The first interviewee calls the second on the ridiculousness of that claim, and his only response is to ask him if he's a Medical Doctor, and when he was last in Russia.

Two online polls, both unscientific, but given their high turnout and large margin, the results are still very interesting.


Are you sick of being told we're killing the planet? - NZ Herald:





The president's progress with the battered economy has been both praised and criticized. How well are his efforts measuring up with you? - Yahoo:





(Yes, that's 13 million votes!)

From: patrick.leyland@gmail.com
Subject: Women’s Sector Fundraising Breakfast – Saturday 12th August

Dear all,

Please find attached a PDF flyer for the Women’s Sector Fundraising Breakfast on Saturday morning, at 7am at St Andrews on-the-Terrace.

The guest speaker is Hon Steve Chadwick, Minister of Women’s Affairs.

Please Rachel Boyack (details below) know if you would like a ticket for this event, or purchase one at Congress on Friday. Look forward to seeing you there!

I’d appreciate if you could forward this throughout your networks.

Kind regards,

Rachel Boyack
Vice Chair | Harbour Branch
Women’s Liaison Officer | Wellington Central LEC
Labour Women’s Sector Councillor
New Zealand Labour Party

This post is really about the media and contrasting points of view. The fact that Rodney is the relevant minister is simply how I happened to come across the two stories and is really just co-incidental.

Last week Rodney announced a review of dog control laws. Or at least, he announced there will be a review at some point this term, government priorities don't allow for it right now.

Gisborne residents woke up to see this in their paper the next day:


"Dog Control Officers Not Happy With Hide’s Review"

ANY relaxation on dog laws from a review planned by Local Government Minister Rodney Hide would make the work of local animal control officers “very difficult”.

Microchipping, which was questioned by Mr Hide, has had excellent results locally, says Gisborne District Council chief animal control officer Pat Collins.

“I believe any dog owner who is not prepared to provide a lifetime ID for their dogs is not a responsible owner,” said Mr Collins.

“Mr Hide needs to be aware that the lack of dog control, or the relaxation of what is in place now, would equate to allowing the public to wander around New Zealand with loaded and cocked firearms.”


Meanwhile, if you lived in the Bay of Plenty you, literally, got a different story:


"Dog Control Officers Welcome Govt Review:

Brent Lincoln, team leader for animal services at Tauranga City Council, welcomed the review announced this week by Local Government Minister Rodney Hide.

Mr Lincoln said dog control officers and NZIACO had been advocating for changes to the dog control act for several years.

Tends to be it's an interesting and busy time, the last week on campus.

Exactly this time last year, apart from exams and assignments, I was flat-out with the election. We had David Garrett join us on UC campus. And Vanessa and I decided, at long last, that we kinda liked each other.

No national election this year, but it's the same story with course work causing me difficulty. We've got a film to watch on Sunday- Not Evil, Just Wrong. Canta wasn't dull. And, Vanessa is very very pregnant! This week our visitor at UC was Sir Roger Douglas. Unlike his trip last year he is now an MP again, of course...

Andy with Sir Roger pre-talk

Working on the board, over UCSA President Juke's shoulder. And here's Sir Roger with Brennan..

The most exciting idea to come out was the notion of universities as facilitators. A campus could be a marketplace for students to shop for lecturers and courses they like, and a place where lecturers and organisers compete in person, and even via new media from afar, for the student buck. Terms and semesters may have no meaning, block courses over weeks could occur. More visitors. More quality and competition, lower prices. Historically, in ancient times as well as in the C19th that's how it has worked.
The Sophists were on perpetual lecture tours of Ancient Grease. And I also remember how Hegal and Schopenhauer would deliver philosophy lectures at the same time in the same university, compeeting for student's coin. I think it was more down to Schopenhauer being a hot-headed git on that point though.

I was going to write up an account of what went on at the SRC at Vic yesterday.

But why would I do that when I have it on video?

We expected them to try and cause trouble, so we came armed with a camera to get it all on record.

I'm told that video evidence IS permissible at a select committee hearing!

So here's the SRC meeting, with added annotations.