Onward Christian soldiers – onward but downward into the schedule of the bloody Concert programme

Amen to all this from Radio New Zealand National.

Radio NZ can count on Alf raising a fuss at the next National caucus meeting about a serious misuse of the public money we dish out to the state-owned broadcaster.

He will be doing this having been dismayed this morning to find his Sunday morning session of hymn singing no longer is being broadcast – not from the National station, anyway.

Some tosser has decided hymns are more appropriate fare for Concert programme listeners than for National programme listeners.

On yer bike, greenies – the stats tell us why we need to spend much more on motorways

So long as the buggers keep far to the left there is plenty of room for all of us…

Dunno what the Greens think they are trying to tell us.

But it looks like good news for the Government’s transport policies.

Today the muesli-munchers have banged out a statement to say cycling is booming throughout New Zealand despite the National Government’s failure to fund new cycle lanes to keep people safe.

The Problem Gambling mob are moaning about muzzling but maybe others can do their job better

It looks like the Salvation Army had a better hand.

Running a business always has risks, the more so should it become dependent on Government money.

In that case, you might say, there is an element of a gamble about maintaining the business’s cash flow, because the bosses can never rule out the tap being turned off at some time by the politicians, the bureaucrats or both.

The same goes for providers of social services.

We should bear this in mind while listening to bleats from pinkos, lefties and other assorted hand-wringers that the Problem Gambling Foundation has had its Government funding cut off because it opposed the controversial SkyCity convention centre deal.

What was that we saw soaring skywards? National’s poll support and Cunliffe’s imagination

This thought sprung to mind today:

The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum.

It’s a quote from Havelock Ellis, a British physician, writer, and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He was co-author of the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in 1897, and published stuff on sexual practices and inclinations, including transgender psychology. He is credited with introducing the notions of narcissism and autoeroticism.

And what brought him and his thoughts about optimism to mind?

The following, dear reader. The following report at Stuff:

So what does this have in common with a certain Green MP (besides being likely to attract more votes)

Yep – the answer is it’s got a bloody big mouth and those feathers look likely to be easily ruffled.

Gotta say Labour’s Shane Jones is bang-on when he says the Greens are too thin-skinned.

But thanks to their thin skins, the Greens have done us a favour by exposing David Cunliffe as a tosser for giving them the time of day after they complained about something Jones said about one of their MPs.

Cunliffe told Jones to pull his head in and not upset the Greens.

This is instructive and goes to show the rest of us that the Greens carry much too much clout with the Labour leadership, making the unlikely prospect of a Labour-Green coalition look highly unpalatable.

It also shows a much-too-cosy relationship between the Green and Labour heads of staff.

This thing about non-indigenous creatures in the Ureweras is a worry – how far will it spread?

The fish must go – but can the angler conclusively prove he is indigenous?

The Grumbles are giving serious consideration to moving to the South Island. Somewhere in the Ngai
Tahu’s domain – it doesn’t matter exactly where, although sunshine hours and what-have-you will be among the factors given high priority. A comfortable club for gentlemen with good stocks of whisky is important, too.

If the decision to move is made, advice to follow will be given to all of Alf’s constituents.

Savage dogs are a menace – but a mandatory microchipping regime didn’t muzzle these mastiffs

All decent people will be distressed that a Japanese girl is in a critical condition in hospital after she was mauled by four dogs.

The girl, aged 7, was playing in the yard of a property in the Bay of Plenty forestry town of Murupara owned by friends of the family when she was attacked by four “mastiff-type” dogs.

Police say the dogs belonged to the owner of the property.

All four dogs were put down by a vet and a police investigation is under way.

But here’s the bit in a report at Stuff that drew the attention of the Grumbles:

So you want to enhance your property? Don’t forget to get the cultural okay from your local iwi

“Of course I’ve got an iwi permit…but only for a wee-wee”

Hard on the heels of his political triumph with the supermarkets, Labour Maori Affairs spokesman Shane Jones will have chalked up more political points with his criticisms of a new rule that will affect Auckland property owners.

The city’s leaders – fasten your seat-belts, folks – are requiring property owners to seek iwi approval to work on sites of cultural and heritage value to Maori.

As if living in Auckland isn’t penalty enough for any individual of sound mind, this is a lulu of an idea.

Jones actually calls it dangerous as well (obviously) as an extra compliance cost.

His views are reported today in the NZ Herald: