Rooftop protest could make it harder for the public to see MPs (and Annette King to skip to the loo)

Gotta say Alf hopes the book is thrown at the Greenpeace tossers who staged the day-long protest yesterday over what they say is government inaction on climate change.

Even better, let’s throw a library of books at them because this should inflict greater hurt.

The tiresome foursome are believed to have used scaffolding at the rear of Parliament to get onto the building, then make their way to the ledge which overlooks the forecourt.

Alf didn’t pay much attention to their antics, but it seems they placed solar panels there and unfurled a benner with a photo of the Prime Minister, John Key, and the words “cut pollution, create jobs – yeah, nah”.

Not all MPs were too dismayed but according to Radio NZ:

Putin proves himself a pantywaist by going soft and pappy on those trouble-makers from Greenpeace

The Grumbles were never much enthused by the Olympic Games and similar international extravaganzas, although we are apt to be more captivated when the event is the Rugby World Cup and the All Blacks emerge the winners.

Our indifferent attitude to the Olympics has been turned to serious disapproval by news from Russia about the pending Winter Olympics.

This event has prompted President Putin to become uncharacteristically liberal in his attitude to criminals of both the proven and the yet-to-be-tried variety (who strictly speaking are not guilty until proven otherwise).

Into the latter category we can place at least some and maybe all of the 30 crew members of a Greenpeace protest ship who were arrested by the Russian authorities.

Greenpeace protesters won’t have to walk the plank but hooliganism charges are no light matter

Can’t say for sure if a charge of hooliganism can be laid in this country. The cops round up hooligans, sure enough (although not often enough) and there are all sorts of things to charge the buggers with.

A broad range of penalties can be imposed, too, including crushing their cars.

But Alf has become very attracted to the specific offence of hooliganism since the Russians decided the Greenpeace bunch should face such charges.

He saw nothing wrong with charging them with piracy, as it happens, and was going to offer his services if any of them needed prodding with a cutlass to make them walk the plank, preferably into shark-infested waters.

But being banged up for being a hooligan has a nice ring to it.

No, Hekia, all New Zealanders do not – alas -respect the laws of our lovely land

Is anything like this happening off the East Coast?

Alf’s gotta have a chat with Hekia Parata. She has been expressing some very strange beliefs on Morning Report.

Hekia – fine lady – was being questioned about the role of the police in protecting the Petrobras oil search from the greenies and stroppy Maori.

As Stuff reports, police issued maritime notices yesterday requiring the Greenpeace flotilla to remain at least 200 metres from the two ships.

The protesters face a fine of $10,000 or up to 12 months’ jail for breaching the notice.

The stroppy buggers were abiding by the 200m limit last night but will decide today whether to stick to it.

Keisha should be chuffed as Key yields the high ground

Bring back Rob Muldoon.

Yep. It sounds like a heresy.

But Rob would never have apologised to Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes – as John Key has done – for suggesting she “stick to acting” rather than debate climate change issues.

The only saving grace is that The Boss didn’t dive for the photo opportunity, as Alf previously had feared, by being pictured with the somewhat skinny lass.

Is PM after Keisha’s advice – or just a photo opportunity?

Gotta say Alf feels badly let down by The Boss.

Prime Minister John Key now says he is prepared to have a chat with actor Keisha Castle-Hughes over her stance on climate change, according to the NZ Herald.

On Tuesday he said that Castle-Hughes, who is an ambassador for Greenpeace’s Sign On campaign, “should stick to acting”.

Let’s have a 100% reduction in hot air from Keisha

Keisha Castle-Hughes – an actress – is disinclined to take Prime Minister John Key’s advice to “stick to acting” and not publicly parade her potty opinions on climate change.

The uppity lass has gone further and invited herself to a chat with the PM.

The Whale Rider actor told Close Up last night that she would be willing to meet Mr Key to discuss the issue.

“I’d love to sit down and maybe he’d know that – if we sat down and talked – that I know a lot more about it than I think he thinks I do.”

Mo news: how to shave university budgets

There has been a great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth from PC zealots, after TVNZ Breakfast host Paul Henry giggled about the facial hair of a female guest, anti-nuclear campaigner and Greenpeace worker Stephanie Mills.

The Sunday Star-Times devotes space to the incident this morning with news that TVNZ has received “a handful” of complaints from viewers and has started a formal complaints procedure as outlined by the Broadcasting Standards Act.

For his part, Henry says he has nothing to be sorry about and viewers expected him to speak his mind.