Curmudgeonly Comments

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Telstra is relocating its call services to Manila. How on earth do its managers imagine it’ll improve customer services.

A peace group is going to sell white poppies the day before the annual red poppy appeal. It sounds like a hostile act to me.

The Government has signed the United Nations rights of indigenous people treaty. John Key says the action will not override any existing legislation. I think he may be creating a rod for his own back. Maori will use it in court action while Rodney Hide and Winston Peters will use it to claim two levels of citizenship. Watch this space. Fascinating, there has not been a squeak about political correctness.

Tourist operators in New Zealand are still promoting Thailand as a destination despite hotels in Bangkok advising their guests to leave.

A Gisborne farm manager has been heavily fined for neglecting livestock. This has happened several times recently. I know there have been neglectful farmers in the past but precept and practice suggest that ownership establishes a bond between farmer, soil and animals.

TV3 Target commentator is promoting Hell’s pizza in advertisements using a scientific sort of chart. That’s not on in my book. I admired Andrew Cruikshank the actor who played the wise old doctor in ‘Dr Finlay’s Casebook’ who refused good money to do a whiskey ad.

I can see the Rugby World Cup being an important issue in the Auckland mayoral race this year. And Key’s timing of the general election next year will be an interesting choice. An All Black victory would mean national jubilation. A loss, the reverse.

The ‘Washington Post’ has criticised President Obama for playing golf in some of the time he gained by not attending the Polish president’s funeral. Give the man a break. There are enough madmen baying for his blood as it is.