How Do I Root For The All Blacks ?

Sir Loin admires the "Rooting for the All Blacks" campaign started by Brunette and Cactus. Anything that satirizes pompous and out of touch corporate's while encouraging tupping is a worthy pursuit.

Sir Loin is not so taken with the Rugby World Cup itself. While the government ( the finger is not being pointed specifically at the National Goverment , the RWC 2011 pitch had the Labour Government prostrating themselves in front of the IRB like Queen Street beggars ) is spending like Shane Jones on a hotel porn channel :

"Acknowledging that the tournament comes with a price tag for local tax-payers, McCully is adamant that the event that will reap major benefits to the entire country. " - Official RWC 2011 Site

"In Auckland, the city where many of the most important games will take place, the costs to the local ratepayers alone has been estimated at $102 million. (The New Zealand Herald. 14 June 2011.)" - Wikipedia

they are making cuts to essential services :

"Hayley Whitaker, an executive member of teacher's union NZEI Te Riu Roa, says funding has been cut to more than 2000 services as part of government plans to cut costs by abandoning the target of having early childhood centres staffed fully by qualified teachers." - New Zealand Herald

Mc Cully adamantly claiming that the RWC 2011 will have benefits reeks of spin. Similar spin was used to justify the Americas Cup spending extravaganz. Has that improved the lot of anyone but politicians riding the wave of feel good to electoral success ?

What would really improve the long term success of this country is boring stuff like education ( pre-school, primary, secondar & tertiary) , infrastructure and research and development. Of course John Key will get far more publicity prior to the next election posing with adulterous, terrorist sponsoring , cheese eating, surrender monkey Nicolas Sarkozy than figuring out a way to fund decile 1 pre-schools and research by our world class scientists.

Sir Loin had no intention to going to any of the RWC games. Paying hundreds of dollars to queue up for games at Eden Park that Sir Loin will be paying for in rates and taxes for years to come, so IRB executives could jet around first class seemed a stiff punch on the brisket. However Sir Loin's calf arrived home with the news that its school had organised a group booking to a game at North Harbour.

Sir Loin is therefore asking: what is the proper etiquette to be observed when rooting for South Africa ?

30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPRINGBOK TOUR

July, thirty years ago the Springboks came to New Zealand. My then husband and I had a sheep and cattle farm in the Takitimu Mountains in Northern Southland. That’s the heartland. You can’t get anymore heartland than Northern Southland. People there were, and still are, rugby mad, me included. To me, the whole sad mess was never about the rugby. It was all about other things: ignorance, paucity of mind and poverty of spirit. The average age of the farming population then, before the southern dairy boom, was quite high, around 45 I guess. And archconservative. I did not support the Springbok tour. As far as I knew, I was in a minority of one. I was physically attacked in the pub by a six foot, thirty-something, Christ's College educated neighbour for voicing my support for the ANC and their request that the tour be cancelled. Let me tell you, money and a privileged education are no guarantee of an open mind. If there is anything more repellent in this world than a hick with money and influence, I don’t want to know what it is. With hindsight it was foolhardy to voice such views in such a time and place, but, I was 18 in 1981. My husband brought members of the Red Squad to our house to drink beer and revel in their tales of brutality. I was forced to feed them, serve them beer and suffer their pumped up contempt for people with views like mine. It was humiliating. Taking a stand against the Springbok tour damaged me socially. I paid a price for it locally for most of my twenties. I was pleased when we left the district in my thirties for a new farm near Gore. Don’t laugh. Gore is a good place to live. Some of the best people I know live in Gore. But that’s another story.

With the 30^th anniversary of the Springbok tour there will undoubtedly be a rehashing of events. I hope it doesn’t spoil the rugby again. I expect there are hundreds of stories like mine. Stories of the damage the tour did to us. We grew up then and we shouldn’t forget it. But, I hope with all my heart that the Crusaders win the Super 15. It’ll be great for Christchurch. Great for us all.

FLEA ON UNDERSIDE OF NATIONAL PARTY POLITICS

There have been few political stories that have disturbed us more than the Tale from the Whale on the selection of the National Candidates for Rodney.

Anyone who supports centre right policies needs the read all of the information that Cameron has compiled on this issue.

It appears that we have a former South African who has inveigled himself in National Party politics, who has links to the more extreme far right political parties of his homeland.

We support centre right politics - sort of bright blue with a yellow Act border. And as the National Party is the dominant vehicle for our politics of choice then we support them. However our support for the party will end if something is not done to remove Cehill Pienaar from the Party.It is clear he is using the same bully boy tactics that were favoured by the parties he supported in S.A.

We think that the chances of him changing his political spots are about the same odds of Japan wining the Rugby World Cup.

He is the sort of wart on a political party, that espouses sensible politics, that needs to be frozen off.

He is very much the white version of Hone Harawira.

There will be criticism from the silly corners of the National Party for Whales exposure of this this prick. The National Party should be grateful that the Whale has shed light on the background of this awful man before he has too much influence on the party if he hasn't already.

It is probably the best political story Whale has done to date. It's the sort of story that if it was packaged in the mainstream media would have been a dead cert to win a Qantas media award.

There is little of the hyperbole everyone expects from Whale, he has written the story and backed it up with good information sources. The fact he is treating the story this way is probably a reflection of how disturbed he is by it.

So our challenge to the National Party is; get your head out of your arse and get rid on this racist arsehole. He does not reflect the National party policies that underpin a the sort of New Zealand we want.

He is a hater and a wrecker, and maybe worse.

We think that we speak for many people who support National Party politics - sort this mess out decisively for the sake of the party and indeed the country.

Doing nothing is not an option.

IS TIGER JUST BEING PRIMAL?

Well if polygamy is good enough for South African leader 67 year old Jacob Zuma then we reckon its good enough for Tiger Wood. Lets face it there is a greater honesty and obligation in polygamy than there is shagging around with a few loose women.

We think that as long is it is mutually acceptable then polygamy is fine. So it stands to reason that Tiger harks back to his African roots - so to speak.

And if he had kids to all those women and even if only a few inherited his natural sporting ability - think how richer the golf scene would be.

And we love Tigers melting pot mentality. Never failed to amuse us when we worked in the jail. White boys who were leaders of the pack liked them dusky and vice versa.

We suppose it has something to do with improving genetics.

What's good for the goose should be great for the gander. However we don't think that women are naturally collectors of men. We tend to like 'em one at a time in an orderly fashion with the odd overlap...

Men like the variety. Again probably something to do with improving the species.

And for the record - Tiger is still one of the greatest living sportsman of our time. We salute him for that. But maybe he should become a citizen of South Africa and then he could do right by all his lovelies. ( Although we have to admit some of them looked like well worn retreads. He needs to up his game on that score.)