FRIDAY ROUND UP

So which three young likely lads working in the Beehive are known as the " Boy Band?"

Clues
- Be forewarned
- church big wig
- Rolling stone

Apparently all are popular with women. does this mean right wing politics is the new black?

Does any women actually shave their legs with the Gillette Vibrating Venus razor?

What does Tracy Watkins have against Minister for Agriculture David Carter to say, in a recent ranking article on Ministers performance, that he deserved a 3/10 when he is well liked and respected by the agriculture sector and that his caucus collegues are very impressed by how he manages his portfolio? And where did she ever get the idea that Key would give him the biff in any future cabinet reshuffle?


So what does Colin Espiner do now that Tracy Watkins was picked for the Fairfax political hub top job?

ONE CHIEF TO RULE THEM ALL

All eyes in Parliament are on the journalists employed by the three Fairfax mastheads, the DomPost, Sunday Star Times and the Christchurch Press. Fairfax is to chuck them all in one room in the Gallery and appoint a bureau chief from among the current staff- or possibly appoint from outside the organisation.

The days of serious competition between the Dead Tree Press papers will undoubtedly disappear.

The reasonably recently arrived Aussie scribe who took up the political editorship at the Sunday Star Times is apparently seriously miffed at the change in circumstances which means he may lose some status in the musical chairs game that's about to play out.

Apparently there is a book running in the round house on who is the front runner is of the two main contenders - Tracy Watkins of the DomPost and the ginga from Christchurch Colin Espiner. The good money is on Espiner who is a good mate of Paul Thompson, Group Executive Editor, one of the favoured few in the Fairfax managerial stable.

A parliamentary insider reckon the reshuffle wont make bugger all difference to the quality of the column inches produced by Fairfax. Apparently, corridor stops - designed to get quick sound bites to populate ever hungry online new sites are now the staple for parliamentary journalists. No real investigation, no having deep and meaningfuls with Minsters and MP's and bugger all OIA's. They just follow up on the ones the opposition churn out.

Sad Really.

No doubt this will all be a hot topic at the impending nuptials of the old southern media curmudgeon Barry Soper and his youthful bride Heather du Plessis - Allan.

ONLY VINDICTIVE ONE IS CLARK

Clark is turning into a whinging whiny old woman. First she reckons that it was out of pure " vindictiveness that the Nats have pulled back on her " sustainability agenda." We now see pragmatism instead of dogma underpinning NZ's approach to climate change sustainability etc and we are glad of it.

Then in the wholly sycophantic piece by Tracy Watkins, we see her whinge about the decrease in funding levels for aid mismanaged by the UN. Clark would do well to remember that she is parked up in one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the world in an organisation that has written the book on bureaucratic corruption. The easiest way to ensure that poor people get what they need is to ensure that the organisation she works for cleans up its very dirty act. And for the record - how many tonnes of carbon has she racked up flying here there and everywhere to see how poor people live. A click of the button on a computer with a decent broadband should show her well enough.
Doesnt she have enough minnions to tell her?

So what is the carbon chomping airfare budget of Ms Clark and what is she doing to reduce the costs of the gold plated corrupt organisation she work for?

She is quoted as saying she had " one big job left in her."

Its a job in a big organisation - not a big job. And not one that will make a wit of difference to poor people around the world.

And by the way - who paid for watkins jaunt to the UN?