Brian Viner

The names have been changed to protect the innocent – me.

"Darling, let’s dine out'' said my social organiser, putting to one side her Sky Sports magazine with the picture of John Key on the cover.

"Ok" I said, being an compliant, easy going, free spending sort of person and wondering if she is talking to me. Is that multi tasking?

“Where do you think we should go?” - Shall I add ‘my love’? – yes, well it’s taking a chance I know...

Colin James

Last year's budget stumbled on education. Class sizes were to rise to pay for more professional training of teachers. Middle class parents killed that. Bill English beat a humiliating retreat.

The policy came from the Treasury which had latched on to a germ of an idea. The public was not led through the argument so Hekia Parata's hospital pass was to sell the unsellable.

At the gym the YA runs a  ‘Never Too Old Club’ so oldies can keep fit. It’s brilliant. Apart from anything else you get to hear the music of the Sixties instead of the rappa crappa on Flava or any other contemporary rock station. 

In the midst of all this musical nostalgia, Coast FM broke for its hourly newsbreak. Nothing unusual there, except that one of the stories was the culinary Second Coming: - Georgie Pies are back! 

Chris Horan

More international sportsmen known as much for their addiction to alcohol as their sporting talents have been in the news lately. What is interesting is the way those who ‘work hard and play hard’ are publicly defended and supported, and less publicly written off as boozers. This division of opinion on how to deal with people who frequently ‘let themselves down’ by indulging in drunken episodes is also commonplace in the community at large.

Paul Smith

Colin James

In a couple of weeks Australia and New Zealand will publish their government budgets. Each has some learning for the other. 

Last Thursday Paula Bennett was pleased with herself for getting her you-must-work welfare bill through Parliament and Bill English was pleased to confirm that you-the-taxpayer are still on course to get him a budget surplus.

The two are linked. And both are linked to a two-dimensional housing tangle...

Chris Horan

There are some good New Zealand television productions. Not the infantile, self-indulgent waste of resources that passes for adult communication on Breakfast and 7 Sharp, however. But TV3’s Campbell Live produces good journalism frequently enough to watch. And Native Affairs on Maori Television often has an intelligent and refreshing take on politics. Still, considering all the hours of television at our disposal that’s not a lot to recommend, but zapping through the channels just leads from depression to despair...  

Brian Viner

Buying things on the internet is the new way. It’s easy. I am told.

I wanted a sweater. A roll necked sweater. 

I tried all the well known New Zealand retailers. No luck. So, always prepared to do as I am told, which is, ‘nobody goes shopping anymore, you just fire up the old computer, Google in the thing you want to buy, and there you are, Bob's your uncle, a wide selection of goods appears on your screen’.