Bob Parker to be re-elected mayor of Christchurch

Yes Athfield. The guy who designed the new civic chambers, which Anderton rightly points out, probably should have been designed so that they didn't require 2.5 million dollars of repairs after the earthquake.

Bob leads race to become first Auckland SuperCity Mayor

Ah democracy.

Fender Wrote:
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> Bob leads race to become first Auckland SuperCity
> Mayor
>
> Ah democracy.
>

The tyranny of the masses!

You'd be much better off just making me supreme benevolent dictator... trust me.


Alan the Benevolent.

All hail hale Alan the Beni Bena Allan the Good Guy.

ORACLE Wrote:
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> All hail hale Alan the Beni Bena Allan the Good
> Guy.
>

I could make exceptions of course.....

Alan3285 Wrote:
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> ORACLE Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > All hail hale Alan the Beni Bena Allan the Good
> > Guy.
> >
>
> I could make exceptions of course.....
>
>


But I do trust you. I really do. Damn it, shut up knees.

ORACLE Wrote:
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> Alan3285 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ORACLE Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > All hail hale Alan the Beni Bena Allan the
> Good
> > > Guy.
> > >
> >
> > I could make exceptions of course.....
> >
> >
>
>
> But I do trust you. I really do. Damn it, shut up
> knees.
>

I usually find that the easiest way to stop my serf's beloved people's knees from shaking, is if they press down on them by applying the knees to the floor and utilising the weight of the individuals own body above to keep them still.



Have to stop now, mum says I have to wash my hands for dinner


Alan.

Alan3285 Wrote:

> Have to stop now, mum says I have to wash my hands
> for dinner
>
>
> Alan.


LOL

No intention to mislead, says Parker

" Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker admits he may have been mistaken in claiming the city council resisted development on land liable to earthquake damage.

Parker has claimed the council rejected housing schemes on land vulnerable to quakes but developers overturned the decisions in the Environment Court"

Turns out this is not true!


[www.stuff.co.nz]

I love how when this was true it was "WE took it to the environment court" but now it's "this was before I was on the council".

[www.stuff.co.nz]

Quote

About 100 desperate Avonside residents gathered in the earthquake-stricken suburb this morning to demand answers from the city council.

Living without sewerage and unable to bathe or wash their dishes, the frustrated residents aired their concerns about unhealthy living conditions and a lack of information to representatives from the council and a large media presence

Quote

Mayoral candidate and MP Jim Anderton, who was at the rally, took the names of people in Housing New Zealand properties and told them he would personally contact the department.

I've neutralised all my holdings, I can't decide which way this is going, 100 angry people isn't peanuts, and Bob is the figurehead for the council.

That Stuff link from Feender above is priceless. Is Clark still beating Goff in preferred PM?

A Christchurch Star poll of 100 voters had Parker and Anderton neck and neck - Parker at 35, Anderton at 34, some other guy at 1, rest undecided.

Not sure I'd put much confidence in a poll of 100. But there you go.

Now please duly run up the price of Anderton to 50 so I can clear my position.

About +-10 at 95% confidence so almost useless.

Sure. That would put prices to 60/40 though.

Note that I don't believe prices ought to move much, I just want to clear my Anderton position at better prices.

Or 40/60 and folk ought to be clearing out their excess Bob stock.

I don't trust the assumption that bob is the champ because there's an earthquake. It sounds good. But I prefer a bit more evidence.

Straw poll in the lift this morning suggests that Bob is losing ground. It would seem that people are remembering his "99% sure" comment. Maybe his "100% effort" slogan wasn't such a good idea.

Research project idea: compare activity on this stock by location. I suspect those furtherest from CHCH are paying the most for Bob.

Local poll.
At least some people in Chch may disagree with iPredict pricing:
[www.starcanterbury.co.nz]

Vici Wrote:
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> Research project idea: compare activity on this
> stock by location. I suspect those furtherest
> from CHCH are paying the most for Bob.


Interesting observation that may relate to this...
"These prediction markets have a similarity to polling. When their community of voters are similar to the electorate, they act as a deeper polling mechanism. When they try to forecast the decision making processes of dissimilar bodies — Juries, Boards of Directors, or in this instance, corporate management — they stink the joint up."
[www.bullfax.com]

I nearly fell off my chair when I heard TV3 say "we couldn't reach Mayor Bob Parker today". Perhaps he senses that the mood is turning. I wonder how many of his wavering supporters have already returned their papers.

Not too many big sell orders in the market at the moment.

random Wrote:
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> already returned their papers.

Well I returned mine, I cringed as I voted for Anderton, I guess at least it goes to getting him out of Parliament and Bob out of Council.

I just had a horror scenario play through my mind, "Bob Parker for Wigram".

WHAT HAVE I DONE!

sleemanj Wrote:
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> random Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > already returned their papers.
>
> Well I returned mine, I cringed as I voted for
> Anderton, I guess at least it goes to getting him
> out of Parliament and Bob out of Council.
>
> I just had a horror scenario play through my mind,
> "Bob Parker for Wigram".
>
> WHAT HAVE I DONE!


Don't worry, Bob won't stand for Wigram and Jim won't win the Mayoralty. Thankfully,so no harm done.

The only sane vote is for Michael Hansen. Mayor, health board, ward rep. Write his name in if he's not standing in your district.

[www.stuff.co.nz]

Quote

Parker said he would not participate in person in any more mayoral debates. More than six have been cancelled since the earthquake because he was unavailable.

"There are just bigger issues on my plate. I'm willing to pay the price for that," he said.

"If that should cost me the election, then so be it, but I will know I've done all I can in the job that I'm employed to do."

The cynic in me says this is more about not wanting ugly facts brought up in mayoral debates to erode the "good job bob" image he was gifted by the earthquake.

What a martyr.

sleemanj Wrote:
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> [www.stuff.co.nz]
> arker-decides-to-focus-on-recovery-work
>
> Parker said he would not participate in person in
> any more mayoral debates. More than six have been
> cancelled since the earthquake because he was
> unavailable.
>
> "There are just bigger issues on my plate. I'm
> willing to pay the price for that," he said.
>
> "If that should cost me the election, then so be
> it, but I will know I've done all I can in the job
> that I'm employed to do."
>
>
> The cynic in me says this is more about not
> wanting ugly facts brought up in mayoral debates
> to erode the "good job bob" image he was gifted by
> the earthquake.


Just hope the cynic isn't clouding good judgement.

Yes, Bob has played it very well. His abstention from politics is, of course, politics, because it allows him to remove himself from a situation here he was losing and be seen instead in a role he is doing pretty well. Good on him - it was the obvious political move for him and one that would have occurred to him within minutes of the quake (it's only human). I still suspect he will lose by a few points.