Paula Bennett

Paula Bennett has confirmed that there are less bludgers taking from the taxpayer…29,000 less bludgers.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said there were now 29,000 fewer New Zealanders receiving benefits since the last quarter, the lowest number of beneficiaries at this time of year since 2009.

She said more than 17,600 people went off the unemployment, domestic purposes and sickness benefits and into work in the last quarter.

There are now 310,146 people on benefits, including 92,550 sole parents on DPB, 58,208 on sickness benefits and 48,756 on unemployment benefits.  Read more »

The left wing doesn’t want people off welfare, they want them indentured like slaves to welfare. But getting off welfare removes the shackles and once off people realise that life is a whole lot better for them.

Jamie le Bas is one such example:

Solo father Jamie le Bas has the odds stacked against him.

The 22-year-old, from Palmerston North, left school at 14 and had his first child at 16, when he went on the dole. He now has four children and cares for the eldest, Jasmine, after her mother, his ex-partner, was diagnosed with post-natal depression.

Under the Government’s last round of welfare reforms, he had to return to work when Jasmine turned 5 years old.

“I was still studying two days, and then four days working,” he said. “It is difficult. You miss them, the kids.”

But Mr le Bas and his daughter have thrived since he re-entered the workforce as a mechanic. He has jumped up several pay grades and improved his literacy.   Read more »

The Herald has lost the plot.

When did raising orphan lambs to send to works once fattened up become “eating your pets?” May as well rename her Alice Cooper.

Typical urban dwellers who have no idea of reality.

Paula Bennett ate her pets, and critics say she has taken a similar hardline stance on welfare: ow.ly/jUpRQ

— nzherald (@nzherald) April 9, 2013

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Batman has been busy in the UK

via BBC

A man dressed as the caped crusader Batman has handed over a wanted man at a Bradford police station before disappearing into the night.

Police said the costumed crime-fighter marched the 27-year-old man into Trafalgar House Police Station, in the early hours of 25 February.

The man was charged with handling stolen goods and fraud offences.

Police said: “The person who brought the man in was dressed in a full Batman outfit. His identity remains unknown.”

We need our own super hero.   Read more »

I don’t know what they’ve got in the water in Dunedin, but this is just sick

The Otago Daily Times reports:

Want to do lunch? Well, who would you most like to have it with?

…

Politicians featured as the most undesirable lunch companions. Mr Key, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English, Justice Minister Judith Collins and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett all got the cold shoulder in Dunedin.

That’s not completely surprising I guess.  However:   Read more »

We started our Saturday by paying our respects to Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., the hard-charging US Army general whose forces smashed the Iraqi army in the 1991 Gulf War.  He died aged 78.  At The Standard 2012 Worst Political Blog Mike Smith is told some home truths about long term grass-roots Labour families heading for the Greens.  A quick vid on how to put out a boat fire the Kiwi way is next, followed by a vote for Best Minister.  The winner, at 52%, is Judith Collins.  The Whale Week That Was summarised all the stories this blog covered in the previous seven days.  A quite active Saturday Debate (for the time of year especially) led a post calling for nominations for Best Political Blog.  Those who see WOBH as any sort of threat to them (and those that don’t too), should take heed of this Malcolm Tucker quote: “marshal all the media forces of Darkness to hound them to an assisted suicide”.  A CNN piece showing Teachers in Utah taking a class on gun use shows some common sense around the gun debate.  A reader has taken yesterday’s US Fiscal Cliff graphic and created one for New Zealand – great work.  As Cameron Slater predicted from the outset, the Aussie Hoax DJs will not face charges.  The NZ Herald continues to amuse – this time a car crashed into a poll.  The blog then introduces us to two sexy taxidermists showing you don’t have to look like a front row forward to deal with dead animals.  And you’d think we’re picking on an incompetent NZ Herald, and you would be right.  This time they have Jesse Ryder beating himself at Eden Park in Wellington.  Then a hilarious story about a Queensland woman who fell into the longdrop and was there for two hours before being discovered by her husband.   Turns out that during the Falklands War the French tried to send missiles to Argentinia behind Margaret Thatcher‘s back.  Commerce first eh?  The last post of the day highlights a report of a man holding up a Countdown Supermarket with a hammer.  Our readers get fired up about the idea of hammer banning.

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The Lake Superior State University has completed their list of banned words for 2013.

I’d like to add one that has been creeping into our own vocabulary and vernacular, mainly by bureaucrats and politicians.

“Wraparound” – It is supposed to mean all encompassing and is usually attached to some sort of benefit and womble support services delivered out of the vote welfare.

Paula Bennett is one of the worst users of this bullshit pollie speak.

The Lake Superior list though is pretty good too:

Check out the list, below, followed by select comments from nominators:

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As reported earlier, 2500 bikers took a cruise and had a great time.

We were looking through some of the photographs and spotted something interesting!

Anyone know where Paula Bennett has been holidaying?

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The nominations ar in and now for the voting.

Steven Joyce - minister of the newly formed MoBIE and the minister most other ministers fear. His sledging is legendary, and his capacity for work also is the stuff of legends. I prefer to label him the Bill Birch of this government. I have never seen a minister with a bigger set of carry on luggage as Steven Joyce.

Gerry Brownlee – Michael describes Gerry’s contributions particularly well:

I’m tempted to suggest Big Gerry get into the finals. Not that he’s better than the other Ministers listed but that he keeps telling Len Brown that Auckland needs roads not rail, that the only opposition to the Earthquake Recovery plans seem to be an anti-Government protest group made up of the usual Union and Labour suspects, and that the only mark against him is the new petrol taxes announced last week.

Personally, I think he’s a prick but respect what he has done this year.

Judith Collins – wiltinpenis comments:

Judith, our next Prime Minister, hands down. I contemplated changing my pseudonym after she smiled at me the other day.

Bunswalla adds:

Crusher Collins has to get my vote. She’s been extremely sure-footed and confident, not afraid to take Mallard and Little to the brink and forcing them to back down. She’s sorted out ACC and is giving good service to the Police. And of course she’s smacked down all-comers in the chamber, and the opposition think twice before trying to take her on. Balls of steel.

Tony Ryall – williamabong must know Tony very well:

Ryall would have been a definite sitter for the award but for one little problem, he’s a 24 ct sneaky cunt.

unitedtribes adds:

I go with Tony Ryall, He always sounds so right for the job. One of those guys when he speaks on any subject you just got to believe him. One the other hand JC lets you believe if you dare doubt her your in the shit.

Paula Bennett – Dave says:

For me the best, Collins and Bennett, not a single blow from the opposition has landed, and they both have done a sterling job.

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Despite the disasters of Hekia Parata, who single-handedly undid all the good work Anne Tolley did in Education in smashing up the teacher unions there were some ministers who did a good job.

Some of course were invisible, but often that is a good thing.

Those more prominent include John Key of course…who continues his chart topping popularity with barely a dent despite the best efforts of his underlings to cause upset.

Any best minister award should have Tony Ryall on it, if only because there have have been no health scandals in 4 years on his watch. Normally getting picked for health minister is the equivalent of having the bone pointed at you. The only job worse is education minister…but lucky for others Hekia Parata actually lobbied for that job.

Judith Collins moved from Corrections and Police where she sorted out both the chief executives of Corrections and the commissioner of Police, managing and organising their departures. Her new job as ACC and Justice minister was met with the manufactured stand over of Pullar and Boag, aided and abetted by John Judge and his sneaky backroom whisperings. Judge clearly isn’t a scholar of history because if he was he would have pulled his head in rather than have it chopped off…which is ultimately what happened, along with half the board. Despite the whining of Labour about the calamity that would befall ACC with all their flunkies on the board being axed nothing of the sort eventuated. And so to Justice, where Collins has had to deal with an activist ex-judge hell-bent on telling Joe Karam’s version events with regard to the Bain case. Again she acted forcefully and without hesitation. Leaving only the worst reforms of Simon Power to be unpicked.

Surely too we need to include Steven Joyce, minister of the newly formed MoBIE and the minister most other ministers fear. His sledging is legendary, and his capacity for work also is the stuff of legends. I prefer to label him the Bill Birch of this government. I have never seen a minister with a bigger set of carry on luggage as Steven Joyce.

Paula Bennett must be a nominee too, if only for the best sledge of the year with her now famous “Zip it Sweetie“, pouring the lack lustre Jacinda Ardern back into her bottle. Despite the best attempts of a pathetic Labour front bench not a single blow was landed on Paula.

What other ministers have made their mark in a positive way this year. Check the full list of ministers and see if you can come up with any other nominees.