“Who the hell is NZUSA to criticise the Government’s new Bright Future programme?” is the response from Victoria University Young Nationals spokesman Philip Rennie to NZUSA’s bizarre criticisms.

“Out of seven universities, the New Zealand Universities Students Association has only three full financial members. They are undemocratic and have absolutely no mandate to speak for students.

“Their criticism of the Government’s innovative new strategy is entirely based on ideology and politics. Professional protesters like Karen Skinner would rather scream about APEC and third world debt than accept extra money from a National Government,” said Mr Rennie.

“Young Nationals don’t claim to speak for all students, but we are thrilled at the initiatives announced yesterday. It is great to see that academic achievers will gain more recognition and support, and be encouraged to stay in New Zealand.

“Unlike the Labour/Alliance bloc’s promises of taxes and handouts,
this strategy is about helping people and businesses to prosper with the right help and support.

“I am pleased that some academics are worried about the planned tertiary review. Hopefully they will be forced to justify the large number of over-priced, politically correct courses that are offered to students” concluded Mr Rennie.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>