Libertarianz Deputy Leader Dr Richard McGrath has a simple prescription for resolving the Lotteries Commission fiasco. "Sack Geoff Thompson, and disband the monopoly," he says. "It is not the job of politicians to run charities. Mr Thompson, a former National Party president, is now on an SOE-funded junket to Norway. He should be recalled immediately and asked to wind up the Lotteries Commission so it can be privatised."

"It is disturbing to note the regular appearance of former political time servers on these bizarre committees, councils and commissions," said McGrath. "The only job creation our politicians appear to be good at is creating jobs for their chums, and always at the taxpayers' expense. This is just another symptom of the utter moral depravity of our elected representatives."

Dr McGrath suggests that all MPs undergo addiction counselling when they leave politics. "This will help them to adjust to a life that is not sustained by living off the looted wealth of others. It is ironic that Mr Thompson is the chairman of a gambling organisation, when he and many of his cronies are still hopelessly hooked on stolen goodies from Nanny State."

ENDS

© 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>>