Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Wednesday, 25 May 2005, 6:29 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS
LEAD STORY: Scoop Report: Lyndon Hood Considers Whether Peters Needs A Lesson In Speech Writing
Police Swoop On Newmarket Bank After Kidnap Tip-Off
Govt Challenges Blumsky To Stand Up For Public Servants
New Zealand Prisons Overflow Into Police Cells
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Groups Urge Bush Not to Offer Military Assistance to Indonesian President
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Who Was Responsible For Terrorist Attack On Casablanca May 17 2003?
Che Guevara Returns To Bolivia
John Gideon: ES&S Rigs The Voting Technology Market
When The First Ladies Speak Up
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics)
Cullen Says Deferred Tax Cuts Vindicated By OECD
Peters Rolls Out The Tried n True Rhetoric
Govt Releases Working For Families Assistance Details
MORE PARLIAMENTARY HEADLINES:

LEAD STORY:
Scoop Report: Lyndon Hood Considers Whether Peters Needs A Lesson In Speech Writing

I am something of novice reader of parliamentary press releases, but from time to time I see something that I am sure would interest even the most grizzled veteran. For example, I was intrigued to note that Winston Peters had written audience responses… What I feel it lacked was a proper sense of theatre. For one thing, even unprepared audiences are capable of a far larger repertoire of responses than the "Nothing!" and "Yes!" that Peters credits them with. See... Lyndon Hood: On The NZ First Chorus Line [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00314.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00654.htm

Police Swoop On Newmarket Bank After Kidnap Tip-Off

- Four Asian men are assisting Auckland City Police investigating an alleged kidnapping and extortion incident that came to a head at about 9.25 this morning at a Newmarket bank. Two men say they were kidnapped in New Lynn late last night and taken to a city hotel where they were held overnight. They say that this morning they were taken in separate vehicles to two separate banks - a National Bank in Newmarket and an ASB in Otahuhu - and forced to withdraw money. See... Newmarket bank scene of alleged extortion [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0505/S00204.htm

Govt Challenges Blumsky To Stand Up For Public Servants

- Wellington Central Labour MP Marian Hobbs has again challenged National Party candidate Mark Blumsky to state where he stands on his party's plans to slash jobs in the public service. "The people of Wellington Central have a right to know," Marian Hobbs said. "National has said there are too many ‘useless bureaucrats’. That is an insult to hard working and dedicated public servants, who loyally serve the government of the day, whoever they are. As MP for Wellington Central I am proud of the work that public servants are doing." See... Hobbs challenges Blumsky to back public servants [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00658.htm

New Zealand Prisons Overflow Into Police Cells

The numbers of prisoners held in New Zealand prisons has exceeded the number of prison beds available. Department of Corrections Chief Executive Barry Matthews expects the crisis to continue until September-October. He said this morning this situation places pressure on prisons and Police cells. “We have been working closely with Police and the Ministry of Justice to manage the forecast increase in prisoner numbers, and we are grateful for their cooperation,” says Mr Matthews. See... Prisons Overloaded With More Prisoners Than Beds [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0505/S00253.htm

MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0505/S00195.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0505/S00254.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0505/S00375.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0505/S00219.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0505/S00217.htm

Groups Urge Bush Not to Offer Military Assistance to Indonesian President

- May 24 - A wide range of U.S. organizations today urged President Bush not to offer military assistance to Indonesia when he meets President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono tomorrow. The groups further called on Bush to raise concerns about ongoing human rights violations and the failure to bring to justice members of Indonesia's security forces responsible for human rights violations in Timor-Leste and Indonesia. See... Groups Urge Bush Not to Support Indonesia Military [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00390.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00389.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00388.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00385.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00382.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0505/S00377.htm

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Who Was Responsible For Terrorist Attack On Casablanca May 17 2003?

- Two years ago, bombings blasted Casablanca killing 45 people, including the 12 assailants. The targets included a hotel, two restaurants, and a cemetery. Tarek Cherkaoui examines the terror attack and considers who could have carried out this operation. See... Sirocco in the Kingdom of Morocco [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00300.htm

Che Guevara Returns To Bolivia

- In 1967, Che Guevara died at the hands of CIA-backed Bolivian soldiers while attempting to lead a guerrilla struggle in Bolivia. In the small town where his body was uncovered 30 years later, graffiti is scrawled declaring: “Che: Alive as they never wanted you to be.” See... Federico Fuentes: New Uprising In Bolivia [1] MORE: Narconews - A Time of War in Bolivia [2] Narconews - Narconews: A Fast, Dramatic Day in La Paz [3]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00313.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00308.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00305.htm

John Gideon: ES&S Rigs The Voting Technology Market

- Refusing to demo its product to the largest market in the United States, reducing the commission paid to salespeople who sell the product, minimizing publicity about the product's successes, increasing the product price as the size of the contract increases ­ are these marketing techniques designed to take advantage of a business bonanza or are they evidence that ES&S is trying to decide where and whether Americans will be voting on paper? See... Does ES&S Really Want To Sell Automark Machines? [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00311.htm

When The First Ladies Speak Up

- "In the U.S., if there's a terrible report, people don't riot and kill other people. And you can't excuse what they did because of the mistake - you know, you can't blame it all on Newsweek," said Laura Bush at the start of her trip to prop up the world's sagging opinion of America.What can you say about so uninformed a statement? Could it just be dishonest? We all know the Newsweek story was not a rumor. See... John Chuckman: It Runs In The Family [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00306.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00312.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00310.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00309.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00307.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00304.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0505/S00303.htm

Cullen Says Deferred Tax Cuts Vindicated By OECD

- Finance Minister Michael Cullen has welcomed the latest OECD Economic Outlook on the New Zealand economy saying it brought a “refreshing dose of reality” into the tax debate. “The OECD could not be clearer. Any additional fiscal stimulus beyond that already planned could put the projected soft landing at risk and would need to be offset by higher interest rates in order to bring the economy back onto a sustainable growth path. See... OECD could not be clearer [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00645.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00647.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00650.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00656.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00657.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00653.htm

Peters Rolls Out The Tried n True Rhetoric

- Leadership is the missing factor in this country and leadership failure has unfortunately cancelled out all our other advantages such as our productive land and sea and our ingenious people. You may have seen a story in yesterday’s New Zealand Herald which illustrates both my point about this country’s lack of leadership, and my concern about the standard of journalism. See... Peters Speech: “What Makes a Leader?” [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00654.htm

Govt Releases Working For Families Assistance Details

Around 200,000 families are already receiving extra help as a result of the 1 April Working for Families increases in family income assistance, Social Development and Employment Minister Steve Maharey said. See... Working for Families uptake figures released [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00641.htm

MORE PARLIAMENTARY HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00643.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00640.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00648.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00655.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00652.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00649.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00644.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00651.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0505/S00642.htm

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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