Agreed. Then we wouldn’t get more shit like this,

Audrey Young, proudly bought to you on behalf of the National Party:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11850959

When Audrey( I love John Key) makes comment:

“This week Jonathan Coleman’s pre-Budget speech was titled the “social investment approach to mental health”, on the basis that early intervention is important and he is promising more funding for it.”

it appears Young actually believes that shit! How about saying “election year health bribe by J.C., too little, too bloody late”.

National know the shit fight they’re in for this year and this whole social investment diatribe being promoted by Young and her ilk really is repulsive. Her writing is like some love scene script out of Shortland Street, hardly any critical thinking involved there.

In many ways, New Zealand has made a rod for it’s own back buy permitting two giant media-companies to arise, swallowing up one newspaper and radio station after another. With the proposed merger, we would’ve seen a near-monopoly situation arise with only a few independent metropolitan papers (Wairarapa Times-Age and Otago Daily Times); two TV networks; and Radio NZ.

How long before TV3/Mediaworks would’ve been swallowed up by this near mega-media corporation? And once TVNZ is privatised…

If the advocates of the free market think that the merger of NZME and Fairfax would be “good for competition”, it shows the shallowness of understanding of their own ideology.

Imagine if the State wanted to buy up NZME and Fairfax and merge them with TVNZ into a state-owned media conglomerate. The neo-libs would be howling with mouth-frothing rage.

(Actually, let’s do it, as an experiment, just to see if I’m right…)

As with the two supermarket chains (Foodstuffs, and Progressive Enterprises) that have all but created a duopoly in this country, permitting mergers and takeovers is never a good idea. Not from a social perspective. And not from a free market perspective.

NZME and Fairfax have options. I have a few ideas how they could operate more effectively, without shedding staff, and making their on-line presence more profitable, but, well, fuggit, I’m not about to become an unpaid consultant for them. They’re the bright-eyed businessmen and women with ‘bigly’ salaries; let them figure it out.