It's Mine!

Writing as a well-established pinko-liberal-bleedingheart-socialist-weenie, I'm actually not totally opposed to the whole idea of mining on the conservation estate. I need to know a hell of a lot more about it before deciding in favour, mind you. So far it's all been rhetoric and hot air, and "let's run this up the flag-pole and see if Hone Heke cuts the bastard down".
The whole thing about Great Barrier Island is obviously bullshit and bluff. And the Nats will give way on it, and make everyone feel as if they've accomplished something, so the mining will go ahead elsewhere. Of course, the problem is that they were never going to allow mining on G.B.I. Remember what the cynical bunch of bastards did with the ACC levy on motorcyclists? they got away with it then, they're trying it again.
What I want to know is this: how much pressure is the government under from the people who are lending us $250,000,000 each and every week? that amount of money may be chump change to the Americans, but it's still serious dosh... and the people who have are going to be ladelling it out to grinning bill English with a few conditions attached... and possibly a few questions.
Like: "How ya going to pay this back, Billy-boy? We know you have a nice little farmlet down on the South Island, but that won't do it. What's that you say? $200 billion in minerals, gold, silver rare earths? Then dig 'em out, Bill."
Listening to: "Rhapsody in Blue" Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Reading: Stephen Hunter's latest, "iSniper". S. Hunter is one of my all-time favourite writers, and i compare him favourably with hemingway for his muscular prose.
Word of the Day: Macca. Yep. Had a McDinner. Lime McDonald's milkshake. Yum!
About to Watch: Tommy Lee Jones in "In The Electric Mist", from the james Lee Burke novel of almost the same name. Have to wait until Coronation Bloody Street finishes.