By: Larry Williams | Tuesday, August 14, 2012 5:54 PM

Valerie Adams

The fact that the Belarussian Nadzeya Ostapchuk tested positive for drugs doesn't actually come as much of a surprise.

We raised the question several times on this programme last week.

Phil Gifford hinted after the event that there was most likely to be doping involved. Phil knew, he's writing a book on Valerie Adams - he was in touch, he had the inside word.

Pam Corkery said when the 'semen test' came back it would all be sorted. How prophetic was that? Ostapchuk was found to have a long-acting anabolic steroid, which boosts cellular tissue in muscles and stimulates male characteristics.

You just had to look at her, or is that a he?

Tony Johnson labelled Ostapchuk a cheat on Friday and I have to tell you the email traffic went ballistic. Most of it claiming TJ was a poor loser.

Well, the fact is that everything pointed to a drug cheat and so it was.

Well done Valerie Adams.

 

MMP

The response to the proposed changes to MMP has been predictable.

Self-interest has ruled.

All of the political parties, especially the minor parties are interested in only one thing -survival.

They talk about democracy and what's fair, but it’s really what is in it for them.

Turkeys don't vote for an early Christmas so you can understand the ACT and United Future response.

However, on balance I think abolishing the one seat threshold and lowering the threshold to four percent is reasonable.

Certainly winning an electorate seat and then bringing a bunch on MPs in on the coat tails means the system is open to manipulation.

 

Meridian

The Meridian result announced yesterday was not flash - profit down 52 percent thanks to a record low rainfall.

Meridian is also in renegotiation of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter contract meaning even lower profits.

This is an example of the caution required when buying shares in any company. Profits go up and they go down.

No doubt Mighty River Power will report a pretty good result at the end of the month ahead of the IPO. But Mighty River Power is also impacted by weather. So it’s no slam dunk. It might be a reasonable investment but it’s still a risk.

The other notable feature about Meridian is their next new power development in Australia. This point has been lost in the anti SOE sales. The fact that our SOEs invest offshore.

If Labour and the Greens were consistent, which they are not, but if they were they would ban our SOEs investing and buying up assets offshore.

Their stance shows the absurdity of their position.