Hard News: Dirty Politics
2449 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 … 16 17 18 19 20 … 98 Newer→ Last
-
JLM, in reply to
Email Twitter
Thank you, that's it. Another middle of the night thought that came to me is to wonder how many journalists and general media people are supporting the anti-Hager push because they are compromised in the same way that Slater, Lush and Carrick Graham enable.
Like others I find it distressing to read about such hatred, it always makes me think of ee cummings and "hate is why men breathe". That was in a poem in memory of his father, so here's a bit of it in memory of Jack Shallcrass, another good man.
then let men kill which cannot share,
let blood and flesh be mud and mire,
scheming imagine,passion willed,
freedom a drug that’s bought and soldgiving to steal and cruel kind,
a heart to fear,to doubt a mind,
to differ a disease of same,
conform the pinnacle of amthough dull were all we taste as bright,
bitter all utterly things sweet,
maggoty minus and dumb death
all we inherit,all bequeathand nothing quite so least as truth
—i say though hate were why men breathe—
because my Father lived his soul
love is the whole and more than all -
And on TV3's "The Nation", Cameron Slater accidentally incriminates Judith Collins, confirming her "leak" and contradicting her earlier denials.
That's the lead story, right there.
-
Cecelia, in reply to
Email
Thanks for the poem. Comforting after finishing the book.
Trying not to hate the perpetrators who seem to detest most of their fellow NZers.
-
In a weird way, I feel sorry for them. How exactly does someone like Slater or Odgers end up such an angry, toxic person? At what point do you lose your empathy, and stop seeing the people and only see the politics? It's sad.
-
It's not even politics, it's pure us vs them, which has a long and dishonourable history. Person x is on the other team (whether that's within the nats or outside) and is therefore scum and not worthy of any respect whatsoever.
One hateful team pretty much inevitably gives rise to its opposite, and it's hard not to respond to it all by picking up a pitchfork and wading in. Hager's done a masterful job of keeping a tone of measured disapproval throughout the book. I think he's right in that the whole thing poisons the well, and makes politics only possible for those with the spoons to engage on that level, turning off the majority of us who don't think calling people c****s etc is acceptable political discourse. But how else do you shut it down? I don't have an answer.
-
It's a bit apocalyptic, but this is nicely put:
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity. -
Kumara Republic, in reply to
In a weird way, I feel sorry for them. How exactly does someone like Slater or Odgers end up such an angry, toxic person? At what point do you lose your empathy, and stop seeing the people and only see the politics? It’s sad.
Narcissism and entitlement are likely factors. In the case of Slater, he's slipped a few rungs on the social ladder and scapegoats the reds/greens/blacks/browns/pinks/ (__insert sterotypical political colour here) for holding him back.
-
Scott Yorke nails it nicely.
Cameron Slater is the real victim -
Tom Semmens, in reply to
I see Slater is going into his grab bag of diversions he deploys when he is feeling the heat and claiming he has had death threats. Poor widdle Cam, he is the real victim here!
-
Email
Any one with a hard copy out there…
Can you tell me what the cover illustration is of?I’ve been squinting and turning and twisting…
best I can come up with is that this is showing deterioration caused by toxic elements, rust, oxidation, corrosion…
…though there were moments when I saw a close-up of the grassy knoll shooter, with a host of Lou Reeds in the top right corner – or the Turin Shroud – and that can’t be right! -
Alfie, in reply to
I see Slater is going into his grab bag of diversions he deploys when he is feeling the heat and claiming he has had death threats.
And as a bonus diversionary tactic, why not pin the "torrent of death threats" on Nicky Hager.
He believed Hager would not take responsibility for those threats
-
Email Web
OK, did I hear Slater correctly on the radio just now .... not only did he take Labour party membership information, but he stole credit card data too?
-
Alfie, in reply to
Can you tell me what the cover illustration is of?
I don't have a hard copy yet but it appears to be a generic background image.
http://www.tworoadsbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Book-club-background5-copy.jpg
-
The Herald, in the shell of the nut ...
"Slater receives death threats", but ...
"Hager claims" ...
-
Email Web
The thing of course is that IF Slater is receiving death threats it's because of his actions, the fact that Hager has made those actions public if neither here nor there.
Coming from the National right being personally responsible for your own actions is a big part of the ethos, Slater had better get with the program and stop tryin to blame others for hos own mistakes
-
william blake, in reply to
Ian, it's paint flaking off an institutionally painted wall. But I enjoy the host of Lou Reeds in the top corner, (I think Lou used to quote the ," best lack all conviction" in his concerts)
-
nzlemming, in reply to
Email Twitter
Any one with a hard copy out there…
Can you tell me what the cover illustration is of?I think it's moldy paint peeling on a concrete wall, although I too though of Lou Reed when I got my copy.
-
John Armstrong has written a surprisingly well-balanced piece in today's Herald.
-
nzlemming, in reply to
Email Twitter
I don’t have a hard copy yet but it appears to be a generic background image.
So it is. Google images is a wonderful tool. And Potton is once again unimaginative [sigh]
-
nzlemming, in reply to
Email Twitter
And on TV3’s “The Nation”, Cameron Slater accidentally incriminates Judith Collins, confirming her “leak” and contradicting her earlier denials.
That’s the lead story, right there.
The Herald article says:
Ms Collins yesterday confirmed she had given Mr Pleasants' name to Slater.
"What I was asked for was the name and the title of the guy and that's publicly available and I've simply given him that," she told NewstalkZB.
Nation isn't available yet, so what did Slater say that contradicted that?
-
nzlemming, in reply to
Email Twitter
John Armstrong has written a surprisingly well-balanced piece in today’s Herald.
Somebody must be dosing his feed...
-
ScottY, in reply to
Nation isn’t available yet, so what did Slater say that contradicted that?
The interview is here.
-
nzlemming, in reply to
Email Twitter
The interview is here.
Thank you, Scott. Yer a gent.
-
Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Email
So it is.
Google images is a wonderful tool.
And Potton is once again unimaginative [sigh]I couldn't make Google image work that way, had to use tineye. to find it here. *
What's more it's a foreign photo
of a foreign distressed wall!What about work for our local walls?
Stand up for the Great Kiwi Divide!* as did Alfie, earlier...
-
Bruce Ward, in reply to
Email
John Armstrong has written a surprisingly well-balanced piece in today’s Herald.
Somebody must be dosing his feed...
No, No. Someone is too busy claiming "Nothing to see here. Move along" to continue dosing his feed!
Post your response…
You may also create an account or retrieve your password.