Hard News: The Creepy Party
287 Responses
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The effect of unintended consequences : bringing Roger Douglas back into the public eye and into the news!
Make it stop! I'll be good! Please make it stop!
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Yes, 23 out of 24 people hate ACT and want them gone. It's the one other person who keeps them in, though. That's why I'd be surprised if this means political oblivion. Muldoon was a shocking bully too. Some people see that as "a firm hand".
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Maybe people might see the argument for thresholds here - 1/25th of the country gets two ministers and any crazy legislation supported to select committee.
Personally, I'm tending to a 3% threshold and no coat-tailing.
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On a different note, these two recent posts on Crooked Timber have some thoughtful observations on why libertarians don't tend to do the whole "collective responsibility" thing very well. And some truly disturbing comments from offended libertarians that tend to underline the main points.
I've mentioned it before, but I can think of about one place in the world where libertarianism has been practiced wholesale - Somalia.
I was originally going to count Hong Kong, since I've heard card-carrying libertarians pointing to it as a model to follow. Apparently it's libertarian in theory only.
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I think (hope) there's a substantial group of National voters who don't like NACT at all, and never have.
Who do you think the soothing pre-election noises from National about not having an Act-like agenda were for? It's convenient having right wing nutters to point to when you want the same as them but have told everyone you're not like that. Especially your loyal voters who'd rather not believe they're signing their name to such lunacy - or they would have voted for Act instead, wouldn't they?
Mask slipping somewhat as preparations for privatisation continue alongside quietly massive restructuring in Health and other areas despite public reassurances that wasn't on the cards (and is still 'not happening' if you listen to Ministers).
Shame is, we don't get to have the public conversation about which parts of that agenda are good and bad ideas for the country, regardless of who's in charge. Perhaps that's what the next election campaign is meant to be a substitute for?
Meanwhile, sombre parliamentary accountability reigns.
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Vodafone.
Grrr.
Not even webmail.
Grrrr. Grrrr. Grrrr.</vent>
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I think the problem is that ACT consists primarily of three factions- one is the prehensile populists, like Hide, Boscawen and Garrett, who will do or say anything to get re-elected. Another is the hardline New Right advocates of fiscal responsibility, namely Heather Roy and Sir Roger Douglas, who want ACT to return to their core values. The third and final one are the neoconservative rent a bigots, like the thankfully exiled Mad Moo Newman and Stephen (Nosferatu) Franks, who seemed determined to alienate centre-right social liberals from the party while they were in Parliament. Faction three has been knocked out- so factions one and two are vying for the party, and tearing it apart...
Craig Y
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And let's face it. All it would take would be a National Party that decides to stand someone normal and liberal in Epsom in 2011 and ACT would be Mad Dog Tucker...
Craig Y ;)
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Potted plant would do a good job - but not a bonobo. Waaayy too smart to go near such a mess-
But ACT caucus meetings would be a lot more interesting with a bonobo chair (and Craig's descriptions would be a lot more literal)
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I'm sorry. I meant no ill-will to aficionados of classic early German cinema by comparing Stephen Franks to Nosferatu, even if the resemblance is undeniable.
Craig Y
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I/S - hmm, I hadnt factored in bonobo 'anthing/everyone/anytime action' propensities & skills...
And -as another extremely disgruntled Vodafone customer - anybody got any suggestions for an laternative ISP? Other locals use Orcon & Telstra Clear...
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Vodafone.
Grrr.
Not even webmail.
Grrrr. Grrrr. Grrrr.
</vent>
Their entire Storage Area Network -- including email servers and 10,000 hosted websites -- is now out, and may not be back online for another day.
Just imagine being a business customer with them and losing both your email services and your business website.
There's currently a minimum two-hour response time from their business phone support.
It's completely and utterly appalling.
Hopefully my DNS changes will propagate quickly and I'll be safely on Google Apps with 24 hours.
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I am getting responses now that look as though I can connect to the mail server and webmail. But nothing coming through yet.
Russ, are you using Google Apps for email and hosting? You still need a NZ ISP (and backup?) to connect though don't you?
And did you look at whether the Apps T&C allow them to datamine the way they do with Gmail etc?
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"anybody got any suggestions for an laternative ISP?"
I find Orcon's deals the best and not having to sign up for a contract (which really F##ks me off about Vdfn and Tcom). But their customer service is usually pretty/very ordinary, especially if you're not on an unbundled box with their gear in it.
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I've been with Orcon Broadband in suburban Green Bay, Auckland for nearly six months... may not directly compare to rural South Island? :)
But, while the connection speed is not brilliant (1.4-1.6 Mbps), they have responded to my queries and rescinded disputed charges promptly and without argument.
Also, while my connection speed is low... torrents actually come down significantly quicker than a colleague who has a Telecom connection rated five time faster. (presumably filtering/shaping?)
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Suspect that you're right FletcherB! On the other hand, we've had a fibre optic cable in here for 6 years. I note that my neighbour (on Orcon) has had no problems whatsoever over the past week...hmmm.
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On an older topic, Radio NZ reports that the tenders are now being called (three months after the Budget) for the Pacific Economic Development Agency Ltd funding.
Richard Pamatatau calls it a U-turn. Well done that man.
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I like Orcon too. Have found the phone help good, but that was a long time ago.
And fast? It varies considerably. But we are at the end of a lot of rural copper, and considering that, it can be blazing fast on occasion. -
Since we don't yet have a dedicated thread for free-for-all Friday, I hope I can be forgiven for drawing PAS' attention to another piece of all-out creepiness: the Coastal Coalition, brought to you in part by Iwi/Kiwi "mastermind" John Ansell.
The official campaign website includes contributions from luminaries such as ACT's Muriel Newman, Michael Coote, and sadly but not altogether surprisingly Chris Trotter.
Heard about it first from Danyl McLauchlan, and there's now excellent comment up from Reading the Maps and The Press' Tahu Potiki.
In summary: ick.
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And back on topic, another piece from John Ansell on the Hide/Roy issue here. Highlights:
Rodney is no bully. He may look like Benito Mussolini, but in private he barely raises his voice. I once delivered a speech to him seconds before he was due to deliver it on TV. He just laughed and read it sight unseen. No one could tell. Anyone else would have deservedly flayed me alive. But he trusted me to reflect his brief. That’s the thing: Rodney trusts those who give him their best.
Heather can hardly complain about her dumping. It was she who actively shafted the much more competent and visible Muriel Newman – despite being voted only the 7th best MP by the members! God knows what that Board were thinking in placing her above so many talented people.
Heather’s loyalty to the ACT brand can best be seen by one glimpse of her personal website http://www.roy.org.nz/. You will note that it’s green, with no mention anywhere on the home page of the party that gave her its number 2 ranking. Can you imagine how hard it was for me trying to develop a consistent brand with that kind of thinking going on?
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"Clowns to the left of me, racists to the right" said frogblog last night.
Will we start to talk about "Going Coastal" here in NZ as code for vileness? -
It was she who actively shafted the much more competent and visible Muriel Newman
Is it even possible to be less competent than Muriel Newman?
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Muriel Newman's latest tin-foil hattery was that the Chinese beat the Maori first to NZ, therefore NZ was terra nullius.
John Ansell and Hone Harawira are but flip sides of the same coin. A coin that simply isn't legal tender in NZ.
The keywords cited by Reading the Maps are 'honorary whites' - a term that originated in apartheid-era South Africa.
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Late again. Does anyone have a break down of the advice Heather Roy has been getting?
Lines like "we're talking about the speed the titanic is sinking" (or words to that effect) make Heather (& her advisor) out to be a big govt spender. - I like.
This sale of "excess" Lavs is the logic Mapp is known and loathed for. When it comes to Lavs, redundancy is a must. They might get shot or bogged down and so a spare is needed.
I suspect it is more of the Strike Force vs Lavs & Radios (Air Farce vs Army) battle for power/money.
The total destruction of ACT is a bonus, but what is happening with our Defense Force?
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It was she who actively shafted the much more competent and visible Muriel Newman
Is it even possible to be less competent than Muriel Newman?
That's hilarious. Whatever slim grip Ansell had on reality appears to have completely deserted him now.
Did I mention he's also a vociferous climate denier?
Rule of thumb: if John Ansell thinks something is black, it will in terms of objective reality actually be white. Etc.
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