Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Mood

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  • Idiot Savant,

    It's one thing to ride on a wave of unfocused anger -- some of it from people who seem to think the government should be able to protect from every insult, even the imagined ones -- and another to find the place is ungovernable when it's your turn.

    Jim Bolger was smart enough to understand that. But is John Key (or Murray McCully)? And more importantly, does he care?

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    In truth, we don't know whether, or to what extent, the unusual public mood is a product of anyone's spin, let alone (as Laugesen admits) Crosby/Textor's.

    But Lees-Marshment notes that the Crosby/Textor political marketing style "can be so simple, and so powerful, that it can stir up fears without offering any solutions. Do too much of that, she says, and you are well on the way to stirring up political disillusionment and disengagement."

    Wait a mo', let's not divert this into throwing a Crosby/Textor straw man onto a fire and pretending everything is going to be OK. I'd really like to see a front page editorial by Cate Brett admitting that her own paper has more than a little shit on its hands when it comes to stirring up "disillusionment and disengagement". Not because its a tool of the Liarbore Dykeocracy or Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (Media Division). But why? Because there's an assumption that readers are retarded ADHD sufferers who can't handle anything more complicated than simple parables of good vs. evil? That she simply doesn't have qualified staff and resources to do any better? WHAT?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    . But is John Key (or Murray McCully)? And more importantly, does he care?

    After seeing who voted for the Criminal Procedure Bill, I wonder if anyone cares. But I guess that doesn't quite fit this particular storyline.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Jim Bolger was smart enough to understand that.

    You know, I wrote that without even thinking of Bolger's famous quote. But yes, he did understand that.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    Why would you think Mr Low is bullshitting over Triads.

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    Do too much of that, she says, and you are well on the way to stirring up political disillusionment and disengagement."

    But supposing you only cared about getting elected - or were only paid to think about getting elected... tradition suggests that the people who disengage are the ones who would have voted on the left. Double win!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • Steve Withers,

    What I find interesting is that so many people are suckers for the 'treatment" Crosby / Textor has been dishing out.

    Particularly in the media. You'd think journalists would be insulated from the policy-free appeals to fear and prejudice.....unless of course, they are in on it.

    BOTH the Herald and the Fairfax newspapers (Stuff) simultaneously jumped (erroneously) to the defence of dimmer switches when the Government announced phasing out incandescent bulbs and saving 20% of all residential power use.

    Sometimes you just have to accept the fix is in......

    Auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 312 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    From the Your views (Zara Someone)

    Now, while bringing back the death penalty is not going to reduce crime, it will certainly get rid of some of the scumbags who live off our tax system in our luxurious jails getting a free ride at our expense

    Next thing, HNZC will be holding their executive retreats at Mt Eden! Some people have no idea.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Raybon Kan is hilarious:

    Red Dragon Death To Your Door, that's a name for vigilantes. AAG? AAG sounds like a finance company.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • John Morrison,

    Jim Bolger was smart enough to understand that.

    You know, I wrote that without even thinking of Bolger's famous quote. But yes, he did understand that

    Sorry guys, but I cannot think of that quote - could you please pass it on? Ta

    Cromwell • Since Nov 2006 • 85 posts Report

  • Idiot Savant,

    After seeing who voted for the Criminal Procedure Bill, I wonder if anyone cares.

    And we're going to get extra helpings of the same fear and resentment when the Immigration and Criminal Proceeds bills come back at the end of the month.

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    From Raybon Kan:

    I like the fact a university is going into South Auckland. That should have some effect, on role modelling and aspirations at least.

    Yeah. Right. The university fdown the road from me just seems to turn out gangs of drunken students destroying letterboxes & throwing wheelie bins of viaducts (twice) in the middle of the night.

    :)

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    Ok, so these are some of the things that The People Who Have Had A Gutsful will expect National to fix if they get elected:

    - petrol prices
    - food prices (especially cheese)
    - leaky homes
    - taggers
    - truckers road usage fees
    - crime in South Auckland
    - ineffectual police

    It should be easy to fix all these problems because they've obviously only happened because Labour has been spending too much money on government department work training sessions at luxury resorts, the dole and the war on drugs.

    So National can pass a few acts in their first month in government and sort this out, and then every thing will be sweet! :D

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Paul Williams,

    I do miss Richard Griffin's insight (as reported by the SST):

    I think Key's personality will probably win them the election, and they'd be foolish to go past that

    By this analysis, Jude Dobson should be PM having succeed Judy Bailey. Of course he's got a point but surely there's an end in sight to the endless "ambitions" and the beginings of some coherent alternative plans?

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    So National can pass a few acts in their first month in government and sort this out, and then every thing will be sweet! :D

    First off - get Chow Yun Fat on the line.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Lucy Stewart,

    Yeah. Right. The university fdown the road from me just seems to turn out gangs of drunken students destroying letterboxes & throwing wheelie bins of viaducts (twice) in the middle of the night.

    Hah. My university produces students who bash in fellow students' letterboxes. That's gotta be against the code of conduct.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    most New Zealanders seemed to treat it like a Telethon

    Has there been a statistically reliable study to show that "most" NZers supported the truckies' actions? A couple of opt-in phone polls and anecdotal evidence of people lining up and cheering doesn't prove widespread support: most of us who thought the "protesters" were a bunch of truckwits wouldn't have bothered lining the streets to counter-protest, since we were busy getting on with our lives.

    And is Peter Low just an actor paid to make Garth McVicar look sane by comparison?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • simon g,

    What's generally forgotten in so much of this "mood for a change" commentary, is how quickly public opinion turned against National after the 1990 election. People didn't get the change they wanted, they got more of the same, and worse.

    Whereas Clark in 1999 prepared the way for her 2002 re-election, and the mood never went sour in her first term. In short: signalled change versus imagined change.

    The difference? The electoral system. If National continue as they have done, raising hopes that can't be met, they will soon be as unpopular as Bolger/Richardson in 92/93, and MMP will mean a one-term government. I think it's a dumb strategy (when do you argue for what you believe, if not at 50% in the polls?), but I guess they'll worry about that after the champagne.

    National 1990: 48%
    National 1993: 35% (saved by FPP)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report

  • Paul Williams,

    Simon, I think you've clearly articulated a lot of what I feel, albeit from the safe distance of three hour's flying-time. But, that's democracy hey?

    It seems almost certain that, following Griffin's insights and your own, Key and National will say as little as they can throughout the election in hope of maintaining some ownership of whatever electoral-expectation is currently un-met. That might be modern politics, however it is also a reversal of the pledge-card approach developed by Uk Labour and emulated locally.

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report

  • Joe Wylie,

    Intersesting that you're thinking of the Kiwis Care phenomenon too. What was it about? At the time it felt like union-bashing.
    Whatever, your date is three years out - according to the National Sound Archives that march occurred on March 4 1981.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Anyway, if we're all going to be doing apocalyptic banality here's how:

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Intersesting that you're thinking of the Kiwis Care phenomenon too. What was it about? At the time it felt like union-bashing.

    It was, but in a weird "we're not sure what it is but we're not going to take it any more" way.

    Muldoon was apparently pretty happy about it.

    Whatever, your date is three years out - according to the National Sound Archives that march occurred on March 4 1981.

    Duh. I remembered it as later. Fixed now.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Joshua Drummond,

    The Libertarianz bit had me LOLing. Very loudly. My favourite thing about them is the way they sum up all their press releases - "It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!" they say, indignantly. The funny thing is, replace the word "Libertarianz" with "National" and you pretty much have the "national mood" everyone's banging on about summed up.

    Since Nov 2006 • 119 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    The difference? The electoral system. If National continue as they have done, raising hopes that can't be met, they will soon be as unpopular as Bolger/Richardson in 92/93, and MMP will mean a one-term government.

    It's like a game of chicken: how long can National lament road user charges without talking about road pricing?

    Brash's 2004 speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce was nothing if not blunt: people should pay to use roads.

    In Key's speech to the Road Transport Forum last year, he briefly granted that "we need to look at other forms of road pricing as well" before saying "These are topics for another day."

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Sorry guys, but I cannot think of that quote - could you please pass it on? Ta

    I'm damned if I can find the exact wording, but Bolger is reputed to have mused that he could have harnessed latent resentment over Treaty issues, "but then how would I govern the country tomorrow?"

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

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