Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The sole party of government

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  • tussock, in reply to Richard Grevers,

    That isn't simply unfit to be a minister, but unfit to be an MP, and should lead to criminal charges.

    There's truth in that Labour, when attacking female MPs from across the floor, need to let their female MPs do that, rather than one of their notorious misogynist males. Because even if he does it cleanly, what a lot of people are going to see is that guy hanging shit on a woman, again.

    We do, after all, have a very large population of old folk who believe very strongly in manners and shit, and they all vote.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to tussock,

    a very large population of old folk who believe very strongly in manners and shit, and they all vote.

    do we know the make-up of the million that didn't vote?
    or are they all shambling across the desert road plateau, looking for 'brainzzz'...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Michael Meyers,

    A government won’t often lose an election in the midst of an economic boom (even if I think it might end any day now).

    It happened with John Major in Britain in 1997. He ran into a perfect storm - the Black Wednesday currency debacle, factionalism over the EU, sleaze investigations, and of course an invigorated and unified New Labour. Even then, I'm sceptical that a Blairist approach is the only way forward for its NZ counterpart.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Michael Meyers,

    Lots of black stickers to peel off.

    And very much illegal. The rules for handling the ballot papers are quite strict, you can't get hold of them without a court order (or, as Emma said, corrupting the electoral commission) and they are destroyed after six months.

    On the other hand, I've never worked in an IT shop where there weren't large numbers of people with at least read access to sensitive data and equally, very few with (working) safeguards to stop you walking out of the door with a phone or memory stick full of goodies. (Actually, this place is about the only one. Copper lined rooms with datalocks).

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    fortification and mortifiction...

    Actually, this place is about the only one.
    Copper lined rooms with datalocks

    Oh great!
    Now it's on my permanent search record, that I looked up info about a highly classified defence base - bugger!
    I walked right into into that Faraday Cage.!

    ... or did you mean there was a blue halo of policemen at the edges?

    I wonder if a tress-passer
    could turn a datalock
    into a comb over?

    :- )

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Sanya Baker, in reply to Amanda Wreckonwith,

    Interesting; I was on the receiving end of the exact same polling question a year or so ago. It send cold shivers through me then.

    Tamaki Makaurau • Since Dec 2011 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Jarno van der Linden, in reply to tussock,

    Not to mention the million people in the US with top secret clearance who just saw who you voted for

    Given that GCHQ engages in manipulating online polls I think there is a real danger that it can escalate to tweaking an election just a bit to keep certain parties which may prove a bit of a bother to the five eyes or TPPA below the 5% threshold for example.
    One or two seats is all it takes to change a bothersome coalition into a single party government.

    With any changes to the democratic process, one shouldn't only consider trust and capabilities of today's governments, but also those in 3 years' time, and 20 years.

    Nelson • Since Oct 2007 • 82 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    PS I can imagine an audio version of this visceral requiem for lost innocence and the new age – “a Howl out on Highway 1’ – having quite an impact…

    As with any eulogy, it’s not the words that matter so much as the sentiment itself, and as with any eulogy the impact it has on the corpse is never a consideration.

    Fascist apologists like Farmer Green, happy for just you know whatever, do wonders to exhume any negative connotations one might have with the word German:

    And there is no way back now.

    And then everyone else still waffling on about voting, voting red, voting blue, voting green, voting yellow; All but one of the leading parties was a vote for fascism. A vote for Labour was a vote for jumping into the fight against the arrested, spied on, and giving him a good kick in the face. Labour was at one point pro civil liberties yeah?

    David Cunliffe has delivered a belated acknowledgement that it was a mistake not to work more closely with the Green Party and lashed out at Kim Dotcom as “reprehensible."

    And so hell why not but:

    Cunliffe has grown on me during the campaign

    Cunliffe is John Kerry. At least there’s no doubt which side of the fence this community represents: The anti-immigrants. Another vote against an integrated citizenry, a vote for the nation where “the Chinese”, “The German” are second class citizens stripped of their right not to be spied on and fair game to be arrested for committing no crime.

    [Robot voice]
    Must build more houses
    Must tax property speculators
    Must raise minimum wage

    Oh but numbers Duke! We are so righteous, it’s not our people being arrested yet.
    And someone pipes up:

    As Chris points out we also now have to consider the NSA/GCSB.

    If you’d ever bothered to read the law, you’ve been fair game since 2003.

    All I can fairly gauge is that most probably next to none of you standing idly by have ever spent time in the cells, never been commanded to remove your laces or turn out your pockets, never had your possessions requisitioned by the state, your family traumatized by Government apparatus. These experiences remain rumour, speculation, and foreign. And as long as they’re limited to the foreigners then it’s so easy to keep kidding one another (regardless of what history shows in instances like these) that it’s John Key and National Party who are the problem.

    but yeah on with the numbers, I’m fascinated reading about how the vote was split in Na Zi

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to mark taslov,

    [Dalek voice]
    Must build more houses
    Must tax property speculators
    Must raise minimum wage
    Exterminate... Exterminate...
    Self destruct...
    Self destruct....

    Fuxed it for you :-P

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh,

    Not strictly relevant, but racism and xenophobia are an issue.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    Thanks Steve, Lorde’s offer to be the queen bee was snapped up by the drones. I actually thought it was a comedy song at first, cos when I’d called the people drones in 2008 Danielle had given me a good telling off.

    Sacha called it; post-modern. musical interactivity at its zenith. The last week, just another Reichstag fire.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    Not strictly relevant, but racism and xenophobia are an issue.

    It's ok Chris, the Election is over so the odd threadjack should be fine or I'll eat me hat. Yes racism and xenophobia is all over NZ. I guess it helps to be brown to know what it feels like to be marginalised. Maori feel that everyday. Indian and Asian would certainly get attitude more than say South African and American or English.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    Now. To give you all the warm fuzzies there is.....
    This

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    Attachment

    I'd rather have this....

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    Maori feel that everyday. Indian and Asian would certainly get attitude more than say South African and American or English.

    I get it here, I’m sure Chris must too, it’s easy to dismiss as benign but its deepset, and ok, fair enough, education in China is skewed, there is no recent history of broad and identifiable - indigenous or otherwise = multiculturalism, but in New Zealand, anyone who considers themselves of any moral standing resorting to any of this recent “The German”, “Foreign Politcal Types” bullshit might as well be throwing books on the bonfire.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to mark taslov,

    but in New Zealand, anyone who considers themselves of any moral standing resorting to any of this recent “The German”, “Foreign Politcal Types” bullshit might as well be throwing books on the bonfire.

    Hear! Hear!

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • JonathanM, in reply to David Hood,

    David: In case it's useful, that data in CSV for party + electorate vote is here:

    party and electorate vote 2011 and 2014

    Parent folder has the R scripts.

    Since Jul 2012 • 64 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to mark taslov,

    none of you standing idly by have ever spent time in the cells, never been commanded to remove your laces or turn out your pockets,

    You'd be wrong there. Being strip -searched leaves a real lasting impression, especially when there's about 20 of them and they're BIG pigs.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    …ah but the numbers humble voter, ’tis the numbers and the data and the polling and the splitting and the contrast, and the pie graphs and the bar charts and the whimsy swinging factions that shunted civil liberty whimpering down the corridor to the stinking chamber.

    You’d be wrong there. Being strip -searched leaves a real lasting impression, especially when there’s about 20 of them and they’re BIG pigs.

    So I’d be right:

    next to none of you standing idly by have ever spent time in the cells, never been commanded to remove your laces or turn out your pockets,

    And so you know, and yet you feed the machine with your no way back now you drive its motion with your warnings for those not yet tarred and varnished.

    Immunised to risk your corpse -weakly quivering – pleads with those who may love our country more. As if you have some kind of moral mandate. Just throw another log on the fire farmer green, wouldn’t want you to catch a chill.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to mark taslov,

    r no way back now.

    Mark you know as well as I do that there is a way.( Rick just happens to be one of my mates from back then, and I like the song.)

    But you’re not going to paint a friggin’ target on your forehead . Are you?
    We’re talking about the present pathway, right? No way back on that path.
    It's funny , but it was my Dad , 50 years ago who gave me the news; he'd seen one of his mates , innocent , taken down , and he thought that I should know.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov, in reply to Farmer Green,

    But you’re not going to paint a friggin’ target on your forehead . Are you?
    We’re talking about the present pathway, right? No way back on that path.

    When targets come this cheap, call me the dartboard. Along with all our other immigrants. As is your right, you can stay silent or you can malign the cause of those who speak up. I hoped you’d like that song, fitting.

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to mark taslov,

    I like that shande fur de goyim schtick you got going there. When was it now . . . towards the end of the second millenium?

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov, in reply to Farmer Green,

    Since the treaty, more or less. Don’t get me wrong Farmer Green, I’ve nothing against having a bit of a how do you do with the ruling class, but now like the rest of the lefties who swung right you’re just another apologist, rewards reaped for your apology. So go on, mate, enjoy the $$ and:

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • Farmer Green, in reply to mark taslov,

    rewards reaped for your apology.

    Fair enough. It seems far more accidental to me. There was every reason for me to fail- scrambled out of a mortgagee sale in the ’87 crash ; got back on the horse in a public tender in the 90s. It’s just the way the cookie crumbled.
    But yeh . . . I’ll take it.
    Actually thinking back . . . my luckiest break was being shown the door by the collectivists at Fonterra.
    Things like that help to clear the mind of theory ; reality is so cleansing.

    Lower North Island • Since Nov 2012 • 778 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie, in reply to Farmer Green,

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

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