Posts by Hebe
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Joe Wylie,
In practice, O'Rourke has been taking the fight to Brownlee et al in a manner that would shame Mallard if he had a shred of principle left.
I have the feeling that Denis is lining up his ducks. In a way it is a shame he is no longer on the council; he is abrasive and cantankerous, but he has an epic intelligence and ferocious will to do what he sees as the right thing. Maybe as an MP he can help create change.
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Sacha,
Brokering connections between those scales is complex, but it's part of what political movements have always done. Also increasingly picked up by local government and community NGOs, but as you note those have understandably been overwhelmed by this crisis.
Much more erudite; thank you for translating what I meant.
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Sacha,
I do feel bad about how the rest of the country has so let down Christchurch's residents. You shouldn't have to fight this on your own.
Don't feel bad! As someone who has been involved with a lot of causes of various types over the years, I don't have any answers about how to bridge the gap I see between the "big picture" government and council planning and infrastructure work (which is proceeding) and the individual efforts to make this place better (eg the local man who opened up his well to all-comers, the Gap Filler people, the container cafes etc etc).
The gap for advocacy, advice, help seems to me to be in the area between those two large-scale and small-scale ( can a demographer/sociologist help me name it?). It's in how people are living day to day (housing, transport, work and how and where they are working); the insurance/legal/repair problems many face which feel overwhelming sometimes with no way of knowing what to do next or where to go for impartial advice that will actually take up the case rather than referral to another toothless office ; how to pay rates on a house you can't live in while still paying a mortgage and rent.
Those sorts of areas are where the government and the council do not offer help, and our voluntary/NGO agencies who would have picked up some of this are inundated by requests, often without adequate places to work out of, and have had their funding slashed by the Governent and the council over the last few years. The legal/insurance minefield is one where experts are desperately needed by "little people" and it's just non-existent.
Sorry not well-expressed; maybe someone else can help me clarify.
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Sacha,
The disturbing thing for me about post-disaster Chch is how the apparent ladders were abruptly pulled up and public concern treated as something to be event managed.
Yeah, what you said +1. And it's real easy to divide and rule when your constituency are battered, broken or in a day to day battle for financial survival. Or derailed by fighting over a buggered pile of stones in the Square.
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Hard News: Belief Media, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Old Mouldy was probably taking the mickey then.
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Hard News: Belief Media, in reply to Lilith __,
an interview with Rob Muldoon on the Bible!! I remember him being uncharacteristically affable....
He always was affable around election time and with those who did not answer back.
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Cara, happy and daft.
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Capture: Roamin' Holiday, in reply to JacksonP,
stairwells
QV Building Sydney.Wow!
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority chief executive Roger Sutton said he was not aware of issue.
I do not believe that; unless he has been silo'd.
Anyone who owns property in Wellington should read Janine Starks' column "When a City Erupts" in today's Press, the "Good Living" section, re the wider insurance implications of the Christchurch earthquakes. This has got a long way to go to play out, and the wider impact of this city's earthquakes will rumble through the nation's home-owners over the next few years. Get thee to thy insurance broker now to look at your cover.
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Capture: Roamin' Holiday, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
Another beauty - love your works Sofie.
