Posts by Craig Ranapia
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to Andrew E,
I was just phoned by Reid Research Services who wouldn’t disclose their client
And that's how I flick off pollsters when I'm feeling like being polite. "OK, if you can't tell me who your client is that's fine. I like to know who I'm giving personal information to. Have a nice evening."
-
Yeah, but somehow I still don’t find the argument “they may be muppets, but they’re our muppets” very satisfying…
Oh, I don’t so why should you? :) But I also don’t find particularly satisfying cursing the outcome of a free, fair and credible election when the outcome isn’t to your liking. Chris Trotter had a typically nasty projectile spew in the Sunday Star Times the day after the last election, and Brash didn’t exactly distinguish himself as a graceful (narrow) loser after the last one.
I wonder if that story has been waiting in the wings “just in case”.
I believe Matt Nippert has been working on this story for a long time (and it’s exactly the kind of financial investigative piece the NBR has done well in the past), but I’m sure the last week has been a welcome hook.
I’m hoping the cock-struck press will decide that now’s an opportune moment to take a look at who might ride into Parliament on Winnie’s coattails. IIRC, 5% will bring in five or six other MPs with Peters. If Andrew Williams is the cream of that crop, we should all be very very nauseated.
-
Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to Richard Aston,
Me too JLM – I am really worried about the level of unbridled power about to wash over us like a tsunami .
First, I guess we should wait a while until the only poll that really matters (tm) is signed, sealed and delivered. :) Otherwise, I don't know how seriously to take all the hand-wringing about "unbridled power". If National ends up enjoying an absolute majority of seats in the next Parliament (which, FWIW, I don't believe will happen) I say that's one for the "democrazy's a bitch, but she's our bitch" file.
I'd also note that even if National is in a position to govern along, we're exceedingly unlikely to see Jar-Jar Binks (Nat - Naboo) move a motion to vest powers in John Key to bring about the creation of the Galactic Empire.
-
Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to Lew Stoddart,
Precisely what every single Tory I know has been saying all week, with a substantial side-helping of “you should be ashamed of yourselves”. Bless
Thanks, Lew. I disengaged with you on this on Twitter because (quote) "I don't want to say something I can't walk back". Goes double here.
But here's a completely fucking crazy idea: Perhaps a lot of people don't give a shit about things that get us enlightened Public Address-reading types in a rapid boil of furious indignation?. Perhaps they should. Perhaps we need to calm down. More often, it may be a little of both.
Beyond that, I've got nothing else to say because I'm not going to change anyone else's mind and vice versa. Which is what it is.
-
Meanwhile, anyone else surprised that Winston’s stunning revelations (which the media lapped up like dogs on their own vomit) didn’t live up to the hype. A week is a long time in politics, but where the press and Winston is concerned three decades isn't long enough to make a simple lesson stick.
-
Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to Russell Brown,
None of which means the recording can confidently be said to be illegal.
True - but I'd respectfully suggest it also suggests there's a lot of over-confidence flowing in the other direction too. (Of course, no matter what the poor bastard - or bitch, let's not be sexist! - who ends up hearing this rules, it's near-certain someone among the usual suspects is going to scream "political bias". *sigh*)
-
Framing questions on the assumption that the recording was illegal – without the decision of a judge or even a charge laid yet – seemed fairly leading to me. I asked David Farrar, the owner of Curia, about this last night, and he assured me the actual phrase used was “so-called illegal tapes”, which is a bit more neutral.
But not by much – I know there’s a hell of a lot of certainty both ways, but I’m not so certain. And, with no desire to troll for a fight, I’d note Andrew Geddis (that nototious Tory lick-spittle) is not assuming Bradley Ambrose will get the declaratory judgement that he wants – and which, I think it’s fair to say, many here assume is a no-brainer.
-
Hard News: Criminalising Journalism, in reply to Sacha,
If Labour had any oomph, they might have been running that line before now.
To nit-pick a little, Sacha, it's a line Labour could have run with more conviction if there wasn't so much tape of their leader being, shall we say, rather coy on the question himself. But I guess it's always different for Goff...
-
Hard News: Criminalising Journalism, in reply to Lew Stoddart,
Shame it was in defense of equating Key with a man whose “faults” include persistent allegations of massive and systemic tax fraud, perjury, bribery of Police and judges and collusion with organized crime. Oh, and using his Parliamentary majority to push through law changes that just happened to kill three corruption trails in which he was the defendant .
Yeah, isn’t it just awful that New Zealand is full of politicians like that? It's not like we charged, tried and imprisoned someonefound guilty of corrupt practices while an MP..
-
Hard News: Criminalising Journalism, in reply to Steve Barnes,
Steve:
No, Helen Clark isn't a scumbag. But if we're going to throw around terms like "affront to democracy", she wasn't upfront with Labour voters or the electors of Mount Albert was she?
And, guys, you're quite right Silvio Berlusconi isn't a Stalin or a Hitler (thought his ties with Italian neo-fascists make a pretty tempting Godwin moment). The Italian economy went tits-up on his watch, but even he.doesn't deserve comparison to Mugabe's utter squalor.
But comparing John Key to Berlusconi? Really? Can anyone with even the most casual acquaintance with S.B.'s history make that equation with a straight face?
Last ←Newer Page 1 … 223 224 225 226 227 … 1235 Older→ First