Posts by Craig Ranapia
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to DexterX,
The present problem for Labour I feel stems from Helen Clarke and Michael Cullen not sticking around long enough to help bed in successors and assist with developing the opposition mindset (running gear) and strategy
You might want to sit down, folks, but I'm going to defend Clark and Cullen here.
Cullen signalled that he was leaving politics well before the election, and while I don't think Clark was entirely honest during the campaign she's smart enough to know that an ex-leader who won't go away is more of a liability than an asset. It wasn't their job, and I don't think anyone would have thanked them for hanging around.
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Muse: Film Socialism (or, How You'll…, in reply to Rex Widerstrom,
Or that maybe just me.
No, it’s not just you. Another quite subtle thing you don’t notice unless it’s done badly (and is near perfect in Russian Ark ) is just blocking scenes with hundreds of extras. The wonderful final sequence, with the camera smoothly drifting down the grand staircase, this crush of people seamlessly parting and closing around the camera. Awe inspiring.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Sacha,
Apparently deviations from the party line are because of “astroturfing”. Yes, really. Not because of abysmal performance or anything.
I know a troll-farmer like Prentice won’t understand this, but yeah… I’d actually like to see an Opposition that isn’t a desperately unfunny joke for a number of reasons.
1) I don’t count Prentice among them, but there are a fair number of Labour Party people (Jordan Carter, Tony Milne among others) who I respect. A lot. They’re smart, they give a shit, they work damn hard – and I know what it’s like slogging your guts out at the flax roots and still find yourself cringing every time your alleged leadership open their gobs. Wouldn’t wish it on a dog.
2) Let’s be honest, as a Tory I’m perfectly happy to have a Labour Party that couldn’t get arrested at a P lab raid.
But I’m a citizen before I’m a partisan, and a democracy that doesn’t have effective checks and balances on the executive and government of the day we’re all in trouble. Because no party, or government, has a monopoly on insight and wisdom.
But, hey, on the partisan tip, if the left’s alleged public intellectuals and opinion formers want to get stuck in American paleo-con level denial, far be it from me to interfere.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Matthew Littlewood,
When you look at it that way, the sheer comprehensiveness of Labour’s 2002 mandate was a pretty strange result.
Never underestimate the power of sheer, cold-bloody-minded determination. Whatever else you say about Helen Clark, you've got to respect the sheer discipline and competence she imposed on a party that was the proverbial sack of (homicidal) kittens.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Steve Barnes,
I expect better from you because you are better. I expect nothing from the Kiwibog-SubStandard Axis of Stupid because they are nothing.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Grant McDougall,
It’s still six months ’til the election and therefore plenty of time for National’s fortunes to take a dive. Maybe Key will suffer his equivalent of “Corngate” ? Mike Williams said that Labour’s poll support went down 30% when that hit. Presumably the same would happen to National ?
I’m not really sure what Williams’ point is there, because he should know Labour’s result in the one poll that really mattered was 41.26% of the popular vote, a net gain of three seats and National’s worse result in the party’s history. All that despite Labour and the Greens sniping at each other during the campaign and still increasing their caucuses when the tumult and the shouting died.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
Steve:
It’s possible to criticise Bennett’s performance as a minister of the Crown (or Gerry Brownlee’s, for that matter) without making derogatory comments about her weight. Only as difficult as you choose to make it, dear.
Or if it really is impossible for you to do that, I can ghost some material for you -- just e-mail me a billing address for the invoice.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Steve Barnes,
Steve:
It's possible to criticise Bennett's performance as a minister of the Crown (or Gerry Brownlee's, for that matter) without making derogatory comments about her weight. Only as difficult as you choose to make it, dear.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Steve Barnes,
the woman has become obese since she has been in the house and as she is minister of welfare and forcing others to do with less I find it abhorrent.
Dude, if I've got to explain the sexism of using a woman's appearance and/or weight to denegrate, then you're just not going to get it.
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Hard News: Limping Onwards, in reply to Steve Barnes,
Paula Benefit looks like she’s already eaten the entire nations food.
Please, be a little more sexist and obnoxious because I'm bored with PAS being one of the more XX-safe corners of the blogosphere.
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