Posts by Paul Rowe
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I quite enjoy reading Trotter, though I take everything he writes with a grain of salt (cynical, moi?). I was alarmed to say the least when he wrote in this week's Independent:
In the increasingly likely event the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup in 2007, Clark & her advisors may have calculated the preparations for 2011 would provide her Labour-led Government with an unparalleled opportunity to become the principal performer in a four-year-long patriotic orgy.
Please, there is no need to tempt fate over the World Cup! It is not "increasingly likely" the ABs will win it at all. FFS!
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Verpal wrote:
John Key is another media creation. A completely untested entity to whom people, led by the media, are ready to entrust a whole country, without knowing why.
I know you're making a slightly different point, Verpal, about manipulating the political puppets we vote for, but there are few leaders in opposition who *do* look like being good/great prime ministers. Lange is the only exception I can think of. Bolger grew into the role only after five years in the job. Clarke took years as leader of the opposition to build any real gravitas and none of Shiply, English or Brash had enough time to manage it.
Perhaps Rowling, McLay, Shipley and English committed the worst political sin of a leader - bad timing? If so, Key's is superb!
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I wonder how Act feels about this? With Donny gone the Nats may move to the Centre, but how many votes will fall back in Act's lap?
The National Party will have more success if it has a viable coalition partner on its right.
As for all the bullshit about Brash resurrecting the National Party's fortunes, what crapola. Brian Easton once wrote that the Drover's Dog could have won the 1999 election if it had been representing the left. Don fucked National's chances by nearly doing away with Act altogether and leaving it no natural coalition partners. Without him/McCully they would have/should have won it.
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Nick:
"The ability for people with high disposable incomes who work in the CBD to wander down to the stadium for the final session of a cricket test, followed by a drink or dinner nearby, or to spend less than 10 minutes walking to a Friday."
What a fantastic idea, I'm sold!
IMHO the question is not whether we *should* build it, but whether we *can* build it in time.
Oh, and after spending six years in Britain, I don't think NZers are as sports mad as we'd like to believe we are. This stadium needs to have much more than sporting utility to be worth the money. The Aotea Centre might be ugly, but it's a great space for doing stuff (Shihad in the square? again please!) and it adds to the CBD. The stadium needs to offer the same.
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That Apartment Tower looks fugging ugly but at least they are going through the RMA process to get it built. No amount of lipstick will make that pig attractive though....
My understanding is that the front layer of seats can be removed to make room for a cricket oval (available for the 2015 Cricket World Cup no less).
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Grant Fox, along with Andrews & Lynagh created the first five (fly half) position as it is today and they should be recognised for that feat alone.
Comparing Fox, Mehrtens & Carter is great fun but, like comparing Jones, Kronfeld & McCaw at 7, largely down to personal preference and selective memory. Remember how Fox was almost universally loathed outside of Auckland? He was one of Mains' high profile targets in 1993 when Mains tried to drop a bunch of older players (mostly Aucklanders? Kirwan, Zinny, Fox, the Whettons at least) in 1993, but Fox and Brooke forced their way back into the team.
IMHO without Fox we wouldn't have a Carter now (and without Jones probably not a McCaw either). What great players!
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I don't think there is any onus on the Dems to spend the next two years undoing 6 years of Shrubism or 12 years of Rep domination of Congress. A lot of new Dems appear to be too conservative to want to pursue that anyway.
Like Al says, A couple of years investigating the activities of the Bush cabal would be sufficient to help them consolidate support (and even find an electable Presidential candidate) in 2008. No need to be particularly rabid reformers (their legislation will be vetoed anyway).
My suggestion? Deny cash for pursuing the war in Iraq unless it is doubled and the troop numbers doubled and properly supported. That will get the Americans out of Iraq quicker than Stay the Course. A bit of a stretch I know :)
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Very early in MT but looks like Mr Burns is catching up.
MO is going to the wire, McCaskill seems to be catching slowly.
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Webb has the lead in VA!
Now I have to go home, where there is no interweb <sob>
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CNN is more utd than NYT, showing a small lead to the Dem (from memory the Rep guy is a former Lieutenant Gov so that may be to his advantage). CNN is showing 58% of precincts counted and NYT 48%, which seems to be well over 100,000 votes.