Posts by Craig Ranapia
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Kumara Republic,
I do get the impression that the Granny’s pontificating comes across as bare-faced axe-grinding, rather than being a genuine beacon of morality and rationalism.
Yeah, and I said here about Orsman’s more bizarre anti-Unitary Plan rips, The Herald is perfectly entitled to take an editorial line on whatever it pleases, no matter how fatuous (and downright dishonest) I think it is. But they’re not entitled to disregard what should be a hard-and-bright line between editorial opinion and news reportage. I wish there was a nicer way to say this, but The Herald’s determination to remove an elected Mayor from office has IMO passed vulgar prurience and reached the level of flat out deception, both by commission and omission of relevant context.
And not for the first time, I think the Herald needs a reality check. The media is neither a judicial nor a legislative body. Sorry if this sounds a tad hyperbolic, but when it comes to an existential threat to democracy in Auckland Len Brown's cellphone bill is pretty small beer compared to an unelected, unaccountable and effectively monopolistic newspaper that has appointed itself judge, jury and executioner.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Russell Brown,
And then Christine Fletcher came on Nine to Noon and appeared to countenance an eCan-style government takeover of Auckland Council.
Folks wondering why, despite serious reservations, I committed ideological treason :) and voted for Brown? This is your answer: I actually used to have a lot of time and respect for Christine back when she was an MP, but she’s pretty much wiped her arse on the last shreds of that. And she’s a downright heavyweight compared to Cameron Brewer and Pallino.
The overwhelming majority of hundreds of responses to the editorial have backed the Herald, which is believed to be the first time the newspaper has called on a city mayor to resign.
Sorry for sounding like a cracked record, but could someone remind me who the fuck elected Shayne Currie, Bernard Orsman, Brian Rudman and Fran O'Sullivan to appoint the Mayor of Auckland?
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Completely off topic, fuck Grammy nominations you know you've arrived when your song is being covered (pretty well, IMO) by a giant clown in desperate need of a wee fistful of uppers.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to SteveH,
Incidentally it’s not surprising that she doesn’t have any declaration of interests for 2012: she wasn’t a councillor then.
True -- but that's a genuine public interest the media could perform, if they weren't more interested in racist slut-shaming and trying to nullify a free, fair and credible election.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Brodie Davis,
Can I, as a rate payer initiate a vote of no confidence in the five Councillors who are wasting everyones time.
If any of them happen to represent the ward you live in, you have the ultimate sanction: Don't vote for them. I'll certainly be watching Chris Darby and George Wood closely and, in the spirit of the season, deciding whether they go on the nice list or get an electoral lump of coal.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Russell Brown,
Golly, Russell. While you're doing Orsman, Rudman and O’Sullivan’s legwork, how about ghosting the outraged columns demanding their resignations as well? (Yeah, right – to coin a phrase.)
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Speaker: Levelling the Playing Field, in reply to Kumara Republic,
On the other hand, it points out the Treasury view on film finance policy, and that other industries in the same boat didn’t get similar red-carpet treatment.
I’ll make much the same observation I made about the Herald’s editorial. Isn’t it funny how the tax breaks, loopholes and *cough* creative tax minimization strategies enjoyed by Australian-owned media organizations never seem to be quite so morally hazardous. Perhaps I'm being unjustly cynical, but isn't it funny how much more attractive a "level playing field" is when you're not at the bottom of the ruck?
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Russell Brown,
Almost as weird as the trite, ham-fisted wordplay in the concluding paragraph
Well, at least the Herald had both its faces on display. These "prurient details" Granny's clutching her collective pearls about are the same ones they've been spraying their pages with, right?
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Graham Dunster,
Talking of the Herald and its attitude, another poisonous editorial today on the film business incentives. They really don’t want any Americans spending their money here!
And pretty fucking hypocritical weeping and wailing about "lost tax revenue" when their Australian proprietors have happily taken hundreds of millions in tax concessions over the years and still ended up in court this year.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Lucy Stewart,
Absolutely, but three free nights a year, when you’re paying for another twenty-odd, probably isn’t it.
No, and I'm just cynical enough to think there's other agendas in play here that have nothing to do with the public interest or fiscal probity. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to the entire council voting to make public their cellphone records as part of a full-scale audit of cellphone usage across the city. Conducted at their expense, naturally.