Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles
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Could someone tell Geoff Robinson and Brent Edwards to stop saying "there was no boycott"? I expect Helen Kelly to keep spinning and rewriting history, but I also expect National Radio not to engage in editorial truthiness.
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Histroy is written by the Victor - WC - will be interesting to read Jackson Bio on this in years to come.
There are likely to be no winners.
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"It would almost have to be The Hobbit Amendment Act. It would have to be a special amendment to the law just for this case. Then that is a guarantee,"
See, JK will save the day, if only....
hobbit on, hobbit on, I must, I must ;-)
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Pat,
Oner answer I've read to your question 4 ( MEAA administration fee for delivery of residuals ) is 12 - 15%.
That means union member receive $85 - $88 whenever contractors entitled to the same residuals receive $100, and that's over and above the additional costs of union joining fee and annual membership fee.
My suggestion would be to remove all of these payments out of the avaricious paws of unions and agents, and pay them direct to workers via an independent, govt, or specialist agency. Perhaps then we could see how much MEAA(NZ) really care about the terms and conditions of NZ actors.
Make no mistake, these WB executives are charged with producing films on time and at optimal cost-effectiveness - their bonuses and jobs depend on those objectives. They will want to be certain they achieve the best outcome, and it's not clear NZ can now provide that.
I hope "smile and wave" can broker a deal, but it's surely touch and go with other willing hosts around, recent boycott, and the changed $NZ/$US rate - as I suspect there was limited forward cover taken.
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3. Why was Spartacus never targeted?
Well, we couldn't work out which one he was.
(Sorry. Sorry. It was just lying there, begging for me to pick it up.)
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Not sure whether anyone has posted this interesting perspective from a lawyer with US experience.
Thanks - interesting article.
Hell, I don't know what to think. I'm crossing everything in the hope that The Hobbit stays here for the sake of our film workers but my "left-wing filth" tendencies (thanks Paul Holmes) make me uneasy about the whole thing. Add to that the disenchantment I developed re Peter Jackson about three films ago ... I'm a mess.I don't know if anyone else has linked to the kiwipolitico column below.
http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2010/10/lessons-from-the-hobbit-more-unionisation-not-less/
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decay decay decay
-that's the way we gowe are all rotters...
...but there does seem to be a rise in the number
of bounders, cads and bullies from all "classes"
...society runs the risk of following the
sociopath less trodden! -
So it's not really about tax breaks is it...........
Jonkey: We won't go into a bidding war but we might see if we are able to sneak something in under the radar that flys like a duck, quacks like a duck but paddles under the water like a tax break.....again. Watch this space.
It's not about union bashing is it.......I have noted the small but significant increase in the number of times he is now mentioning the CTU whenever he talks to the media about 'obbit. Maybe it is my sensitive ear. Maybe not.
Will we be reading the hobituary I wonder?
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I don't think it would be good for Key for NZ to lose the Hobbit. I currently see an experienced deal-cutter playing hardball with a bunch of other professional negotiators. This could end well, if not, there will be a hell of a lot of spinning to do.
Kudos will definitely be due if he helps to save it. If not, then he was foolish to insert himself into proceedings at all.
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Jonkey
Ross, I vaguely recall the first time this soubriquet was used here that some of us asked that we not go around making up dismissive names for the Prime Minister (a la the sewer's treatment of Helen Clark), and since then, I haven't seen it used here. It would be nice to keep that tacit agreement in place, no matter how much we disagree with his actions. FTR, I am not a John Key supporter, at all.
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Ross, I vaguely recall the first time this soubriquet was used here that some of us asked that we not go around making up dismissive names for the Prime Minister (a la the sewer's treatment of Helen Clark)
I'm sorry... what's wrong with jonkey? It's not exactly at sewer-level, is it? And I think finding and using dismissive names for the Prime Minister is pretty sacrosanct.
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It sounds like "Shonkey". A fairly minor transgression - I thought Russell using the phrase "inside knowledge" was much closer to the danger line. Not something that bothers the average bear, but financial traders treat such phrases quite differently.
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So far no-one's labelled John Key a Zionist conspirator - and I hope no-one falls for the temptation to do so. Contrast that with the outrightly misogynistic drivel from the sewer rats directed at Helen Clark when she was in office, which was on par with anti-Obama Tea Partyism.
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I thought Russell using the phrase "inside knowledge" was much closer to the danger line. Not something that bothers the average bear, but financial traders treat such phrases quite differently.
Well, yes, but: In currency trading, you're not trading on information not available to other (or your own) shareholders, you're just trying to make money on the deal. If you get a tip about which way the wind's blowing, you run up a sail. It's not the same thing as insider trading on shares.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say the whole business relies on inside knowledge.
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Calling John Key something like, "Mr Smile and Wave" contains a political comment within the name. Calling him "Jonkey" is like shouting, "Yah yah yah. You've got a stupid name."
Yes, it's mild in comparison with what the sewer handed out to Helen Clark. But that doesn't seem to be a good reason to do it.
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Calling him "Jonkey" is like shouting, "Yah yah yah. You've got a stupid name."
I'm not above that.
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Contrast that with the outrightly misogynistic drivel from the sewer rats directed at Helen Clark when she was in office, which was on par with anti-Obama Tea Partyism.
Oh yeah, but "Hullen Klark" and "Liarbore" was OK, as opposed to petty and infantile? Same sauce for goose and gander alike...
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I think Key doesn't need a funny name to look foolish.
Warners will ensure that the American Health System is available to us all and give us July 4th as a holiday.
And NO EVIL UNIONS -
It's not much of an exaggeration to say the whole business relies on inside knowledge.
Sure, but it's a dirty word in finance. And few people are 'pure' traders - keeping everything in one asset class. Key would have had stocks, and known very well which ones were the most affected by currency movements (basically any exporter).
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Back on topic, the non-molestation order reality took out against Chris Trotter is in full effect:
What NZ Actors' Equity tried to do here would scarcely have rated a mention in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland or Australia. Actors, film technicians, specialists of every kind in those countries negotiate with the big film studios all the time.
Only recently, Irish film- makers successfully concluded an industry-wide collective agreement. Ireland, you'll recall, was identified by Sir Peter Jackson's people as one of the places to which location shooting for The Hobbit might be shifted.
Huh?
Huh, indeed. Trotter neglects to mention Irish Equity spent years successfully lobbying and building support for a law change that allowed them to do so, without breaking Irish competition law. As Russell said on Kiwi FM earlier today, something NZAE/MEAA might be a long way towards if it was minimally competent.
And I've got to love this classic Trotter load of troll poo:
For another thing, the designated villains of this drama - NZ Actors' Equity and the Council of Trade Unions - are tailor-made for the role of "patsy". Less than a month from now, on November 12, trade unionists will commemorate the 98th anniversary of the murder of striker Fred Evans by a gang of scabs and thugs in the little mining town of Waihi. Ever since that bloody day in 1912 the New Zealand trade union movement has been subjected to an unending campaign of vilification and persecution by a combination of extremely powerful economic and political interests.
Someone get Trotter his life membership in Actors Equity, because I'm calling Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol... STFU, murderous scabs!
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He also had a lovely haircut, if that documentary at NZ On Screen is anything to go by.
ETA: John Key, I mean. Damn you with your on-topic post, Ranapia!
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3. Why was Spartacus never targeted?
Well, we couldn't work out which one he was.
lol
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It would be nice to keep that tacit agreement in place, no matter how much we disagree with his actions.
It could have been a typing error....
Sorry John.
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Sigh ... just checked in at The Standard. It appears that anyone not reading exclusively from today's bullet points -- me, Lew, Danyl are listed -- is still a lackey of the boss-classes.
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From the latest letter sent to NZAE members from MEAA
All NZ Equity sought was to meet with the production and discuss the
conditions under which performers would be engaged. The request was in the first instance made privately, without the
glare of the media on August 17From that letter dated 17th August 2010
Recently, The International Federation of Actors (FIA) became aware that the production of “The
Hobbit” intends to hire performers under non-union contracts.For this reason FIA, at its most recent meeting, unanimously passed the following motion:
“Resolved, that the International Federation of Actors urges each of its affiliates to adopt instructions to
their members that no member of any FIA affiliate will agree to act in the theatrical feature film “The
Hobbit” until such time as the producer has entered into a collective bargaining agreement with the
Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance for production in New Zealand providing for satisfactory terms and
conditions for all performers employed on the production”.FIA therefore encourages you to meet immediately with representatives of the Media Entertainment and
Arts Alliance in order to reach an agreement covering all performers engaged on this production.Therefore in their own words MEAA asked their affiliate unions to enact the boycott BEFORE requesting to meet with 3foot7!
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