Massey University researchers have put the Wellington tournament under the spotlight and analysed television coverage of last year's event to see how often viewers were exposed to alcohol promotions.…

can’t we just accept he’s entering into the spirit of things which, IMHO, is exactly what the PM should do

Bet there was plenty of "spirit" flowing as well.

He’s got a great easy style that works with, for lack of a better word, mainstream NZers. He’s also got a…

Even if you believe in redemption you might still think that discussing shaggable celebs with him was just wrong. What's next – hard tackles?

For Democrats, it's the cities, stupid--not the rural areas, not the prickly, hateful "heartland," but the sane, sensible cities--including the cities trapped in the heartland. Pandering to…

Clark demeaned herself to go for the women’s magazine demographic.

That wouldn’t be a convincing rebuttal to my assertion even if we were discussing how much integrity or judgement a former Prime Minister had compared to the current one – and Key does not compare well to Clark in terms…

Dyan, I agree and I've made essentially the same comment in this thread somewhere.…

And at the risk of throwing petrol on a guttering fire, when it comes to "tacky,…

Key’s put on walk to emulate a model, so what, unless we’re going talk about the objectivication of women generally, can’t we just accept he’s entering into the spirit of things which, IMHO, is exactly what the PM should do

As several of us have already said here **the issue…

It’s a mistake if you injure someone accidentally, though of course you can injure someone…

I think Craig’s implying that you’re basically saying Key looked “a bit gay, and not in a good way”.

Not implying a damn thing, Kyle, I’m saying it.

I hope you think I look bit gay, but in a good way, when I put on my mince.

As for john…

Not implying a damn thing, Kyle, I’m saying it.

FCS get off that partisan horse and grow up.

Oh I will, I’ll also get a sense of humour and stop being…

Nah, not reaching at all Kyle Matthews – it was a sad-arse attempt to appeal to the rugby crew – who may not even have read/heard/seen anything about the asset sales…

You know something, it obviously is to Islander and she’s perfectly entitled to her opinion. I do hope, however, Andin will have a good hard think about what kind of hound is being whistled…

And, no, I havent seen *that video* and what the fuck relevance does it have to this
conversation?

Clearly you never saw that video of some top Labour ministers breaking down on the dance floor.

John Key does a wee fashion turn with RWC uniform? That's what makes him an embarassment? We really…

You know something, I’m going to be avoiding political threads here (and pretty much everywhere else) for the rest of the year because there’s nothing to constructively engage with. Yeah, I get the political ecology…

forget twatcock. Think fuckwit.

Wow, Andin, that was, like, totally gay and a little bit spastic…

One great thing about having a male Prime Minister and Opposition Leader again is you can say all kinds of offensive bullshit about political leaders without being called…

SCENE: INT. OVERLOOK HOTEL DINING ROOM – DAY

Garth George sits in front of his typewriter at a table, furiously stabbing at the keys with a weird and disturbing…

only when spruiking snacks

IGNTS

stand-alone, one-party governance.
Mubarak will be looking for work.

http://www.justfuckinggoogleit.com

Just a mild tease....I work with a lot of people who seem to expect info to be handed to them on a plate. 'Have you tried googling it' sometimes produces a blank stare.

ETA: That was meant to…

Wikipedia is usually my first stop for TLA definitions these days.

Hmm, well yes, I looked, but didn't find it. Must have been a cursor look. :|

ETA: (Did this without pushing edit. Is that even allowed?)

Took me months to find this out after joining. We need a glossary.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA_(disambiguation)|Apparently, they have this thing called an internet now, where you can go and look up information and stuff. It's…

Just felt it had to be said.

The tacit endorsement by social association with a man who left his partner with bones that had been kicked to pieces really eclipses anything else.

I’d really like to know how far that moral contagion goes –

Fair question – I differentiate between a social association – matey joking about…

I expect she actually feels pretty damned proud of him, generally. He's achieved a lot, even if I disagree with his politics.

Oh. I thought it was "extra to above". Never mind, still got the job done!

Bang on Dyan and Danielle.

ETA: Just realized that could be misconstrued....I mean, you're right on the point with your comments.

ETA: Whatevs. I’ve redacted my unhelpfully strong opinion of Laws, Willie Jackson and John Tamihere. But I take at face value people who’ve said…

+1

Ae, all good

Oh. I thought that was a general interwebby acronym for editable posts? But perhaps not. Sorry.

I’d really like to know how far that moral contagion goes

I'm afraid this is one time when…

Edited after the fact. Or something that contains words to that effect using the acronym, which I forget. Took me months to find this out after joining. We need a glossary.

ETA: Edited to Add, us Matthew pointed out. Gotta…

I'd really like to know how far that moral contagion goes — just to make sure I shouldn't be drafting a resignation letter before toddling…

Edited To Add. Too me ages to figure it out.

ETA: And of course if my husband decided it was appropriate to be regularly interviewed by Tony Veitch, we’d have WAY more to discuss than whether he thought Liz Hurley was hot.

Bull’s eye. The tacit endorsement by social association with a man who left his partner with __bones that…

Can't see it in that post so I presume it must be some secondary conversations you're responding to.

I don't think I want to go there
Neither do I – which is why people turning a generalised statement into a personal one…

And it's still man-tronising bullshit. Honestly, if I was Bronagh Key (or Mary Goff come to that), I'd be looking forward to months of piss-taking mockery. OTOH, since we're looking forward to a nine month election campaign I'd be practising cringing on the inside.…

When you're concern trolling about how horrible it is that John Key has "humiliated" his wife, yes it is.

Honestly are you and Thomas Beagle getting your lines from the same script?

Honestly, Sacha, you expect me to dignify that with a response?

Feeling sorry for her for marrying the dork would just be pointless. I'm sure she knew perfectly well that he was…

Yeah, OK, I suppose. I just think discussion of this sort of thing slips very easily from 'this has bad implications for voters' to 'he is sexually immoral' and I don't think I want to…

being told that Bronagh can get angsty in her own right

There are two issues here. The first is that a) John Key's actions on the radio ranged from 'kinda inappropriate for a PM' (the list of fuckables) to 'downright disturbing' (tacit approval of Tony Veitch by appearing at all).…

But that's not what the poster was saying, is it? To me the concern expressed is about the public implications of John Key's behaviour for all of us making voting decisions, not about Bronagh's feelings. Here's what was actually posted…

You're kidding – so no one else has any legitimate interest in a public individual's behaviour?

TBH it really is up to Bronagh to find Key’s public celebrity-banging list offensive or inoffensive. I just said to someone else that if I were her I’d be humiliated not because of the list, but because…

That's right, it's all about individuals.

And you announce them on your PAR show?
What he said. And it's hardly the first time for Key.

Honestly are you…

And you announce them on your PAR show? With an audience of 10s-of-000s? And he gets an equal platform to tell you to STFU and spend a week reflecting on your sins on the naughty…

If my partner feels “humiliated” by my constant paeans to the hotness of Russell Tovey he’s welcome to tell me to STFU and/or declare a time out on the naughty sofa bed. (We…

I meant the story, not the activity. Sheesh, you're so literary. Literally.

What, you don't think the commenter's concern about what Key's actions say about his character are valid? Didn't think it was over the top – or that Bronagh is some sort of silent victim of public brutality either. But we do still have some…

Someone *has* to be doing a parody election billboard series with that one, right?

Looks like I'll be having an early night...

Save that one for the picnic, if the opportunity arises.

I wish he would, so we could be spared any further paternalistic concern trolling of Bronagh Key.

Depends. Are you hot?

My gag reflex is certainly getting a big workout this week. Do you think Key would change his mind about doing this if I threw up on him?

He really is going for the Rugby thug vote eh?

[Crossposted to Election 2011 thread, where I see Ben Wilson spotted it first...]

It did. Although I wasn't able to focus on it due to domestic stuff.

In fact I believe Mediawatch this weekend had a whole spiel about the media use of the term to amp up the…

Well, Coddington seems to be complaining about (what she sees as) cultural excuses. The sort of tolerance she celebrates isn’t the sort wherein we must tolerate the intolerant parts of other cultural practices (hence Bodanis pointing to al-Qaeda)…

Yes, how dare anyone else but them have any control over this country.

My sympathies. Not her best effort. Complains about cultural tolerance and then celebrates the (European) Enlightenment's.. cultural tolerance. Culture counts when it's the right one, apparently.

However, the moment any pre-Enlightenment barbarism surfaces to be forced on others – in the name of honour…

Isn’t it slightly a stretch to rail against political correctness in general as sweeping ‘honour killings’ under the carpet when it hasn’t even been confirmed that the murder was an ‘honour killing’ in the first place? And does anyone seriously use the term ‘honour killing’…

Mining national parks showed resistance is still possible – just has to be organised by competent…

So long as the consent of voters is not based on outright lies about the policy, I agree. Part of that is the responsilbity of our media who enjoy legal…

It's not that that gets me, it's the absolute, hide-bound insistence that the policy as it stands is right and that no amount of resistance from the public could have…

Ah, but he could get Gerry to do it, couldn't he? :)

@nzlemming: Um, yeah. OK. No.

Obviously I hit a nerve, but let's cut the crap for a moment. During the term of the Fifith Labour Government, how many…

Well, yes Matthew – considering Labour's master narrative has been "National's secret privatization agenda" it seems a wee bit graceless to piss your pants because Key's actually going to do something…

It's not that this shouldn't be a story for New Zealand media. It actually is a story, as is the New Zealand journalist being…

The Herald and international news mostly maintain a distance determined by the space more important stuff requires.

Yes, It thought that that was worth immortalising. They're now running an AP story on the actual insurrection that is refreshingly Bunce-free.

Maybe because there's no point? Key has as good as said that the plan will happen if he gets elected, no matter what the prolles may think of it, and without modification.
His language is very much "Don't…

Yes, but my understanding is that that isn't necessarily reflected in the various super-schemes, where cash has been providing a better rate of return than the managed portfolios.

Jeez, did I have to put a smiley on that?

Very crude version – water is weak because it offers no resistance and anyone can overcome it. But it is also strong: it eventually overcomes everything – the river carves out the…

Are you saying Ben's all wet?

Most super schemes do allow you to nominate where your savings get invested – usually some mix of options along the lines of: 'conservative', 'slightly less conservative', 'fairly risky', and 'crazy'. Joe Punter chooses what percentage of his…

I'd much rather he just put up costings that don't have large holes to be filled with handwavium at some unspecified date. You can have a serious argument about the merits of the policy,…

But there's always the issue of whether New Zealand business…

Key says there are only two options – borrow or increase taxes.

Nothing about increasing our national *income* especially by improving productivity and smart investment that creates attractive jobs, business opportunities and sustainable high-margin returns for New Zealanders.

Heh, interesting to hear from a guy in the exact same business as me. My own business partner is very similar to him, although far more right wing.

I was thinking much…

You don't seriously think that will take another term?

Not sure. I think things would have to get a lot worse before they get to that point. Maybe if National wins in November and the economy is still in dire straits at the start of 2012, triggering…

Piggy scrapped that scheme. English stopped payments to the Cullen Fund in order to pay for tax cuts, and reduced the level of…

Nailed him on the whole 'mums and dads' being taxpayers thing, though. This is just another transfer of wealth from all…

I'm catching up a little in this discussion, but thought National were reasonably clear that they'd not sell…

Paul, the way it's done in Ozzie, yes. My own Ozzie plan, forced on me by their system, is like that. It lost a lot of money recently. I expect it will balance out by the…

Ooops you're right, it was from the earlier TVNZ news clip (at the 1m40 mark).

@Ben W: said savings policy still seems to have echoes of the Dancing Cossacks. >:(
I hate to say it again, but David Harris was right – it's the lingering cargo cultism behind current Nouveau Riche…

Gawd, that must have happened really quickly (he does talk fast), I didn't hear it at all in that clip (I'm not saying it didn't happen). What I did find incredibly disingenuous in that spiel…

Either that, or designer razor wires and security walls that blend in with the McMansion hedge.

On Close Up last night (with a surprisingly assertive Sainsbury), Key mentioned using the proceeds to invest in irrigation schemes for South Island (dairy) farmers.

Because there's no way the lil battlers can possibly pay…

Why, you silly goose, it's quite simple.

We all use the money saved in our tax cuts to buy shares in companies that are part of The Big Selloff (tm). Then, erm, the…

Yeah, talk about a National Party press release.

National has to get really specific about what they're going to buy with the proceeds, offer clear evidence that all the money is earmarked for that. Inherently the idea of…

Pretty sure the Greens want dividend payments stopped, or at least cut…

Consistency matters. After all, if they were claiming this thirty years ago, they can't stop claiming it now without being called hypocrites, flip-floppers, etc.

Never mind that the policy has…

If anyone asks Phil Goff where the money's going to come from, here's a good start.

The experience in California implies that this statement requires a careful interpretation of 'stop' to mean 'stop forever ever'

God knows that they’ll need the distraction if they keep putting out policies with costings that look like they’ve been done by Mark Hotchin during a long liquid lunch.

No, but making it…

Further to that, why do tax cuts for the bottom half cause deficits, but holiday highways and corporate welfare don't?

No, but making it more expensive doesn't help a business for which electricity is one of their main costs. Actually, it doesn't help any business, really, there's no avoiding electricity. To heavy industry, electricity…

Makes it all the sadder to see the contrasting editorial, doesn't it?

Electricity is a crucial underpinning of our increasingly digital economy for many years to come.

The electricity supply is unlikely to stop if the companies are sold though is it ?

I suspect the mums and dads they're thinking of
look a lot like Fay, Richwhite and their ilk...

They've…

Yes, it's not going to be popular, is my prediction. In fact, I think it could be unpopular enough to lose National…

Everywhere he can, John Key is busy raising the canard of our economy being as indebted as the PIIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain) that are in trouble in…

Brian Fallow thinks that $7.8b would be in line with the valuations of the assets that’re potentially up for sale, maintaining 51% state ownership:
__"Given the pledge that the Crown would retain majority stakes and assuming (unsafely) that the market…

I do love this sudden rush of political enthusiasm about Kiwi mums and dads.

I suspect the mums and dads they're thinking of
look a lot like Fay, Richwhite and their ilk...

These strategic assets are part sold for 10 billion dollars (optimistically), which is what…

Not so sure about that. Granny readers do NOT sound impressed about asset sales.

Now comes the…

Totally. Instead of, say, buying new cars, or TVs, they will…

Obviously after the last couple of years of scrimping and paying down debt, New Zealand families are now suddenly awash in cash, and will jump at the chance to buy chunks of power companies that they…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgtF3SI-td4

Does Yoda dye his ears?

Sounds like the Common Agricultural – oops, Property – Policy cartel is starting to see the barbarians…

Now if Labour were to follow up the return of a 39% rate…

Given today's front page, I hope he's off planning the epic return of 'Shark Newz!' 'Now with extra added Croc and Lion!'.

Worst part of that story? Overhearing two different groups of peole animatedly discussing it at different times this morning.…

Fair point. It’s Devlin’s account.

1. I doubt Devlin would risk lying in the circumstances. Taking diversion basically means accepting the police account.

2.…

Tired late-night slip of the tongue, apparently.

One would think that professional journalists who know they have a regular late night spot shouldn't be going for the "tired, late night" excuse – shoddy is what I'm saying – and it just means I can't trust anything they say if they…

Same principle as corporate regulation, then. Honour of gentlemen, what.

The word "say" does seem to imply active rather than passive involvement. Damned typewriters, eh.

Why would it? If the only punishment is a small correction on page 3 days, weeks or months later, then why would any newspaper go to the trouble of ensuring their stories…

I've not followed this story, so can someone tell me…

Nah, if anything Goff and Cunliffe should be profoundly grateful that Idiot Savant’s fact-based, intellectually honest fisking of how Labour’s intends to pay for its tax…

It might has seemed funny to say that Mark, a quick quip etc, but not a good idea to defame Judges in a public place.......seriously

Ever checked the rights of a judge when it comes to contempt

Whereas on January 2, the Sunday News wrote:

"Speculation has since been rife as to the man's identity. TVNZ's Simon Dallow…

A big newspaper did it and ran away.

Precisely. And what's the point of printing apologies and retractions if they're only going to be buried in a sidebar corner?…

have to say I did enjoy The King's Speech this arvo

Has The Herald learned nothing from the grovelling apology the Herald on Sunday had to give Sharon Shipton? (Not least the tacit admission quotes attributed to her were false.)

I’m curious as to why the judges haven’t taken the police to task for wasting the courts’ time.

They're APN News & Media Limited shareholders.

I'm curious as to why the judges haven't taken the police to task for wasting the courts' time.

My experience matches that of John Campbell – I never spoke with any media to deny rumours the "celebrity" was me (fwiw, I'm just a newsreader). Iirc, the SS-T asserted it was neither…

"In fact, we weren't actually talking to each other."

I hear you, brother.

Including by smartarses like whaleblubber who thumbed his nose at this latest suppression as if he’d never been pinged so publicly for the same offense.…

I think what was being suggested was also a ban on saying that the person was famous, or a celebrity, etc.

The standard suppression order does include a ban on any details likely to identify the defendant. This would be the bit that often gets flouted.

As a friend of mine pointed…

Fair points though I still think Devlin's offence and subsequent behaviour ought to be differentiated from…

As a friend of mine pointed out, the use of the word "disorder" without the "-ly conduct" part conveys a very different meaning.

Still, this is What They Want, right? The 'Public Interest'! Of course, the public is interested in things we promote as interesting,…