Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Standing up and calling bullshit

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  • 3410,

    How exactly? Serious question.

    In this case, I doubt it.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Let the Tories be Tories, you know, what harm could they possibly do?

    Damn... you mean I have to start letting the Labour caucus into my VRWC cocktail parties. Oh, well -- Igor, more chipolatas in the cauldron, or I won't beat you anymore!

    In this case, I doubt it.

    Thanks for the useful reply, 3410. But I would like to know what looked like a "party political broadcast", because I'm really not seeing it. Kyle's opinion is bound to be more disinterested than David Cunliffe's (and genuinely insightful, as he so often is), at a wild surmise.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Double post removed

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Does anybody else think it's unfortunate that an ad branded 'Plain English' contains the phrase "us Kiwis can do do it"?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Does anybody else think it's unfortunate that an ad branded 'Plain English' contains the phrase "us Kiwis can do do it"?

    Yes? But then again, literacy is pure gravy.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    (And FWIW, I'm seriously tempted to cast my next party vote for the Greens or Maori Party.)

    Slowly, slowly catchy monkey. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Slowly, slowly catchy monkey. :)

    Who told you I bite, jerk off in public and throw my own bodily waste at children? Lies, all lies!

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    The hoary old chestnut of where to draw the line between free speech and hate speech.

    I'm not sure David's case comes down to the line between "free speech and hate speech", but interesting article nonetheless, DeepRed. Ursula Cheer was, of course, right.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    How exactly? Serious question.

    up until about 18 seconds its 'we have been underperforming [the previous lot], we can do better, we can beat those aussies'. And then the 'together us kiwis can do it'.

    Plus the party leader standing there talking to you with the music in the background. Very election advert.

    (Doesn't have the other things you'd expect to find in an election advert, the diverse ordinary nzers, young and old, different skin tones, people working etc)

    Not a good election advert, but I can see how people made the link. Just tenuous that it will help National's brand, or advertise the TV show.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Your mileage may vary, but that's [the passing of the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill] the real media scandal today IMO. (And FWIW, I'm seriously tempted to cast my next party vote for the Greens or Maori Party.)

    I agree, and I'm also considering voting for the Greens next election (if parliament doesn't decide elections, too, are an unnecessary liberty).

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    Not a good election advert, but I can see how people made the link. Just tenuous that it will help National's brand, or advertise the TV show.

    Like Craig, I wonder how seeing Bill English speak would encourage people to support National.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Kyle:

    Thanks. Sincerely.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Like Craig, I wonder how seeing Bill English speak would encourage people to support National.

    Well you could apply that to a fair few people in parliament who opened their mouths and still got elected.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    Well you could apply that to a fair few people in parliament who opened their mouths and still got elected.

    A list as long as my arm.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    You'd be forgiven for not noticing, because 'Ad-gate' was apparently a more important political story than Parliament giving Police powers to forcibly take DNA from alleged criminals without consent or judicial approval.

    Abso-fucken-lutely. How about for one second we all take off our Duncan Garner Halloween masks and realise that a public discussion with the Minister of Finance is actually a potentially useful thing? And that while he's a career politician (and the aww-shucks-I'm-not-wearing-a-tie-and-saying-Aussie-is-nauseating), being two years out from an election with a 30-odd point majority government means this isn't exactly a vote grab?

    And yet DNA-seizure from innocent people just merrily rode it's way through both sides of Parliament. Christ on a stick.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Innocent people? The police would hardly be charging them if they were innocent. I suppose you'll be happy when one of these crims gets away with murder because of your hand-wringing, you pantywaist.

    But you see Phil Goff is tough on criminals, so he was hardly going to object even apart from the political difficulties.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    the passing of the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill

    The was a PR from Simon Power earlier said

    The Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Amendment Bill allows police to collect DNA from people they 'intend to charge', and to match it against samples from unsolved crimes.

    His scare-quotes. I had a comment they should make the police do the wiggly-fingers thing ever time.

    Doing-things-to-criminals (or suspected/alledged) doesn't seem to get too much challenged, but in this case it may have been enhanced by liberal use of parliamentary urgency. After it passing being generally considered too late for the debate.

    And it's not as if we're short of human rights outrages just now.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    But you see Phil Goff is tough on criminals, so he was hardly going to object even apart from the political difficulties.

    He's too busy waiting for John Key's gloss to come off - it's a full time job that.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    Stephen I read that as someone murdering someone by wringing their neck with my pantywaist. Plenty of DNA to go around in that case...

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    Doing-things-to-criminals (or suspected/alledged) doesn't seem to get too much challenged, but in this case it may have been enhanced by liberal use of parliamentary urgency. After it passing being generally considered too late for the debate.

    I am willing to bet any reasonable sum of money that at least one political activist I know (and that list includes members of my own family) will have their DNA taken within one year of this bill receiving assent.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Christ on a stick.

    Nearly!

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • johnno,

    This isn't a well thought-out question, and I will probably regret it, but isn't compulsory DNA gathering and storing for suspects the same as fingerprinting? Is it the sense that the DNA is more personal, and the gathering more intrusive? Just saying...

    And in reference to my comments up thread re Maori Television, I must apologise and amend my statement - the insult is "mellowpuff", not "marshmellow", implying that the person is brown on the outside, but white in the middle. Nice, eh. It's already been thrown at Carol, who certainly doesn't deserve it.

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    I am so glad you clarified this Johno!
    WTF? I thought. S/he means pink on the outside & inside, white all the way-through, singed on the outside but gooey in the middle???
    Mellowpuffs - fine. Though I worry about the semisavoury biscuit base....

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • johnno,

    I love mellowpuffs. I used to be the type who bit the top off, then lingered on the biscuit base. No more. I like to think I've grown up a little, and now eat them whole, just like God (New Testament, not Jewish) intended.

    wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 111 posts Report Reply

  • conseismal,

    what means the phrase plz 'christ on a stick'?
    i have also heard 'sex on a stick' (a man gesturing at aston martin)

    the stick i rememba moist in NZ was that of the man from said
    "dna squad" who obliged me to run his around my gums for about 10 minutes before i was allowed to take delivery of my replacement passport and leave yr country..

    whole biz proceeded from incident of arrest after i'd pocketed on impulse pack of refill razors at supermak't checkout on finding i had not enuff change to pay for..

    seem'd wildly aggressive pursuit of me-kins to me
    perhaps they just knowed i wz a troll, ae

    least i aint no.. mallowpuff

    Since Jul 2009 • 54 posts Report Reply

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