Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Day After Tomorrow

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  • Sacha, in reply to ,

    (sorted)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • dave stewart,

    What happened to all that "relentless positivity"?
    The Nats haven't won yet, and I for one am anticipating with pleasure watching smug smiles being wiped from certain faces tomorrow night:

    Freeview channel 50 - RNZ on the TV: the A team with no ads.

    And there is still time to influence the outcome: put on your team's colours and stroll around smiling and acknowledging your fellow citizens .
    Dare to dream while there is still hope!
    (The alternative is really too horrible to consider).

    Since Aug 2014 • 37 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Overall election early votes just hit 985,530 so with todays totals to be tallied by 2pm tomorrow advance voting will be well above 1m. 178,785 votes cast is a new daily record.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Allan Moyle,

    Labour and the Greens remain the only two parties with independent costings.

    Heres an errant thought. The taxpayer pays for BEFU & PREFU, how about political parties only qualify for public broadcasting time/funding when they present a costed policy model, by a given date.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 104 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to Tom Semmens,

    congregate under the eves of the Henderson library to access the free wifi

    Go the Aotearoa People's Network!!!!

    Not only we indigenous Bus travelers 'freeload' at the beautiful Te Ahu Centre in Kaitaia, but the 'wee van' overseas tourists also partake. Absolutely awesome facility, and I am forever grateful...not only for the APNK access but the desks and tables and chairs and even (free) power points, strategically placed. I'll be sharing a large table with a couple of Czechs, an elderly cocky from up in the backblocks and local young people doing on line study.

    Its all so...friendly, and kind of...communal.

    Can't for the life of me figure out why a National voter would object....

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Katharine Moody, in reply to dave stewart,

    What happened to all that “relentless positivity”?

    Still got it here - and this is good news as well;

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/22/49399/there-may-have-been-a-youth-quake

    Wellington • Since Sep 2014 • 798 posts Report Reply

  • Trevor Nicholls, in reply to Katharine Moody,

    Well I hope he's right, but if he is right then a big proportion of these votes will be specials (not just early votes) and we may not know he's right until many days hence.

    Wellington, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 325 posts Report Reply

  • Katharine Moody, in reply to Trevor Nicholls,

    Yes, that's what I've been thinking for awhile now.

    Wellington • Since Sep 2014 • 798 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Kia ora!

    Gonna close the thread, to make the gesture towards a law I suspect won't be there next election.

    But also because I reckon we should have new conversations after 6pm tomorrow :-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Righto – I don't have the time or energy to write something new today, so the thread is open again.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I don't have the time or energy to write something new today

    If only that were true of our media, who will insist on spraying reckons for the next couple of weeks even though there is nothing new to base reports on.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald,

    ...Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox, who has again demonstrated what an extraordinary politician she is.

    I was wondering Russell if you still hold this opinion after Marama Fox's rather despicable attack on her electorate the other night.

    She has backed off a tad, but I find it unbelievable that she read the mood of the people so wrong.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,

    I was wondering Russell if you still hold this opinion after Marama Fox’s rather despicable attack on her electorate the other night.

    Smug, shrill and self serving comment from someone clearly with a chip on her shoulder. The perfect epithet for the smug, shrill and self-serving Maori Party founded by someone with a big chip on her shoulder.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Tom Semmens,

    Eh, some considerable frustration at this stage is understandable. Once gone from Parliament, there's no easy way back for the Māori Party, and they know it.

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens, in reply to linger,

    Eh, some considerable frustration at this stage is understandable.

    Call me hard nosed, but being treated to the sight of Te Ururoa Flavell blubbing like a big child on TV and then being invited by Patrick Gower to feel sorry for him just made want to slap him. If you want the definition of political entitlement, it is Flavell crying because someone dare take his seat off him.

    Flavell should have saved his tears for all the poor Maori who lose their jobs every day, while for nine years he was being a two faced apologist for National. Then he might even still be in parliament.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Tom Semmens,

    One could also frame it as sheer disbelief that many Māori electorate voters don’t after all have the same degree of rabid self-interest and mad tactical voting skillz exemplified by Epsom. “It fucking worked for fucking ACT!” It is a tad unfair.

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to linger,

    One could also frame it as sheer disbelief that many Māori electorate voters don’t after all have the same degree of rabid self-interest and mad tactical voting skillz

    I think it went deeper than that. Yes, there was an initial enthusiasm for the MP and a buy into the ‘we’ll get nowhere unless we’re on the Government benches’, but after the first two terms the gloss had gone.

    I have a personal beef with the MP over the PHDAct amendment and the (feigned?) ignorance from both Turia and Flavell when they were challenged about their willingness to remove the rights of another group of Kiwis to approach the Human Rights Commission and the Courts for clarification of their rights. But there’s more to this.

    Apart from, as Tom Semmens points out, the failure of the Maori Party to protect the interests of Maori in the present….the entrance of Marama Fox into the fray created some serous frustration and with some, actual offense.

    It was this….

    Youtube clip of Fox and Flavell singing' Santa Baby' in the house ....deleted as it didn't appear to load proper...

    ….that did it for some.

    Singing fucking songs while working Maori sleep in cars.

    Reminiscent of the colonist attitude that Maori will be be happy if you give them a tune.

    Total mis read.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,

    I was wondering Russell if you still hold this opinion after Marama Fox’s rather despicable attack on her electorate the other night.

    I do, and I think she's a loss – and I also think this is worse than either of the two examples you linked to. I understand that they're grieving and why, but she needs to tai hoa.

    She has backed off a tad, but I find it unbelievable that she read the mood of the people so wrong.

    I think it was pretty evident that she'd got the mood of the people and wanted to go into coalition with Labour if at all possible. The Māori Party's problem is that her favoured coalition partner was also her party's real opponent.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    That's a built-in problem with the Maori seats combined with our version of MMP. We don't do nuances, we don't do German-style multiple options for coalitions, everything is "Are you going with Labour or National?". Any challenger to Labour in the Maori electorates is going to be Not-Labour, ergo ... yeah, you see where I'm going with this.

    There needs to be a party that gets stuck into Labour, stops them taking those seats for granted, and then gets concessions from Labour in return for confidence and supply. How you get that across in our binary-brained media, I really don't know.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to linger,

    mad tactical voting skillz exemplified by Epsom.

    So how do the obedient voting tools of Epsom feel now that Bill & Steve's Big Adventure has left them with a lame duck MP, with no seat at the big table, no power or clout to do anything useful for 'his ' electorate?

    I suspect next election will be all 'David Seymour... - Who?'

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to Russell Brown,

    and I also think this is worse

    I hadn't seen that. Tai hoa? I'm guilty of doing the angry/ranty thing myself...but I've no aspirations to lead a much needed political party.

    The other thing thing Fox said the other day that confirmed what I'd been hearing from some tangata whenua in the Far North...that the MP seems to represent folk at the...better heeled end of the spectrum. Like the Treaty settlements...there's not a lot of trickle down to the plebs in the iwi.

    Asked about CGT ...but not on the family home....Fox emphatically said NO, because its not fair on those who have rental properties to supplement their Super.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    I was thinking about what would happen if NZF decided not to join any coalition, I can imagine a National minority govt finding itself being ganged up on by the 3 others to pass the law that they want - they might get more done that way ....

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Sadly, I suspect their thinking will be "we're toast next time regardless, Winston will be gone, so let's cash in for 3 years".

    The prospect of Minister Shane Jones being on "my team" is enough to make me squeamish about winning, or relaxed about losing, in the Big Negotiate.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    well yeah - what happens when Winnie goes has to part of any negotiation - and that issue needs to be gently negotiated around the elephant-ego in the room

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Having just watched Winston's media conference (or onslaught), I am now officially "relaxed" about the negotiations. If NZF can support Labour on confidence and supply only, I'm fine with that.

    But if he wants to be a Minister, National can have him.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

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