Hard News: The Letter
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Meanwhile
- it’s here at last!
Roughan Ready:
The John Key Yearsa thinly veiled publicity vehicle
for Key’s new tee shirt range:"Nothing I could do about it.
Didn’t know about it,
didn’t authorise it,
wasn’t part of it. …"[edit: Bart Simpson's lawyers are on the case...]
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Part of the reason people are so outraged about this is most New Zealanders don’t have a clue just how awful our corporate media (TV, radio and newsprint) actually is now. When I travel, it is embarassing to re-discover just how bad our news and currents affairs are now.
The biggest problem with the Herald is the disconnect between the general assumption it is still “Granny” Herald (like the Times used to be called “The Thunderer”), paper of record and broadsheet purveyor of reliable if conservative news and comment and the reality – that what passes as one of two daily “papers of record” is a cross between the Daily Mail and the Sun. New Zealanders, who don’t have a Guardian or an Independent or (heaven forbid) a Telegraph to compare it with assume the Herald still carries some sort of serious journalistic gravitas and integrity, when the reality is Rebekah Brookes would probably use a steelo pad to try and scrub herself clean if she had to shake hands with Tim Murphy.
I heard on NatRad the other week the online Guardian Australia is doing well, and they may eventually come to NZ. It cant happen soon enough, IMHO.
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The Herald still can't get its captions right
- the chilling book excerpt has a photo of the book cover purporting to be an aerial shot of the key family compound in Parnell...... and in the actual aerial photo
- I have to say that it don't look Parkour-proof!
(I'd be getting that trampoline shifted if I was him)Those eyes!
You will buy this thin book
You will adore my chutzpah
Vote devotee,
vote... -
Rich of Observationz, in reply to
Well, and you've got the way so many voices (outside the newspaper's direct staff) either freelance for APN/Fairfax or aspire to do so. So they'll always be giving them a huge benefit of the doubt.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
a thinly veiled publicity vehiclefor Key’s new tee shirt range:
“Nothing I could do about it.
Didn’t know about it,
didn’t authorise it,
wasn’t part of it. …”But he knew about
Kate Wilkinson and Phil Heatley would have had no inkling of their fate when they were summoned to the Prime Minister's office, because Mr Key talks to every minister about the work programme in their portfolios for the 12 months ahead.
Of Ms Wilkinson's interview, Mr Key told Roughan: "I said, 'Look, you've done a great job as a minister, but it's over.' She said, 'What have I done wrong?' I said, 'Nothing. You have done four years and I want to refresh.' I said the same thing to Phil."
The book also confirms that several of the dozen National MPs retiring at the coming election are doing so on Mr Key's advice
"
Did he have a smile on his mug as he sacked them? -
Chris Waugh, in reply to
- it’s here at last!
Hagiography, already. A bit early, isn't it? When will the first reports of miracles appear? Wait, is that an image of John Key's smiley mug I see in the smog smothering this city?
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
It was like that when I got there”
That's what he says at every Question time,
"Well I can't tell you about that but what I will say is this, Labour did it first in (insert any random number or decade and report or news clipping here)" -
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Hagiography, already. A bit early, isn’t it? When will the first reports of miracles appear?
Electioneering? Who is paying for that?
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
Electioneering?
Well, it's got a name on it, but I thought an address was also necessary.
But:
Roughan writes that Mr Key's frustration began with the "Teagate" saga surrounding the taping of his conversation with Act candidate John Banks at a Newmarket cafe during the 2011 election campaign.
For the first time, the Prime Minister let a trivial incident gnaw away at him for months.
Oh, the poor dear. (funny how such powerful people feel so put upon by such powerless people)
but was overwhelmed by side issues which seemed to take on a life of their own - be it Kim Dotcom's $50,000 donation to Mr Banks, extra pokies at SkyCity, the Novopay mess or the backdown on increasing class sizes.
Yeah, cos political corruption, the destruction wrought by gambling addiction, paying teachers and our kids' education* are just minor things. Not at all important.
As for the firing of ministers: There were those named fired for nothing, and yet there's one unnamed unfired despite there being plenty of something to raise serious questions about her place in cabinet. Buy, hey, priorities, people.
*might I emphasise: the number one reason we're leaving China next Chinese New Year.
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Paul Williams, in reply to
Yeah, cos political corruption, the destruction wrought by gambling addiction, paying teachers and our kids' education* are just minor things. Not at all important.
Nailed it. The affected laziness around process may well be his legacy and, living in Sydney, it's very very easy to see where it leads. The NSW government, regardless of party, is seriously compromised by political scandal and rort.
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So that is why the Herald has been slack on the job of being a proper newspaper, they are concentrating on John Key's deification, or is that defecation?
"I want to be able to look down the camera 100 per cent and say, 'I don't have a clue what I own'."
he says, without a hint of irony after saying the same thing about so much else, it seems he doesn't even know about money, which was his big thing.
Perhaps that is why he feels no qualms about selling us out to the US, he must think hegemony is the money you have in a hedge fund -
BenWilson, in reply to
Buy, hey, priorities, people.
Totally. The snippets read like the biggest white whine I've ever read in my life. Oh the adversity!! Someone recorded what the Chief of Spies was saying in a public meeting!! His mate in that meeting turned out to have dealings with someone he set his goons on, without him ever meaning to! But it made him feel a lot better to sack some competent staff for nothing. Now he has to deal with all the fuss of his crooked staff, and they can't even get it right to slip him gossip to equivocate with. It really does suck to be the most powerful and one of the richest men in NZ.
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
As for the firing of ministers:
We he wasn’t known as the “Smiling Assassin” for nothing.
John Key – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Key
Some co-workers called him “the smiling assassin” for maintaining his usual cheerfulness while sacking dozens (some say hundreds) of staff after heavy losses …
New Zealand National Party – Helen Clark* – Prime Minister of New ZealandWorst boss ever.
* Don't ask me why or how but putting “Smiling Assassin” into Google gave me that as a first hit. Although I can’t see Helen Clark as a National Party member I do wish she was still Prime Minister. -
Ian Dalziel, in reply to
it seems he doesn’t even know about money, which was his big thing.
That's because he decided he had enough (millions), and he's comfortable with that...
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One up-side to the Press Council, they can now specify where "clarifications" are published. I would say one full front-page piece about Granny's appalling journalistic standards, with the following six days required to carry a front-page above-the-fold reminder that they are fucking hacks.
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Steve Barnes, in reply to
I would say one full front-page piece about Granny’s appalling journalistic standards, with the following six days required to carry a front-page above-the-fold reminder that they are fucking hacks.
Now who is living in fantasy land?.
;-) -
Steve Barnes, in reply to
he’s comfortable with that…
And relaxed no doubt.
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
Now who is living in fantasy land?
It's dreams like that that keep me from remembering that Labour are doing their damnedest to not win this election, and succeeding admirably.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Isn’t the Granny showing signs of cartel-like behaviour?
In any case, I don't mind if media outlets nail their colours to a mast. What I would very much appreciate is being honest about it, and who, if anyone, pays them to be.
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Rob Stowell, in reply to
I emphasise: the number one reason we’re leaving China next Chinese New Year.
Be careful.
Dear Education Leader Parata, insofar as any human has been able to decipher her pronouncements, wishes NZ to emulate the startling success of Shanghai's schools. -
Chris Waugh, in reply to
that Labour are doing their damnedest to not win this election, and succeeding admirably.
A bit harsh, don't you think? There have been some quite interesting policy announcements, and the aggression shown in fighting this non-scandal has been a welcome breath of fresh air.
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
Be careful.
I know. I'm watching this most nervously. Unfortunately I won't be back in time to reclaim my right to vote*, so I'm relying on you lot to help keep that threat at bay.
*Well, yes, I could, but that wouldn't be fair on my family, boss or students.
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
Staying overseas longer than 3 years. The limit is only 1 year for permanent residents. I have been told I could work out a way around that by claiming a home base in NZ, but I could not in good conscience do that considering I haven't actually seen any of the houses my parents or siblings live in except on Google Streetview - and then the pictures on either Satellite or Streetview weren't even updated to include any more than the foundations of my brother's house last I looked.
It's a relatively minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but something all expats or those thinking of leaving should consider. I have no problem with expats losing the right to an electorate vote (or perhaps the creation of an Expatria electorate?), but I do think so long as we have MMP expats should retain the right to a party vote. We do still have an interest in what the NZ government gets up to (5 YEAR PASSPORTS FFS!!!!!!!!!! What bright spark dreamed that up?!).
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BenWilson, in reply to
I'm a bit confused, Chris. Are you using the term expat to mean people who are not NZ citizens, but became permanent residents, and then left? Because NZ citizens don't lose their right to vote, as far as I'm aware.
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
Labour are doing their damnedest to not win this election, and succeeding admirably.
A bit harsh, don’t you think?
Not overly, no. The way they’re treating the Greens is abominable. Not because they’re being nasty but because they’re behaving like there’s a potential future government that includes Labour and doesn’t include the Greens. Their “We’ll talk about that after the election” reaction to the Greens’ ETS/carbon tax policy, for example, is begging for voters to say “It’s too risky to vote for you, because your government is going to include the Greens and you won’t tell us about how you’ll handle this major policy of a key partner.”
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