Do see the film if you have the chance; Blimp (though he's never called that in the script) becomes quite a lovable, well-intentioned character.

I have to say that The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is one of my favourite films, and the comparison of the honorable Clive Wynne-Candy with the irredeemably oafish and vulgar Gerry Brownlee is galling.

yup, Ian has already got onto it= I just wanted to vaunt the idea-

...as the lights reminded him of the star that appeared in the firmament at the hour of Bob Jr's birth.
A timely reminder that Bob is from a stable background, were it to happen today, what with the cuts…

[[http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5562944/Year-on-marked-across-city|The mayor's father, Bob Parker Sr, last night flicked the switch on Father's…

Should it not have been in place for the RWC Opening?

What Sofie said.

Tindall: full front page coverage (with a small sidebar…

a stupid Bouncer still plastered over page 1 in the Herald

You've got to admit though, that guy is pretty damn hilarious. Semi-rhotic indeed.

Hell, I even tweeted about it just to make doubly sure it got out there.

Or, in the words of a former Cabinet Minister renowned for snarky wit...]

"a boy doing a woman's job".

The problem essentially starts with Key inviting all of Auckland, the rest of NZ and the world to the party of the century and then failing to see…

The Sun's report on Tindall's night out with the blonde in Queenstown was pretty darned accurate, if the CCTV footage is anything to go by.

Oopsie!

Not that I read or watched any of it, of course :)

...and Henry Ford.

You missed this one.

Specifically:

This appears to contradict the Government's line that the SAS soldiers provided operational advice, but did not directly engage with the insurgents...

Link FAIL.

Story about the NZ SAS being involved in the recent Kabul shootout. Which should arguably be getting a bit more oxygen than it currently is, being tucked away under the important stories like Ritchie McCow, the England rugby team doing something entirely unremarkable, and all…

Not missing; just late. :)

@Rich,
Which insignificant tidbit?

Too busy getting the real local stories that matter: The England rugby team....went to a bar! And there was a blonde woman there! And she…

You'd need the trains to run on time for that. Maybe IBM could help..

It's Friday, innit? I can't get over how apposite this video seems, at least to me.
'Too much fighting on the dance floor.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WhhSBgd3KI&ob=av3e

Yes, that was the other vertical integration story that I anticipated the waterfront fracas to be d-wharfed by.

ETA: I'm right there with Webweaver giving…

I'm right there with Webweaver giving you a standing ovation .

(hat tip: Juha)

I lol'd.

He probably started reading the comments attached to his diatribe. I even ventured to respond and I like to think I'm relatively passive, but I have become passive agressive lately with that man ;)

Either that or Alzheimers.

But, but ... I thought Mr Key and his government had delivered a "killer blow"? Did the Prime Minister misplace his "big stick" between Wednesday and Thursday?

Sigh ...

* gives Sacha a standing ovation *

I should elaborate on that pun. Auckland's 'supercity' changes weakened geographic silos but strengthened functional ones in local government. The region's restructuring brought together staff of similar functions like transport or events into the new CCOs and into the huge new Council's various departments.

During today's parliamentary 'debate'…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O7zZX-u3M0&feature=youtu.be

Who pulled the alarms and…

Hmm, perhaps not.

I would doubt that Murray McCully – Special Envoy for Beloved First Citizen has the initiative or the freedom to exercise a brain explosion – he does what he is told…

Hide-bound fools.

– with fork handles?

Napoleon personally designed his officer’s uniforms, just sayin’.

OMGoodness. Last night at Shed 10 someone in the know was telling me that Napoleon chose the colour of the uniforms. I thought tosh! that's micromanagement to the nth degree and ridiculously stupid. It…

It is starting to look that…

I felt dirty after listening to it.

gold

Yes and worst, Steven Joyce

It's pretty clear now that his stunt on Tuesday is regarded as a brain explosion by even his colleagues.

Each, however, has attacked Labour's "negativity" for raising the…

I wish somebody would tell this to my landlord.

Watched it last night after doing Media7. It was one of the best games of rugby I have seen in a long time.

I would love to have been in Whangerei yesterday. What a cracker game!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKj4upY1VYI

Still, it's not as if that's entirely unexpected for September in Auckland. Remind me whose…

Today's ODT reports a massive $300k trickle down to the local economy from last week's RWC game in Dunedin – given that the city council had to put up $250k…

Much has been made of Murray McCully’s so-called “nationalisation” of the waterfront for RWC party central, through the exercise of reserve powers under the special legislation for the Rugby World Cup.

The legal position is, however, very different. While…

Ugh. You'd…

I'm going to suggest it has something to do with One News' six-month-long daily countdown, making the…

I do hope that actually happens. It's the NZ World Cup, not the Party Central World Cup. I like that there's games on in smaller towns, and am actually taking…

Sacha: I think we can assume that anyone who isn’t demanding the evil Government be stuffed with candy, strung up from the nearest lamp-post and beaten with sticks by small children is a Tory-felching sycophant in Tom’s book.

One fears for Mr Armstrong; what happens when Smile’n’Wave gets bored…

It had a previous life as a holding zone for imported cars.

One fears for Mr Armstrong; what happens when Smile'n'Wave gets bored and decides to leave politics?

He morphs into Garth George and…

And

I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes, that’s a ridiculous column. Armstrong might need to get out of the Thorndon Bubble occasionally.

Ridiculous enough to go to the Press…

eh?

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully's sudden takeover after Auckland's waterfront fiasco will not have come as a surprise to those who have watched him operate in the past three decades.

A workaholic, he is known to be abrasive and impatient with officials and…

Thanks…

ATEED opened much more space…

transport sector culture is certainly interesting

No, it doesn't. When someone pays you to provide a service, they tend to have the upper hand in the relationship – whether that's fair or not. $35m is not chump change. Veolia aren't a charity and they're free…

Isn't public safety a policing issue, and isn't there a Minister of Police to be responsible for that?

As for "amenities" (McCully said elsewhere he is referring to toilets), does the Government really need to take charge of port-a-loos?

I feel sorry…

To be quite blunt about it, Sacha, that goes both ways. Do you really think the comments made by Brown and…

And we got a lazy 'the Government has stepped in' narrative from the TVNZ news. Oh and TV3 listed McKay as 'Auckland Council'.

From a TV3 report of the meeting, compare Council CEO Doug McKay (not a 'councillor', guys):

“The headlines in the newspapers about the Government seizing control of the water front is just not…

I wouldn't be surprised if McCully's own officials were surprised. After all they had clearly been working on solutions with the council for the past…

McCully said today discussions had been held between Auckland Council chief executive Doug McKay and officials but clearly Brown was not kept in the loop .

"I spoke to…

Minister's wharf too small..

I'll bet it was fucking Disney, throwing them in. B'stards!

About the govt's behaviour yesterday, from parliamentary question time (3 mins, listening options).

From today's committee meeting, including about crowd number forecasts (3 mins, listening options).

Committee chair Richard Northey, including about compensation (6 mins, listening options).

Independent inquiry launched (5 mins, listening options)…

I did. There were lemming there, though. Shuffling along behind one another, as they do. I heard some fell into the water on the TV news, but have not heard any confirmation from other sources.

The first page of Auckland Transport's report to the Council committee notes:

Assurances were given by Veolia that measures would be…

MED administers the Act. But there is mention in the Act of the establishement of a Rugby World Cup Authority so who knows who he means. It'll be someone who won't be permited to answer the Minister back, you…

ATEED's report also confirms that television marketing considerations and the perceived importance of 'Party Central' drove placement and overruled options like opening more dispersed fanzones or extending provision inland. Downplaying the success…

As it has for a few years now.

I think he does. Lemmings would never behave in such a fashion ;-)

Maori TV
The advertising gave that impression, but seems only 'the big games'.

No live tv coverage (beyond Sky I presume)? boo

Always! Especially when replying to Ian.

Samoa
I'm up to half time, so I won't provide spoilers. Although see the title of Hadyn's blog? That.

If I might be so bold:
http://www.splovers.com/

Pun intended? Cos, yeah, without wanting to play the blame game, it's easy to find fault(s) down here. ;-)

Sigh ... news. Basically, the narrative has been agreed on and that's it.

As Ben keeps pointing out, a lot of people were really happy downtown on Friday.

Yeah. Sure there were some problems, but as Lilith pointed our earlier, shouldn't the fault finders be doing their work in your neighbourhood right now?

Finlay McDonald ruminated about broader democratic implications before the final supercity enabling Bill and first election, linking it with lessons from recent finance company collapses.

Speaking of [John] Banks, if he does become Auckland's first super mayor, he'll inherit several…

Mr McCully told Radio New Zealand today that government officials spoke to Auckland City officials on Monday about the proposal.

"I've got a whole range of officials who work on our side, and a whole range who work on the Auckland City side and I thought…

Josh Arbury is saying that at today's council…

Good point recordari – The actual game of rugby is certainly taking a back seat to the – rah rah hoopla economic miracle global media madness Adidas Heineken et al promotional machine – with wobbly wheels.

Chokers.

LOL. You're right, I'm going to watch the game.

Not inspiring anything. Least of all the rugby. Thought we were having a Rugby World Cup, not a Party Planners Pity Convention.

if you'll excuse the expression :)

I'd encourage you to write more about that. Most media seem to have missed the implications about who was calling the shots.

I wouldn't go that far, but it was ironic that 3 News had a "hell on earth" voiceover running over pictures of Quay Street during the fireworks — which showed…

for sure

That makes sense. Stuff was getting moved around all over the place during the run-up.

Yeah, quite. And, as the council told Todd Niall, this was all in train before McCully got up in his grandstand.

Not inspiring confidence.

Which doesn't alter the fact that McCully claimed Doug McKay knew what was going on — but he clearly didn't.

I think he said his people had done the talking rather than himself, to be fair.

Chances are they'd frame it as "manning up".

Wasn't that the aspect McCully claimed needed his special intervention?

This. But Jacinda will now be accused of "politicizing the RWC". Labour is probably best off to just say they support the All Blacks,…

I was told at the time by someone who was supposed to be there that it was to do with the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum This page from Oxfam lists events…

Council CEO says McCully's announcement took him by surprise & council doesn't need RWC legislation to expand fanzines.

I really hope this gets as much air as McCully's bogus claim that he'd told the CEO. McCully just looks to have lied about…

The Ministry of Economic Development (“the Applicant”) seeks urgent approval to amend the scope of the Queens Wharf Fanzone, Festival and Showcase event and associated public access arrangements during the Rugby World Cup 2011 (“RWC 2011”). The…

Private VIP function for Ports of Auckland and associated hangers-on, I read somewhere.

Since 2009, the Minister responsible for the Rugby World Cup and the Prime Minister have placed a huge amount of emphasis on Party Central. They stood on Queens Wharf, that one…

The Auckland Super City is in fact a giant maximum entropy machine that was activated by the Penguin known as “Happy Feet” who under the guise of visiting Wellington Zoo held secret meetings with the our beloved…

Captain Cook wharf will be hastily dressed up as a new fan zone

Did anyone notice that on Friday it actually was some sort of *private* party central anyway ? There were large marquees, big screen and bouncy castles and other childrens entertainment. My kids wanted to go there (and…

The Ministry of Economic Development's consent application.

Key part is the report, which notes that Queen's Wharf lacked enough capacity to meet demand.

But, of course, it "worked perfectly" according to the minister.

Come on, Grant. EVERYONE knows that it's only nanny state when Labour do it.

Indeed.
Even John Banks was against it.…

It was a radio interview. APNZ's slapdash transcription efforts are the likely culprit.

To put it simply, there was never the capacity in place to move all the crowds, as Joel explains. In operational planning terms, this means there was a significant failure in “staff checks” to…

Looks like I was wrong — Captain Cook wharf will be hastily dressed up as a new fan zone. Fuck knows what they're going to do with that ship…

Govt interfered with local planning that had been going on for years between the region's various former Councils and associated agencies.…

Wow, things really have gone downhill under Red Len.

Oh, yes. Once the pass the parcel blame music stops, we can burn whoever is left holding the baby in a giant wicker rugby ball at the end of Queens…

Then it needs to be exhumed and publicly displayed at the first opportunity.

Mr Sagdiyev say "jagshemash!"

Glad you picked up the gun-ho mistake, but it seems to me that he's also saying that the whole thing could have been avoided, and that the mess was a result of planning.

Murray "Muzza" McCully's talent for micro-management will again be exercised as a result of the Government's decision to seize control of the enlarged Party Central for the duration of the Rugby World Cup.

It is obvious that Muzza's panzer movement is the result of a prime ministerial…

Surely you mean meerkats?

Yes. Pardon my language, but he seems to have just fucking made that shit up.

Which, of course, does not stop it being faithfully reported as news …

Not likely – the people will show much love to our beloved leader First Citizen John Key the First. He is most beloved and have much…

We may need a psychologist's opinion about his overweening crush for the waterfront.

Oops, that's what you get when you let your fingers do the talking. ;-)

On a related note...
John Banks told Newstalk ZB the Government had swallowed the Council's plan "hook, line and sinker",…

This is perfectly sensible. It is also nothing like McCully's bizarre claim yesterday that they would be turned into new fan zones.…