Hard News: What Now?
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Sacha, in reply to
I’d prefer they do it upfront not passive-aggressively.
I believe that mainly tells us something about the power struggle between corporate journos and politicians with spin rottweilers.
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Think of it as whispering truth to power
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Think of it as whispering truth to power
Oh, that's a good line - stealing that. But seriously, we should remember the Fourth Estate is also a "power" with agendas and biases that need disinfecting sunlight as well.
Anyway, I'm rather chuffed if any initial estimate of destruction and death end up being flat out wrong. Remember when the CW was that the death toll would be anywhere between 300-500? It wasn't totally irresponsible scaremongering at the time -- and any deaths are terrible -- but I'd be pretty glad if the damage estimates went the same way.
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Sacha, in reply to
Oh, that's a good line - stealing that
Welcome (quite like it myself)
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Sacha, in reply to
we should remember the Fourth Estate is also a "power" with agendas and biases
Agreed, hence the tussle
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Yesterday eve's Herald story updates Key and Brownlee's hasty estimate double act.
Responding to a question from Mr Goff in Parliament today, Mr Key conceded he had received no official advice that some areas would need to be abandoned.
He also conceded he had not consulted with Civil Defence director John Hamilton before making the statement.
...While only about 70,000 of the 190,000 homes in Christchurch have so far been inspected, a Civil Defence spokesman said it was unlikely that number [their total of 2198] would rise significantly.
Mr Key this morning said the estimate of 10,000 houses requiring demolition was "very much back of an envelope".
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee today defended the estimate, saying it was based on initial advice from the Earthquake Commission's geotechnical engineers and was not based on the red-stickering process.
He said the estimate took in the 3500-odd houses that already needed to be demolished after the September quake, as well as aerial observations of land damaged in last month's quake.
"The number itself is a realistic estimate of where it may end up," he said today.
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And whatever you think of Key and Brownlee (let’s assume the default position around PAS is: nothing nice)
Why would one assume that? No personal attack is involved in noting that they're currently pushing the "envelope" ahead of evidence.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Just a (perhaps egregiously snarky, granted) reference that you couldn't form a quorate National Party branch from PAS. :) And there's nothing wrong with that, but I do have to wonder whether Helen would be have the benefit of the doubt extended a little further.
Might want to check out my PAR piece this Sunday -- where I posit that the media coverage has been OTT, but Brownlee could learn a thing or two from a visit to Nakasaki's Urukami neighbourhood.
Anyway, I've got to unplug the laptop and finish packing for the Great Blend -- and will be spending the next week in Wellington. Since social convention frowns on house guests locking themselves in the spare bedroom and blowing their host's broadband cap, my internet time will be spotty and brief. :)
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Have an excellent time in Wellington, Craig. Check out Arty Bees Bookshop if you get the chance.
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I've opened a thread should people want to talk about stuff not otherwise covered by currently active discussions:
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Have an excellent time in Wellington, Craig. Check out Arty Bees Bookshop if you get the chance.
Matt from Arty Bees will be at the Blend on Thursday. Remind me to introduce you, Craig.
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Over the long run, our fixation on residential property has helped bugger the economy. I'd rather not encourage more of it.
Dragging back in from the thread about coffee and frogs.
I totally disagree with this. Yes, a fixation on owning residential property has helped it to bubble. But that was not caused by a glut of builders, it was caused by a glut of debt, and the historic safety of property as an investment. The safety encouraged risk-taking.
Furthermore, we have urgent and dire need for tradespeople because of Christchurch. Yes, exporting is good for the economy, but you still need people to make stuff here, for here, too. Part of an export economy is the infrastructure to make it work and that's almost ALL built locally.
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Reports from local MPs about what's happening in their areas.
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Sacha, in reply to
Part of an export economy is the infrastructure to make it work and that's almost ALL built locally.
Let's train more network engineers and software developers then.
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BenWilson, in reply to
Let's train more network engineers and software developers then.
Network engineering pretty much is a trade, and yes we need more of it. Software...meh. There's no shortage.
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giovanni tiso, in reply to
Check out Arty Bees Bookshop if you get the chance.
And Quilters!
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While our esteemed Prime Minister goes of to Play Cricket against a guy with a Hot wife maybe we can take this opportunity to look at actually doing something useful for Chrishchurch.
As I suggested Last Week a relocation package now seems to be likely but far from being a unanimous position.
I have a suggestion to put forward.
Instead of doing any major repairs to the suburbs right now I would propose a massive building program on unaffected land, there is no better test for earthquake suseptability than an earthquake so geotech. surveys could be kept simple. Move the people out on a need basis and when all is done give those wanting to go back first option on buying back their sections. The worse affected areas could by used for dairy pasture and land swap deals could be made where agricultural land is more suitable for development. In all this it should be paramount to attempt to retain communities wherever possible.
Wadaya think?. -
Has anyone considered that Gerry could pull an ECan on CCC entirely of his own volition? No need for that pesky legislate process when you can just write an Order in Council and the GG must sign it into force.
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Sacha, in reply to
Has anyone considered that Gerry could pull an ECan on CCC entirely of his own volition?
I imagine that can't have escaped the current Council's attention..
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Has anyone considered that Gerry could pull an ECan on CCC entirely of his own volition? No need for that pesky legislate process when you can just write an Order in Council and the GG must sign it into force.
It'd be ironic, given Mayor Parker's role in the ECan sacking. Minister Brownlee fancies himself as some kind of Robert Moses or Baron Hausmann.
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Sacha, in reply to
Minister Brownlee fancies himself as some kind of Robert Moses or Baron Hausmann.
You had me at himself
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Apparently the reconstruction bill is now heading towards $30b.
I'm really hoping that we're going to see a big injection into trades training, effective in the very near future, because the current forecast is that Christchurch will strip the rest of the country bare for a decade and thus thoroughly fuck the entire economy for good.
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NBH, in reply to
I'm really hoping that we're going to see a big injection into trades training
Well, given that last October - i.e. after the previous earthquake - the Government removed $55million from vocational/trades-focused education provision, I suspect you're hoping in vain.
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Hmm, I guess this could be seen as a return to the normal neighbourhood watch mentality Christchurch was known for before the quake.
"Yes, it's legal, but it still doesn't make it right or acceptable near the homes of decent people. If you have one skank, other skanks will come. It just escalates. Where do you draw the line?"
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
I'm really hoping that we're going to see a big injection into trades training, effective in the very near future, because the current forecast is that Christchurch will strip the rest of the country bare for a decade and thus thoroughly fuck the entire economy for good.
How bad can it get? Bad enough for the IMF to knock on our door?
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