Public Address | Cafe | Island Life: Citizen Key With A Vengeance

kerry w

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 12:21:11 +1300

*sigh* isn't a great leader someone who the rest of us believes in? Even when things are done or said that we aren't that happy with?

The leader who is always right, who never apologises or admits a frailty, a mistake or a change of heart is simply a powerful…

stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:28:39 +1300

I think that the last para in particular of this article applies just as well to John key---and the rest fo the article is pretty relevant too!

stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 07:58:39 +1300

sagenz---

I have with political correctness. It stops any debate by labelling the mere discussion of an idea unacceptable.

Absolutely---labelling someone's ideas or actions "politically correct" is clearly designed to attack their position without having to think about it properly---classic "dog wehistle" behaviour. Whenever Ihear someone "close" an argument with…

sagenz

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:42:33 +1300

David – to your attempted rebuttal – My comment above is why John Key will be successful. If something is working he will run with it. but if he becomes convinced that something apparently working in the short term is strategically flawed

I would suggest that John Key's perceptive ability…

sagenz

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:31:39 +1300

Interesting thread. There is a high quality and courtesy of debate on this site. How do you scare off trolls? Perhaps it is by being like British drivers, courtesy breeds courtesy

David – to your original point. Hagers book is yesterdays cold fish and chip paper. It is well worth…

Craig Ranapia

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 09:19:01 +1300

Rob Hosking wrote:
__Russell's point about the more experienced deputy: a lot is riding on English. Internally especially. The most signficant thing about the leadership change this week is it wasn't contested. This is a caucus which has been bitterly squabbling since at least the end of 1996. The penny…

Stephen Judd

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:54:59 +1300

David, re 1 – well, that's the conservative-liberal divide in a nutshell, yes? And re 2, I am confident in thinking that Key has more brains and more acumen than Bush fils, if not pere.

I am a natural-born Labour supporter, but I'm a bit cross with them these days,…

simon g

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:39:10 +1300

I know at this stage it's proof/pudding, time/tell and other cliches, but in Colin Espiner's piece on the reshuffle today there were a couple of sentences that sum up my concerns – or rather, one throwaway word, which won't be making any headlines.

He [Key] was careful not to criticise…

David Slack

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:08:37 +1300

Stephen, I'll give you two contrary arguments, although I'm not sure they defeat it:

1: it may tend to reinforce the status quo – the inherent bias may be conservative. Whether that's desirable or not is another question.

2: it creates the possiblity of an empty vessel into which may…

Stephen Judd

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:01:25 +1300

Just to support the prejudice-free trader idea: one thing I've learned over the last few years is that successful investors are not attached to ideology, or theory, or any abstract idea at all, other than that which works on practical application. And when they're wrong, they close out their position…

Rob Hosking

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:18:13 +1300

A couple of comments on the original post – trivial ones first:

1. Hallelujiah. Someone who knows how to use the word 'infer' correctly.

2. Brash could never make it as a Wiggle. He's a Presbyterian Bible Class Boy, which means – and I say this as a PBCB myself…

Robyn Gallagher

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:08:45 +1300

Everything before but is bullshit.

So true! And it reminds me of this one, courtesy of Amy Sedaris:

Everything after "because" is bullshit.

Russell Brown

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:40:35 +1300

Well, Bill English did that when I interviewed him on Tuesday. You see! It CAN happen!

New name: Slick Willie!

I'll leave the serious discussion about the party leader with a deputy who is more experienced and assured than he is for another day.

Rob Hosking

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:19:34 +1300

Craig wrote: "The short answer: Yes it would, but it would also be nice if we didn't crucify political leaders for not having a perfectly crafted, focus group-ready soundbite on demand. I don't necessarily think it's a flaw for someone to respond to a question with "I don't know"..."

Well,…

Craig Ranapia

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:31:09 +1300

James Doleman wrote:
Unless of course they are Prime Minister and the question is "there is possibly a tsunami heading for the west coast, should we evacuate"?

*sigh* James, if the civil defence infrastructure is so FUBAR that local media need to ring the Prime Minister's office to confirm a…

James Doleman

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:00:38 +1300

"I don't necessarily think it's a flaw for someone to respond to a question with "I don't know" or even (shock! horror!) "You know, I thought I knew and I was wrong."

Unless of course they are Prime Minister and the question is "there is possibly a tsunami heading for…

Tom Beard

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 11:56:59 +1300

BTW – has anyone else ever considered that the term "banker" might be rhyming slang?
Apologies to any er... bankers out there.

"Merchant banker" is indeed part of modern rhyming slang.

Lyndon Hood

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:42:43 +1300

I'll just add my support for what Craig said.

Though it might take a while for the media to stop screaming that it's a problem every time a leader tries acting like a sensible human being.

One of the lessons of performance improv, which from the above appears to be…

Stephen Judd

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:38:34 +1300

In the context of being leader of the Nats, what does this mean? What is he saying here?

That Key need not accept money from corporate backers to finance a National campaign, because he has enough of his own. And the corollary is that Brash did need to.

Which is…

Kent Parker

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:19:02 +1300

Speaking of democratic representation of ideas. What gets me is how little Brash actually represented the policies and interests of the team that he stood for. National needed Hager's book to blow the lid of that.

At least Key, by being relatively 'policy neutral' may be better able to democratically…

stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:00:46 +1300

Here's an extraordinary thing from Dr. Brash from yesterday:

Asked what the difference was between him and Mr Key, he said: "He's got more money than I have. That's an important difference."

In the context of being leader of the Nats, what does this mean? What is he saying here?

The Doctor

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:37:27 +1300

The point, though: such environments are clearly precious, and such attitudes are clearly needed to make progress. To work in an environment that is not like this (which politcians seem to have to) cannot, in my experience, be conducive to ideas emerging and good ideas surviving and growing.

Damn, that's…

Don Christie

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:29:26 +1300

Kathy was a nun

Deborah, sorry to burst your bubble but I am afraid that your "nun" sounds much more like a managenent consultant in mufti...

Craig Ranapia

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:26:12 +1300

stever wrote:
__One of the things that needs very subtle handling is showing new researchers (typically PhD students) that they are truly in an environment where they are safe to have ideas, talk to people about them, modify them, discard them if they turn out to be bad ideas that…

andrew llewellyn

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:19:45 +1300

Governor of the Wiggle Bank!

BTW – has anyone else ever considered that the term "banker" might be rhyming slang?

Apologies to any er... bankers out there.

Kent Parker

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:00:34 +1300

Yes, that's it!!

andrew llewellyn

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:54:26 +1300

Dr Wiggle?

Kent Parker

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:49:46 +1300

Rumour has it that the yellow Wiggle purposely stepped aside to provide an opening for Don. Apparently Don is impressed that they are the highest paid entertainers in Australia. At the same time Wiggle management are keen to merge the comedic (and wiggle) talents of the two brands and create…

andrew llewellyn

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:44:02 +1300

This is intriguing – I heard that the yellow wiggle skivvy was up for grabs & I'd be in, except that I cannot dance, sing & my feet & knees are shot.

But should Dr Brash not score that gig, he should remember that a new Dancing with the Stars is being cast…

stever@cs.waikato.ac.nz

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 08:06:38 +1300

To echo Yamis' points: part of my job is to bring along new researchers as well as contribute to research myself. One of the things that needs very subtle handling is showing new researchers (typically PhD students) that they are truly in an environment where they are safe to have…

Joanna

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:56:13 +1300

Please for the love of all that is good and holy, don't say when John Keys is Prime Minister, say when!

Yamis

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:08:41 +1300

Craig:

I don't necessarily think it's a flaw for someone to respond to a question with "I don't know" or even (shock! horror!) "You know, I thought I knew and I was wrong." It's all very well to "absorb the minutiae" of any subject (or think you do) and be…

Alex Coleman

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:15:37 +1300

The ERO is not fallible.

That is the basic axiom that drives all ERO programming.
When presented with a situation that is dissonant with that axiom the ERO restructures reality so as to concur with the axiom.

This is the purpose of the "to the best of recollection" patch

The…

Manakura

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:58:34 +1300

I don't necessarily think it's a flaw for someone to respond to a question with "I don't know" or even (shock! horror!) "You know, I thought I knew and I was wrong."

It seems like almost everyone agrees with the above, I would go even further and say the esteem…

Deborah

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:26:05 +1300

Years ago, when I was doing a degree, as what is euphemistically called a 'mature age student', I met Kathy the nun. Kathy was a nun (there's a surprise) and she was about the same age as a group of us mature age students. Given that we had gotten over…

Alex Coleman

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:17:44 +1300

And while we're working up wish lists: If John Key ever feels the need to issue an apology, could he avoid the 'I've very sorry you're offended' passive-agressive mode?

Oath.
That annoys the hell out of me, and so I have taken to demanding a second apology for annoyng the…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:55:07 +1300

David quoted:
[Clark]'s been so across everything we now expect that in a leader – but why? I think Key will redefine the role – and we may find that refreshing. Wouldn't it be nice to have a leader that wasn't in control of everything?

The short answer: Yes…

Deborah

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:53:26 +1300

Toot toot chugga chugga
Big red car
We travel near and we travel fa-a-ar
Toot toot chugga chugga
Big red car
We're gonna drive the whole night through.

An excellent suggestion for the Dr's next job.

But will he really get into a red car?

Juha Saarinen

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:41:57 +1300

Hmm. "Farther". Subject to imperialist US educational influence. Given to excessive photochopping. Noted and amused.

As for The Book, isn't it curious that the leader-to-be appears to have known nothing at all about matters a leader should be aware of?

David Slack

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:30:54 +1300

Okay. Getting in right away: D Slack, pupil, Feilding Agricultural High School 1973-77. Member of debating team. Never attended Burnside High, but did possess Values Party 1975 manifesto.

Russell Brown

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:25:19 +1300

I can still remember my first morning at Burnside High ...

Oh God. You do realise that people believe everything they read on the internet, don't you?

Public Address

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:25:19 +1300

Discussion from blog post.