Island Life: Hunting Squirrels
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1. Acknowledge the momentum of "change for the sake of change" and find some pretty good international examples of where that turned ugly for the voting populace involved. Any good ones off the top of your head's readers? And then ask voters to judge both parties on their historical intentions - and outcomes (including questions on Key's political leadership capabilities).
I heard Sweden has had its celebrated social system shredded by a Cameron/Key type and a policy void.
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Claire Trevett for (gasp!) apparently doing some real, live reporting.
well I do kind of remember her for the real live haigography of John Ansell. It seemed in line with the Herald editorial policy that runs soft fuzzy about Bill English's family and John Key's sex appeal.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10498579Old news, discussed on an earlier topic I know but it was my first impression of her work and it stuck. here's a quote:
In 2005, Mr Ansell's ads attracted some vitriolic responses from the left. He said he was attacked for being "dishonest" with his billboards comparing Labour and National policies such as "iwi/ kiwi" and the education "excuses/exams." He is expecting more of the same this election.
"You do have to steel yourself when the people like the Russell Browns [Public Address blogger] attack you. You get used to it, but I didn't realise I'd get used to it quite so quickly. It really stung the first time."
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It seemed in line with the Herald editorial policy that runs soft fuzzy about Bill English's family and John Key's sex appeal.
Wait a mo', Paul -- I think you could say The Herald (and every other media outlet in the country) has done a hell of a lot of 'soft fuzzy' about the families of politicians on all sides. And while it may be the quite road to a diabetic coma, I'd rather turn the page on that than the sewer sperlunking around Don Brash's alleged extramarital affair and Peter Davis' alleged downlow gay sexcapades a few years back.
Then again, I'm one of those cranks who really doesn't give a fuck what Helen Clark does with her pussy in private with consenting adults (or their gender) either.
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But to be fair, folks, if you're really that comfortable with soundbite 'gotcha!' politics, please don't come back here and whinge when you're feeling as pissed off as Brit Tory blogger Ian Dale is here:
Last week Labour Minister Tom Harris got into trouble for speaking his mind when he asked in a very thoughtful blogpost why people were so 'bloody miserable'. Today it is the turn of Shadow Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt (who's recently started a blog). He had the temerity to say what most of us probably think...
Sometimes graffiti - however objectionable and anti-social it is in principle - can be very thought provoking. There's a wonderful slogan daubed on a fence alongside the M40 coming into London that says, 'Why do I do this every day?'
The Sun have headlined this TOP TORY: GRAFFITI IS SO GREAT. Other papers have done him over too. What a pity it is that it is now virtually impossible for a politician to give their true views on something without the nation's media descending on them like a ton of bricks. All they achieve is to put other politicians off saying anything remotely interesting at all.
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Not a good look
A partially sighted Christchurch man with Parkinson's disease was forced to struggle down the street to his car after Prime Minister Helen Clark's security commandeered parking spaces.
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A partially sighted Christchurch man with Parkinson's disease was forced to struggle down the street to his car after Prime Minister Helen Clark's security commandeered parking spaces.
WTF? Sorry to disappoint, but while I'm not holding Helen Clark personally responsible for this - and don't want to get into any gratuitous bagging of the DPS either -- what the hell was the big security concern here? That the Prime Ministerial party were going to runniing for their lives from the worse classic music-related riot since the notorious première of Le Sacre du printemps?
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PM forces disabled man to walk
That's stretching the truth a long way to label the story with that headline, given that in the text they say that the PM knew nothing about it.
And a non-story. Other countries block off whole city blocks for their heads of state. Two car parks?
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What's the "increasing her bureaucracy" mean? Did he think the Diplomatic Protection Squad or Police are hers?
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That the Prime Ministerial party were going to be runniing for their lives from the worse classic music-related riot since the notorious première of Le Sacre du printemps.
Quite. And I'm sure if someone had asked Clark whether an elderly woman should have been prevented from waiting for her 81 year-old Parkinson's-afflicted husband, she'd have made her feelings clear. Assuming the member of the public made her case clear, someone should have had the brains to do a reasonable risk analysis and let her sit there.
OTOH, if 200 metres was too far, she might be advised to call the venue and make arrangements in future.
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What's the "increasing her bureaucracy" mean? Did he think the Diplomatic Protection Squad or Police are hers?
In a funny way, it might actually say quite a bit about how low key the DPS usually are. When I was routinely attending party conferences back in the 90's, Bolger and Shipley's security weren't exactly making out like they were up for Hugo Weaving's part in The Matrix.
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I love the quote from the Canterbury police district commander in that Stuff article, particularly this bit:
We endeavour to minimise any difficulties to the public
All that is needed now is some facilitation of disability sensitivity awareness training to further help minimise any difficulties to persons with physical needs.
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"if 200 metres was too far, she might be advised to call the venue and make arrangements in future."
That would be the pick up point at the door which was blocked by the police & DPS.
I've managed to pick up my 80+year old Grandparents with just the normal crowd hassel that you get at the Townhall as it is designed for.Being of average hight I was a little intimidated walking in on Jenny Shipley - her hubby & two DPS dudes in a small shop in Cashel St, everyone of them looking down on me. The shop floor sloped towards the doorway which didn't help, but I wasn't moved on either.
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This story says that the wife was prevented from using dedicated disabled parking by a young policeman who threatened to arrest her if she didn't piss off. Gawd.
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"if 200 metres was too far, she might be advised to call the venue and make arrangements in future."
No, that's unreasonable. I can get right outside most cultural venues in Wellington for a pickup without undue hassle. I don't think I would be ringing up beforehand just in case the PM happens to be out for the evening.
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This story says that the wife was prevented from using dedicated disabled parking by a young policeman who threatened to arrest her if she didn't piss off. Gawd.
As the two versions of the story can't even agree on the woman's name, I think I might suspend judgement on what the policeman may or may not have actually said.
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The Herald was wrong and has assumed Elizabeth had taken Marshalls last name.
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TV3's coverage of the "power crisis" last night, once again, had me shouting at the TV. This time they didn't even bother to have a spokesperson from a power supplier, they had a concerned member of a previously unknown group complaining that the Govt. had allowed the power company, Genesis, to draw the lake down a further 2 metres thus "destroying a valuable, local, recreational resource, the lake.
So. Damned if you do damned if you don't. The Govt. hasn't done enough and the govt. has done too much.
Who's paying for this treacherous anti Government propaganda? -
and Shipley's security weren't exactly making out like they were up for Hugo Weaving's part in The Matrix.
Ha! Now you got me thinking of Quadraphoenia (??) and the line that has stuck with me for years "Don't fu*k with the Wongs"
However off Key a bit here, but this story was quite interesting also. -
Does This media release from the Child Beaters Party count as a political ad.? Should it have the address of the party treasurer?
Can we F**K them up?
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if 200 metres was too far, she might be advised to call the venue and make arrangements in future.
Russell, being unable to walk unaided for 200m is exactly the critieria for getting a mobility parking permit.
I think this was only picked up as a story because of publicity last week about the minor increase in the fine for stealing mobility parks.
I agree it reflects a lack of judgement by the DPS/police about the risk posed by an octogenarian or two.
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WH,
I often catch myself pretending that I am (a) creative. I only have two things on my list,
1. Improvement in the Government's financial position
The commitment to running a surplus over the economic cycle, the resulting reduction in net government debt, the decision to pre-fund future superannuation obligations.
2. Sound economic management
Repeal of the ECA, moderate growth, low unemployment, low inflation with improvement in real wages, introduction of a national savings scheme, the renationalisation of Air New Zealand, demonstrating the viability of strategic state involvement in the private sector
If anyone knows any good writing on NZ's long term crime prevention strategy, whether on the MOJ website or elsewhere, I'd be curious to read it.
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