Public Address | Cafe | Speaker: 11 ways the Opposition has failed Christchurch https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/ en-us Copyright (c) 2026 Public Address Leigh Russell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349336#post349336 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349336#post349336 Hi Joe, yes indeed.

It is a great pity that whereas siesmologists have ramped up monitoring of the Canterbury region, that professional journalistic work does not seem to have matched it. There is so much going on and it is so badly needed.

I was very sorry indeed to see…

]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2015 11:06:20 +1300 Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349315#post349315 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349315#post349315 In October of 2012 I wrote an article outlining the post-earthquake loss of democratic process in Christchurch and critiqued the power structures that replaced it. It’s frightening.

A memorable article, thanks for the reminder.
It's edifying to be reminded that in May 2012 Lianne Dalziel denied having any mayoral ambitrions.…

]]> Thu, 01 Oct 2015 23:52:42 +1300 Leigh Russell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349314#post349314 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349314#post349314 Thu, 01 Oct 2015 23:00:33 +1300 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349255#post349255 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349255#post349255 when they have been largely absent from the difficult battles of the previous years between election seasons, it is little wonder that the struggling, stressed, and frustrated populace does not turn to the Opposition at election time.

who'd think it?

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 23:26:00 +1300 Lilith __ https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349254#post349254 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349254#post349254 Brilliantly-written post, Barnaby, thank you. You make sense of a mass of detail that most of the country doesn't know.

I'm so sad for Chch and so angry with the government which seems hell-bent on wrecking what remains of the city and sabotaging the opportunity to make it an amazing…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 23:18:55 +1300 Emma Hart https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349212#post349212 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349212#post349212 Why not join Labour, make a difference?

You mean, like I did in 1987?

And you’re the one who raised being responsible, somehow, for the votes of friends and neighbours.

Let’s leave aside, for a moment, that there was no swing to National in Chch, once you take into account…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 15:25:27 +1300 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349190#post349190 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349190#post349190 11 ways the Opposition has failed Christchurch

Yay, Labour's fault again

The Opposition is any party not in a support arrangement with the government. Hard to argue the Greens, Winston First, Mana or the Conservatives have been advocating successfully in the interests of Christchurch either.

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 13:23:56 +1300 Rob Stowell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349178#post349178 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349178#post349178 Gormley has a few of these around the globe now

Up til now, we've happily been Gormless. Why should that change? (Even at a 'discount' $0.5m is dosh most chch artists can hardly dream of.)

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 12:19:46 +1300 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349173#post349173 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349173#post349173 Of course its Labours fault, its not like anyone else is running the country, how silly of me.
There is so much wrong with your statement, National are so much better than Labour?
You and your neighbours are the only ones that count?
Why not join Labour, make a difference?…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 11:50:35 +1300 Emma Hart https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349169#post349169 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349169#post349169 Its all very well saying “Well, I didn’t vote National” but your friends and neighbours did, in spades.

So, it's ridiculous to suggest it might be something to do with Labour that people didn't vote Labour, but quite sensible to suggest that it's my fault?

Also, I counted my neighbours'…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 11:33:28 +1300 Steve Barnes https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349164#post349164 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349164#post349164 If the people at the coalface are not prepared to behave and work to the highest level it is really no surprise that those 'above' them have a similar cavalier attitude.

I think you have that ass backwards. If those that we are supposed to look up to are asshatted…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 11:07:40 +1300 Ian Dalziel https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349161#post349161 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349161#post349161 Every ‘Thing’ is going to be, alright?
The Government in keeping with its long term relationship with the US film studios and corporations has, through its local operating arm (Cera) and the CCC, placed a promotional statue of The Thing© in the Avon River (sadly the rebooted Fantastic Four movie…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 10:37:17 +1300 Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349159#post349159 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349159#post349159 the cancellation of democracy at ECan (how many terms is it now?)

Councillors were sacked in May 2010. As elections were previously held every three years, that's 1.76 or thereabouts terms.

For the record, the Central Plains Water scheme was one of the issues that Megan Woods campaigned against when…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 10:20:18 +1300 Ian Dalziel https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349156#post349156 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349156#post349156 Chchchanging ...
The Press today also headlines the dropping of the proposed Coastal Hazard Land Information initiative from the revised District Plan.
Now at least we are all in it together (what with a mere gradient of a few centimetres between west Chchch and the coast) rather than the few…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 10:07:38 +1300 Rob Stowell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349153#post349153 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349153#post349153 Arrrgh.

Echoed :(
Next thing will be trading commodified 'water futures' on the NZX. I.e. betting on the weather.

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 09:58:38 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349146#post349146 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349146#post349146 Wed, 30 Sept 2015 08:52:58 +1300 Russell Brown https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349144#post349144 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349144#post349144 According to Tim Fulton in today's Press, operating consents for the Canterbury Councils-owned scheme have since been hocked to major banks as a condition of funding. In case of default, they'll own the water.

Arrrgh.

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 08:26:48 +1300 Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349141#post349141 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349141#post349141 Williams set up a special event for coastal communities on that hazard issue and Denis O'Rourke too was lobbying hard on that score – I know of Parliamentary questions he was researching/submitting.

Nice to know O'Rourke's keeping busy with something other than his long-running personal skirmish with local media. Apart…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 08:01:20 +1300 Kumara Republic https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349140#post349140 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349140#post349140 Quite. As I’ve said, they need to do the job we collectively pay them for, or get out of the way

It needs to do more than just follow the mantra of "oppositions don't win, governments lose." Once it loses a large number of people to the Cynicism & Disillusionment Party,…

]]> Wed, 30 Sept 2015 01:36:24 +1300 Kumara Republic https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349139#post349139 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349139#post349139 Wed, 30 Sept 2015 01:32:42 +1300 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349133#post349133 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349133#post349133 The Opposition is there not just to sit and wait till they get power again,. Its job is to illustrate competence and improve the performance of the government.

Quite. As I've said, they need to do the job we collectively pay them for, or get out of the way

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 22:38:58 +1300 Sacha https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349132#post349132 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349132#post349132 the PV National sent National a message

yes – 'how can I bend over further?'

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 22:35:41 +1300 Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349128#post349128 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349128#post349128 "this confirms we're doing a good job in Christchurch" .. and that's how the rest of NZ read it.
And a large part of the relatively unscathed Chch.

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 20:24:24 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349126#post349126 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349126#post349126 Tue, 29 Sept 2015 20:14:19 +1300 Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349125#post349125 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349125#post349125 What Hebe and Marion said. Great work Barnaby.

Katharine Moody:
Thanks, though I'd add Clayton Cosgrove to that list – for around a year after the first quake he was very much on the case. Unfortunately he's mostly missing in action these days.

As Ian Dalziel pointed out here some…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 20:10:50 +1300 Marion Ogier https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349124#post349124 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349124#post349124 Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:53:38 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349123#post349123 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349123#post349123 Brownlee and Wagner certainly look after their electorate’s parish work, as do Williams, Dyson, Woods.

I see you subsequently added Williams, Dyson and Woods. When I made the comment about nepotism, I was referring to the unedited version which mentioned only Brownlee and Wagner.

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:47:14 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349122#post349122 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349122#post349122 Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:40:25 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349121#post349121 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349121#post349121 @Katharine Moody: Your comments illustrate perfectly why Chch voters settled for “the Devil you know” when it came to the party vote.

Exactly – nepotism rules for those folks – but overall, in doing so with the Party Vote, unfortunately, as the old adage goes, they got the government they…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:26:28 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349120#post349120 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349120#post349120 Examples?

Those I've seen reported on are Ruth Dyson, Poto Williams, Megan Woods – .. just recently, for example, Williams set up a special event for coastal communities on that hazard issue and Denis O'Rourke too was lobbying hard on that score – I know of Parliamentary questions he was…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:22:02 +1300 Hebe https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349119#post349119 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349119#post349119 Thanks Barnaby. You’ve encapsulated so much frustration and sadness.

Agree. You’ve wrestled a monster that so many of us have tried to articulate in various ways over the last five years. Labour did have a credible, and very good policy for Chrischurch, and promoted it heavily until a month out…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:16:48 +1300 Joe Wylie https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349118#post349118 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349118#post349118 so many local Labour MPs have worked tirelessly as advocates

Examples?

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 19:02:13 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349114#post349114 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349114#post349114 Scarily, it's just possible the opposition would do worse :(

Well therein lie the problem.

Of course they (the Opposition) would not/could not do worse. Surely the article above proves that. How could anyone suggest anyone could do worse?

Only a vindictive, scheming, Machiavellian entity could do this much harm…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 18:36:39 +1300 Steve Markham https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349110#post349110 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349110#post349110 Tue, 29 Sept 2015 17:56:54 +1300 Rob Stowell https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349104#post349104 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349104#post349104 Thanks Barnaby. You've encapsulated so much frustration and sadness.
Didn't the 2014 Labour Party election manifesto have much better policies (for example a special insurance court system) – and still got trounced? What's an Opposition to do when the citizenry vote against them?
Work harder? As stated, what we haven't…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 16:56:36 +1300 Graham Dunster https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349099#post349099 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349099#post349099 Tue, 29 Sept 2015 16:14:35 +1300 Katharine Moody https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349098#post349098 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349098#post349098 The opinion on how things were going that mattered was this one;

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/10524525/Election-2014-Canterbury-decides

And that vote of confidence was preceded by this one;

http://www.thepoliticalscientist.org/christchurch-and-the-election/

I'm totally with you – from afar as an observer, I would agree that the totalitarian treatment of Christchurch at the hands of this Government has…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 16:14:16 +1300 Ianmac https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349097#post349097 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349097#post349097 Tue, 29 Sept 2015 16:10:56 +1300 James Littlewood* https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349094#post349094 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349094#post349094 Exactly. It was in these pages a couple of years back that Emma Hart urged the Labour Party to get this right:

I would love it if at least one of the candidates you chose, for Central or East, actually was one of us: the exhausted scary fucked-off mothers of…

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 15:38:12 +1300 Public Address https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349093#post349093 https://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-11-ways-the-opposition-has-failed/?p=349093#post349093 Discussion from blog post.

]]> Tue, 29 Sept 2015 15:38:12 +1300