Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The Weasel Translator
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Well, we certainly all need to see 3 News’ bonus footage of government ministers squirming and running away in response to straightforward questions about their views on “gay marriage”. Have we ever seen Chris Finlayson move that fast?
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“In the big picture, it’s not that important… We’ve been focused on the broader economy.”
– “I can only fuck up one thing at a time.”
Brilliant.
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Twitter is great for this. I've been chasing Richard Prosser around the room for most of the morning. Marriage pre-date religion he says. Great, so what basis for it to be hetero then? Human pair bonding goes back a long time, apparently, and/or I'm just representing the views of ordinary conservatives. So you don't agree with them, and if so, on what basis? etc etc.
Also, he agrees (with Colin Craig, interestingly), that the state has no place to regulate personal affairs, or as Craig says "no place in the bedroom". On this we agree, except I think they both miss the irony of their position.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Well, we certainly all need to see 3 News’ bonus footage of government ministers squirming and running away in response to straightforward questions about their views on “gay marriage”.
Which struck me as bizarre when “We’re going to be discussing that in caucus next week, and I’ll talk to you afterwards” is a reasonable – if infuriatingly commonplace – response to those awkward stand-ups. And you know what, I might snerk you without mercy but you really need to harden the fuck up and take it. You're a politician -- odds are at least half the population at any given moment is going to think you're the anti-Christ.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
On this we agree, except I think they both miss the irony of their position.
Not only the irony but the spectacular circle-jerky intellectual dishonesty of it. I've been working on a post of my own on that, but keep finding that typing "fuck you" several hundred times, while relaxing, isn't exactly adding value to public discourse.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Which struck me as bizarre when “We’re going to be discussing that in caucus next week, and I’ll talk to you afterwards” is a reasonable – if infuriatingly commonplace – response.
It is. They actually didn't have to act like they were having a collective anxiety attack.
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Emma Hart, in reply to
"We're going to be discussing that in caucus next week, and I'll talk to you afterwards" is a reasonable -- if infuriatingly commonplace -- response
I will respectfully disagree that this is any kind of actual answer to the question "What's your view..." We know what Brendan Horan's view is. He knows we know what his view is. Not stopping smirking for long enough to be up-front about it is... something I feel okay using as the basis for a personal judgement.
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You won't find a Marilyn Waring in this bunch of Nats. They've been whipped and groupthinked into bloc voting on all conscience issues; booze, gay marriage, medical cannabis. Considering they all owe their jobs to John Key's anti-political lead, you'll be hard pressed to find an honest conscience around the cabinet table.
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I wonder what Richard Prosser would make of St Serge and St Bacchus.
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Graeme Edgeler, in reply to
ll conscience issues; booze, gay marriage, medical cannabis
I would welcome your arguments on why you consider these matters to be issues of conscience.
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I say we find ourselves a Kingswood panel van, do it up, and park it outside Richard Prosser's office…
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
I will respectfully disagree that this is any kind of actual answer to the question “What’s your view…”
I'll equally respectfully suggest you're disagreeing with something I've not actually said, Would I be getting fitted for new squee-pants if the National caucus came out en masse for marriage equality? Too fucking right, but if they're not trotting out the Romney-esque dog-fucker analogies either? Well, I'll take what I've got and work with it.
(BTW, I'd note making the right noises at this stage doesn't make anyone a reliable ally - or a certain foe - either. I'd suggest you take a look at the four New York GOP state senators who crossed the floor to secure passage of their marriage equality bill. Until the last moment they were so firmly on the fence the lobbying from all sides was going on almost literally until the last moment.)
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Emma Hart, in reply to
Sorry, gods, I've put that badly. I'm disagreeing not with you, but with that underlying proposition with which I think we are both disagreeing. Because as Russell has said, the squirming on this is quite incredible. Why are they so desperately uncomfortable? Why this level of weasel? Why is John Banks still officially on the "undecided" list?
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
I love Michael Moore (even though Brian Edwards doesn't). He is so fearless.
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Danielle, in reply to
Why this level of weasel?
I can only think that they are waiting to see which is the biggest bandwagon.
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Why is John Banks still officially on the "undecided" list?
He isn't, "officially". The marriageequality site is privately run, and my feeling is that it is 80%-85% accurate.
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the lobbying from all sides was going on almost literally until the last moment
Indeed, it happens in NZ too. On the day of the final vote on Civil Unions, the emails (for and against) were coming in at over 500/hour.
That was the day there was a big rainbow rally on the front lawn of Parliament: the music ended at 1.50pm, the final track being We're Going To The Chapel (And We're Going To Get Married).
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Emma Hart, in reply to
I couldn't think how else to put that. I mean, Banks has never made any secret of his feelings, but "officially", there's nothing on record about how he's going to vote. Marriage Equality is privately run, yes, but they're only recording actual statements. It's... an unofficial representation of the official record?
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
It is frustrating, but I suspect everyone has been told to STFU ahead of the caucus discussion which (IIRC) is going to happen early next week. (I've certainly done my time in the collective responsibility trenches on a less exalted level when I was in the Young Nats. Let's just say I wasn't on the winning side of every policy debate, and have the scar tissue on my inside bottom lip to prove it.)
My National Party gossip isn’t as 110-proof as it used to be but I’m hearing it’s going to be lively.
God knows my appointment with Maggie Barry should be interesting – being agreeable for more than ten minutes in a row makes my knuckles itch.
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Phil Lyth, in reply to
I am filled with hope, as yet unrequited, that Act On Campus will bring their MP to his senses.
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Gee,
FWIW, I wrote to Nicky Wagner in July last year and got the response:
Thanks for your email. I have a pretty commonsense attitude to these issues. I absolutely support gay civil unions but I am aware that some people feel that marriage is between a man and a woman and I try to respect their feelings as well.
Re gay adoption. I do not believe that sexual orientation should be the main denominator in these decisions. Choosing adoptive parents is a very important and multi-faceted decision. Each individual case should be weighed up on its own merits.I have written asking her to clarify what 'respect their opinions' means in terms of how would she vote if a gay marriage vote came along. I wrote once in July last year, twice in May this year, and once more (about to be twice) in July this year. No response. No surprise.
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Emma Hart, in reply to
I am filled with hope, as yet unrequited, that Act On Campus will bring their MP to his senses.
The sense being that you shouldn't say out loud that six inches of barbed wire shoved up the arse of a gay man is "a waste of good barbed wire"?
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
am filled with hope, as yet unrequited, that Act On Campus will bring their MP to his senses.
I've certainly been proud of the Young Nats recently, though with a certain amount of melancholy reflection on how damn unpleasant it was banging my head against the brick wall of the 'senior party' back in the day. Oh well, sometimes the kids do you proud. :)
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Adding to our resource base, Legalise Love has a template letter for writing to MPs.
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Graeme Edgeler, in reply to
Why is John Banks still officially on the "undecided" list?
It's not certain whether he'll still be an MP at the time of the vote(s)?
:-)
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