Posts by Sacha
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Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to martinb,
Seems to be largely about the degree of constraint that collective Cabinet responsilbity imposes. On Sky's election show Key acknowledged Clark's inventiveness at creating the looser portfolio-only, outside-cabinet arrangement that he's used this last term as well.
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NewstalkZB journo Felix Marwick defends offending those in power.
I'm in the news business, not the law business, and if a politician says something of political significance in private but isn't prepared to front up and say it publicly then I'll call them on it every time. I'm a journalist, it's what I'm supposed to do.
If you are trying to tell me that there's no story when a National Prime Minister talks to a former National Party cabinet minister turned ACT Party candidate about the political future of the ACT party leader (also a former National party leader – and incidentally was replaced in that role by the current Prime Minister) then don't be surprised when I disagree. Forcefully.
In and of itself the seeming duplicity isn't a big deal. It's a large part of politics. However what is a big deal is the reluctance of Key and Banks to front up to it. That's why they're being challenged.
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Muse: Friday Fluff: Shelf Life, in reply to Kate Hannah,
I think Grace's creepy sulleness and ambiguity speaks to the teenage condition.
do you reckon a teenager might like reading it?
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Hard News: Flying Nun: Thirtysomething, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
Love that song. Thanks.
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Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to merc,
glue
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Hard News: The perils of political confidence, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
Except that Labour are presenting things as "nothing much wrong, just need a few tweaks and a change of faces"
Their Capital Gains Tax and compulsory workplace savings proposals go well beyond that. It's National who are proposing more of the same.
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Hard News: The perils of political confidence, in reply to BenWilson,
The knowledge economy is a flop.
On the contrary. We're in a major global transformation from industrial through information into creative/fashion focuses in value production, similar to the earlier shift from agriculture to industry.
It doesn't mean we stop growing food, processing it, unblocking drains or managing basic information. It does however mean there's more of a future in marketing, analysis, service/relationship and innovation activities than on the factory shop floor or the farm.
The explosion in similar 'creativity' in an under-regulated and over-leveraged finance industry is causing huge problems. But the answer is not to send people back onto farms or into trades. Plumbing as you've noted is not a revenue-earning export industry that will help us pay our way in the world.
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Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
I doubt either of them would hang around if this gambit fails. The party's deep-pocketed backers will have other plans, for one.
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Hard News: Criminalising Journalism, in reply to merc,
I cannot remember her exact word, I don't think it was actually structure.
Organisation?
Labour certainly has that advantage at local level. If only it were enough to win elections.
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Hard News: A week being a long time in politics, in reply to hamishm,
Will Banks roll him next year?
you mean, will he wait that long?
if either of them still have a political career after the weekend