Posts by Kyle Matthews
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If it costs $9m to run this debacle, perhaps in future, anyone who wants to sign a petition that hopes to get 300k signatures should have to hand over a $30 bond for running the CIR. They can have their money back if the CIR is successful. At least it would make people think about what they were signing (once, twice, three times).
Perhaps we could charge everyone $50 when they turn up to vote at the ballot box as well. $10,000 if you want to run as a candidate, $1 million more if you want to run as a party.
We could balance the books on this whole democracy thing!
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Can we get a consensus that 'funny' is the most misleading link descriptor by quite some way?
Yes. Also see "hey I heard this funny joke", which turns out to be racist or similarly stupid.
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I agree with Sam and others. Like Russell, I spoiled my ballot on the lawnorder referendum with a very similar comment, but a friend pointed out later that consigned my opinion to oblivion. All people remember is the percentage of valid votes on either side.
Exactly. The number of spoiled ballots might never get play. At best, if it's high, it'll get a comment on Campbell Live and then be forgotten. The percentages on either side will be used in political arguments for years from now. Their significance will be debated because of the question, but they will be an important part of this debate, and if you fall on one side of that debate, I think it's important to engage and vote despite the silly question.
While the referendum isn't about something important, the wider debate is about something very important, and the referendum is unfortunately going to be part of that debate.
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Why? Everyone else seems to be moving toward using the number 8 as an extra back. I mean, Spies is a reformed winger!
For exactly the reason that we'd love to have Lauaki in the ABs if he played to his potential there. Those big runs where he bashes through a couple of tackles and carries his team 30 metres down field. Big offload passes in the tackle. Someone who can pick the ball off the back of the scrum and end up in front of his props rather than behind and give his team front foot ball. Someone you could stick out in the centres to run onto the ball at pace and scare the crap out of the opposing #12. Surely #8 is the ideal person for that sort of player?
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Hansen said there the best chance for Read to get into the All Blacks in a long-term position is at number 8, when So'oialo retires [Lauaki's name wasn't mentioned]. I forgot to mention yesterday, but Read plays number 8 in Air NZ Cup.
You're presuming that the All Black coaches aren't bullshitting there though. To me (and I'm no expert in rugby) he looks like a very good number 6 in terms of size and skills. For #8 we want something like Lauaki, but plays well in black. Big busting runs off the back of the scrum, bouncing players off, but ball skills like Zinzan Brooke.
The current AB coaches seem to be very big on switching players from the position they arrive in, to another position. Sometimes I think they're being honest when they're basically saying "look, this player has spent the last 10 years with the wrong number on his back, he's actually ideally suited for...". I suspect Thomson will be a good #7. Carter obviously did OK when he moved from 12 to 10. Not sure about Eaton playing loose forward, but we'll see.
Reid a #8? OK. But they might also just know that there's a log jam at 6 and they're short a #8 for two more weeks, but not be willing to admit it.
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And how would that work? I take your point, but I don't know if that's something the Clerk of the House should have to determine.
I don't know if there are any relevant comparisons in nation-states, but I set up a students association constitution (referenda are binding on some matters, not on others) where the wording is open to submissions, but the final wording is set by the honorary solicitor of the association.
Couldn't CIR be kicked to the Law Society or something for an independent body that isn't parliament or a subset of it, for the purpose of writing sentences that make sense and possibly have some use?
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I think I'd be vaguely happy with the wording if the word 'good' was taken out of it. Talk about subjectivity overload.
Like others I'll be voting 'yes' as I support the law change and refuse to give any ammunition through inaction to those trying to smack children or change the law to make it easier for them to do so.
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And ScottY/Kyle: Fair enough. But as far as I can tell, he's also the best option at the moment by far, unless you want to see Thomas Waldrom in the All Blacks - and surely we're not that desperate?
But we're only really plugging the hole until the tri-nations, when our regular #8 should be back from his rest/neck niggle. It's a bugger because our regular #7 is out too, and one of our regular lock forwards. What's gained by putting him in for 3 games and then never calling him up again?
If there weren't so many complete newbies in the team due to injury, I'd suggest that they look for future talent in the position to step up to fill Rodney's boots in 5 years.
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Ah yeah, Lauaki, ta.
And I'm with ScottY. How many times can you call a guy up and be let down, before you give up on him? He's had about 3 or 4 different goes so far.
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I guess having some sort of cruise ship terminal and bar area is reasonable. It's certainly more of a public open space than a stadium, which is no more than a commercial building for the sport industry (How much public access do current stadia have? None at all?)
You're thinking about stadia only as they look towards the playing field in the middle.
A decent portion (some is needed for access) of the outside of them can be used for something entirely different. The Wellington Stadium has University of Otago offices in it, and I think conference facilities. The new Dunedin one is set to have a health centre and a gym in it (and possibly a cafe, I can't remember).