Posts by Russell Brown
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to Paul Williams,
I don’t think that’s entirely fair. I can’t see him walking away from National any time soon, but he’s also publicly criticised them on various matters.
I suspect he'll level out again, but he was terribly partisan during the election campaign.
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to rjal,
Your first comment on this issue – a sort of idiots guide to the conversation – helped enormously. I saw a consistency in Gio’s comments that I had somehow previously missed. Looking back I now wonder how I missed what now seems obvious (sorry Gio) and has given me pause for thought. I really should have mentioned that in my first comment
I understood that Giovanni was pursuing a line of argument, one he’d introduced. I was disappointed that he seemed unwilling or unable to modulate his style when it was evident that someone else was upset, and that, rather, he seemed to express some pride in it.
Then, when I’d indicated that I was in some distress over all this – I was, I was feeling really bad – and specifically asked everyone to “show good grace to each other”, his immediate response was to flip me the bird and have yet another macho dig at Damian. I thought that was just nasty and hurtful. It was hurtful to me.
And then, when he finally answered Sacha’s question:
Practical request: can you please link to a forum that you reckon does a good job with that.
Not a current generalist forum, no, not in English at least. One can find excellent and highly accessible writing outside of socialist discussion forums (Scott Hamilton at Reading the Maps and Dougal McNeill at Neu Hauf-Way Hoose are foremost in New Zealand in my books) but no model of what I’m thinking of. Of course there aren’t very many open communities a-la PAS to begin with, which is rather the problem. However Usenet had some class-literate politically focussed groups back in the day, and it really shouldn’t be an impossible thing to countenance. So long as the lack of that dimension on PAS is even perceived as a problem, and I’m not at all sure that it is.
Clearly, I’m an ideological failure, although it’s some comfort that I apparently have every other mainstream forum in the English language for company. I like to think I’m doing a bit better on the basic humanity index.
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Hard News: The music I listened to, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
I just didn’t remember that I was in it, albeit briefly!
…accidental immortality!At about 2:17 if anyone wants to ID the youthful ID.
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Lucy Stewart,
Just don’t take the family swimming in Lake Ellesmere, once you get there; if I recall my geology report on it correctly, Canadian geese have not done its nutrient levels any favours.
Oddly enough, David wrote a tremendous post called The End of Lake Ellesmere? here five years ago.
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Southerly: Coming Up For Air, in reply to Graeme Haywood,
Allergies. The old-fashioned diet of Canterbury lamb, Oamaru potatoes and 3 vegetables supplemented by frequent generous helpings of flounder may be worth trying.
Well, *I'll* try it!
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Hi all. Just to say that readers have collectively chipped in nearly $3000. I'm stoked. Thanks everyone.
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Back on topic!
Jacinda Ardern vaults up to #4, one ahead of Cunliffe, who has Economic Development and Associate Finance, but not quite the broad brief I was urging.
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
On a recent post, I got a rather sharp (but civil) rap over the knuckles for carelessly using “tranny” in a way that was read as a slur on transgendered folks. I’d prepared a snarky riposte, but you know what… there was a fair point there and it lead to some damn useful reflection (and research) on that usage point.
I recall. And the person who rapped you has presented as an intractable conflict-seeker in various places around the local blogosphere. Your sincere and good-faith response avoided the apparently inevitable car crash. I saw it and saved that one up mentally.
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
ETA: And for all the snarking, sniping and cussing Russell and I have done over the years, I’d like to think we’ve also learned a few things from each other.
For my part, heaps.
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to Megan Wegan,
And seriously, go have that coffee.
I'm actually struggling right at this moment with where to go having written 300 words of a column about coffee then realising I'd already written a whole column about coffee for the same magazine. It's the week's second last big piece of work. Noes!
But I've bridged it to climate change and stuff. No one's gonna know, right?