Posts by Russell Brown
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Blazing editorial from The Press -- Prosser's local paper. This is the first paragraph:
Richard Prosser has shown himself unfit to be a member of Parliament. His obnoxious comments on Muslims are racist and bigoted, insulting a valued part of the New Zealand community and a great world religion. These are clearly not the charactertistics we require of a Member of Parliament. Prosser's remaining there besmirches his party, the House and the nation.
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Hard News: The Wogistan form book, in reply to Islander,
Yep.
Almost all Abrahamic religions are anti-female BUT – Islamic ones are much WORSE in their *physical* control of *all* women (the women dont have to be religious cohorts.)Possibly. But there's a big difference between the roles and rights of women in Bosnia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia respectively. Just as there is between any number of ostensibly Christian countries in Europe, and Nigeria or Uganda.
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Hard News: The Wogistan form book, in reply to Deborah,
frankly, i’m sick of these conversations and i’m sick being used as a political tool. and that is exactly what happened in this case.
Her point is well made.
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Hard News: The economic revue comes to Christchurch, in reply to Hebe,
I am trying to juggle this one: my quake-refugee ma arrives back in town that day for a short visit. Now if you could move it to Saturday…
If you can't swing it, just come to the PA get-together on Saturday. Although we clearly seem to have been in the same room a few times back in the day, it would be great to meet you.
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Hard News: The Next Act, in reply to Caleb D'Anvers,
To my mind, Holmes's career as a newspaper pundit wasn't just a "low point" in a career that had its highs, it was the essence of the man and the masters he served. And I think we should hold onto that and remember it.
And yet, how would you explain Matt McCarten's fulsome tribute to Holmes last week?
I don't agree with European feudal titles in our country but Holmes is among the very few who actually deserve our highest honour. He became a national icon on the basis of his hard work and developed talent.
Retired politicians, business tycoons and judges who've lived the high life on everyone else's dime aren't in the same league as true champions like sportspeople, community volunteers, scientists and artists like Holmes.
This guy came into our homes every night, becoming part of our family. We should have knighted Holmes years ago and made him Governor-General. I'd become a monarchist for that.
You've quite effectively damned him with his own words from his generally terrible newspaper column. But it would also have been possible to construct an entirely different picture with quotes like that with which Chris Trotter concluded his farewell to Holmes last week:
It would be remiss of me, however, to close without recalling his extraordinary response to the 2004 hikoi opposing Labour's Foreshore and Seabed Bill. A lesser man, and a more convinced Right-winger, might have used the day's tumultuous events to further inflame New Zealand's already tender race relations.
Instead, Holmes ended the programme's coverage with these words: "No New Zealander, frankly, could have watched proceedings today without a sense of pride, without being gripped by the heart, could have watched it - without love."
Requiescat in pace, Sir Paul Holmes.
Holmes was blind to many things, including, quite often, himself. But neatly portraying him as a neoliberal icon, I think, misses the mark.
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Hard News: The Next Act, in reply to Yamis,
Holmes was apologetic afterwards and said it was an attempt to be funny that didn't work.
As I noted in The Listener story linked in the original post, he was mortified by it.
For somebody that has a mic in their face hours a day, going out live you've gotta give them a bit of slack.
You still need to hold people to account for what they say, but talk radio is a fucking weird environment. You have to fill time, say something, grab attention, no matter what state you're in that particular morning. My impression at the time was and still is that Holmes was probably in a bit of a state that morning.
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Hard News: What did you do yesterday?, in reply to Dastardly Bounder,
When we left it felt like we'd been at a free festival. Great day
Damn! I almost came down, but sitting on the deck reading won out.
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Hard News: What did you do yesterday?, in reply to Robby Hickman,
Tweeted a hat tip to Naida Glavish who as a tolls operator in 1984 stared down her bosses at New Zealand Post Office over the use of 'kia ora' as a greeting.
Wonderful woman.
I was genuinely sad when it was reported that Hinewhare Harawira had physically pushed Naida out of the way to give her mother centre stage, and quite roughly too.
I don't understand why this sort of bullying from this family is tolerated, and I do find it alienating.
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Hard News: What did you do yesterday?, in reply to BenWilson,
I’m getting the same as Luke. Using Firefox.
Edit: Wow, that's weird. I see the link on reload, briefly, then it goes away to be replaced by the grey line.
What a pain in the bum.
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Hard News: What did you do yesterday?, in reply to Luke Williamson,
Damn! OK. I just get grey line under "I preferred Tame Iti’s take:" and in one other spot.
Tame's one is an embedded tweet rather than a link. He says this:
History has woven us together. Waitangi Day is as much about communication as it is commemoration. We are the basket that holds the future.
What's other one?