Posts by Russell Brown
-
Gower's blog. Russel Norman needs to have a long, hard think:
The Kim Dotcom brain fade is back, but this time it's the Opposition that can't recall.
Green Party co-leader Russel Norman had a blank on crucial details of his mansion meetings, and Dotcom has claimed to 3 News he's being blackmailed to get out of politics.
"I can't remember whether I contacted him or he contacted me," says Dr Norman.
Yes, that's what's called brain fade. Dr Norman went up to the Dotcom mansion twice, but when asked who organised it he had a memory blank.
"Whether he called me or I called him first I really don't remember. I don't think it's a big deal," says Dr Norman.
Fucksake.
Down the page: claims from Dotcom he has received blackmail warnings about going ahead with the party.
Politics be cray.
-
Woah. John Armstrong tees off on the Greens like he has the secret papers outlining their cunning deal with Dotcom. Which he, of course, does not.
He also says this:
Unfortunately, Labour's leader David Cunliffe was equivocal yesterday about ruling out special treatment for Dotcom.
Which Cunliffe absolutely fucking did not at any point say. To quote from the 3 News story headlined Labour 'won't intervene' in Dotcom extradition (the title is kind of a clue):
But Labour leader David Cunliffe says while the Greens are "perfectly entitled to their own position", his party is "not inclined to intervene in the judicial process in any way".
What part of that is not clear? WTF is Armstrong on about?
-
Hard News: Unscripted Drama, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
Anyway, the way the UK fixed its football violence problem involved widespread availability of MDMA. Maybe we could legalise it just for major sporting events – it would also help ticket sales.
I've seen arguments to the contrary, but that's how it felt there at the time.
Being at The Trip in 1988, realising you were standing in front of a mob of beefy, chanting Chelsea supporters yet there was no reason at all for concern -- that was memorable.
-
Hard News: The Uses of Dotcom, in reply to Rob Stowell,
Nothing equivocal (“this is pure speculation”) about 3 News’ graphic in this piece.
Good grief.
-
Tweet last night from Gower:
The Greens-Dotcom election deal: #Epsom #Ohariu #EastCoastBays and now… #Coatesville http://t.co/YM9OIMzszU
And a reply from Greens press sec Clint Smith:
@patrickgowernz mate you’ve accidentally not included bit where Russel said “Did I made any kind of assurance around that? No”. No such deal
If Gower has floated this claim of a deal and left out an outright denial that’s the case, that’s shabby.
Also: what on earth would the Greens have to offer in votes in a Coatesville electorate race? Seems silly.
-
The herald picks up the story but doesn't do much with it:
Greens leader Russel Norman told 3 News that a Greens government would probably fight to keep Dotcom in New Zealand.
He said that he did not support the extradition process.
"I just don't think it's fair ... look at the way they have been acting illegally against him ... They illegally raided his mansion, they illegally obtained evidence, they illegally gave the evidence to the US Government against the directions of a judge.
That is not a lawful or fair process.''
Labour leader David Cunliffe this morning rejected any suggestion that Labour would block an extradition order.
He said the court process so far appeared to show the Government's actions were flawed, but he respected the separation between the judicial process and political matters.
Prime Minister John Key said opposition parties were "foolish'' for discussing an intervention in Kim Dotcom's extradition.
"We have an extradition treaty with the United States. In my view this is not a political issue. This is an issue where the United States is invoking the extradition treaty.
"Mr Dotcom is before the courts, and I actually think it's very foolish of politicians to personalise a particular issue.''
This is what Key said in the same 3 News report:
"He's got his own motivations for wanting to set up a political party. I suspect they are not to better New Zealand," says Mr Key.
Mr Key suggested this motivation was Dotcom wanting a change of Government to prevent his extradition to the United States.
-
Hard News: Unscripted Drama, in reply to Ross Mason,
And buying at the ground incurs $0 fee.
It looks to me like it does.
-
Hard News: The Uses of Dotcom, in reply to Peter Cox,
I will say this is outright silly:
Dotcom, who knows how to create systems that ensure artists get paid for their endeavours, could provide valuable insight and knowledge in creating policy that makes New Zealand a key player in neutral and fair distribution of copyright.
I agree. Dotcom has no track record on ensuring artists get paid. And Baboom’s business model for paying artists includes the ghastly MegaKey idea – stripping out and replacing advertising on web pages viewed by people who have installed it.
I think this is Dotcom’s problem. There was a time when Megaupload was in a position not so far from that of YouTube – and Dotcom actually pitched the MPAA a Content ID-style scheme. It wasn’t going to happen because he seems incapable of not crossing the line.
Otoh, there was quite a high degree of innovation in the original Megaupload, and that’s also true of Mega, which won the Privacy award at last year’s Australia-New Zealand Internet Awards. So he does know how to build new things.
I’m thinking more of the fact that had Internet NZ not pitched in, it would still be illegal to stick a CD in your computer and import it to iTunes. Some of what was in the Rianz submission on the copyright amendment bill – especially around libraries – was just plain offensive. So there is, in my view, an extremely important space for consumer advocacy on these issues.
Sorry in advance for bringing the ol’ copyright debate up.
Not at all.
-
Hard News: Unscripted Drama, in reply to Bart Janssen,
And on that note the biggest difference with being at the ground for me … it’s how close you are, the TV makes everything seem more distant somehow, at the ground I feel like the players are just so close.
Especially in the South Stand at Eden Park. Sit down near the sightscreen at that short, short boundary and you really are very close to what's going on.
-
Note that Dotcom subsequently tweeted this today:
I don't need the help of Labour / Greens in my extradition case. John Key & his gang are already doing that with their serial-law-breaking.