Posts by Brickley Paiste
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Nope.
Interesting. I didn't know that. I thought the central government was intending to introduce special legislation or use the special provisions in the RMA but then didn't once it became a hot potato.
Either way, someone should demolish Eden Park. Take it behind a barn and shoot it. Anything.
And while I'm thinking about it, isn't 2011 kind of soon?
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But you know what would have been really cool? A stadium within a stone's throw of the party zone.
Definitely. I run through Kingsland and by Eden Park almost every night and think "how can this possibly be expected to do the job?" That stadium is a dog and we're going to lose a lot of money if people leave the game only to go to Kingsland and its two pubs.
Auckland needs some place where people can gather in town. This sounds like a Good Thing.
There does seem to be a bit of a consensus from the non-Aucklanders here. Namely, what wrong with you?
The problem is that Aucklanders actually like Auckland so they need to fight over it. But deep in their hearts they know their city is unpardonably ugly and dysfunctional. More a series of metastatising shit holes. It's learned helplessness. I call it battered-citizens syndrome.
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I'm a big fan of "Melody" - it is one of those unusual Stones numbers that seem out of character for them, but still work really well
I couldn't agree more. I use to put it on mix tapes all the time for people. Why was Melody a "second name"? The whole album is a bit like that. Cherry Oh Baby, is I think the title of the other one.
I just found this
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From my (very) quick read, that's another plurality of opinion from our highest court.
Elias CJ, Blanchard and Wilson JJ say that the evidence fails to meet the low threshold of relevance because it cannot reasonably tend to prove or disprove whether or not there was an admission.
McGrath and Gault JJ (when did Gault J come back?) say that the evidence is relevant but its probative value is outweighed because it is unreasonably prejudicial.
There is a lot to chew on in there and I haven't read the HC or CA decisions.
How can something that might be an admission not be relevant? When it might not reasonably be anything?
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They actively recruit Maori, Pacific Island, Asian and female police officers.
I see that you are correct
I'd like to see a society where a Chinese candidate is electable in Tauranga or West Coast.
So would I. So tell Labour that their candidate is a disappointment.
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I should point out that the police put a lot of effort into trying to increase ethical and gender diversity in the police. They actively recruit Maori, Pacific Island, Asian and female police officers. Takes a long time to have that flow through an organisation when some officers have 30 year careers in the job.
Yes, that's probably quite true and something to keep in mind.
However, the last time I remember the issue arising in an article, there were active members of the police giving unattributed quotes about "reverse racism".
And Kefeng Chu, the Police ethnic liaison officer, is well-established. In spite of these facts, the Police say there are more openings for Asian rectuits than there are applicants.
I wonder how fun it is to be one of the new recruits.
My point about Shearer was that it bothers me that anglo-saxon hegemony still rules in this country. On that basis, I feel that Shearer is a step backwards.
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Brickley Paiste, go back under the bridge - the three billy goat's Gruff will be along shortly.
Ok, will do. Thanks. I'm not sure what you mean but I will.
Why? Because you think they'd be better able to represent an ethnically diverse electorate?
Yes. The same way I think it would be good to have an ethnically diverse police force -- which we also don't have.
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Declaring Lee to be similarly "multicultural" possibly added to the insult.
Shearer's win will be momentous.
For too long have the halls of power been denied to physically able wealthy heterosexual highly educated white men.
In many ways, he reminds me of Rosa Parks.
It doesn't seem to have come up much (in my reading at least) but I find it unfortunate that Labour didn't run a first or second generation ethnic NZer, much less a woman.
I ran this past the nice chap that recently knocked on my door and his response was that no one wants to spook part of Labour's base that is sympathetic to Winston Peters.
I say, f*ck that base. The old racists will thankfully all soon be dead (or more dead than they currently are) whereas the immigrant vote in this country is mystifyingly unclaimed or not particularly fought over.
When Helen got the seat it was symbolic. Shearer's election will be equally symbolic only in the other direction -- especially since he is running in Chinatown, or Auckland's only real claim to having one.
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Interesting thought; debate about Legal Aid always presents it as some sort of liability, when in fact it is about securing a fair trial. The costs of Crown prosecutions are rarely discussed, because they are part of Justice.
Word up.
I think Crown Law pays the prosecutors and Treasury pays Crown Law. The Legal Services Agency pays defence cousel. It all comes from the same place but at different hourly rates for the same work and more time for the same work.
For example, defence counsel does x and gets paid y an hour and is limited to z hours to complete x.
The Crown does x and gets paid y1 and is given z1 hours to complete the same x.
It's whack and wrong. It's admission that the State has a higher interest in successful prosecutions than acquittals. And there is no Director of Public Prosecutions...
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Agree with you about Metro. It was getting too much like the giveaway rags, all gloss and froth, but it has returned to real stories. It will put the Listener to shame.
Definitely. The piece on Kane Wright's killing was top rate. I found her two digs at legal aid a bit unfortunate (the Crown were also paid through the public purse, at higher hourly rates and at higher time allowances than the defence and for the same work).
The best part, I thought, was that Chisholm got that cop, Ian McGill, to go on the record with this:
The Wrighs and the Vialls do not represent our target market, if you like, and nor is Darin Gardner our target market for an offender. They are all Pakeha. They are all educated. I can't remember the last time I dealt with someone as an offender who was employed. And can't think of the last time I worked on a job like that where English was the first language for everyone involved. It was also the first time when all our witnesses actually assisted the police. So the back story to this case is unique. You have a slice of society that I've had little to do with in South Auckland. You could almost smell and taste the tension because we had decent folk...You were working with them as oppposed, unfortunately, to quite often here when you are working against a family because the victims themselves may be criminals. You treat all victims of crime professionally but you just know that could be your family there so that means the stakes are a little higher.
There is a lot to unpack in that quote. Some of it is honest and fair. Some of it should be said behind closed doors and not to a journalist. Some of it is vile.
But obviously the writer did really well to get the quote and it really helps to frame the piece.