Posts by JLM
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Had a nasty moment half listening to the news before, when they said that the chair of the new "Innovation Board" was Sir William Ralston. But it turned out to be Sir William Rolleston. Whew!
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Lucky enough to get GotD out of the library yesterday, and am almost through book one already - wanting to read before turning on my computer is a strong vote of confidence. Thought I noticed homage to Mahy (Changeover and Catalogue of the Universe) and Pamela Dean's Tam Lin (??) but it's not derivative at all, and I love Ellie (and Kevin and Mark and Iris with her shoe weapons). Hope to finish it later today
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Hard News: I'm not a "f***ing cyclist".…, in reply to Deborah,
I’d love to be able to buy a simple 5 or 8 or even 10 gear bike. Just spare me the 21 gears and complicated cogs and shifts and stuff that I can’t fix myself when something goes wrong. I don’t want to have to be a bicycle mechanic to get on my bike to go to the shop to get a litre of milk.
You would love my Giant halfway folder. Took me a thousand km through Brittany, the Dordogne and Sussex with no problems. Mind you, I did have a mechanic on hand if I'd needed help.
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I suppose to summarise, as a "centre left" supporter I think there would be more chance of having a centre-left government if the Green Party started grabbing votes off National, rather than just off Labour.
I was at a GP gathering over the weekend, and heard anecdotally from someone who scrutineers in a well-heeled area that this is already the case to some extent, and there are many who vote for the NP candidate and party vote Green. Which is probably why Key was floating banning sow crates this morning. He's been doing some polling.
From my observations there, the GP is in very good heart, and central to that is the knowledge that members can directly affect how their MPs vote on issues, through policy and feedback, and if they get it wrong, they damn well let them know. If they keep getting it wrong, there's a democratic list-ranking process coming up to send a stronger message.
There were about equal numbers of people who joined from environmental and social justice concerns, but all of us were united in recognising that both are inseparable and equally vital (including between nations as well as within them). And that's why I'm a Green, not a member of the Alliance, whose slogan at the last election was 'People first", or some other "pure" embryonic left-wing party.
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I just know that twatcock is going to be word of the year...
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What the Dunedin election has confirmed to me, is that it is much harder to get on to council than it is to stay. Once you are there, barring some major negative publicity (Guest), it is pretty likely you will stay there. Bill Acklin?? John Bezett?? Their only claim to fame is that they are on council, and keep their heads down when the big debates are under way.
Agreed Shaun, particularly the examples you mentioned. And remember Fliss Butcher creeping in last time by three votes. She's bedded in now. Real shame Shane didn't get over the cutoff, but he's got a good springboard to succeed next time.
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No more Michael Guest. Only Dunedinistas will appreciate that.
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Aren't there 900 special votes still to be counted?
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And he's calling it a mandate...
Meanwhile, Prendergast leading Wade-Brown by 40 votes. Go Ceila!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/local-elections-2010/4215814/Wellington-too-close-to-call
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Congratulations to Christopher Dempsey and Julie Fairey - two names I recognize from this community. Are there any more?