Posts by Tom Semmens
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In the light of the self-righteous gloating by the white bread over at kiwiblog at the the Philip Field verdict, I give you this story via Hot Topic. It raises interesting questions about what constitutes "corruption." We all now know that some normalised Pacific Island practices are - rightly - judged as corrupt in this country.
But is it corruption for a single, secretive, mega-rich oligarch created by the post 1984 economic reforms to buy a political parties policy in an important area of debate?
It definitely of interest that two Nactional cabinet ministers owe their jobs to a climate change denier and economic crackpot.
read it and weap folks - and by the way, this is the sort of mildly investigative story the traditional media has completely abandoned doing the research for in lieu of ambulance chasing and ghoulish crime of the day stories, and why the better bloggers are gaining more and more market share.
"...In its election spending return to the Electoral Commission, ACT reveals that on April 9th 2008 Gibbs paid $100,000 into the party’s coffers. Within weeks, the party’s new climate denial line was being pushed to the press.
Interviewed by Gordon Campbell for Scoop back in May 2008, Hide — while adopting an overtly sceptical, do-as-little-as-possible stance — was prepared to at least acknowledge the IPCC reports as a starting point for discussion. Within months, however, he was ready to declare in a speech to ACT’s southern region conference:
"...I remain sceptical that greenhouse gases are the cause of a global warming."
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Lew over at kiwipolitico has a good perspective, excising the quote of the day from kiwiblog so the rest of us don't have wade through the gloating racist dross to find the one interesting nugget.
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And a certain adorable cluelessness about how papers actually work...
Come on genius, share with the group.
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Tom: You think there might just have been a mega-dose of snark you missed?
No.
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Just by the by, isn't that second editorial in as many weeks to basically intervene to try and shut down an anti-National story, storming in as they did last week to fearlessly defend the right of Paula Bennett to use of the might of the state to crush dissenting solo mum's?
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No no no you lot! The Herald editorial -
"...__Or, more charitably, might we suppose that new ministers were simply too busy to notice they were not exactly practising the economies they preached?__..." -
today informs us that Bill & co were just to busy setting the country to right to notice the tens of thousands of extra dollars flowing into their accounts!
See children? We are sooo lucky to have such virtuous, toiling bunch of prudent people running our country after so many years of that big, mean Labour Party!
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I am astonished at how the All Black coaches have failed to anticipate and adapt to the ending of the ELV experiment. That they are persisting with obsolete tactics raises worrying questions about a possible bankruptcy of ideas in the coaching panel. I was always mildly pro-Henry, but I also thought they would review his tenure at the end of this tri-nations and before this end-of-season money making trip to the Northern Hemisphere. Looking at the selections and tactics, the present coaching panel may have reached the end of their shelf life this season and we are risking repeating the Wylie/Hart fiasco of a coaches and players two or three years past their best going to a world cup.
Having said that, the poor performances are also the result of some very ordinary play. Many of the All Black stars are appalling this season, and that is after a very average Super14 by the New Zealand teams. In terms of player performance and injuries I think we are seeing the consequences of both to much and to little rugby.
To much because there is no doubt in my mind that the All Blacks played to much international rugby last year and a lot of them came into the 2009 Super rugby season still mentally tired, flat and/or carrying injuries. The trouble is, they are going to play even more international rugby this season. The NZRFU is killing it's golden goose. If they had any guts, they would not take a swag of the current squad to Europe at the end of this year and instead send them on holiday after the end of the Air New Zealand Cup in early November.
Not enough rugby because I think many of the players would re-discover their passion and enthusiasm getting out of the over-managed, artificial atmosphere of the All Blacks and playing for their provinces in the ANZC. The first round of the ANZC has already shown that many of the provincial coaches have adapted to the end of the ELV's faster than Henry and co, and are playing a more traditional, structured common sense game that would benefit the players ahead of Europe more than the demoralising nonsense they are trying to play in the All Blacks.
Sending the All Blacks back to Air NZ Cup as soon as possible will effectively provide a huge set of trials for players old and new to stake their claim for the end of year tour, and we need to seriously consider taking an experimental squad up there.
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I don't really think Bill English is doing anything to wrong. After all, the system is there and he is just using it. Who wouldn't? It is a bit of a dodge - but if that is the worst of then then all is well in my book.
I think the media is determined to generate a scandal as salivating as the UK rorts, but we are not rated the least corrupt country in the world for nothing.
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Paul Holmes feels the calvary of those who rise above the throng as a visceral, personal thing. He has been there, he knows the pain of being of the annointed ones. He and Paula are connected, you see, by their shared genius in the face of the slings and arrows of those who are blind to it.
In reality, he is a puff-headed fool who looks like he is sucker for motivational speakers and self-improvement snake oil merchants.
His reality is a lot different, he had to crash his aircraft three times until he realised he couldn't fly, and similar delusions of infallibility seem to colour his views on Paula Bennett as well. I suppose he thinks he and Paula are not just connected by their shared genius for the common man, they have something else that 99% of the lesser peasants on benefits don't have - children who hang out with criminals.
Paul is on shakey ground when it comes to his patronising attitudes to welfare. After all, I bet Jennifer Johnston's children won't end up in court.
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No doubts the NZRU will be sending him oversees very shortly in that case :)
Hawkes Bay has the best coach in the competition. Once upon a time, that would have got you the All Black's job automatically. Now, you have to be on the inside with the professional haves in the big smoke as well.
1/ This weekend four of the five Super 14 Franchise teams lost in the National Championship. The one team that won, Wellington, was in a game against another Super 14 franchise holder so at least ONE of the vaunted "big five" HAD to win. I know they were short of their All Blacks, but it was something that was missing. All the other ANZC winners were characteristed by enthusiasm, passion and the sort of unentitled common sense and hard work you see in those other coherent national competitions - the NRL and Currie Cup.
2/ The Hurricanes were also rans again in the Super 14, yet Colin Cooper is not just secure in his job - he is (in some quarters) as a potentially All Black coach. Peter Russell barely gets a mention in the main-centre dominated media, yet he is no flash in the pan. He turned Waiarapa-Bush around. And now he has done the same for Hawkes Bay. Who is to say he couldn't do the same with an even better team?
3/ The All Blacks are facing a crisis, playing just about the stupidest rugby imaginable, display none of the common sense or simple rugby nouse of so-called lesser mortals in the ANZC and the selectors and coaches seem incapable of doing anything about it.
4/ According to everyone we apparently lack depth, with no viable alternatives in numerous postions. Yet two young first five eights - from Southland and Manawatu - were really good on the weekend.
What do all the above have in common? The NZRFU & the Super Unions are a monopoly obsessed with the a top down view of NZ Rugby. A paralysing complacency has set in, and none of the haves are interested in the cold dose of reality the have nots are dishing out to the unearned sense of entitlement that now pervades the Super Unions. My, how they must hate ANZC Cup! No wonder they want to devalue the competition- they've nothing to gain and everything to lose from having a strong National Championship!
We need a bracing dose of real competition brought into NZ Rugby, and pronto.