Posts by llew40

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  • OnPoint: Yeah nah, but what *do* we…,

    There seems to be a very well funded PR campaign underway for flag change fronted by sports people and media people, but paid for by whom?

    Hmmm, I dunno - I just dont think this is the sort of thing that would stay under wraps for long in NZ. I think the far more likely scenario is that McCaw and Carter - like many prominent NZers - are being asked for their reckons, and they're quite happy to provide them. Don't have any issue with that.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Polity: Hooton’s Zombie Apocalypse,

    Whilst I am sure that MH has (at least in this column) his finger firmly pressed on his big red 'troll Labour tribalists' button, I do think there is some truthiness that Labour strategists should be well aware of (and probably are). Its a fact that they've not been elected as Government for a long long time now. There's a zillion reasons for that I'm sure. I think one of them may well be related to a disconnect between the Labour party faithful and sufficient numbers of New Zealanders to form a Government under MMP. Is that disconnect related to some perceived position on a political spectrum? (God I hope not, but heck, we live in a world where Barack Obama is perceived as a socialist by millions of Americans). Is the disconnect getting smaller or bigger?

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Fix up, young men,

    I hate that this shit happens. And I honestly don’t remember it being like this when I was in my teens/twenties either. Maybe it was the environment I was in. Who knows.

    I don’t think you need to pretend everything was rosy to feel that way. I don’t recall it either.

    A hopeful thought. My oldest daughter (16) is a keen and frequent gig-goer, and I've ferried her and various members of her extended posse (pretty even mix of boys and girls all in the 16-18 age group) back and forth from the likes of Tame Impala, Mac DeMarco, 1975 over the last year or so. At no stage have I ever witnessed or heard of the boys acting like dicks, or disrespecting the girls in any way. Hearing their excited post-gig reports, its usually the girls who have led the charge into the mosh-pits and generally been the musical ring-leaders. I might be being naive, but I hope its a good sign.

    That said, I've also heard second hand some horror stories from this years Rhythm and Vines.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Friday Music: Jean's Laneway,

    Ah, sorry to hear about the rude munters Jean. I didnt see any bad vibes at all so I do hope they were in the very tiny minority (to go with their very tiny outlook on life).

    We met and yarned happily with a number of lovely strangers who were all having a good day and seemed to have no problems with grey hair :).

    Have to admit to feeling slightly ..... meh, about this year's Laneway. I've been lucky to attend all of them to date, and this felt like the first year where a lot of the acts have been here before, and it all contributed to my slightly jaded (and somewhat sun-baked) feeling of deja-vu.

    I was there pretty early so faded late in the piece (I wanted to see Leisure - who were excellent, but wish they were on a little later in the day so I could have employed a bit more of the Russell Brown tactical timing tip). Also liked East India Youth (some banging tunes that wouldn't have been out of place late at night on a crowded dance floor), Beachhouse (excellent sun-down set), HDU (thumping industrial Dunedin sounds) and Vince Staples (stonking hip-hop although his police-baiting started to sound a little tiresome).

    Liked the Rumpus Room set-up, as well as the more open Thunder Dome. The Craft Beer bar was also a very welcome new addition!

    All in all, I'll be back next year to see it's new incarnation ......

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The CRL and the nature of change,

    Basically Fran’s comments might as well have come from the Chamber of Commerce, the EMA and Mainfreight themselves in regards to the CRL.

    The Auckland Business Forum (chaired by Michael Barnett) has been supportive of the CRL, and other big Auckland transport projects, for years. Doubt anyone could seriously argue that the business community hasnt been telling the Government (and Council) to get on with them - debates about prioritisation and funding notwithstanding.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Polity: On tour with The Boss,

    Sorry, I vote Labour, but I don't think anyone should be too surprised that there are people taking the Mick out of the breathlessness and earnestness of this prose.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Art with a job to do, in reply to Alec Morgan,

    classic manufacturing consent is not conspiracy but a conscious strategy, and the PM has been at it again today with what I’d call dissing the RSA, there are free flags available on request (the two top polling ones currently) for those interested to fly them before referendum #2, I would not be surprised if Nat branches distribute them in bulk, stage 2 of the flag fiasco process will be on full turbo boost shortly

    Heh, I understand that manufacturing consent is a conscious strategy, its just that in this case I don't buy it and I simply don't think there is any grand stage 2 plan that suddenly renders the shitty plan that preceded it a stalking horse.

    I think JK desperately wanted a change of flag as a 'vision thing' and, through a poorly conceived and constructed process, has ended up scoring a screamer of an own goal. It's been interesting to see some of the illuminati on the flag panel quietly trying to distance themselves from the whole thing. When it comes down to it, I just can't see the existing flag getting overturned no matter how many Lockwood flags the Nat Party distributes, and history will only remember a botched opportunity.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Art with a job to do, in reply to Alec Morgan,

    the flag fiasco seems a text book example of attempted manufactured consent

    Given a choice between conspiracy or cock-up, I always think the more likely is the omnishambles (as George so adroitly put it)

    The thing I am surprised about is - assuming the Government genuinely wanted to change the flag as part of the PM's 'legacy thing' - the way in which the process has actually worked against that strategic goal ...... if someone *tried* to architect a process that would lead to a high probability of a status quo, this was it.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Polity: Hosking’s right about jobs,

    Don't think it's totally accurate to say that the media hated the CGT policy idea. Plenty of commentators supported it (e.g. Bernard Hickey). I think more accurate to say that many people, including media and - more importantly - voters, hated it. Plenty of voters have relied on investing in property to save for retirement, the product of decades of policy bias towards property. Unwinding this will take time and brave (possibly foolhardy) political will.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Friday Music: Back to a…, in reply to Russell Brown,

    To be fair to Talbot, I'm a little surprised about the slow ticket sales for Echo, given a lot of people in Auckland are still on leave at that time, and its a pretty awesome line-up. As you say, maybe the relocation eroded the trust.

    I was still keen on going and supporting it (after all, without promoters willing to take the risk, how would we get to see the bands), so disappointed I now have to go through the laborious refund process (which has been complicated by the fact we still have the McLaren Valley tickets which we didnt seek refunds for yet, because the Echo team had told us we'd be able to use them at the relocated festival).

    Despite the fact that much of the issue is self-inflicted and related to the resource consent fail in Tauranga (and on that, his comments in the Wireless article about the consent were a bit strange), I've got a lot of sympathy for the team behind it. No doubt a lot of hard work and cost gone down the drain.

    Since Nov 2012 • 140 posts Report Reply

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