Posts by simon g
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Lord Ashcroft pops up in the NZ media from time to time, where he is lionised as the hero who saves medals.
I have never heard his interviewers (Plunkett, Hosking to name but two) ask him about the Other Lord Ashcroft ("And finally, sir, just a couple of questions about your tax status and political manoeuvring and general shit-stirring ...").
Of course he's generous with his ill-gotten gains, but so was Kim Dotcom, and his free pass has long since gone. No need to wonder why the two are treated differently.
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The alleged national obssession, as seen more honestly - from the outside:
"There may have been more All Black supporters in Wembley but for most of the first hour it appeared that every single one of them had their vocal chords ripped out." (Sean Ingle, Guardian).
For confirmation, watch this morning's game. Lively Argentinians getting behind their team, while the Kiwis waved at themselves on the big screen.
New Zealand rugby fans are probably the least animated in the sporting world. Let's not confuse loud corporate hype (endless ads) with loud support (endless noise).
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A nice piece by Nigel Yalden in the Herald. Another reminder that being a working sports journalist is less "the best seat in the house", more the flustered projectionist who misses most of the show.
To answer his question: I was asleep. In years to come I won't have been, obviously, the re-inventing starts now. One of the most extraordinary results you could ever see in sport - so I saw it live, oh yes.
Memo to the TV news people: this is news. Mumbling inoffensive nothings at a press conference isn't. If you're going to lead with the rugby (and let's face it, you are) then lead with the rugby - which is about more than the All Blacks.
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All political leaders embrace their country's sports teams when they win, it's on page one of the image-making handbook. Key does it more than others. Still, Helen hugging Reuben Wiki was a sight to behold!
But the really grating aspect is not that he does it, but that he so rarely gets called on it. It's fake, we know it's fake, so why pretend that it isn't fake? Why does a reporter call him a "die hard" and "devoted" fan? (Actual descriptions used). Words that mean - loyal when they lose.
In 2010 NZ's soccer team made it to the World Cup, and performed well. There was a bandwagon to be jumped on, so Key took the ride. Wearing the shirt, going to South Africa, walking alongside the coach and players - all the usual made-for-TV stunts. (And again, most leaders would have done the same, if more subtly).
In 2014 the All Whites didn't qualify, they aren't much good now, so naturally their die-hard fan has disappeared. The PM never mentions the team or even the sport. And you can find countless other examples of fairweather fandom (we are all Team NZ sailors and sock-wearers now - er, sorry, we're not).
In democracies that have a fourth estate who are half-awake, this kind of behaviour from politicians is so widely derided that nobody takes it - or them - seriously at all. In the last UK election campaign, David Cameron forgot which football team he pretended to support ("Aston Villa? West Ham? Where's my polling data?") and of course everyone took the piss. I mean, everyone . Hardly any Tories jumped up and said "But he's a fan, leave him alone, he's totes real!". They simply said "Who cares, we vote on the economy or other policies." As grown-ups should.
In fact, the evidence suggests that New Zealand voters aren't as dumb as the media want us to be. Pundit wisdom in 2011: if ABs win Rugby World Cup, National win a landslide. What happened? The polls barely moved, before, during and after the tournament. Because voters can and do separate sport and politics. Supporting a team versus supporting a party.
Now we just need some of our media to do the same ...
(PS Go the ABs, Steve Hansen is a cuddly, grumpy bear and I love him ...)
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Polity: So who exactly placed conditions…, in reply to SteveH,
I thought Key wanted a flag change?
He did - to his own choice. Polls suggest that won't happen, so now he wants to cut his political losses. To share the "blame" around.
The media words today have been "stoush", "squabble", "stand-off" ... which serves Key's (revised) purpose. That's what most voters will see and hear. He is doing what he has always done (Exhibits A-Z, see countless previous controversies, from Hager to Slater).
Somebody says: 2+2 = 4. So Key says "yeah, that's one point of view, but balance, coz some say 2+2 = 93." Resultant reports: "he said, she said".
He's been doing this for 7 years, and rewarded for it, why would he change?
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It's Labour's job to oppose well.
Key's job (from his POV) is to drag Labour into the blame game, and so the public responds: "Politicians, eh? They're all the same!". Which is the default position for reporters, therefore headlines, therefore many voters.
A simple bill: add red peak, no strings attached - would have forced Key's hand. Either accept or reject - either way, he backs down, Little gets a win.
And please, Sofie, don't talk to me like *I* don't understand it. Of course I do, but who cares what I understand? Politics = other people. We're talking about the world of public perception, not tiny minorities of politics followers on blogs.
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In parliament now ... Little seeks leave to introduce revised referendum (incl red peak), objection by National, as expected.
Shame Labour didn't have a back-up bill, simply adding Red Peak, with no other changes. Would have put National on the spot.
When everyone does the expected, only the status quo wins.
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It was obvious from the initial police press conference that he was unarmed. Even if we allow for the most unlikely circumstances (e.g. the deceased flinging a weapon a long way from his body just before he died), the scene investigation would have established the truth almost immediately. But the public were not told. Why?
I think we all know why. Spin.
For the avoidance of any doubt, I am not second-guessing the police actions in the park: it was dark, they had been told he was armed, and split-second decisions were made. Whether the shooting was justified is not for me to say, absent full details of how the events unfolded.
But it is for me - for all of us as citizens - to comment on the subsequent withholding of information by the police, when that is done purely for public relations. In short, to serve the police, not us. Spin 101 says: an inquiry, released weeks later, has only a fraction of the impact of a revelation when the story is "hot". For a couple of days, David Cerven's tragic death was leading the news. Now, it is old news.
He was a foreigner, he had mental health problems, he had committed crimes, and he's gone, so basically nobody in New Zealand will care. But we should.
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OK, let me put some meat on the bones. I'm not out to bash Labour or Little, I just want them to do better. Sometimes, a lot better.
About a million people will have just watched the reports on the 6 pm news (One: Katie Bradford, Three: Brook Sabin). Let's examine them, for Media Studies Stage 1:
It's telly, so what do we need? Visuals. Duly provided by the MPs who stood on the steps of Parliament with Red Peak flags (Jacinda Ardern, Gareth Hughes, David Seymour, maybe others I missed). Good work. Also provided by James Shaw with his tie. Provoked a response from Key, so a point to Shaw.
Telly and radio also want a soundbite. Hence "cup of tea". It cuts through, it's an image, whereas "meeting" isn't. Hence the need to have a line ready (if spontaneity is too hard).
None of this requires any great insight, or Machiavellian cunning. Just basic planning and understanding how it all works. Today's TV news reports were not an accident, they were written by the politicians. Politics in the media is largely predictable, and I expect Labour's leadership (or strategists) to predict it. 90% of Key's spontaneous "witticisms" (witless to me, but not to his voters which is all that matters) are prepared in advance, probably by staff.
To be fair, Labour have improved under Little. But from a face-palming low bar. They need to improve more. And after the Chinese names mess, I'm probably grumpier about this than I should be. They used up a lot of their slack, for no apparent gain.
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Parliamentary Questions: Little gets an invitation to tea from Key. So that's a spin-win for Labour.
(but again, I'm shouting at the telly, why doesn't Little think on his feet, reinforce the point with an instant supplementary ... "In the light of that answer, which I'm happy to accept, is the PM free for tea at three? Should I bring the teacups or does he have enough mugs in his cabinet?", etc, etc. Any old one-liner will do. Not just waiting and hoping the press gallery are awake, you have to FEED them ... ).