Posts by Paul Robeson
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
But they all have American flags outside their stores.
Yeah well, that's part of American culture we could skip. And it's not unique to recent immigrants over there as well.
There's a school of thought that the American style of integration has been a success compared to those of France or Britain. People retain a distinct ethnic identity -- often down through generations -- but also salute the flag.
hmmm...yeh kinda experienced this or a variant of in Queensland as a kiwi, which is not much different at all, but it was a lot of if you come in drink beer and do things our way we love to have you as a guest. but don't think about being weird or thinking differently...
then again both the states and Queensland are mighty big places...
-
For the record, I've come to the conclusion that Peter Brown isn't a racist at all -- he's something much, much worse. A politician facing electoral oblivion who has cynically decided that a good chunk of his party's potential supporters are -- hate Asian immigrants, think everything was Shangri-La before the dirty foreigners can in and brought all our assets.
I'm not sure about his English background but it strikes me that he is, well, maybe a British rail middle manager somewhere who has been told to go about and whistle the dogs, while the chap who knows how to do this, our rugby playing rural idyl hero, is otherwise occupied. Don't think PB is the villan here. More the henchman who gets knocked off before the end of the second act.
sorry for the mixing of metaphors. As I said in response to David Slacks post- i'm not convinced it's racism, but more playing to a kind of nostalgia that does exist in places of New Zealand where time may have stood still for some despite the changes, which mostly have happened elsewhere.
oh sorry about the punctuation too...
-
I totally agree re:Obama's race speech - it's just amazing to watch an American politican talk about American racial politics in a realistic and honest way. I was leaning a bit more towards him before that, but that's what sold me; the ability to start that sort of dialogue is priceless in a President.
As for Brown, I watched his interview with Campbell and he just came across as an bit of a joke - repeating the same statement over and over, refusing to engage with the fallacies in his argument even in the face of the facts, and, of course, insisting that he's the right kind of immigrant because he speaks English, unlike those Asians, who don't. I can't believe that anyone would take him seriously. In which case, he probably is in need of a hug.
Brown was an understudy who either didn't have the skill or conviction to muster any kind of performance in this highly specialised role. Seemed to think that reciting the text was enough. very poor.
Peters is much more difficult to pin down in that way- (John Campbell certainly couldn't) how else do you explain a man successully hobnobbing in China as foreign minister on the back of a few votes, while disagreeing with his government's position at home? has no problem with transitioning roles, and playing with feeling. Finlay Mac was saying that Key was a response to Clark's centerism, but Winston was somehow in the centre before that. Is it too much to suggest that both the larger parties in realising the MMP realities are in fact following him?
Obama's speech was amazing. You forget that sometimes the president needs to have skills with words. That words are vital, important and when the right person speaks them, very very able to make a difference. yet in the U.S. it was left to John Stewart to pronounce on it with respect...I think Russ pulled up the quote...you have to think- wonder what say, Australia would make of him as P. Don't know if it did start a national conversation, but guess we'll see. -
Bollocks.
I have to admit to being a Peters fan. Not because he is an expert dog whistler, but because he is a consumate political performer, and also because he is a consistent nationalist.
The only other politician who represents these ideas seems to be Jim Anderton. And he is too straight up and down to bring John Campbell into a saliva flecked apolexy over his camera.
It is a safe issue for him. It will be passed irrespective. He has nothing to lose by being able to gain a distinction with the government and underline that he represents the pre-1984 NZ in government, a New Zealand not used so used to outside influences, especially Chicago school economics.
Peters doesn't so much champion the down trodden these days as a protectionist import-subsitution nostalgic constituency. I have to be honest, when I look at the N party devoid of value and well, presence, Peters does come across like a rolls royce among newly converted biofuel bearing RAV 4s there.
The best thing would be if he can take the "ohh naice young man" vote away from Key, and heck who knows?
only thing is, sure as heck, would feel mighty uncomfortable with a RAV 4, even one so converted on the 9th floor. given the size of the lifts you would have to wonder how it got there...
-
hey Russ whats the chance of getting Media 7 (and any of that ondemand stuff actually) outside NZ? I suppose that we sell some shows overseas. Is this why TVNZ can't release eating media lunch etc etc and it always comes up for NZ viewers only?
-
The whole Obama/peacher thing is a sham.
Obama has basically very little religious beliefs and attends church to advance his political career.
and yet even with this supposed sham Christianity he is able to be compassionate, humble and humanitarian, and understand being your brother's keeper,
while the real Christians invade other countries and kill lots of people cos they're evil.
and while we're on this story. Eddie Izzard's Easter ....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJfRzNOJNE
-
"some of this content maybe complete shit and most of it is opinion".
unlike Ralston's eloquent barrage on the radio? Who are ya? At least on Publicaddress anything that is said gets a remarkable amount of peer reviewing, before after and during publication and is frequently amended if there is any error or factual dispute over sources.
And while I'm on a link does anyone know who Herald journalist Claire Trevett is? I'm familiar with their more senior politics writers, but she has written a couple of love letters to the worst of the ACT party with little or make that no analysis of their position. Can the Herald move further right yet? Or is it just that she is covering the ACT party conference?
-
and as for that freaking moron dubya. ever single business be has ever owned has cost a lot of other people a whole load of money.
dubya...is that what Roger Douglas calls himself these days?
-
Well I guess they no longer blame the media like Murray McCully used to calling them 5th columnists and the like, mainly because the media has become more and more analytically impotent.
Maybe the truth hurts? And this is the nature of your attack. The fact that there was some informed discussion on a complex issues that had been reduced to a single word polarities could have seemed highly threatening.
...or perhaps the beginning of a campaign to reduce your credibility as an informed and mostly impartial commentator in the run up to the election?
-
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10498579
I see that you are being painted as a the big bad wolf who made the poor ACT advertising man feel bad.
I fail to see how they got away with those billboards. If they were a company it would have been done for misleading advertising.
Yet the Herald doesn't see that misleading, misinforming and highly emotive advertising in large amounts is any way an 'ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY'. Only legislation designed to limit them.
and while i'm on bugbears
: that a major reason John Howard lost was because he tried to force an employment-contract-act style employment law on Australia.And one of the compelling factors in the differences in wages between here and Australia is that Australia didn't scrap their unions and depress or subdue wages to fight inflation. Are the media going to let John Key get away with having a right wing industrial relations policy (or an unannounced policy) and harping on about migration to Australia?