Posts by Gareth Ward
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And thanks Gary and I/S for the response
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Anyhoo Graeme, I agree with DPF's point that "OMG privatisation" is thrown around far too loosely and I think Key's done exactly that (just like people went "PRIVATISING THE ARMY!!!!" when Roy mused about selling defence land).
It's used as a negative by default, and I suspect if it hadn't been tossed out like that in this case I'd have agreed with your privatisation take on it. -
I might suggest you read his articles.
And I might suggest you drop the condescension as I have.
From my reading, his point is much more about "countries DON'T SEND troops because of the messiness, so the UN needs to look elsewhere to find them", not "countries that do send troops can replace them with private contractors".
He wasn't talk about running an engagement currently staffed by state peacekeepers with a private force. At best, he was saying "look this already happens and if we want to put a peacekeeping force in at all in the future this may be the only option, so we might want to put controls around it". That's not "I want to privatise the army"
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I'd suggest National's 2008 party vote is softer than my third chin.
This is very true. The vote bit, I have no solid view on your chin.
If the widely held belief that the 2008 election was about "change" is even partly true, then those people have their change and won't be interested in the Mt Albert byelection. The Labour/Green turnout could conceptually be much higher.
Anyone have stats on turnout strength for byelections compared to general election? -
I mean, bad and everything, but that's such a great name.
And a notable absence from the Periodic Table.
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, but if we send in private troops instead of public one's I don't see how we can sensibly claim not to have privatised something.
Totally agree - but that's not been called for by Shearer or anyone.
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the Grande Empress of South Beach
I think this is someone I'd like to meet.
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<quote>I wasn't suggesting it was any party's policy, or that anyone was suggesting it as a serious idea for New Zealand<quote>
So why did you bring it up? Because you did quote Russell's comment that Key's "privatising the army" quip was outright bullshit.Your comments about privatised armies, of course, have nothing to do with what Shearer wrote or even a possible outcome of his thinking. He's saying "last resort if UN don't have soldiers? Then they use money for private firms". We would send soldiers or nothing.
Possibly you're suggesting that by sending nothing, but providing our share of the funding for the UN, we would be "privatising" peacekeeping simply by association. THAT's a long bow. -
Perhaps the Greens are finally coming around to the Sustainable/Unsustainable dichotomy instead of the Left/Right one (something Nandor has been proposing).
In all honesty, running a genuine campaign in Mt Albert that doesn't play with "helping out your mates to make the system work our way wink wink" political crap would raise my esteem of them. Gordon Campbell, for once, is well off the mark IMO.
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Sounds really interesting, will give it a go.
The Musei Vaticani are amazing for the "stampede". At the entrance is a little sign - right for the Pinacoteca (which houses Carvaggio's Entombent and Raphael's incredible Transfiguration) or left for a bunch-of-things-ending-in-Sistine-Chapel.After queing for hours it was amazing to be so alone in the Pinacoteca.