Posts by Paul Williams
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
speaking of middle class...
whatever happened to The Las?Didn't the split after the mixing of this bloody fantastic debut album pissed them off... I thought they all joined other britpop bands.
Thanks for this though, it's been years...
-
Oh well then... why's he delusional particularly? More so that Banks?
-
It's been 21 years since I lived in Akl, are Banks and Brown the only likely winners? I just saw that Simon Prast is a candidate, his website's here. Prast always seemed a very sensible and progressive bloke to me, isn't he a chance? The fact that he's looking beyond the RWC alone is positive.
-
Aren't you risking Michael Laws filing a defamation suit? This is clearly based on his life (he's always seemed effeminate to me)!
-
They can either give their preference to a party, who will allocate it. Or they can vote preferentially themselves - but should they choose to do so, they must number each and every candidate from 1 onwards. Given that there were up to 80 candidates on the ballot, that's a big ask - especially since if you screw up any of it your vote is invalid.
It's baffling, truly baffling. I was at my daughter's school which was a polling booth, to run the obligatory sausage sizzle fundraiser. People were bemoaning the effort to allocate their own senate preferences and the voting sheet appeared to be the size of a table cloth.
There's also the fact that parties can advertise on the day, with posters and billboards and "how to vote cards" which are necessary because of the confusion noted above. I was handing out the cards, as every party does at every booth, and it just felt wrong.
The difference in the (lack of) restrictions on spruiking parties across this side is another curiosity. I'm not surprised you felt like it was wrong. On the other hand, when I told friends about the limits in NZ, they smiled patronisingly... naive little kiwis they clearly thought.
I often ask myself how sleazy, incompetent and incestuously feral the NSW Labour Party has to get before it's kicked out of office? Kristina Keneally might have an answer for us...
If I could comment on this Craig, I would...
-
The impression I get of Australia, which is certainly not direct, is similar: more conservative parlamentarians in many respect, a more conservative public discourse than NZ, but a more textured society that makes it harder to enact pure free-market measures
By god you're an eloquent chap Giovanni. There's something in this. Australia is more institutionalised, by this I mean, there's more and larger institutional actors beyond governments and this tends to abate radicalism (not that all of these actors are conservative mind). Perhaps these are "centres of resistance" you speak of. Also, the federal arrangements means broad, national reform is harder to agree and even harder to implement. I know this from direct experience.
It is a more conservative place, George and Ben's comments above are consistent with my experience. But within that, and compared with NZ, there's more, large progressive groups that exert direct influence over public policy/experience (and attract corporate dollars)... the group percapita (I might have mentioned them before) have been very influential in all public policy of late (but that might change if there's a Coalition government).
In conversation with NZ friends, I'm quick to point out that my experience living in Australia doesn't really give me a great insight into the broader Australian pyschology since I live and spend most of my time in the equivalent of Pt Chev... out west is a different place...
-
Living in Australia, I've been unable to avoid the advertising which has been both bad and relentlessly negative - particularly from the Libs. The post-election horse-trading is horribly reminiscent of the 1996 election - I can't help but think that most of the Independents, many of whom are formerly Nationals, will favour the Coalition in much the same way Winston reverted to his old party alliances. Either, it's unlikely the nex federal governemnt will last a full term.
For those interested, Ben Wilson and others who've lived here before particularly, you might want to read this analysis on the future of Australian federalism.
I can heartily recommend the Gruen Nation programmes the ABC aired during the campaign.
This has been fantastic fun to watch as insiders have critiqued the approaches of both parties. John Hewson, former Liberal leader and famous for self-immolating on TV while explaining how GST would be charged on a cake, has been particularly insightful (and interestingly commented he'd not be invitied to a Liberal party event in 15 years).
One particular highlight was the regular competition between agencies - this one focused on the Greens. The ad produced to promote the Greens was brilliant. Better than their official effort. They enquired about using it, but were denied. The story is here
-
Having seen that haka from the Maori game you really do realise what a bunch of numpties the haters must be, eh?
Hell yes.
Yes, I've noticed that consistently in the media. Good on them.
Indeed. And despite their own team disappointing...
-
I just sent the link to the Haka around the office to explain why the All Whites don't do a Haka (though they of course could). Inspiring doesn't come close to describing it... or what the All Whites achieved or what the Maori All Blacks did to the poms... (incidentally lots of Aussies are offering their respect for what the All Whites achived).
-
NSW Labour lost Penrith last weekend with a 25% shift away from them which is huge. Whilst to a certain degree there were local issues at stake ( an MP fiddling parliamentary expenses) and an unpopular state government, all the pundits are saying that the asylum seeker issue is really hurting them in places like Western Sydney. The flip flop on emissions trading really hurt them with its green leaning labour educated base too. Then there was the mining tax as Che says.
I'd not directly connect Penrith with Rudd though. State issues largely determined the outcome of this State by-election.
I agree with the various commenters here that identify the mining tax as an issue, but that's not eroded core support, only the support of the middle Rudd won from Howard last election. I agree his core support was being eaten away by the decision on the CPRS (though he rightfully pointed out he took that to parliament three times). It seems in the end though, Labor's factions killed him not least of all because he didn't have one.
I'm really troubled by the emergence of refugees as an election issue. I live in Australia, but living in the inner west of Sydney gives me no perspective on Australian politics since the place is crawling with Liberals and Progressives - imagine Grey Lynn or Kingsland and you've just about got it.
What's worrying though is that Labor changed leader when they really didn't need too. Rudd's support and Labor's primary vote were not nearly so bad and a decent campaign could've won them back some of the support they were losing. I don't dislike Gillard and I didn't much like Rudd, but I despise fervent factionalism and the tendency to panic that's all too often associated with left wing politics.