Hard News: A different kind of country
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
If the left package up a coherent story, it gets reported.
Such as the joint announcement of NZ Power, where they managed to set the agenda for once, instead of others setting it for them. But so far, for every NZ Power there seem to be several Man Bans.
As for blogs, what do Kiwiblog and Whaleoil have that The Standard and The Daily Blog don’t have yet? Connections? Money? The ability to politically dog-whistle?
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Sacha, in reply to
coherence - to be fair, that's easier when you're fed lines by your party.
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Sacha, in reply to
they could learn a thing or two from the Greens
wouldn't hurt
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Labour are double tasking - they are heading a recruitment drives for both the Green Party and NZ First.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
coherence – to be fair, that’s easier when you’re fed lines by your party.
Ah, of course... KB & WO are also card-carrying members of the blue team, which counts as connections.
TS & TDB on the other hand, are more loosely organised collectives that transcend party politics. That's both a blessing and a curse.
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Sacha, in reply to
collectives require better leadership and extra coordination effort, yes
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
JohnKey sees himself as CEO of NZ Corp
There are a lot of people who firmly believe that running our country as if it was a "proper business" would be best for all.
Setting aside the sheer ignorance of such a view, given the appalling performance of using business methods for public good worldwide. The thing that bugs me most about this view is - if you actually believe running the country like a business is a good idea then why would you vote for this bunch of hopeless clowns.
Surely if you believed we need a CEO and not a statesman you'd want someone competant in that role. Instead we have this bunch of plonkers who clearly couldn't run a business to save their own lives let alone ours. Every single negotiation they've been involved in they've been completely ripped off, not personally of course, it's just our money they've lost.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
if you actually believe running the country like a business is a good idea then why would you vote for this bunch of hopeless clowns.
"Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." ― John Steinbeck
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izogi, in reply to
There's nothing more disturbing than a government granting itself more power and failing to construct adequate accountability or oversight mechanisms.
It's something about trying to run the government as a business, where in business freedom and openness aren't automatic givens. (Try asking Coca Cola Amatil how many bottled water units it sold last financial year, for instance, and it'll just ignore you.)
And now that business has discovered it can either ignore or re-write its own rules and free itself from the constraints that normally inhibit businesses in ways that are inconvenient (for the business), and generally get away with it.
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DexterX, in reply to
Every single negotiation they've been involved in they've been completely ripped off, not personally of course, it's just our money they've lost.
Yes the Torys, by default, take a position of strength - being the elected government of sovereign nation and negotiate to a position of weakness for the general populace whilst setting themselves up – no surprises there.
I find the media, with the exception of Campbell Live, largely mirroring this government –Example - Key a few weeks ago responded to concerns about the cost of living and price of homes in Auckland with something like –“People can go and live somewhere else if they can’t afford it”. Sean Plunket, who has replaced Michael Laws in more than just the time lot, taunted a caller with basically the same goading.
Aside from Plunket living in Wellington and telling the poor Aucklanders how to and where to live, the taunting fails to recognise that the future “world's most liveable city” needs people at all levels and ranges of skills. The more desirous and aspirational the slogan the further it is removed from the world one is living in .
The different kind of country has replaced the egalitarian moral fabric with a mantra that is despise the people who earn less and have less whilst aspiring to be the people who earn and own more.
More people need to get out and vote – they do however need to have an opposition to for whom they will get out and vote.
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Richard Aston, in reply to
More people need to get out and vote – they do however need to have an opposition to for whom they will get out and vote.
That's the big one . In the last election 25.8 % of eligible voters just didn't vote. That is second to National's 32.3% of eligible voters. Labour got 18.7%
If the non voters could be inspired to vote who would they vote for ? And why would they vote?
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
If the non voters could be inspired to vote who would they vote for ?
With a small number of exceptions like political commentator Colin James - who hasn't voted since 1975 on the grounds of impartiality - it's a safe bet that a lot of these non-voters are down in the dumps, and are often transient or feel too hopeless to vote.
With the Greens moving 'upmarket', Te Mana is the most obvious candidate for the non-voting downtrodden - with veteran names like John Minto and Sue Bradford - but it's not a party that's flush with resources, and its sole MP Hone Harawira largely confines it to the fringe. Unlike the Alliance in its day, it seems to be perceived as a Maori-centric party despite the presence of Minto and Bradford.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
but they are totally focused on the 30% of people who want the same agenda and thats enough to get them into power.
AKA At least trying to do exactly what you told people you were going to do? The absurdity about Labour's attempt at bedding in the "secret agenda" meme (and National's in 1999) is that it was about as secret as a flasher's knob.
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
The absurdity about Labour’s attempt at bedding in the “secret agenda” meme (and National’s in 1999) is that it was about as secret as a flasher’s knob.
As opposed to the current term's "unspoken until right up to the moment where we ram it down your throat" agenda, such as charter schools. Or widely empowering the GCSB to spy at will on NZers. And then there's Key's threatening dismissal of the Human Rights Commission, with such disdain for the HRC's very existence noticeably absent from National's campaign materials.
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Sacha, in reply to
why would they vote?
Because they believe it will make a difference. People are too smart to waste their time otherwise.
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Sacha, in reply to
as secret as a flasher's knob
applause
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Even Deb Hill Cone smells a rat, no matter how hard she tries to avoid political commentary.
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linger, in reply to
as secret as a flasher’s knob
agreed, at least WRT asset sales, but YTF is so much of NZ still focussing on the shiny shiny coat fabric instead of noticing how much they’ve been shafted in the meantime?
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Matthew Poole, in reply to
Even Deb Hill Cone smells a rat, no matter how hard she tries to avoid political commentary.
From memory, DHC is rather sympathetic to our Shon-Key PM, too. I found the piece quite enlightening, though I doubt it'll actually change her vote.
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Sometimes I think we live in a seal colony, we keep being tossed Red Herrings.
"We are going to mine Conservation Land"...."We are not going to mine Conservation Lands because we are really Green so you don't need that terrible Green party"
"We can;t afford a tunnel for Auckland but we have this little known guy down south who is part of a "group of business people" who wants to build a tunnel through the alps for a few tourist buses for about the same price"
"We are not going to dig tunnels in Conservation Lands because we are really Green so you don't need that terrible Green party"
How many more time do we get suckered? Its almost as if we are being manipulated by some sort of trader. Oh... hang on...
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