Hard News: A week being a long time in politics
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
The saga has reached the Guardian’s Media site
Now we have The International Federation of Journalists condemning the Police.
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In defence of David Farrar...I asked him about Curia's clients, given that Family First's Value Your Vote leadership poll gave Winston and Colin Craig top marks for social conservative ideological purity, compared to Key. He stated that there is a seperation of expertise and owner political orientation at Curia, and I have no reason to disbelieve him.
Craig Y
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NB: Namesake, surely you meant Jar Jar Banks in that mangled Star Wars citation earlier? The resemblance is certainly striking. They're both vacuous, not very smart creatures fond of gobbledegook with pasts in questionable media products...?
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I was just phoned by Reid Research Services who wouldn't disclose their client, but said that the results would be broadcast on TV3.
Their question with regard to meeting at the cafe was:
'Do you agree or disagree that the cameraman should have left his digital recorder on the table?'
When I suggested that from what I had read he didn't have a choice in the matter, the response was of course that this did not fit with their question. So I said that I agreed he should have left his recorder on the table: it's what any journalist would do at a publicly held press event. Frankly the whole thing is farcical: how can anyone pretend to go 'off the record' or into private session in the middle of a press event they've arranged? It's risible, and that alone shows what arrogant clowns Key and Banks are. I get angrier every time I think about it.
Lots of other questions about whether I thought Key or Goff had good leadership/sound judgement/understood the needs of Maori/would be good in a crisis etc, plus a daft question about who, out of anyone, I would vote for as prime minister, which is not what the electoral system enables you to do.
They were clearly also looking for shifts in voting behaviour, by asking me what I had voted at the last election, as well as what I intended to vote at this one. They weren't interested in whether I would be splitting my vote, and were only interested in my party vote.
Also a very general question about did I trust anything Winston said. I asked if this referred to any particular statement by Winston (such as 'the sun will rise in the east tomorrow') or in general, and was told it was a general question about trusting anything coming out of his mouth.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I get angrier every time I think about it.
I'm learning to manage it.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
I was just phoned by Reid Research Services who wouldn’t disclose their client
And that's how I flick off pollsters when I'm feeling like being polite. "OK, if you can't tell me who your client is that's fine. I like to know who I'm giving personal information to. Have a nice evening."
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martinb, in reply to
Amen! we need satire. Repatriate John Clarke! Kidnap if necessary.
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Picking the media to make up with John Key after their first spat. Sadly.
Wasn't anyone who opposed TINA in the 90s (especially on student radio!!) a complete (insert term of presumed abuse here)?
anyway it was a relief to find some news that seemed to say things a tad closer to what I thinking at the time and realise it might not be me who was mad.
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I’d like to formally retract my call for a greater focus on policy. It's not entirely fair to expect the media to take policies more serious than leaders who can’t get basic details right without a crib sheet.
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Ian MacKay, in reply to
Tut tut Craig. You do realise that Mr Key does not need to refer to a crib sheet only because he does not front up for serious interviews and therefore has no questions to answer. How could anyone challenge Mr Key's claim for example, that he/they have added 2,000 nurses to the workforce. He says it then runs.
Phil Goff does at least front. -
Steve Parks, in reply to
I’d note Andrew Geddis (that nototious Tory lick-spittle) is not assuming Bradley Ambrose will get the declaratory judgement that he wants – and which, I think it’s fair to say, many here assume is a no-brainer.
I don’t think that many would say it’s a legal no-brainer. Most reasonable people, regardless of left or right leaning politics, seem to accept that the legal position is uncertain.
I suspect many here agree with me that ethically the situation is not really comparable to the NotW-style phone hacking. Not anywhere near.
During a political stunt in a public place with invited media around, their conversation got recorded, inadvertently or not. That conversation was between two high-profile politicians talking about politics, not about their personal lives. What they discussed is relevant to the New Zealand public and could change how some people vote. All things considered, it would be unethical not to release the tape.
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I find National's sudden interest in the issues somewhat touching, if disingenuous. It all reminds me a little of this:
"The sky doesn't matter. It's the issues"
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Phil Goff does at least front.
I'm sure there folks in Labour who'd rather he didn't without being fully briefed. And, yes, I don't disagree with your larger point that you expect politicians to *cough* present data in its most favourable light, but it would be endearing if the media did a lot more bullshit detecting. But it's not unreasonable to expect party leaders to be able to clearly articulate those assertions, right?
I don’t think that many would say it’s a legal no-brainer. Most reasonable people, regardless of left or right leaning politics, seem to accept that the legal position is uncertain.
Fair point well made, Mr Parks. Of course, my failwhale there was presuming the Kiwibog-Sub-Standard Acis of Hackery is full of such people. There's not a lot of evidence for that hypothesis.
I suspect many here agree with me that ethically the situation is not really comparable to the NotW-style phone hacking. Not anywhere near.
Wouldn't get any argument from me. As I said, there's many a ethically/legally sub-prime media monkey-shine that doesn't rise (sink?) to that level of general douchebaggery.
All things considered, it would be unethical not to release the tape.
I think that's where we will have to agree to disagree, but that's a difference that can be held in good faith by honest people. Don't have anything new to add to my view on that point.
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Andrew R2, in reply to
If you are concerned about unbridled power then you should be concerned about SM and FPP as these are systems that regularly deliver unbridled power.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
If you are concerned about unbridled power then you should be concerned about SM and FPP
I'm concerned aboot NACT! That simple at this point. :)
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In today’s Herald …
A stern, well-referenced editorial:
There is no question that, as framed so far, the police inquiry is a fishing expedition to establish if there is anything that might help them understand just what the Prime Minister alleges was breaking the law. Such fishing expeditions are regularly decried by the courts and defenders of the public’s rights.
And a complete mess of an opinion column from Paul Holmes:
If John Banks had met John Key in the latter’s ninth-floor office and it was known a tape recording had been made of the meeting no one would be demanding the tape be released. It is absurd.
No, Paul, it’s your argument that’s absurd. If the conversation took place behind closed doors in the Prime Minister’s office, rather than in public at a media event in a cafe full of people, where the two men had invited 40 journalists and camera people, yes, that would be different. What’s your fucking point?
There is no suggestion that they were in any way conspiring to commit a crime.
No, there isn’t. No one has suggested that. Again, what is your fucking point?
Oh well. At least this thing is sorting out the journalists from the celebrities.
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Thanks for giving us a precis of the Holmes ‘mind’. No way I’m going to ruin a good coffee by reading him, though. Those snippets alone are in danger of souring the milk.
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merc, in reply to
Oh well. At least this thing is sorting out the journalists from the celebrities.
Amen
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Thanks for giving us a precis of the Holmes ‘mind’. No way I’m going to ruin a good coffee by reading him, though. Those snippets alone are in danger of souring the milk.
I'm actually wondering how many weeks in a row he'll be allowed to use his paid Herald column to plug his fucking book. Seriously:
I continue to get wonderful mail about my book, Daughters of Erebus. These are letters from intelligent, professional people, people who for years have known that there was injustice after the Erebus crash and that justice continues to be denied to the pilots of Flight 901.
They are writing to thank me for making the effort. And it was an effort, one hell of an effort but I never for one minute thought it was not an effort worth making. Someone had to do it.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
No way I’m going to ruin a good coffee by reading him
Yes, it ruined my coffee. I even took to commenting when the plug for his book made me want to bring up said coffee. Sanctimonious or what?
Oh! snap RB
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<i>Sanctimonious or what?</i>
There's a lot of it about. Seems to be very prevalent amongst celebrity columnists and National campaign managers
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webweaver, in reply to
"The sky doesn't matter. It's the issues"
Completely brilliant - I've never heard that version before. Thanks for sharing! Still giggling at it.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Oh well. At least this thing is sorting out the journalists from the celebrities.
Indeed. It goes to show how far said 'celebrities' will go to maintain the façade. And just like a vampire, they'll behave very strangely when forcibly exposed to sunlight.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Alimentary my dear...
I continue to get wonderful mail about
my book, Daughters of Erebus.Why, just the other day I overheard some people in
a cafe talking about it, but I couldn't possibly share their
thoughts and words as they were obviously unaware
I was able to hear them... otherwise why would they
be saying what an effort it was to read, and eff it, they
couldn't be bothered finishing it, and they weren't
talking about their tea......which makes me think about 'that' cupper tea
is it merely a coincidence that cupper breaks down
to: Cu = Copper, pp = Softly Softly, ER = the Crown
and tea is, well, Colonial baggage from way back...
Seems to me this whole affair from first sip to
fishing trip has been an old fashioned orchestrated
and subtly nuanced smoko screen...I note the cafe staff have not been questioned
as to what they might have heard and shared,
and I would expect them keep their tipsters
and protect their saucers... -
Craig Ranapia, in reply to
I'm actually wondering how many weeks in a row he'll be allowed to use his paid Herald column to plug his fucking book. Seriously:
It looked even more fatuous (yes, that is possible kids) after reading a useful piece by Mai Chen.which was short on posturing and long on useful information.
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