Hard News: A week being a long time in politics
333 Responses
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Check the Trademe forums if you want to see what the people might think, now this could be an area of hotbed torisym but maybe not, certainly is where the little people hang out
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Nat, in reply to
God I wish we had a Jon Stewart, or even a MacPhail and Gadsby, to rip this situation a new one in satire. It’s pretty much writing itself.
Wonder if John Clarke could be tempted back for a wee spot of satire. He is the weekly highlight of Australian politics.
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merc,
I'm loving the whole thing because you know, people talking is better than people walking John ;-)
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Check the Trademe forums if you want to see what the people might think, now this could be an area of hotbed torisym but maybe not, certainly is where the little people hang out
I'm not sure whether it's fair to equate the population at large with the denizens of the Trade Me forums, who can be decent folk in one breath and kinda crazy in the next. I fondly recall reading there once a warning that I was "an extreme Marxist", which would certainly surprise the folk at The Standard.
And, given those forums' extensive history of flouting court orders, it's not where I'd be going for legal opinions.
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people talking is better than people walking
How’s this for an idle speculation:
what if the Act deal is that Key leaves after the election, once National is safely back in power, but before they have to do anything that would impact on Key’s legacy (until this week) as NZ’s most popular politician?
Hawaii would start looking pretty attractive at such a time, ne? -
How’s this for an idle speculation:
what if the Act deal is that Key leaves after the electionI'm not sure if 'idle' is the word you're looking for . . .
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A stronger interviewer than Mercep would have invited Joyce to repeat or recant some of the more outrageous things he has said.
Good call. Mercep is a competent enough presenter, but an mediocre interviewer.
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merc, in reply to
Yeah, idly I'd say it's a given because this whole ambitious for NZ thing just got way too hard and I have my photo albums.
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I think Key's fundamental weaknesses are being revealed in the heat of the campaign. Key can be Arrogant, not good on detail and resentful when contradicted. It says much about our supine media that it has taken 5 years for them to report this.
Any candidate who goes into the last week of a campaign complaining about "media bias" is in a losing position, that line may shore up your core support but looks whiney and dishonest to the undecideds,
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Rich Lock, in reply to
I'm not sure whether it's fair to equate the population at large with the denizens of the Trade Me forums .... given those forums' extensive history of flouting court orders, it's not where I'd be going for legal opinions.
Wasn't the point more that if one is (possibly) too close to the action, and thus wants to try to get an idea of what's on the mind of the yer average punter on the clapham omnibus/outside the beltway, then the TM forums are a good place to take the temperature of public sentiment?
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I find the totalitarian circular logic of Joyce the most disturbing aspect of all this. It seems he cares nothing for morals, ethics or common sense in justifying his actions. He just needs the polls. The polls reporting opinion formed by his careful media manipulation and bullying. It a frightening glimpse into the mind of a man where morality is replaced by majoritarian rule, with the majority being where he decides it should be.
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merc, in reply to
You want to see that Day In The Life clip from Campbell, the Tony Ryall head nodding, the tee shirts, it's all disturbing, then there's Act, the teeshirted youths, garrrr.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Wasn’t the point more that if one is (possibly) too close to the action, and thus wants to try to get an idea of what’s on the mind of the yer average punter on the clapham omnibus/outside the beltway, then the TM forums are a good place to take the temperature of public sentiment?
I keep making the point that I don't know or understand what the wider public thinks about all this right now, and I certainly don't need to read the Trade Me forums to know my own mind.
I'm just personally appalled at what has gone on.
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And here's the BoingBoing thread on the past week's events. I feel so proud ...
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merc,
It's funny no one has mentioned the actual words "freedom of the press", does National have that many bots?
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do you think ”things are going well at the moment?”
“If the election was held now who would your party vote be for?”
That's wrong to start with. Voters in polling booths don't get prompted, so if you want an accurate answer, then the "how will you vote" question should come first.
It would be interesting to track the activities of polling firms using crowdsourcing, to see who's polling and how they get their results.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
I find the totalitarian circular logic of Joyce the most disturbing aspect of all this. It seems he cares nothing for morals, ethics or common sense in justifying his actions. He just needs the polls. The polls reporting opinion formed by his careful media manipulation and bullying. It a frightening glimpse into the mind of a man where morality is replaced by majoritarian rule, with the majority being where he decides it should be.
Sounds very much like a certain puppetmaster Vice President from recent years, who helped concoct the lie that Iraq was responsible for 9/11.
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James Littlewood*, in reply to
Key and Goff's whole relationship reminds me of Muldoon & Rowling. When Muldoon drawled "I think I've just been mauled by a mouse" it didn't matter what Rowling said, how relevant it was, or what use it might have been in the running of a country: the swing voters simply weren't interested.
Same with Goff: his policy regime all year has been nothing but nettles grasped and elephants in the room addressed. Do they care? Apparently not.
What gets me is how any government in NZ, 2011 can get any support at all for the prospect of selling assets.
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Terry Baucher, in reply to
I find the totalitarian circular logic of Joyce the most disturbing aspect of all this. It seems he cares nothing for morals, ethics or common sense in justifying his actions. He just needs the polls. The polls reporting opinion formed by his careful media manipulation and bullying. It a frightening glimpse into the mind of a man where morality is replaced by majoritarian rule, with the majority being where he decides it should be.
Listening to Joyce on Morning Report this morning left me near apopleptic at his smug arrogance. As you say everything is sacrificed for short term polls where the only plan is to be re-elected.
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Rich Lock, in reply to
My comment wasn't aimed at you in particular. One part of Joyce's strategy has been to cast this as a non-issue, with his 81% comments and so on (the other part being heavy-handed intimidation).
I've no real idea if the teapot tapes issue is touching a nerve with 'ordinary New Zealanders' (tm), but the trademe forums are possibly somewhere where I'd look for an answer, if I wanted one.
I already know my own mind on the issue, so I'm not inclined to go diving.
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this could be an area of hotbed torisym
Opinionated grumpy righties are more numerous than opinionated lefties. This doesn't necessarily equate to the opinions of the wider population.
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Tom Semmens, in reply to
Sounds very much like a certain puppetmaster Vice President from recent years.
You mean the one who “creates his own reality”?
I have thought for a long time the influence of the ideological and campaigning links developed between the US Republican Party and National/ACT during their long wilderness in opposition through the 2000’s are in serious need of a Hagaresque investigation.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I find the totalitarian circular logic of Joyce the most disturbing aspect of all this. It seems he cares nothing for morals, ethics or common sense in justifying his actions. He just needs the polls.
Two current Members of Parliament came there after being commercial radio station owners. One is Joyce, the other is McCully. Sayin'.
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JLM,
I'm starting to get really worried about the same thing as Tim Watkin
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
What gets me is how any government in NZ, 2011 can get any support at all for the prospect of selling assets.
Quite simple, really – they don’t. But blow up stories of Bludgers Bashing Babies and Layabouts Looting Living Rooms, and presto – instant wedge politics in a can. It’s an echo of Goldwater and Nixon’s Southern Strategy from years back.
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