Hard News: Dial O for Obama
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You get back what you put in. I think the rape smear was poor but so is davids consistent abuse of stats to scare the shit out of our fellow citizens.
Oh, no, Jeremy let's not even try to draw any kind of equivalence here. The sad thing is that if both Trotter and Steve Pearson/Clinton Smith/whatever his real name is had just said "OK, that was totally beyond the pale, unconditional apology and I'll stick to the issue" then I'd have said fair enough. I'm no stranger to saying and writing heinously dumb shit that (on sober reflection) would have been better left ratting around in the reptilian fore-brain.
But it's defending the indefensible that irritates me as much as the original mouth-fart. Grown ups own their shit and learn from it.
But I guess that's what happens when politics passed through ideology and turns into a quasi-religious dogma, where the only thing worse than an infidel is a back-sliding heretic.
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At the risk of offending our host, I'd really like it if a centre-right version of PAS were to start up but I can't see it happening.
That would be cool. I can't join a discussion at Kiwiblog without receiving direct, personal abuse these days, and it would be nice if there was a place to go and discuss ideas with a different crowd.
I do think it reflects poorly on DPF that he allows so much idiocy to persist. Some of his most prolific commenters are also the most unpleasant.
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Russell: do you have a topic for next week as I could add a Media 7 rercording to a book launch in Auckland next Tuesday?
As things stand, we're looking at the crime-and-the-media topic. It'd be great if you could join us. The recordings start at about 7pm, but we'd need you there by 6.30.
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"But I guess that's what happens when politics passed through ideology and turns into a quasi-religious dogma, where the only thing worse than an infidel is a back-sliding heretic."
I think it's just another voice....and to be honest in New Zeland there's not that many new voices getting profile.
The reason steve and cameron get angry is because they see injustice.
One is framed through the fading dream of a Liberterian utopia and the other is framed through the fading dream of worker unity.
Take your pick or ignore them both but both dreams are fading.
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I can't join a discussion at Kiwiblog without receiving direct, personal abuse these days, and it would be nice if there was a place to go and discuss ideas with a different crowd.
I do think it reflects poorly on DPF that he allows so much idiocy to persist. Some of his most prolific commenters are also the most unpleasant.
Perhaps what you're complaining about is just the nature of most right wing political comment of which Matthew Hooton is but one example. I think Public Address does a perfectly good job of attracting people who want to address topics - political or otherwise. Why do you need another bog? Haven't we already got what you seem to be missing?
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Sorry - 'blog'. We probably have enough bogs.
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who do you choose as a house middley?
I'm perfectly happy to be Therese Arseneau's hag-fag. :) I've no idea what her personal politics are, she's always had something thoughtful and insightful to say, and (quite important) when she doesn't know something she doesn't try and bullshit through.
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<quote>Why do you need another blog? Haven't we already got what you seem to be missing?<quote>
My perspective on that is not that we need another blog per se, but rather fewer blogs of better quality where meaningful discussion might occur. I'd not mind if the very few calm commenters at kiwiblog just popped over here from time to time...
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Take your pick or ignore them both but both dreams are fading.
Actually the trade union movement is still very much alive and playing a constructive role in public affairs - focusing of course on workers' rights, but also on productivity and skills and many other areas of common interest. It has made a remarkable recovery from the death blow that was intended with the ECA. I wouldn't write it off too soon. It's still a highly communicative international movement - I think the reason you might think it is a dream that is fading is that the media tends (as always) to report the sensational news - strikes and lockouts - but none of the other stuff.
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The reason steve and cameron get angry is because they see injustice.
So did William Wilberforce (who comes to mind because I've got William Hague's biography on the overloaded bedside table), and he managed to avoid being a crass turd while fighting the long, hard and uncertain battle for abolition of the slave trade in England.
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I'm perfectly happy to be Therese Arseneau's hag-fag. :) I've no idea what her personal politics are, she's always had something thoughtful and insightful to say, and (quite important) when she doesn't know something she doesn't try and bullshit through.
I hope you're sitting down Craig. We are in COMPLETE agreement there.
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Actually the trade union movement is still very much alive and playing a constructive role in public affairs - focusing of course on workers' rights, but also on productivity and skills and many other areas of common interest. It has made a remarkable recovery from the death blow that was intended with the ECA. I wouldn't write it off too soon. It's still a highly communicative international movement - I think the reason you might think it is a dream that is fading is that the media tends (as always) to report the sensational news - strikes and lockouts - but none of the other stuff."
sure, i realise it exists and I'm sure works hard .....but wages are
small, costs are up....its 2008. Bargaining is pitiful in New Zealand. -
Look at journalists.
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So did William Wilberforce (who comes to mind because I've got William Hague's biography on the overloaded bedside table), and he managed to avoid being a crass turd while fighting the long, hard and uncertain battle for abolition of the slave trade in England.
More to the point, would he have managed if he'd had his own BigWillyWilberforce.blogspot.com?
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verbwrangle: With all (very very) due respect to Mr Brown, I think a blog whose lead-in posts were created by a reasonable centre-righty would offer a different flavour to simply having those reasonable centre-rightys comment on here.
And when you're as flip-floppingly centrist as me it would be nice to have that slightly different angle on things. I trust Mr Brown doesn't object to the suggestion he's to the left of centre...
Craig: Linky him no work for Therese Arseneau? She sounds interesting tis all... -
"I trust Mr Brown doesn't object to the suggestion he's to the left of centre..."
so is there a centre? surely that guy needs to start writing. The truth is
not that hard to agree on, do we need to filter everything through two
special groups balanced perfectly off an imaginary centre or maybe we could fact check? -
sure, i realise it exists and I'm sure works hard .....but wages are small, costs are up....its 2008. Bargaining is pitiful in New Zealand.
Gareth, I'm not sure there's anywhere in the world where trade unions control prices, but wages here, since the start of the ERA, have kept pace in percentage terms with Aussie wages - it's just that during the ECA they fell by so much it's hard to catch up now.
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My Google Reader chucked out a link to this very neat word-cloud comparison of the Obama campaign's blog and the McCain campaign's RSS feeds. Ironically, the most telling thing is that when they went to update it a couple of days ago not one of McCain's feeds had been updated. In terms of being hooked in to the internet, there is just no comparison.
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Jeremy: I'm not too concerned about the centre or left-right dichotomies (I can barely position myself on some kind of spectrum, let alone others) but different people clearly come at things from a slightly different policy and politic angle.
All I'm saying it that it would be useful if those that you could perhaps consider further "right" had a reasoned and centrist commentator - I know the individuals exist, just not many writing significant blogs that I can see.verbwrangle: I believe it was Jeremy that raised that point...
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and by centrist I mean "less inclined to run a partisan line for the hell of it/willing to see other views/nuanced in their analysis"
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"it's just that during the ECA they fell by so much it's hard to catch up now."
hence some anger and the obvious question, what is the solution?
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"All I'm saying it that it would be useful if those that you could perhaps consider further "right" had a reasoned and centrist commentator - I know the individuals exist"
I wonder if they do? It seems to me that centre is called centre left almost to insuiate that factchecking is a leftist plot.
why is this blog centre left?
....any way brown is out of the left if he ever were in the left because duncan has disowned him.
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insinuate
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Jeremy I think there are individuals that put more emphasis on economic growth, freedom of the market to achieve it, a more conservative/"hardnosed" social policy, less of a progressive tax approach etc that can actually argue a reasonable and considered line.
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verbwrangle: I believe it was Jeremy that raised that point...
Gareth: Sorry.
"it's just that during the ECA they fell by so much it's hard to catch up now."
hence some anger and the obvious question, what is the solution?
Jeremy: Oh, I dunno. Revolution?
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