Island Life by David Slack

You don't want to end up with anyone's testicles stuffed in your mouth.

Not that there's anything wrong wioth that of course.

I recall a Tom Scott cartoon in the Listener which had a fly proudly navigate from one of Meurant's ears to the other, emerging with a defiant "Didn't touch the sides!".

Doesn't Dunnes Fundraising knowledge create a problem regarding his distance from influence?

He recalled how then Italians had finally turned on Mussolini by stringing him up by his feet, hanging him from a steel girder and stuffing his mouth with his testicles

The last part never happened, though. Meurant possibly got confused with certain colorful mafia executions.

Meurant possibly got confused with certain colorful mafia executions.

more likely he's remembering his own contribution to politics.

he helped someone make the tea.

'odious' is a word i'd freely use in relation to meurant. racist is another, but this isn't the place for that.

IrishBill at The Standard muses on the reference to ACT in the Dunne story. The way it's written, it seems the Velas thought they had special friends there too ...

IrishBill at The Standard muses on the reference to ACT in the Dunne story. The way it's written, it seems the Velas thought they had special friends there too ...

Well, considering The Standard was playing The Joker to "Batman" last week, I'd treat its musing with more than usual scepticism. But I think you were right on the other thread -- Ross Meurant did the impossible and made most lobbyists look respectable by comparison. Wouldn't be in the least surprised if there was a certain degree of big-noting going on, but who knows?

John Key would get big ups from me if, along with a genuinely consultative review of campaign finance rules and tightening up the Pecuniary Interest Register, the next National-lead Government also brought in some serious rules around lobbyists.

Hey, I can dream can't I? :)

In 1985, my standard 4 class's end-of-year fun-day barbecue was held at the Vela's house in Tamahere (not too far from the site where the fiery coldstore inferno would happen 23 years later).

From memory, we weren't allowed inside the house, but we had the splendid surroundings of the kidney-shaped pool, poolhouse and spa to play with.

And when you're 10, that's all you need, really.

IrishBill at The Standard muses on the reference to ACT in the Dunne story. The way it's written, it seems the Velas thought they had special friends there too

To be fair, it could just mean that ACT's policy views were the only ones closely aligned with the Vela's interests - and without that they needed to "more actively engage" the finance select committee... Dodgy either way for the Vela's, not necessarily for ACT

And when you're 10, that's all you need, really.

10? Hell, that's all I need at 30 :>

> Red Squad. Move Move Move he said.

"Eat more, root more, sink more piss" was the Red Squad 'haka' used to get their blood rising so they could stand up to the HART thugs and those evil clowns, so I'm told. Years later, in a Listener article, Meurant was interviewed about the incident and gave the pro forma denial before ingenuously mentioning, "Off the record, yeah we did". This guy ended up pulling a Col Kurtz on the Rodney District Coucil in one of his later public-life incarnations - his rants were eerily reminiscent of that military man with the apocalyptic ambition, littered with talk of "his mission to destroy his enemies".

littered with talk of "his mission to destroy his enemies".

No wonder he worked well with Winston, then.

Although the Kurtz metaphor threw me at first, upon reflection Rodney is so far "up river" it's the kind of place a master tactician such as Meurant might just go a little crazy and entertain "unsound methods".

"Meurant" sounds close to what the New Scientist calls nominative determinism...."Inspector Rant".

Meh... If we're drawing analogies, Mistah Kurtz always struck me as more Winston than Meurant:

"Kurtz discoursed. A voice! a voice! It rang deep to the very last. It survived his strength to hide in the magnificent folds of eloquence the barren darkness of his heart. Oh, he struggled! he struggled! The wastes of his weary brain were haunted by shadowy images now--images of wealth and fame revolving obsequiously round his unextinguishable gift of noble and lofty expression. My Intended, my station, my career, my ideas--these were the subjects for the occasional utterances of elevated sentiments. The shade of the original Kurtz frequented the bedside of the hollow sham, whose fate it was to be buried presently in the mold of primeval earth. But both the diabolic love and the unearthly hate of the mysteries it had penetrated fought for the possession of that soul satiated with primitive emotions, avid of lying fame, of sham distinction, of all the appearances of success and power.

"Sometimes he was contemptibly childish. He desired to have kings meet him at railway-stations on his return from some ghastly Nowhere, where he intended to accomplish great things. 'You show them you have in you something that is really profitable, and then there will be no limits to the recognition of your ability,' he would say. 'Of course you must take care of the motives--right motives--always.' The long reaches that were like one and the same reach, monotonous bends that were exactly alike, slipped past the steamer with their multitude of secular trees looking patiently after this grimy fragment of another world, the forerunner of change, of conquest, of trade, of massacres, of blessings. I looked ahead--piloting. 'Close the shutter,' said Kurtz suddenly one day;'I can't bear to look at this.' I did so. There was a silence. 'Oh, but I will wring your heart yet!' he cried at the invisible wilderness.

I can only hope that, come Sunday, I can put my insolent head through the door, and say in tones of scathing contempt: ""'Mistah Winston -- he dead.' Figuratively speaking, of course. :)

Apposite quote of the year, Craig :)

"contemptibly childish" - you're right, Craig, that's our petulant lil Winnie. Did you see the undisguised derision towards him on Agenda when he tried the same old shit about the helicopter?

Has anyone noticed that this is the 1000th Public Address post?

Has anyone noticed that this is the 1000th Public Address post?

You're just tricking me into posting another meme, aren't you?