Island Life: Let’s learn English, with John Key.
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Fight against the substance by ignoring it and pointing at the method.
Oh, balls. I do think the method is pertinent, but I've actually said that I find nothing sinister in what English, Lockwood Smith and Nick Smith actually said. You're perfectly entitled to disagree, but I'm finding the imputations of bad faith tiresome.
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And as far as Deep Throat/W. Mark Felt was concerned, yes, I actually think his identity should have been disclosed long before 2005. Perhaps readers should have decided for themselves how much weight to give to a man with Felt's own less than savoury history in the Hoover FBI, the power plays going on in that organisation after his death, and the possibility that Felt might have been a wee bit pissed after being passed over for the director's position twice.
I'm not saying there's never justification for using anonymous sources. But did you have a look at the NYTimes piece I posted a link to -- thought that covered the ethical issues rather well. And I'm speaking as someone who almost got burnt by a source who was only willing to speak anonymously but was less than totally honest about his own agenda. Thankfully, I had an editor who knew the score and said she wasn't willing to see her paper co-opted into someone else's office power play.
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Oh, balls. I do think the method is pertinent, but I've actually said that I find nothing sinister in what English, Lockwood Smith and Nick Smith actually said.
Not the last two, I agree. What English said was extremely interesting, I thought, although again not sinister as such. But pretty juicy, no? It was an open admission that Labor's policies worked and are popular, and that therefore National has been forced to co-opt them. Pretty much an open secret, but to hear it put so candidly was startling. After a term in government, they'll try to get a mandate to do the things they really want to do, and again I find that to be an extraordinary admission.
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Now, I'm not familiar with rubbish disposal in Helensville and welcome enlightenment from other PASers,
I also am not familiar with rubbish disposal in Helensville... and I also wouldnt be surprised if John Key is as oblivious to it as we are.... because while thats his electorate, it's not where he lives, which if my recall is correct, may be Parnell or similar(?)
but if we're talking plastic bags and if there are stray dogs in that electorate, I think we might have found likely suspects.
The possibility of dogs did occur to me as well..... but if it's happened to him TWICE and not his neighbors..... that seems far less likely....
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but if it's happened to him TWICE and not his neighbors
Why, you think one taste of a Big Mac is enough to put a dog off for life?
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It was an open admission that Labor's policies worked and are popular, and that therefore National has been forced to co-opt them. Pretty much an open secret, but to hear it put so candidly was startling. After a term in government, they'll try to get a mandate to do the things they really want to do, and again I find that to be an extraordinary admission.
And ain't nothing wrong with that, thinking that the present Government has moved the country in certain wrong directions, and that it's going to take a while to move back from that. It's something I believe, although my reasons are somewhat different to those of Key, English and Smith, of course. You'd need at least one term to introduce the ideas of the People's Republic of Georgistan.
But to call in the cops because you were caught expressing this sentiment? If this isn't a big deal, then why are National treating it as one - apart from the obvious thing of turning this into "Labour's dirty tricks campaign", rather than properly explaining their vision for New Zealand, short and long term.
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Gordon Campbell offers some good arguments in defence of secret taping here
Hmmm. Don’t tell people now. Wait until you’re in power. Then use the platform of government to do what you REALLY had in mind all along, but didn’t dare risk saying out loud because people wouldn’t have voted for you in the first place. Isn’t that a bit umm… unethical ?
Certainly, it seems more unethical than taping a conversation with a politician who freely volunteers something that is in the public interest, and that they would otherwise deny. And is taping such a conversation more or less ethical than National’s subsequent response to date – which has been to publicly accuse Labour of the taping, before even looking at the security tapes to discern who actually did it?
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Meanwhile, over on the Rock, the increasingly twitchy Waiheke Week has commissioned a guest editorial from Dr Michael Bassett on 'TV3 and election journalism'.
For your eddumification I present a few clippings:
Item!
with the morals of an elderly uninvited funeral goer he/she helped themselves to wine and savouries while snuggling alongside private conversations at a private function
Item!
Duncan Garner is acting like he's on Labour's payroll
Item!
A small group with a Berlin Wall mentality are associated with a website Scoop..."Scoop" it transpires is also involved with Duncan Garner's story. Snooping Scoopers have become TV3's news gatherers.
And in conclusion!
Why were these non-stories the lead items on TV3 News? Were they paid for? Does the producer have no shame? And what, I wonder, does our Ninth Floor Nanny in the Beehive know about the activities of the Snooper Scoopers who are clearly working for Labour?
Still, it did at least achieve something I had hitherto thought impossible: making their execrable 'Surfdale Sally' column look lucid by comparison.
Bah! Back to ranting about Auckland City / Fullers / Townies then...
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And ain't nothing wrong with that, thinking that the present Government has moved the country in certain wrong directions, and that it's going to take a while to move back from that.
That would be nothing wrong with that indeed, it paints a pretty accurate picture of Labour going into the 1999 election. But National is doing quite the opposite: it's embracing the government's policies that it spent years opposing, because they are simply too temptingly popular. I'd like nothing less than for National to argue that the country has moved into certain wrong directions. Not going to happen. They're going to waltz in thanks to Helen fatigue, and give us a reluctant fourth labour term (if we're lucky).
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"Obstinate, annoying reality."
jesus, i had a crazy notion I was in control of my reality. damn, best accept it uh?
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In hindsight Dr Smith realised the man could not have been a Young Nat - he was too "hip".
The young nats, just like the old nats.....unhip. I bet they can't be all unhip Dr Smith. That's harsh. It's like calling your son boring.
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The national party need to do some homework on us as an electorate, we need new ideas, not 3 years of the same while you wait for us to see the light. we need good ideas now..
If you talk behind our back and suggest we can't be presented with good ideas for our own change because we might not like them or comprehend them ya cant help but feel a little patronised .
You're going to just get into government just to look ministerial, is that what your saying?
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A S,
The national party need to do some homework on us as an electorate, we need new ideas, not 3 years of the same while you wait for us to see the light. we need good ideas now..
I would have thought that was the last thing they need to do to win. A fairly significant chunk of the populace is sick of almost constant change and government intervention, which the polls probably reflect.
All they really need to do is be clear that they are aiming to be an old school conservative govt (i.e. not instituting change for the sake of ideology, but instead reacting to circumstances as they have to), and to be clear that they won't be making too many changes.
If they stick to that approach, they'll probably win quite comfortably.
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"All they really need to do is be clear that they are aiming to be an old school conservative govt (i.e. not instituting change for the sake of ideology, but instead reacting to circumstances as they have to), and to be clear that they won't be making too many changes."
We've got that government...if thats the criteria we have that opponent. I don't see anything wrong in a competition of ideas.
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A S,
We've got that government...
Somehow, I suspect the majority of the current govt ministers would not agree that they are representatives of a conservative govt.
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"Somehow, I suspect the majority of the current govt ministers would not agree that they are representatives of a conservative govt."
well they are.
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well they are.
Jeremy, I don't agree at all. They might well be pretty orthodox in economic policy, but not in social, labour or foriegn policy. WfF, ETS, Kyoto, not joining War on Terror etc.
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I also am not familiar with rubbish disposal in Helensville... and I also wouldnt be surprised if John Key is as oblivious to it as we are.... because while thats his electorate, it's not where he lives, which if my recall is correct, may be Parnell or similar(?)
Yes, he's a resident of Parnell. And Parnell, being part of Auckland City, gets wheely bins for rubbish. They're not terribly large, but they are reported to be quite effective at deterring canine raiders.
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Just had another look at that rubbish photo,How can anyone be accused of going through the rubbish when there is no bin or bag? Perhaps littering but in Parliament today they have suggested the culprit is a dog.
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Sorry, They, meaning Labour
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the culprit is a dog
The story is a dog.
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Dog eats paper? Now that's a story.. :)
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OK, not a story if the paper is in the form of homework..
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"Jeremy, I don't agree at all. They might well be pretty orthodox in economic policy, but not in social, labour or foriegn policy. WfF, ETS, Kyoto, not joining War on Terror etc."
I guess its how you view conservative. ...but point taken. They're not neo-conservative for sure .
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OK, not a story if the paper is in the form of homework..
Maybe the dog ate National's policies?
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