Posts by DexterX
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Sacha,
It likely could have been be just as bad under a Labour Govt – as a Rena thang could have easily happened at any time. It amazes me that our biggest export port, the one with the narrowest entrance, just didn’t have anything much.
The whole thrust of the policy direction NZ has pursued since the Roger Douglas Labour Govt has largely created a series of disasters or disasters in waiting.
Looking back from then till now – The water crisis, the Auckland CBD power crisis, Rail, ………… The Super City, …………..and this.
As a taxpayers and voters we need fewer people in parliament and for them to be more accountable and a functioning and effective “civil service”. The reason for having govt is to see that the right thing gets done the right way.
On the news tonight I Joyce mentions the senior civil servants getting the figures together on the likely cost of damages and clean up as “boffins”, I find this insulting rank brinkmanship, uncalled and arrogant.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Rena made me want to go back and see the Furys - Time Machine on loan to a friend in another dimension - this is the best I could do:
They sounded alot "harder" live.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Hasn't improved with age.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Sacha,
And I'd say you're stretching to explain the broader public mindset around this event. :)
The Nats poor performance would have been a gift to a credible opposition - but we haven’t got one - IMHO.
As an aside - a friend of mine went along to get involved in the Labour Party at a local level and found himself feeling shut out and belittled by what he describes as a gaggle of intellectual and theoretical snobs.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Sacha,
Wouldn't you say it's more about people making those links with the government's performance around Pike River and Christchurch?
This crisis could have been a cumulative strike three event - but when you call, "batter up" who is up next?
I would link in the tax reforms that sank the recovery.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to Steve Barnes,
Because, whether you can believe it or not, Crosby Textor told you so.
Not likely - The only person that gets away with telling me how it is going to be is aged 4 years.
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Hard News: The Politics of Absence, in reply to 3410,
The “Local Word” is - The vessel stuck on the reef had made four ports in the last five days (to load and unload), they were on their way to Tauranga/Mount Maunganui and had two ships in front of them - so they took a risk and went full throttle to get ahead of them so they would be first in the que and not have to wait around ofr a berth.
This involved taking a route, a shortcut, that was outside shipping lanes and hence they ended up in the position they did.
It is a disaster economically for the region and NZ as a whole as NZ biggest export port is effectively closed; the Tauranga/Western BOP, which has been, reasonably releient (as regards building consents and other activity) may suffer.
The environmental impact is likely unfathomable at this juncture.
The scorn being heaped on the govt is a trifling matter in the wider impact of the issue, and it would not have been so invited if they had not behaved so churlishly in the house in response to the “jumper” last week.
If it goes badly for the Nats it is not as if Labour, in its current form, would be able to govern competently. They just don’t appear as a government in waiting IMHO.
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Hard News: About Occupy Wall Street, in reply to Simon Grigg,
Good point re healthcare, public transport etc.
The isolation I was referring to was the possible breakdown of extended family relationships in favour fo the pursuit of material gain.
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Alan Grayson's response to PJ O'Rourke sums it up astutely.
The crisis that underpins the GFC is decades of government that have failed to exercise governance and ensure the regulation of financial markets and institutions.
Consumption taxes have rewarded government's during the "false expansion"..
It is great that the OWS is taking place – I hope it leads to the roll out of a better future. It will be interesting to see what becomes of it all.
The ability of corporations to lobby and influence govt creates distortion as it is largely unchecked/not disclosed as to how this influence affects govt policy and legislative process.
A few weeks, or a month, ago Key mused openly in the media something along the lines of, “It would be a tragedy for NZ if Fletcher Building located off shore”. I found myself thinking that was a strange thing to say with the looming assets sales agenda and wondered whether there was an arm twist in the government providing Fletcher Building the default setting as regards the “Christchurch Rebuild”.
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Hard News: About Occupy Wall Street, in reply to Russell Brown,
But even globalisation looks different if you're in, say, China or Vietnam and you have a life your parents couldn't have dreamed of.
You are referring to wide screen TVs, the Internet, an I phone, fast-food, facebook, pop music and a degree of isolation?