Hard News: The Disingenuous Press
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Jacinda Adern nailed it when asked about Norman on backbenchers this week I thought. Put freedom of speech out in front, came in 100% behind it, and then said that she might not have done it that way but freedom of speech was the issue.
Have a coherent position, backed up with facts and numbers. "Free Tibet now!" is not a coherent position.
We need to keep in mind that protesting is not about writing laws or resolving all the world's problems in all their complexity. It's about getting a reaction and getting attention to an issue so that it pushes other people towards doing those things. Someone has to be out there on the extreme.
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We need to keep in mind that protesting is not about writing laws or resolving all the world's problems in all their complexity.
To me it seems that protesting in this country consists of marching down Queen St chanting "One Two Three Four. What the hell are we marching for" and waving banners with pithy puns scrawled in crayon made out of mum's best sheets, I think that Mr. Norman did better than that.
In other news I see the economy, of Auckland at least, seems to be growing.
In a massive mangling of mixed metaphors the Herald proclaims that the "Light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter for bars and restaurants" and a certain Mr. Andrew Harris, a business advisory partner for chartered accountants Grant Thornton. espouses..."Unfortunately for many, the summer did not give them the profit needed to see them through a second winter of discontent. There's no fat left and they are walking a tightrope,"
and
"The banks and breweries have picked the players they will support, and if you are outside their respective teams, there are not a lot of places to hide."
Erm, yes, well. It's a game of three halves and on the day the winner is the ball.
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I notice the pale burghers of Howick managed to get the name of the new super-city ward they were part of changed from Te Irirangi to - you guessed it - Howick.
I realise the discussion's well and truly moved on from this (dear God, more than a week ago!), but couldn't resist linking this rather nice recent post from Denis Welch:
The name is that of a 19th-century English aristocrat, the
third Earl Grey, who before he succeeded to his father’s
title was known as Viscount Howick, that being the name
of the family’s stately home in Northumberland. Grey was
Colonial Secretary in the British government at the time
eastern Auckland was being occupied by white settlers.
He never came near New Zealand, let alone the part of it
that bears his name to this day.Tara Te Irirangi was the paramount chief of Ngai Tai, the
tangata whenua at the time the settlers arrived. According
to Brian Rudman in the New Zealand Herald he was a
‘friend to the newcomers, learning their language and
supporting the new settler government.’ Nice of him. He
got a street named after him, and Otara’s name derives
from him too. But the Local Government Commision’s
proposal was clearly a suburb too far for some. ‘The name
has come from nowhere,’ thundered the editor of the
H & P Times. ‘It doesn’t mean anything to people who
have lived here for a long time.’[...] Meanwhile, at the other end of the country, the Invercargill
City Council has roundly rejected the idea of calling a new
street Ti Kouka Way, as suggested by a council officer, and
opted for Kakariki Way instead. Not so egregious, you
might think, but Ti Kouka (the cabbage tree common in the
area of the street) missed out because, according to the
Southland Times, ‘councillors agreed it might be difficult to
pronounce.’ One said it sounded like ‘coconut.’ Another said
it would be a hard one to explain to a call centre in Delhi.That's the trouble with these pesky foreign languages, which
is what te reo still clearly is to many Pakeha: they're just
not English enough./linkderail
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Think you could also argue that for all the sound and fury, the protests against the '81 Tour did not hasten the fall of apartheid by a single day, let alone stop The Tour.
Wasn't there a documentary not too long ago where John Minto was thanked for his role in the 81 protests by Desmond Tutu? Although Minto himself despaired over the limited progress being made in real terms for the poor in South Africa during his visit. Highlighted again by Tin-town during the Cup.
Do those seen as 'leaders' in these circumstances have some sort of obligation/responsibility to, well, lead? Maybe not, but they arguably have the 'opportunity'.
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@Craig
Re that Bill allowing police to stand for local government. It was actually a law change under the previous government (about 3 years ago I think) that took that ability away from them.
Prior to that they were free to do so and I recall, from my Chch days, there were at least two officers down there serving on councils. One on the Christchurch City Council and the other on the Waimakariri District Council. From what I recall protocol prevented them from being involved on any issue/vote where it conflicted with their policing role.
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Thanks, Sam. That sort of casual, ignorant racism seems to get a free pass every time from our slackarse media.
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Re that Bill allowing police to stand for local government. It was actually a law change under the previous government (about 3 years ago I think) that took that ability away from them.
And if my memory serves, that was the most contentious (and heavily submitted on) part of the Policing Act, which went through the full dress parliamentary process.
It's moot now, but to my mind Dean Knight makes a pretty compelling case for the Policing (Involvement in Local Authority Elections) Amendment Bill being constitutionally suss law that should never have been put through under urgency.
Even on the level of sheer politics, I think National will come to regret being so damn quick to abuse urgency. It's certainly going to hard to credibly cry foul (however justly) if the next Labour-lead Government decides to grab that shabby precedent with both paws.
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Only it's likely they never will - because they are better than that. The abuse of urgency really does not reflect well on Nact at all, either individually or collectively.
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The abuse of urgency really does not reflect well on Nact at all,
. Well, not with me.I wonder if it is causing any rebellion with the opposition parties, no matter how subtle. or in your face ;)
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It's certainly going to hard to credibly cry foul (however justly) if the next Labour-lead Government decides to grab that shabby precedent with both paws.
I think you'll find the Herald will rediscover it's enthusiasm for defending democracy from attack when Labour is next returned to power, and will do its best to highlight abuses of urgency by the filthy socialists.
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Only it's likely they never will - because they are better than that.
Was covering off Harry Duynhoven's arse (and purely coincidentally, I'm sure, avoiding a by-election nobody really wanted) a constitutional crisis of such severity the Electoral Act had to be amended under extreme urgency?
I don't know about you, but the Electoral Act strikes me as one of those things you never ever change without proper debate, scrutiny and public input.
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certain Mr. Andrew Harris, a business advisory partner for chartered accountants Grant Thornton. espouses..
Mr Harris could mix metaphors for his country.
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can't help wondering whether teachers bringing in something like this reluctantly are actually going to do more harm than good - "sorry your child just got emotionally lacerated but it's not our fault - blame Anne Tolley".The real problem here though, is not the national standards but the teachers themselves. I might support the Education Minister's campaign to shake up the arrogant antiquated teachers union with its tenure for all, but damned if I want my small daughter being collateral damage. Tolley may have imposed national standards on them but when it comes to our kids, teachers still hold all the power.
Meanwhile DebhillCone finds that the insanity of nationally "standardizing" on a 5 year old is quite cold and heartless so she logically blames the nasty teachers union and the crazy militants who teach our children.
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Meanwhile DebhillCone finds that the insanity of nationally "standardizing" on a 5 year old is quite cold and heartless so she logically blames the nasty teachers union and the crazy militants who teach our children.
What an appallingly awful piece of writing...
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My brain hurts.
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My brain hurts.
Yes, but think of the children!
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I think you'll find the Herald will rediscover it's enthusiasm for defending democracy from attack when Labour is next returned to power, and will do its best to highlight abuses of urgency by the filthy socialists.
By 'democracy' you probably mean ad revenue.
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covering off Harry Duynhoven's arse
fair point - and for a pretty poor ROI
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Re that Bill allowing police to stand for local government. It was actually a law change under the previous government (about 3 years ago I think) that took that ability away from them.
I note that there is a currently serving member of the force on the Roskill Community Board, in Tamaki.
I don't agree that police officers should be permitted to stand for public office. They enforce the laws and standards politicians create. It's a somewhat uneasy mix.
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John Roughan shows why some pre-MMP journos really need to STFU or retire - ignorant nostalgic wibbling that assumes we all share the priorities of old white men. It's like a foolish 1970s timewarp.
To Chinese eyes, the scruffy-haired man in the suit would surely not have embarrassed himself and them if multi-party democracy was all it is cracked up to be.
In one sense they would be correct. Our electoral system lacks a certain quality control. It was generous to describe Norman as "an elected member of Parliament". He came in on a party list.
If there is a weakness in MMP to my mind, it is the presence in Parliament of people who have never been individually assessed by a broad spectrum of the population.
They can be chosen by members of a small party, and even become its co-leader, without being capable of winning a respectable vote in an election.
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quite a few of those awarded list seats by a party could not win a public endorsement if they had to.
That is the reason MMP enthusiasts say it is fairer to minorities. But they overstate the supposed racism, sexism and homophobia of a general electorate. Sensible, reliable, well-presented individuals have proved anyone who measures up on those qualities can win.
And you can guess who decides what is "respectable" or "sensible" or "reliable" or "well-presented".
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And you can guess who decides what is "respectable" or "sensible" or "reliable" or "well-presented".
Just listening to Mediawatch's item on this, does that mean Willie and JT or honorary old white men? :)
And, Roughan, if you want to talk about "lack of quality control" in our Parliament, the only MP convicted (and imprisoned) on charges of corruption was... "individually assessed by a broad spectrum of the population" of the Otara and Mangere electorates. Five times.
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re. DebHillCone and Nat Stds article.
Not just the article, but the comments after all made my brain hurt.
So much of teaching makes my head and heart hurt, I wonder how long I can continue to do it.
But on Tuesday I sit down to do the same mid-year conferences. I am actually looking forward to the process and students sharing with parents what they've been doing and what they're proud of. I just hope the conversations aren't derailed by parents wanting to know what this means (specifically) in relation to national standards.
It's about your child! Are they happy - do they look forward to coming to school? Are they proud of what they're doing? Are they honest enough to recognize what they need to work on? Do you see that concentration when they show their writing and explain to you how a volcano works? Do you see them try not to giggle when they explain that ancient Romans used urine when washing their toga?
Celebrate that, for gods sake. Give them a big hug and let them know you are amazed by what they do, let them see your admiration and your respect. Remind them of the things they need to work on - take some time each day to help them with that work. Kick a ball with them - play some Wii with them - peel some spuds and make dinner with them.
They're little people, with big hearts and big minds, and sometimes messy habits and absent-minded methods. Sometimes they don't fit a box - somedays they fall out of the box, but can tell you how they can get back into the box. They're a work in progress, just like all of us.
Please. Please celebrate the progress.
Don't focus on national standards - focus on your child and see all of what they're learning and becoming. It's OK to get frustrated sometimes at what they're doing or not doing. I do that, get frustrated - but please, please don't lose sight of the big picture. Of where or what your child could be or become. Support them, be there for them as best you can be.
Focusing on national standards will do your head in. Take it from someone who's trying to make sense of and use them appropriately - they're just a part of the picture, not the whole palava.
Then again - I'm just another lefty hippy militant literanazi, who's never had a real job in the "real" world - so do feel free to believe the woman who writes for the Herald.
:)
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Tim, you should publish most of that as a local paper op-ed, if it wouldn't affect your job security. Brilliant.
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I'll say.
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And now for some comedy, Paul Henry's impressions of TVNZ viewers' intelligence. Full serving.
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