Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Wellington Cables

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  • giovanni tiso,

    The British Council in Milan was also the place where the posh got to learn English. I wouldn't underestimate the extent in which all of these programmes boil down to enabling the children of the elites to network internationally.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    The British Council in Milan was also the place where the posh got to learn English. I wouldn’t underestimate the extent in which all of these programmes boil down to enabling the children of the elites to network internationally.

    Dizzee Rascal?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Avec the odd exception, designed to make it look like it's all lovely and egalitarian-like, yes. It's pretty elementary PR.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Che Tibby, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    I think the British Council* do the same thing here as well.

    'way back when' i was invited to a dinner here in wellington to rub shoulders with some geezers. basically to act as scenery.

    all on the British government.

    made me feel very important. very important INDEED.

    *might have been some other British people. who knows. i was well pissed.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    We got The Buzzcocks, The Charlatans and Sasha here in BKK this year courtesy of the BC - much appreciated but a more contemporary band or two would be rather cool.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    Avec the odd exception, designed to make it look like it’s all lovely and egalitarian-like, yes. It’s pretty elementary PR.

    And So Solid Crew, Jamelia and a number of other black, working-class British artists. And, as I noted, journalists like David Leigh, who even then was bringing down corrupt ministers.

    These days, the BC in New Zealand is involved in an international creative cities programme, in People in Your Neighbourhood, a musical collaboration between Britain’s Urban Soul Orchestra and young artists from South Auckland, and in the James Dyson Award, which recognises and assists outstanding young New Zealand designers.

    I think they do good stuff, and that they do far, far more than assist the “children of the elite”, if, indeed, they do much of that at all these days.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to HORansome,

    people are seeing what they take to be clear evidence of conspiratorial machination in what might be merely business as usual.

    Ah, but what if conspiracy IS business as usual? Eh? Eh?

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to philipmatthews,

    That's just sad. Besides, Muffin McPoopincakes is much more euphonious...

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Neil Morrison,

    “‘Harvard’s there for other reasons. The “educating” part of it is just sort of a front’”

    I'm somewhat confused.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • HORansome, in reply to nzlemming,

    Oh, for sure, some business as usual may well be conspiratorial (or conspiracy-lite) but quite a bit of the business as usual will be conspiracy-like but not, when parsed properly, actually conspiratorial.

    Tāmaki Makaurau • Since Sep 2008 • 441 posts Report Reply

  • HORansome, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    Pynchon confuses everyone, including Pynchon.

    Tāmaki Makaurau • Since Sep 2008 • 441 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    I’m somewhat confused.

    Neil seems to have that effect.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to HORansome,

    Well, let's hope it's at least conspirational then, or there's a bunch of ninjas that are going to be really sad :-(

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    I'm somewhat confused.

    It's a reference to a conspiracy theory involving Harvard (and Oxford) in Gravity's Rainbow, where it is intimated that they serve as fronts to shadowy tentacular organisations (read: networks of influence).

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Alex Coleman,

    Anyone else see that opinion bit in the Dompost this morning based wholly on the idea that WL aren't responsible actors because they just dumped 250,000 docs on their site, where anyone can see them, and they didn't redact names like the responsible gatekeepers in charge of the broadsheets?

    That was the completely false, and easily checked, premiss for the piece. Can't remember who wrote it, but their credentials were journalistic in that they used to have a good gig at Time.

    To avoid any conspiratorial explanations for this I have to assume that both the author and whoever chose to run the piece in the Dom are just lazy and stupid.

    But to expect teachable moments to be successfully developed, I think we need smarter journalisms pleez.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 247 posts Report Reply

  • HORansome, in reply to nzlemming,

    Has anyone ever seen a joyous/non-sad ninja? They always seem so stern, so serious and not particularly happy about the world...

    Tāmaki Makaurau • Since Sep 2008 • 441 posts Report Reply

  • Che Tibby, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    i think he's getting at the quality of harvard graduates. many are actually muffins.

    very, very well-connected muffins.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • Heather W., in reply to Public Servant on a tea-break.,

    might be incompetence rather than conspiracy ….

    Undoubtedly, but it is unfortunate I couldn’t link to the piece online to back my statement up.

    Assume you meant the piece by Jonathan Marshall headlined Local media identities tracked. Was online, just not listed in the news headlines. Sometimes items on the Sunday Times website (sstlive.co.nz) have slightly different support links than the exact same item on the Stuff.co.nz website.

    North Shore • Since Nov 2008 • 189 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Simon Grigg,

    Simon, as a resident insider, would you consider gifts from the monarchy in Thailand to be tainting to journalistic integrity?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Surprised not to see these words from Humber Wolfe quoted:

    You cannot hope
    to bribe or twist,
    thank God! the
    British journalist.
    But, seeing what
    the man will do
    unbribed, there's
    no occasion to.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I think they do good stuff, and that they do far, far more than assist the “children of the elite”, if, indeed, they do much of that at all these days.

    Yes, not at all familiar with how it works here. Back home they did organise cultural events - although not at all popular art oriented as I recall - but in the context of a pricey and prestigious English school for the local bourgeoisie.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Tim Hannah, in reply to HORansome,

    They always seem so stern, so serious and not particularly happy about the world…

    The purpose of the masks is to hide their permanent shit eating grins. How could a ninja not be happy? They're a freaking ninja.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 228 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    paranoid culture fostered by Wikileaks

    Sorry to keep pricking your anti-WikiLeaks balloon, Russell.

    WikiLeaks hasn't fostered anything here. It has released data.

    You think it is irrelevant tittle tattle. That's fine. I am just happy to have raw data, although I think we need to see a hell of a lot more of it before it becomes really useful.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Tim Hannah,

    The purpose of the masks is to hide their permanent shit eating grins. How could a ninja not be happy? They’re a freaking ninja.

    Zigackly!

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to BenWilson,

    To be fair, given the rules up here I'm not sure if I would be allowed to write about such things, tainted or not, without seeing the inside of a cell.

    My blog was briefly blocked in the kingdom during the bad stuff a few months back. I liked that.

    But, without fear of incarceration I can say I'd rather have a king that plays the tenor sax and clarinet, records albums of the same with his jazz band (quality unknown), publishes pretty good books of the images he takes with the Leica M6 he carries everywhere, and, best of all, used to hang with Elvis, than any of the plonkers in the United Kingdom.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

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