Posts by Hilary Stace
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Field Theory: Four Years Ago, in reply to Steve Barnes,
That's sad. I wonder where that man playing the er hu will go, or those very talented music students who often busk in the tunnel.
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Before he was famous Bruce and his wife were very active members of our school PTA. Really nice dedicated community people and unusual in that they sent their girls to the local liberal co-ed secondary school when many of their peers were bussed off to private schools. We occasionally chatted about political things and were of course at opposite ends of the spectrum, and after all he was in the military (I think the Air Force?) so that wasn't unexpected. I had a feeling that he grew to respect Helen Clark as their paths started to cross. So I'm not surprised he fronted as he struck me as someone with integrity and intelligence.
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There can be quite a lot of 'wow' about a block of fresh tofu, actually.
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Hard News: Those were different times ..., in reply to Robyn Gallagher,
My father spoke like that and not sure whether it came from his family background or the English masters at Christ College. My mother also referred to the 'U' and 'Non U' words she had learnt as a child that one had to remember at all times. They included 'sweet' instead of 'lolly', 'lavatory' instead of 'toilet' and 'serviette' instead of 'napkin' (actually I might have that last one around the wrong way). It went with the right way to pour tea (whether milk or tea went in first I can't remember), drinking tea with your little finger extended, and knowing the correct cutlery to use with each course starting with the outer going in, and using butter knives to transfer butter to the side of your plate where it was then transferred by the correct knife to your food. So many unspoken rules that betrayed your class origins. These were families that had been in NZ for generations but still talked about 'home'.
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Just before the Arie post fades away some good news. We finally have a Disability Commissioner, and such a great appointment in Paul Gibson. This role (in fact a whole disability commission) was something the disability sector asked for in the select committee on the quality and care of service provision of people with disabilities, which reported in 2008. Green MP Catherine Delahunty developed a private member's bill which was drawn from the ballot last year but the idea was taken up by the Government, and the role advertised earlier this year.
It will part of the role of the Disability Commissioner to investigate such injustices as happened in the Arie case, or any problems with disability services and support. Let's use it.
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Don't ever underestimate Nicky Hagar. His books usually have far reaching and significant effects on the New Zealand political scene. I hope this helps NZ get out of this current US war mess and makes us wary of being involved in the future.
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Hard News: Complaint and culture, in reply to B Jones,
In the 1980s I was involved in a wonderful parent led programme called New Mother Support Groups which were a safe and supportive place for new mothers to talk about all that identity, body and cultural shock stuff that happens when you suddenly have a new baby. I can probably say that there was a general pre-birth expectation and hope of a 'natural' childbirth and blissful breastfeeding. The reality was was there were an assortment of birth experiences and levels of intervention for a huge range of reasons, and assorted breastfeeding stories (and incidentally some worrying birth stories of medical 'incompetence/neglect' by doctors usually alleviated by attendant midwives). Women were usually the harshest critics of themselves if things didn't go as they anticipated, and I'm surprised that we don't have higher levels of postnatal depression. But certainly no judging of each other.
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I haven't read this whole thread but it sounds as if anything to do with childbirth and breast feeding is about as political and fraught as it has been for centuries, and it is mostly about making women feel guilty and inadequate. Particularly since Premier Richard Seddon decided that it would be better for mothers to give birth in big St Helen's teaching hospitals, and Truby King decided mothers were stupid and needed 'scientific' rules, childbirth and baby rearing, has become more important for doctor power then about empowering women.
My mother's generation had to fight against compulsory twilight sleep (anaesthesia) after which they took the baby away and only gave it back when you were awake and well behaved, then had to fight to have 'rooming in' (ie the baby in the same room), then fight for your other children to be allowed to visit while you stayed in hospital for 14 days and were not allowed out of bed (although this was good for establishing breast feeding), and against enforced 4 hourly feeding from then on.
My generation fought for fathers to be present at birth (which is actually quite recent), and against the gowning and stirruping of mothers at birth (because it was 'dirty unnatural' process and easier for the doctors if you gave birth in a position that went against gravity, but was much harder for mother and baby), and for the right for midwife assisted and even home births.
My children were born in the days of GP assisted births but the then poorly paid midwives were the ones who actually stayed with you during labour and the highly paid doctor only turned up at the last minute to do the stitching and sign the forms.
As for breast feeding I think the main thing is that people assume it is easy. It is (sometimes extremely) painful and miserable for the first few weeks but once things are working well can be so convenient, and a good reason to curl up on the sofa with a book and a baby, and I have never read so much since those days. The best 'lactation expert' I ever had was an older nurse doing night shift who showed me how to position everything right, and was quietly encouraging. But I was lucky. And being an allergic eczematic sort I was determined to breastfeed as long as possible so my children were less likely to be. And they aren't.
So it's all about power and the battles don't look like stopping soon.
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Hard News: Complaint and culture, in reply to dc_red,
Actually it reminds me more of 1975. Muldoon was the media hero who ran a very slick dog whistle campaign, and could do no wrong while hard working Rowling who had taken over after Kirk's death in 1974 (37 years ago today), could get no traction. The shock of the 1975 National win got many of my generation interested in politics. But Muldoon still had time to gut the compulsory superannuation scheme before voters could comprehend the long term consequences.
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Good response to the Brian Rudman piece here from Jordan Carter about politicians squabbling over Auckland.