Posts by simon g
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
It is ugly but it is a solution that works.
Did you really just say that?
What was the alternative?
PM says to WB: "Gov't will introduce legislation. I'm confident we have the numbers. ACT will support us. We will proceed as usual, in our parliamentary democracy. If that is unacceptable to you, I'm sorry. But that's how laws are passed."
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
It's almost amusing to me that the people worrying about ceding New Zealand sovereignty to an American film company were quite relaxed about ceding it to an Australian union. Ah, doublethink...
Single think for me. Laws being written in one day and passed on the next = very bad.
And very bad when Labour and the Greens say "Thanks for the precedent, guys!" next time they're in power.
And if it's such bad law-making process - why was there not the same hand-wringing over the equally bad law that is the Earthquake bill?
There was plenty, Tim. Long threads on here for a start.
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
John Armstrong gets to the heart of the matter (and then backs off):
Parliamentary democracy, for sale.
What depresses me is not just that this is being rushed through, but that there are so few voices like Armstrong's being raised. A principled defence of the democratic process is hard enough in the wake of earthquakes or terrorist attacks, but New Zealanders' threshold seems much lower.
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
So Parliament will rush through emergency legislation, again. Last time, all parties voted for it, but plenty of voices (not least here on Public Address) spoke out against the steamroller. But ... there had been an earthquake. An emergency. So although both the haste and extent of powers was disturbing, it was defended as a very, very rare exception.
This is not an earthquake. This is a movie. OK, two movies.
The law changes may be less draconian than the King Gerry Act, but it will be the same method. There will be only fleeting scrutiny. And even the CERRA has a sunset clause.
How is this good law-making?
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
If this legislation is pushed through in a day, CERRA-style, I'll reserve my right not to be happy at all, thanks.
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
"pushed through the House" ... "No surprises"?
Presumably ACT have said yes. Wonder what Rodney wanted in exchange?
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
I can't believe television is going to beat twitter with the news. How quaint.
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
A peak time live TV speech? That means good news, or ... a snap election?
"It doesn't give my opponents mush time, either ..." (hic)
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
Still, in all this debate I wonder if there is any space for the notion of cultural nationalism.
Nationalism, or rather ... cultural reality.
It's still an uphill struggle for those who want to call this place "Aotearoa". Or be a republic. But we love being "Middle Earth". We seem less interested in what we are, than in what we can make the world believe. From that we get our identity, reflected back.
I think that's sad.
And counter-productive. Increasingly, international media reports seem to portray us not as "Middle Earth", but as a country desperate to be Middle Earth. I think they're less impressed, and more bemused. Or amused.
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Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,
Danyl M has also been translating Key:
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/voiceless-it-cries/
My take: There will be tax breaks, or worse - changes to employment law will be scribbled on the back of an envelope, and this wil be sold as "cheaper than tax breaks", therefore, "good".