Posts by Russell Brown
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I just don't think that's fair Russell. Researching and interpreting this bill was all-consuming. Have you read it yet?
Eleanor, I'm very sure I'd have felt differently if you'd been fronting the campaign rather than Christine Rankin and Sue Kedgley. I actually learned something from your contributions, and adjusted my view accordingly.
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I suppose this is one of the reasons that I desperately want the Greens to be part of the government - to move them out of opposition, where FUD is a constant temptation, and into a role where they can sink their teeth into some proactive policy delivery.
I should note that I have a lot of time for pretty much every other Green MP. I've interviewed Nandor several times and been impressed at his ability to actually discuss a topic rather than drop into blather mode like most MPs do.
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Hang in there Kowhai. We had a pretty good discussion about the issue last time I wrote about it.
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I think it's partially the way the campaign was waged - basically the approach was to bag the Bill and generate support for defeating it rather than promote a better alternative.
Exactly. It was wholly destructive, hysterical and contradictory. Kedgley's repeated invocation of the US FDA's model as some sort of gold standard was nonsensical - and also put her on the side of some pretty odd people, including manufacturers who line Republican Party pockets to safeguard their interests.
I wasn't very surprised to find that the Kiwiblog comments brigade is largely on the Greens' side.
Yes, I think there are some who just don't like Sue Kedgely. Personally, I've got time for her, she's an earnest campaigner.
This speech on vaccination she gave in 2004 gives me the creeps. She chucks in any old fear she can lay her hands on, including claims that are specifically debunked by our own Ministry of Health. I think it's extremely reckless.
I'm also very dubious about her claim in the speech to have personally procured the withdrawal of thiomersal from child vaccines in New Zealand. The MOH has been quite clear about the rationale for that decision, taken in the first months of Kedgley's time as an MP.
Not that I think she'll ever live down the DHMO snafu...
One thing I definitely don't hold against her, for reasons outlined above by Stephen.
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I believe I am the first blogger to capture and re-use video from the Parliamentary webcast that launched this afternoon
Now in OurTube
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http://www.publicaddress.net/assets/video/Cullen-Key.mov
John Key hammers Michael Cullen on the Hawkes Bay conflict of interest story during question time.
Nothing too remarkable there, but I just wanted to be the first to take advantage of the copyright-free status of Parliamentary proceedings and post some video.
This is from the high-bandwith version of the Parliamentary webcast that launched today. It's a 9.4MB QuickTime file captured from the Windows Media stream. Enjoy, if that's the right word.
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The new Parliamentary webcast is up and running here:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/Visiting/LiveBroadcast/
The QuickTime stream comes through in the wrong aspect ratio and the audio is very quiet.
Viewed with the Flip4Mac Windows Media components the Windows Media stream looks gorgeous. The audio drifted out of sync but pausing then restarting the stream fixed it.
High-bandwidth streams look to be about 400Kbit/s
Bonus: I can capture the lot by saving the WM stream as a QuickTime movie. Handy!
Key's questions are all targeted at Annette King about the conflict of interest inquiry.
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__Has anyone heard a broadcast journalist put that contradiction to Sue Kedgley?__
NO, and this is what I've found most irritating with regard to media coverage on this issue (with yourself a notable exception, Russell)
Actually, I remembered that I did put that question to Jeanette Fitzsimons way back when the consultation on the bill first started -- overlapping with the GE furore, believe it or not -- and, as I recall, she didn't have a good answer.
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BTW and royally off-topic, I've just added to the podcast our interview with James Griffin about the third season of Outrageous Fortune, which begins tonight. Swipe some of the boss's bandwidth and have a listen ...
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Anyhow, back to my original point to Russell: none of this has anything to do with their health care system - so it may be a bit unfair to pin this particular criticism on Michael Moore.
Sorry Terence, meant to get back to you on this. Moore also enthuses on the French system's 35-hour working week and lavish holiday entitlements, among other things. I'm the first to admit that it all looks quite attractive, but maybe it's causing some problems too.
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