Posts by Russell Brown
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It's definitely ironic. Key has basically learned from Clark to sit in the middle and read the polls.
I see Cullen is emphatically claiming that Key and Tim Groser came to Labour looking for a compromise because of their concern about the impact on relations with Australia if the bill tanked -- but Ryall sank it.
Key says National never supported the bill because it was concerned about its impact on complementary medicines. National: the naturopaths' new friend.
And having the leadership reading the polls seems to me a sign that MMP is working. It could be even better if the polls simply made the choices themselves, but this is a good compromise.
Yeah, but if the polls are driven by the news media's compliant reporting of Kedgley and Rankin's conspiracy theories, don't we have a problem here?
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Well, now that National has its victory, it might agree in a few months to a compromise...
But that would mean John Key changing his mind!
The problem is that unless any solution actually adopts the joint regulator proposal, NZ suppliers will have to go through two regulatory processes if they want to sell both here and in Australia.
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Outrageous Fortune launches its third season on TV3 tonight. Series co-creator James Griffin discusses the novel experience of making TV drama when the axe isn't hovering and explains the original motivation for the series. Also, why there's so much rooting.
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This from a political entity that pontificated on the importance of public safety and environmental safety at all costs during the GE debate. Where is the precautionary principle now?
Quite so. The Greens' stand on GMOs was that they had to be "proven safe". But when it comes to something in their backyard, the onus of proof has been neatly reversed.
Has anyone heard a broadcast journalist put that contradiction to Sue Kedgley?
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Maybe it's because I'm reading this amazing Peter Guralnick biography of Sam Cooke right now, but these kinds of sentiments really do make me sad. That whole century of incredible popular culture, amongst other cool things, is now just... pfffft!... because that damn country won't get its head out of its ass.
Yep, I owe America a hell of a lot. It's been a huge cultural influence on me - not least in that it gave rise to the internet, which is where a large part of me is, culturally speaking. I read American magazines, watch American TV, treasure American music and visit American websites.
That's why I don't resile from commenting on American controversies -- there's a sense in which I'm a stakeholder too. Plus, it's fascinating.
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Surely the fault for any negative consequences rests more with those who drafted it ineffectively - rather than with the opposition parties who did what they're supposed to - i.e. oppose questionable legislation?
No, I don't resile from the hysteria word at all. She was completely over the top - repeatedly describing it as "sinister" and claiming it would "undermine our health freedom, our democracy and our sovereignty", and so on. The gibbering xenophobia (and the ironic embrace of the special-interest-dominated FDA system) were really something to behold.
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National's constant U-turning (on the issue of new rules for press coverage in the house, on the Foreshore and Seabed) and Key's inability to take a policy position on anything is starting to cause that most fatal of political consequences - being taken as a joke.
Key certainly has his strengths, but I think we're starting to see how he might operate in government. He basically implied that Gerry Brownlee was an idiot when he u-turned on the press coverage rules. I'm sure that didn't go down too well.
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Ant Timpson looks back on another 48 Hours of furious film-making, while we ask why we're just so much better at this stuff than anyone else.
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Whoops. Forgot to turn on discussion. Feel free to hammer away now ...
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Steve Simms of Tomizone.com brings in the iPhone that Steve goddamn Wozniak gave him, and talks about why Apple's new play is important to his New Zealand Wi-Fi sharing business.
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