Posts by Paul Campbell

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  • Legal Beagle: Tastes like democracy,

    I think one of the great things about NZ's way of doing things is that not only is enrollment required but the govt goes out of its way to make it easy - using Post Office change of address forms is a brilliantly easy solution to this (whoever thought of that so many years ago deserves his name on some public monument)

    Contrast this with the US where selective voter enrollment and suppression is part of electoral tactics - there "motor voter" laws (enrolling people when they get/change their drivers licenses) are controversial

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Legal Beagle: Tastes like democracy,

    My eldest is in the same situation - it's a good incentive to get him involved in this election even if he wont be able to vote this time around. In the past we've always taken our kids to vote (in the US it was about twice a year ...)

    One thing that's great about voting in NZ is that it's wonderfully low tech - it can still be counted by hand (and, as important, recounted if required). It's simple, it works and in the process it gets ordinary people involved with maikng it happen.

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    exactly - I was going to say that I didn't think she was really in to downhill which would kind of give away where she skis (didn't realise it was public knowledge) - I figure people need some privacy in their own time - which is why in the past I haven't named other politicians I've had private dealings with (or my local Nat MP's name above though you can probably guess that too)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    You know I (or my Mother) see Helen on the slopes up in Central at least at least once a year just being a normal person, she often seems to do some local prime-minsterial-opening-something sort of function while she's there - she probably needs to get outdoors and get fit like the rest of us - that she can ski should not be a surprise

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    I think he's making the bit about Greenspan up

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    There's been all this Sturm und Drung over the EFA but that's one thing the US has done relatively well recently (kicking and screaming) - made all money given to political parties public information, required ad's to have a statement saying who's paying for them etc (all stuff people are complaining about here are SOP there) - it hasn't stopped people inventing things like 'bundling' to get around it of course

    One of the interesting things about Obama is the way that he's leveraged the internet and raised at least half his money from small donors - meaning he's much less beholding to big money than any recent candidate has been.

    Now that the primaries are over he needs to tilt to the right to take on McCain (you can see this happening the past week) - this is normal, and expected - but I bet there will be a lot of gnashing of teeth by his current supporters and maybe a drop off in those small contributions

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    actually there was a whine by Hagar in there about how National wouldn't answer his questions which I thought was a bit over the top

    What I would like to see change in the SST is that the back chunk seems to have been taken over with photos of people in parties in Auckland who's identities we're apparently supposed to know, but don't - which all seems a bit pointless to the rest of us in other parts of the country

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    VM - actually IMHO the SST has recently been moving more to the right beating up on the govt more than the opposition

    It's not that new a topic - we've had 30-40 years of reporting about which PR firm National is using - from the Saatchi days and all the rumours about CIA funding Hanna-Barberra's Dancing Cossaks etc (I'm not claiming they're true, just that they were rumours) to the more recent secret trusts - if they were smart and wanted to put all that behind them they'd be more open about what they are doing so that nothing's a mystery.

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    (my typing/grammar seems to be dying, I've been at work since 5am, time for a nap)

    I/O - I think that that's understood - but if we're going to elect a leader we need to understand who they represent, who they owe to get where they are now, who's money they are spending, what they really think on issues, what they'll really do when they get elected etc etc in an election all this stuff is critical to the public making an informed choice.

    PR of course works against this - they want to project someone who can be elected, sometimes telling lies or bending the truth or simply failing to point out the bad news - none of these things are good for the public whichever party is doing it

    Traditionally an independent press have been our protection against this, sadly some (the NZH for example) seem to have already made up their minds

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: "Evil called: Can you make a…,

    But he's the leader - he shouldn't need "to be managed" because that just gives everyone that there's a bunch of backroom (dare I saw "hollow") men pulling the strungs

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

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