Posts by Andre
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I do find some of the arguments put by the Sensible Sentencing Trust and the pro-smacking brigade show that their leaders and supporters are anti-democratic. They talk constantly about how 87% of NZers voted in their favour at the referendum when the true figure is less than 50% of eligible voters http://tinyurl.com/ye5j6gf
They'd have more of a point if an extra 30,000 votes had been cast - so the margin is not that great. But this is a democracy and almost half the population didn't care enough to show up and vote. They were also rarked up by this type of coverage which fails to mention that only 56% of voters turned out: http://tinyurl.com/ya25cewThey waved placards with slogans such as "Warning: Police State" and "We've been 2 Hell 'n' Clark". Others chanted messages such as "John Key listen to me, we want democracy."
I think that elements of that march were fascist but many of the people there seemed like older middle class kiwis who felt that their right-wing views weren't being listened to. I saw many ACT signs but not many Green or Labour ones for example. I used fascism as an epithet and may have been better served by pointing out Colin Craig as the friendly face of fundamentalism.
Here's what George Orwell wrote in 1944:The word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print. I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting, the 1922 Committee, the 1941 Committee, Kipling, Gandhi, Chiang Kai-Shek, homosexuality, Priestley's broadcasts, Youth Hostels, astrology, women, dogs and I do not know what else... almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. – George Orwell, What is Fascism?. 1944.[
I quite like the word facist BTW. Fascist racist... or should that be rascist.
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Colin Craig seems to want to be seen as mainstream and as MOR as possible - he's almost scared to be seen in the same light as his more extreme right-wing allies. Either he woke up one morning and said to himself "I think I'll blow a few hundred grand" or he's tied to the right wing orgs he promotes. It's like they want him to be the "friendly" face of facism or something. I saw Jack Tame interview him and thought "what does he want then?" It's like he wasn't at all sure himself other than expressing his unhappiness that John Key wasn't as Anti-Helengrad as voters were led to believe before the last election. This is of course the same John Key that helped pass the anti-smacking law in the first place. What a waste of money... but then I suppose "property managers" are still doing well so maybe Mr Craig will turn his expensive party into an annual event.
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I also think that banning motorised transport other than buses from all CBD's and major commercial/industrial areas is a great idea. Including small towns. It will create a village atmosphere and get rid of boy racers. We could lead the world with that one if we included every city and town and enabled public transport as need arose. Maybe introduce it in increments as every other private utility company does. People will choose to catch a bus if it is 200 metres away from their home compared to a 1 - 2km walk at the other end if they take a car. Taxis and limousine businesses will go OFF! But at least passengers of either buses or taxi will be charged a rate reflecting real costs.
We should introduce "safe biking" where a report of a driver acting dangerously carries real weight. I've biked in downtown Auckland and its environs fore twenty years and it's always been bad. But now it is almost impossible.
I've got lots of other ideas I'd like to mention (raise the minimum wage) but... okay... later -
Maurice Williamson was in with TUANZ. And Ernie Newman officially represented users but many/most of TUANZ's members were staff of ISP's or telecom companies. We sold their ads for a while in the 90's. I wasn't involved in their discussions but from a distance it wasn't a shouting match. The most supplicant organisation on the planet...
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John Key is at the end of the boomer years but well entrenched and rewarded within the baby boomer hierachy. But he may listen to those about to have heaped upon them the responsibitily to support themselves and their families until a very old age.
Let's face it... once they have paid themselves out anyone who is 20 today will be retiring at 80 with no money unless they save it for themselves. My baby boy is likely to live until 100 - apparently it's going to be the average age of death when he dies. By then he'll be retiring at 92 or something.
I expect Key to sell off assets to pay for the boomers' retirement leaving us nothing.
Legalising marijuana will generate millions in tax revenue, get rid of our gang problem, alienate P dealers from their clients and halve the prison population. No-one can do it though...
We should remove all tax benefits enjoyed by religious organisations.
The untaxed property market is robbing the younger generation of the chance to buy a house and is starving business credit. A Retrospective Capital Gains Tax is needed - but one only related to property.
We shouldn't be paying $6 billion for the leaky home crisis. Those involved should be.
We should still be paying into the Super Fund each year.
Whoever gave Labtests that contract should be fired. Everyone involved. I've admittedly no idea about the health system other than through friends that work in it but vision seems lacking.
I like our schools but think that they over-police teachers and remove a lot of opportunity for teachers to break out of the curriculum by giving them too much "policing" work. And we give money needlessly to wealthy private and religious schools.
We should remove the right for pub owners and their mates to decide where lottery money is distributed. Make the applicants public using DM and each community can vote. It'll certainly keep those small-town tyrants on their toes.
That's enough.... -
A friend gave me the IT Crowd for my birthday and I still haven't watched it. My bad. thanks for the head-up I'll chuck it on...
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In business magazine publishing it became accepted that readers prefer covers that feature real people that they can then read more about. But business people. No matter how pretty they are (officially). This was a change in perception that happened in the 90's along with the thought that you could sell more copies if that person was good looking.
Business publishers started to use consumer publishing ideas. How many times have Sharon Hunter and Mark Ellis appeared on business magazine covers? -
I imagine the budget for state-sponsored time for kids to be taught WASP religion will be okay though.
My friend home-schools his kids. It may be a way forward for many kiwis if Tolley stays in too long. -
I thought Media 7's tsunami piece was interesting. Adrian Stevanon telling Lisa Glass that "she should interview that guy over there because he has many interesting stories" because Adrian was unable to interview him without offending him because as a Samoan Adrian knew to do so at the time would be disrespectful. But that palagi journalist - that's different. It sounded like a hard assignment on many levels.
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It's nice to see Russell et al at Media7 are responsible for looking after the critical journalism for Paul Henry on Breakfast. Paul can do whatever he wants because if you want to see CREDIBLE journalism you can - on TVNZ7... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10603462&pnum=3
Was this part of your brief BTW? Is Paul Henry going to be nominated for the Media Awards this year? Under which category?