Posts by Clint Fern
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Hard News: The digital switch-off, in reply to Bart Janssen,
I record pretty much everything to watch later - my fast forward button is the most used one on the remote. The only channel I'd happily watch without recording would be TV7 - watching the news or a film on the other channels involves too may ads for sanity.
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Hard News: "Orderly transition" in #Egypt, in reply to Andre Alessi,
I think you have to look at it in the context of other countries responses to it - the US calling for an 'orderly transition' ie shove off Mubarak your time is up, and the Israeli government calling on leaders to support Mubarak. Key is apparently following the line of Israel rather than taking the hardly radical step of the US and Europe in calling on Mubarak to go. I find it hard to accept that we should follow the lines of the Netanyahu administration and strongly doubt Clark would have done.
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Hard News: "Orderly transition" in #Egypt, in reply to Russell Brown,
The ex-BBC person on 9 to noon was of the opinion that El Baradei didn't have a support base in Egypt and that the Muslim Brotherhood might be backing away from him as a figurehead. He said that El Baradei was better known in the west than in Egypt but might get to be a short-term transitional figure because of the UN links.
He's certainly one of the few Egyptians the wider world is familiar with and thus a handy spokesperson. Maybe John Key is on the phone to Mark Regev now seeing if its allowed to back him.
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Neil Morrison,
...and as you pointed out that Jackson had said three days before this that the boycott would have no effect on the choice of production base.
You can keep on repeating that the boycott wasn't lifted as long as you like (something I have not disputed). That does not change the deception of Jackson saying the above in an email to Brownlee and then 3 days later he and Walsh both said the production was likely to move offshore BECAUSE of the boycott, it'd seem to me most people are agreeing this was spinning.
Over to you for the last word as I'm stepping out of this circular argument....
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
As she isn't a politician I'd say she was deliberately misleading rather than telling straight out lies like Brownlee / Mallard.
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Neil Morrison,
Walsh claimed on 9 to noon that the production was likely to head offshore due to the union boycott. This was on the 21st. She was pretty specifically questioned by Katherine Ryan on this.
As you handily pointed out Jackson typed “There is no connection between the blacklist (and it’s eventual retraction) and the choice of production base for The Hobbit,” this was on the 18th.
I think you would have to believe in the tooth fairy to think that Fran Walsh didn't know Jacksons thoughts on this and so it would strongly appear that she was not telling the truth.
You may wish to conflate this with whatever the union might have said, personally I don't care about the unions / govt / Warners as I have said repeatedly they are vested interests. As I previously stated Jackson et al might have used the union position as a reason for their actions but I see it as no justification for their seeming deliberate misleading of the public through their media statements of 21st Oct. They have damaged their reputations through cynical actions and no amount of "but Helen Kelly said, Trevor Mallard said" changes that.
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to FletcherB,
If you bothered checking my earlier posts you'll see I wasn't claiming anyone looked any good, just that I was more disappointed in Jackson / Walsh / Boyens as previously I'd had no reason to doubt their word.
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Neil Morrison,
Nice timeline Neil. You did miss out the big broadcast by Jackson on Oct 21 & Walsh / Boyens on Nine to Noon on the same day where they all said the production was in danger because of the boycott.
After the email of the 18th this suggests they were deliberately misleading everyone and using the situtation to Warner's advantage. These 3 are not looking good at all over this.
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Russell Brown,
Of course the boycott kicked it off, but so what - thats a reason but not a justification for what Jackson did. I don't find the actions of the unions / Key / Brownlee / Warners at all surprising, they all will defend their own interests by whatever means.
The 'news' out of the email is that of Jackson, Walsh & Boyens cynicism and duplicity. I'd sided with them in the debate as I'd thought them pretty honest, they have in my eyes and I'm sure in many others soiled their reputations. It'd be hard to take what they say at face value any longer, which is a shame for them. Still be going to see the film to support the work of Taylor, the Hennahs and all the other kiwi sub-contractors.
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My respect for Jackson, Walsh and Boyens has diminished considerably. All three were over the media (Walsh & Boyens on 9 to Noon) saying the union boycott was the reason Warners were pulling the plug, in fact Walsh was asked by Katherine Ryan about the employment law issue and as I remember she said it was nothing to do with that and it was the union boycott causing the problem.
No-one comes out of this looking great, the union boycott was badly misjudged but Wingnut, Key and Brownlee (from the content of the email) deliberately mislead all and sundry over the issue (lied?). To be fair to Warners although I think their aims were to just do the best for themselves they didn't have a part in the spin that the boycott was the problem.
Thanks Peter, John and Gerry for making us look like a banana republic that will do what the corporates want - do you feel the slightest bit dirty?