Posts by Morgan Nichol
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland, in reply to Keir Leslie,
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I don't know what prepares anyone for the mayoralty, but I'm not convinced being an activist does it. It's a very negative role, being a professional protester. It seems to me that it's about tearing things down, not building them up (of course they tend to be things that deserve to be torn down).
I guess I just don't find Minto to be particularly inspiring, regardless of how laudable HART may have been.
But it's not like Auckland has a great history with selecting mayors, so maybe we could try a new approach.
Given my historical lack of success in voting for Auckland mayors (I didn't vote for Les Mills, Christine Fletcher, John Banks, Dick Hubbard, or Len Brown) it's probable that me voting for someone other than Minto will fractionally increase his chances.
Actually I think I may have voted for Hubbard. Just not the time he won.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland, in reply to BenWilson,
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If Morgantown is where I assume then I'm strongly in favour of it. And we'll only need one vehicle not 72. I appreciate the tax and ratepayers for funding it.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland, in reply to Tom Semmens,
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His key skills are in disruption, which isn't much use when what we need is action. Forgive the turn of phrase.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland, in reply to Jon Briggs,
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I went to Western Springs as well, he wasn't one of my normal teachers but I agree he was very nice. I just don't think he'd make a good mayor.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland,
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Minto for Mayor.
No.
John is articulate and has the track record
Track record doing what? Protesting womens tennis tournaments? Yeah I'm sure he'd be great in the bizarro upside-down world on which he'd have any chance of being elected.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland, in reply to Sacha,
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A glorious retirement village by the sea. That's what all Aucklanders want, isn't it?
Given that it's mainly only old people that can afford a house in this city it seems to me that's what we've already got.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
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It being a sign of hypocrisy hinges on whether it's possible for people to establish lifestyle blocks in the same area. I don't see what's preventing that right now. There seem to be many lifestyle sections available within 90 minutes of the CBD right now. So what's the big fucking deal? If this is what the right have to descend to in their effort to find any muck on Brown, maybe I should re-examine my lack of support for the guy, because that must mean he's pretty clean.
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Hard News: Competing for Auckland,
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Avondale says "bring it on" and Milford says "go away".
I haven't read the unitary plan, so I'm not actually clear on the criteria for where intensification would be focussed, but why would anyone ever consider intensification of Milford which has zero rail over Avondale which has a rail line running directly through it?
All intensification should be along the rail corridors, and centred on stations. Anything else is frankly baffling. This seems really obvious.
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Maori Television have made Illegal Tender available on their website:
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/native-affairs-illegal-tender -
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The art exists on its own once created, so why would the prejudices of its creator matter?
It's funny, when I read this I immediately thought "oh like that bastard orson scott card, I'll have to comment about how much of a tool he is" and then, well you went there for me.
I haven't dug into any of this stuff lately, but a few years ago when I learned about the true depths of his dickbagitude, it put a whole lot of stuff from the books into a completely new light - as I recall at least a couple of the characters have memories perhaps even while in utero - I can't remember his name, the little one from Ender's Shadow (Bean? Flea?), in particular. This is now so obviously part of his anti-abortion/'life begins at conception' belief that it makes me sick how badly I misinterpreted it when I first read the book.
I seem to recall people never had sex outside wedlock, either.