Public Address | System (Home)

Posted at 12:16PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Nicky Hager says, in his response to Matthew Hooton's attacks on the police: 'Hooton gets a lot of space to sound off about subjects like this...' I agree. I find most of his contributions to his Nine to Noon slot with Kathryn Ryan, frivolous or malicious - and almost all, empty. When he was partnered by Peter Harris my sympathies were with Harris, who seemed often driven to the point of explosion with Matthew's off the wall stupidity. Laila Harre seems to have had a calming influence on him - he doesn't sound quite so much like a seven year show off - but interestingly when he was paired with Chris Trotter the other day he also drove him to screaming point. Hooton certainly drives me to utter a few intemperate remarks on the mornings I listen to the right/left debate. Are there no decent right wing commentators who could replace him? Or is 'decent right wing commentator' an oxymoron?

Posted at 12:20PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Be interesting to get stats from Vodafone on the iPhone sales for NZ. Is everyone switching to the iPhone packages? Is the iPhone the number 1 selling 3G handset in NZ? Wonder why not?

Posted at 12:22PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

It'd probably be crass of me to plug the ObamaFox Firefox browser extension, so I shan't.

Posted at 12:25PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I can't tell whether the iPhone app is the work of Blue State Digital, the consultants who have helped win the internet battle for Obama and -- the New Zealand Labour Party hopes (according to an intriguing story by David Fisher in the current Listener) will do the same here -- but it seems likely that it is.

It certainly was a bloody interesting story by David Fisher -- and if it was the norm, then it wouldn't be a coin toss whether the sub gets renewed in the new year. Certainly points up a whiff of hypocrisy in the Crosby Textor/Ashcroft meme being pushed by Labour, doesn't it?

Anyhow, in the end, it doesn't really matter how many bells and whistles you've got attached to a campaign, if it's painfully obvious they're attached to a jester's cap. Does it? Obama isn't winning because he's got a killer app, but because on the substance over style front he's just not in a contest with McCain-Palin. Domestically, the contest is more even -- just, on the evidence of the last twenty four hours, in a way that's not flattering to either National or Labour.

Posted at 12:26PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

When you say :

the long-unreported story of Fonterra farmers' dirty streams

Do you just mean on TV?
We locals have been being educated by our local paper. For example
this feature in the Waikato Times

One of my university contemporaries at Waikato University has been researching a method for stopping nitrogen compunds leaching into waterways that basically involved burying sawdust along the sides of paddocks bordering the rivers and streams. Here is a quick reference to Denitrification Walls

The problem IS being thought about out here in the provinces.

Posted at 12:30PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Do you just mean on TV?
We locals have been being educated by our local paper.

And we have the editor on the panel. But this has been going on for years, and we'll talk about why.

Posted at 12:31PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

verbwrangle:

I don't think I'd be any less informed come Monday lunchtime if the whole slot was dumped. And, yes, I'm far from impressed with Laila Harre; and would prefer the Hooton-Trotter idiot tag-team to be restricted to the Sunday Star-Times and their collective blog (which has the novel distinction, thanks to "blog producer" Bryan Spondre, of having more civil and thoughtful comments than the actual posts).

To paraphrase you, verbwrangle, is the left so brain-dead that the media can't do better than Chris ("Winston is the victim of the political equivalent of gang rape") Trotter for a house lefty?

And Dennis Welch's 'media' slot isn't exactly adding value to my day either.

Posted at 12:35PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Are there no decent right wing commentators who could replace him?

I've wondered this myself. There used to be. Perhaps it's a case of the smarter commentators having too much at stake?

Posted at 12:37PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I even tried the "donate" button on the app, which triggers a phone call to a US number. But the number didn't include the right STD code to dial from New Zealand, so I can't tell whether my call would have been answered by a donation robot or a human. They'll have to get that fixed before we get to voting for President of the New World Order.

It's not a problem, it's a design feature...

As a non-American, you're not entitled to donate to Obama.

Posted at 12:38PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I've wondered this myself. There used to be. Perhaps it's a case of the smarter commentators having too much at stake?

Nah, I've developed a theory about both Hooton and Trotter. They're reliably outrageous copy, and even if you think the content is a a black hole that sucks all intelligent thought out of a room, they're articulate to a fault. And available.

End of line.

Posted at 12:38PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

And we have the editor on the panel.

Whoops. Apologies. I didn't read yesterday's PS. very well, did I?

Posted at 12:45PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I've loaded the Winston Peters app. It throws out all the Asian components so the phone doesn't work. Does anyone think a cash bribe will fix it?

Posted at 12:50PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

08 Wire does its own take on the PREFU and takes a look at Farrar vs Standard on crime stats, with more argument about the ethics of implying your opponent doesn't care about rape in the comments. I do despair a bit sometimes.

Reading the latest comments, it appears that I, too, am now an enemy of the left.

Sigh ...

Posted at 12:52PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I've loaded the Winston Peters app. It throws out all the Asian components so the phone doesn't work.

You say my phone is part of the Gathering Asian Component Tide? Should I send some of it back?

Does anyone think a cash bribe will fix it?

I think I already paid that to Vodafone.

Posted at 1:08PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

thanks to "blog producer" Bryan Spondre, of having more civil and thoughtful comments than the actual posts).

I have to say, that Trotter's blog musings, pretty much justifiy everything the wingnuts have ever said about him.

Posted at 1:15PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I have to say, that Trotter's blog musings, pretty much justifiy everything the wingnuts have ever said about him.

He's been much quieter since his initial flurry of hyper-activity whereas Hooton's very active. I know I shouldn't bother, but I can't help but comment on some issues...

At the risk of offending our host, I'd really like it if a centre-right version of PAS were to start up but I can't see it happening.

Posted at 1:15PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

"Reading the latest comments, it appears that I, too, am now an enemy of the left...
Sigh ..."

yeh, but its not all sharing the love here, take craigs first comment.

.
"Steve:Pardon me if I pull out the world’s smallest violin. "

You get back what you put in. I think the rape smear was poor but so is davids consistent abuse of stats to scare the shit out of our fellow citizens.

Posted at 1:21PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Reading the latest comments, it appears that I, too, am now an enemy of the left.

Sigh ...

Do a contra deal with D.VICE (because patriotic pervs buy Kiwi-made!), send 'em the biggest dildo known to man or beast and suggest "the left" go fuck itself.

Posted at 1:23PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

and suggest "the left" go fuck itself."

or a deep breath and a prayer for duncan. I thought you were a Christian?

Posted at 1:25PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

PS: Also, we can still accommodate punters at tonight's recording of Media7

Russell: do you have a topic for next week as I could add a Media 7 rercording to a book launch in Auckland next Tuesday?

Posted at 1:25PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Reading the latest comments, it appears that I, too, am now an enemy of the left.

Sigh ...

Come home RB, you're understood and loved... seriously, Rob Salmond's done a good job trying to navigate a middle line but too many folk see life in binary terms.

Posted at 1:27PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

"At the risk of offending our host, I'd really like it if a centre-right version of PAS were to start up but I can't see it happening."

I see "this" as centre, so sometimes it veers either way, that's why its a decent read. facts are fun.

Posted at 1:28PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I'd really like it if a centre-right version of PAS were to start up but I can't see it happening.

Seconded. A thousand times over.

I actually think it drives my political leanings too - when there is very little consistent reasoned debate coming from one side of the political spectrum it colours your view somewhat.

Posted at 1:29PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

...is the left so brain-dead that the media can't do better than Chris ("Winston is the victim of the political equivalent of gang rape") Trotter for a house lefty?

He wouldn't be my choice - we (on the left) have multitudes to choose from. And you, who apparently attempt to occupy some sort of slightly right middle ground, who do you choose as a house middley?

Posted at 1:32PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I see "this" as centre, so sometimes it veers either way, that's why its a decent read. facts are fun.

I mostly agree and find the posts and commentary here unbelievably informed and insightful. I don't mean it as a criticism, more a comment on the lack of calm, reasoned and informed writers on the right of the spectrum. I need to give big-ups to Craig though - I appreciate that Craig's perspective is to the right of mine on some, but not all issues, and enjoy both the substance and delivery of his posts. It'd be interesting though, if someone like Dick Griffin started a blog or Gareth Morgan? I read Matt Nolan's stuff from time to time too - he's pretty orthodox.

Posted at 1:33PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

You get back what you put in. I think the rape smear was poor but so is davids consistent abuse of stats to scare the shit out of our fellow citizens.

Oh, no, Jeremy let's not even try to draw any kind of equivalence here. The sad thing is that if both Trotter and Steve Pearson/Clinton Smith/whatever his real name is had just said "OK, that was totally beyond the pale, unconditional apology and I'll stick to the issue" then I'd have said fair enough. I'm no stranger to saying and writing heinously dumb shit that (on sober reflection) would have been better left ratting around in the reptilian fore-brain.

But it's defending the indefensible that irritates me as much as the original mouth-fart. Grown ups own their shit and learn from it.

But I guess that's what happens when politics passed through ideology and turns into a quasi-religious dogma, where the only thing worse than an infidel is a back-sliding heretic.

Posted at 1:36PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

At the risk of offending our host, I'd really like it if a centre-right version of PAS were to start up but I can't see it happening.

That would be cool. I can't join a discussion at Kiwiblog without receiving direct, personal abuse these days, and it would be nice if there was a place to go and discuss ideas with a different crowd.

I do think it reflects poorly on DPF that he allows so much idiocy to persist. Some of his most prolific commenters are also the most unpleasant.

Posted at 1:39PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

Russell: do you have a topic for next week as I could add a Media 7 rercording to a book launch in Auckland next Tuesday?

As things stand, we're looking at the crime-and-the-media topic. It'd be great if you could join us. The recordings start at about 7pm, but we'd need you there by 6.30.

Posted at 1:45PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

"But I guess that's what happens when politics passed through ideology and turns into a quasi-religious dogma, where the only thing worse than an infidel is a back-sliding heretic."

I think it's just another voice....and to be honest in New Zeland there's not that many new voices getting profile.

The reason steve and cameron get angry is because they see injustice.

One is framed through the fading dream of a Liberterian utopia and the other is framed through the fading dream of worker unity.

Take your pick or ignore them both but both dreams are fading.

Posted at 1:48PM on 7 Oct 08. Permalink.

I can't join a discussion at Kiwiblog without receiving direct, personal abuse these days, and it would be nice if there was a place to go and discuss ideas with a different crowd.

I do think it reflects poorly on DPF that he allows so much idiocy to persist. Some of his most prolific commenters are also the most unpleasant.

Perhaps what you're complaining about is just the nature of most right wing political comment of which Matthew Hooton is but one example. I think Public Address does a perfectly good job of attracting people who want to address topics - political or otherwise. Why do you need another bog? Haven't we already got what you seem to be missing?