Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Solemnity of the Day

146 Responses

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  • SteveH, in reply to SteveH,

    It’s pretty easy to stop people commenting on your wall. go to Privacy Settings, How You Connect and set Who can post on your Wall? to Only Me.

    But as far as I can tell there is no way to stop people commenting on your posts. So you'd have to hide all your old posts as well.

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Hebe,

    were we winkled out as swingers

    was it something you said on one of Emma's posts?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to izogi,

    I thought the Green Party took my aussie postal address from the electoral roll.

    Are overseas mailing addresses *on* the electoral role? Genuine question. Wouldn't think they'd bother with me since people who move long-term to America are probably not on their list of likely voters, but I had no idea.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to SteveH,

    It's pretty easy to stop people commenting on your wall. go to Privacy Settings, How You Connect and set Who can post on your Wall? to Only Me.

    Where's Privacy Settings? :-)

    ETA: Found it, it's a menu item off the unnamed inverted triangle next to Home. So all I have to do to be safe is set it up so Only Me can post on my wall, and Only Me can read the comments by others, and I've effectively made Facebook into a way for people to send me private messages.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • izogi, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    I'm certainly on it because I updated my address a few months after I shifted, and they did the usual confirmations through the post. I figured I should at least update the roll to avoid confusing any jury summons, and strictly speaking it's against the (New Zealand) law to not update it, but probably not very binding for people not in NZ.

    I can't see any reason why overseas addresses wouldn't be published. The NZ electoral roll is a public record. According to this, post shops display the roll for their local area, and the FAQ states that the EEC is required to provide enrolment details (including full name, address and occupation but NOT date of birth) to interested political parties, candidates, and approved researchers, unless you've applied to be on the unpublished roll. So it shouldn't be hard for any party to get a list of overseas voters if they wanted to direct-mail them, assuming all those people have actually kept their details updated.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to BenWilson,

    I've effectively made Facebook into a way for people to send me private messages

    sounds more appealing already

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    But is it reasonable to expect people to disable comments that have no connection to the election at all?

    No, and they don't expect you to; the disabling comments thing is aimed at political pages. I think people are taking the advisory way out of context.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe, in reply to Sacha,

    were we winkled out as swingers
    was it something you said on one of Emma's posts?

    Nice. I'll have to watch for that.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart, in reply to Hebe,

    Nice. I’ll have to watch for that.

    It's all the winkling, probably.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Andrew, in reply to Hebe,

    We had a tea-time telephone call from our Prime Minister last evening. Did everyone get one or were we winkled out as swingers or potentially so?

    I got mine tonight. Hung up after I worked out what it was. If I want to listen to a recorded message I'll call IRD.

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report Reply

  • merc,

    Two young men approached me holding brochures while I was checking my mail. They started to say they were representing my local Nat candidate, I asked where is he? They pointed over the way, I said bit thin on the ground, they laughed.

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Emma Hart,

    you can always pick a winkler

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • hamishm,

    Got a call from the PM here too, as usual he would not respond to questioning so he got hung up on.

    Since Nov 2006 • 357 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    I'm looking forward to my robo-call. New to NZ innit? I have a few things to say to Key, and hope to enjoy saying them for a nanosecond, before flinging the phone in the toilet :)
    Back in Mr Key's 'real world' I'm feeling a bit jaded and over it. Every time I see a poll with National over 50% I get a feeling of unreality. What happened to NZers? I walk the streets looking slightly sideways at people- Over 50%!?! that means you, and maybe you and- surely not you?
    Arg!
    Then something will ignite a spark of hope- if only, just maybe... but- but but!
    This is not a healthy head-space :)
    Once it's over and the worst has happened... I dunno. At least it'll be over!

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Don't hang up on the robocall. Leave it off hook until it times out. That way it can't pester the next person. You might even be able to string it along if there are options you are meant to press.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • DexterX, in reply to Russell Brown,

    It doesn't make any sense

    The flavour of choice this time around.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • DexterX, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    portentous event will cause the pagan Epsomebodies to sacrifice Mr Banks just in case

    That makes sense - do it at the bottom of the Mt Eden crater.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • Hayden Wilson,

    I've been particularly enjoying the assumptions parties have been making as to whether to direct mail my partner or me, based apparently solely on our electoral role addresses and occupations. Could they be more wrong?

    Since Nov 2006 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • DexterX, in reply to Heather Gaye,

    Saw it and thought the hearts were cute - it did not trigger the thought - this might be Act.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Hayden Wilson,

    I’ve been particularly enjoying the assumptions parties have been making as to whether to direct mail my partner or me, based apparently solely on our electoral role addresses and occupations. Could they be more wrong?

    Brian Rudman once wrote of John Howard addressing a personalised letter in Chinese, to a Sydneysider named Kai - who's German.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Ben Austin,

    The Green Party is the only party to have made contact with me here in London. I understand they have done this before, from the Electoral Roll. I certainly have not given them my contact details.

    It is a nice touch on their part I guess.

    From casual conversations at the pub, other social occasions or at work with NZers, it seems more are centre left, but there are still a lot of people considering voting for National. Not so much because they like JK, as no one I've met seems to understand why he is so popular back home (unless they left after 2008), but more for National's economic management abilities. So, traditional reasons to consider voting for a centre right party that sells itself on such, I guess

    London • Since Nov 2006 • 1027 posts Report Reply

  • tussock, in reply to Ben Austin,

    National’s economic management abilities

    That'd be the one where the economy always does better under Labour. The economy being made up of people, who are better off under Labour. Funny that.

    There's a Keynes vs Hayek musical interlude in there somewhere.

    'was finding it hilarious every time tonight Key in the debate didn't want to talk about poverty or jobs because he needed to fix the economy. Guess what the economy is, dumbass: the distribution of wealth and the jobs that directs us to undertake. More people paying for stuff means more jobs to do means more people with money to pay for stuff.

    Well, that and some macro about not letting it all result in building rows of mansions in the desert for wishful profits, and maybe planning for some future energy security, preventative medicine, justice, bla bla bla.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Keir Leslie,

    No, and they don’t expect you to; the disabling comments thing is aimed at political pages. I think people are taking the advisory way out of context.

    In a practical sense, perhaps, but the EC's earlier advisory, in May, was similarly blunt.

    … It is an offence, at any time on election day before the close of the poll at 7pm, to publish any statement intended or likely to influence any elector as to the candidate or party or referendum option for whom the elector should or should not vote.

    These rules reflect the long-standing feature of New Zealand electoral law that voters should be free from interference and influence on election day. They are the reason, for example, that all election billboards have to be removed before polling day.

    These rules apply to statements published or broadcast in all media including social media. The Electoral Act specifically addresses the application of these rules to websites.

    Your Twitter stream doesn't have to be a "political page" for you to be seen to attempt to influence others' votes on the day. It's a breach if you post a Facebook status that reads "Woo! Everybody vote for Winston today!" It's publishing.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Ben Austin,

    National's economic management abilities

    I'm not sure how it seems from afar but this government has been specifically clueless on that front - more of the same tired neoliberal magic beans and wishing and hoping that Bill English and chums brought us in the 1990s. Much like Cameron's UK, only more sly in the political and comms management this time here.

    We've seen: the same core faith that 'the market will provide' (even in the face of one of its greatest global failures in a century); slashing of the public sector while telling the public you're "capping" job numbers and "transferring resources from the back office to the frontline"; proposing to sell core infrastructure against any evidence that it will produce results other than a warm feeling for Randians, a transfer of wealth from citizens to fortunate investors and (belatedly, the story changes) a slush fund to buy votes in the provinces. Some nice touches like putting the proceeds of those asset sales in the 2011 Budget as if they were already a done deal, to stave off the disapproval of global ratings agencies.

    And ignoring the ignominy of two recent credit downgrades (which naturally no one has reminded us of during most of the shortened election campaign).

    I guffawed the first time the phrase "economic credibility" slid from Key's lips during the infamous Chch Press 'leaders' debate. Sobered very swiftly when Goff had no rejoinder. And subsequently on the campaign trail when the Labour leader failed to get his party's economic basics right 3 days in a row under questioning.

    All the whiile, Cunliffe (who does have good command of the detail and more oomph in debate) is kept firmly in the wings to avoid overshadowing the contender, and other parties are kept out of the centrepiece TV debates through duplicity between National, Labour and broadcasters. It would be great to see the Greens and Labour or Natonal and Act talking aobut how they would manage the economy together in an MMP government. Instead we get the pretence of FPP and the prospect of a government with no practical constraints.

    I don't feel like New Zealanders deserve the poor accountability we're getting, though perhaps we do deserve the incompetent leadership we tolerate.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • JacksonP, in reply to Russell Brown,

    It’s a breach if you post a Facebook status that reads “Woo! Everybody vote for Winston today!” It’s publishing.

    It may be a breach, but would the EC really pursue an individual for, to use the phrase at hand, 'being a dick?'

    And just in case they do, who's responsible in this event on a community of blogs? Just as a matter of interest. ;-)

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 2450 posts Report Reply

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