I can't help but think that the National Party's refusal to participate in the government's constitutional review indicates a fatal lack of confidence.
Even if everything Don Brash said about the review yesterday is true - that it is a political move aimed at defusing the Treaty issue in advance of next year's election - the review is entirely legitimate, and National is the Parliamentary Opposition. It's the Opposition's job to participate in major select committee inquiries. And the man National is dismissing as a lapdog chair, Peter Dunne, is also its most viable coalition partner.
What National appears to be saying is that the only circumstance in which it can meet Labour's challenge is if Labour is lying prone and defenceless and doing nothing to address questions about the Treaty. Brash, having declared that we need to have the debate, doesn't want to have the debate. I think this will prove to be a mistake.
Meanwhile, City Vision appears to have done exactly what I thought it shouldn't do with its mandate on the Auckland City Council: aped the last shower of CitRats by playing power games and stating as a fait accompli policies that it did not explicitly campaign on. Destabilising the mayor is stupid too. If Bruce Hucker doesn't want to be a one-term wonder he would be well advised to behave with some more grace. Announcing a wish-list is one thing, but setting out a viable and fair policy programme should be a matter of discussion. Hucker might want to bear in mind the line on the City Vision website that reads: "Good leaders take people with them."
Nanaia Mahuta might change her stance and vote for the foreshore and seabed bill on the basis of a flock of late amendments? With the likes of New Zealand First's Dail Jones fronting up to endorse the legislation, a Mahuta rethink from the other side of the argument would be just like a bloody great big Christmas present for Labour, wouldn't it?
Peter McLennan drew my attention to the following dirt-digging questions from Deborah Coddington, asked in the House and noted in the OnFilm mailing list. Answers are apparently due to be provided this Friday:
*16586 (2004). Deborah Coddington to the Minister of Broadcasting: Does he know of any Television New Zealand policy regarding checking with previous employers on the possibility of T.V.N.Z. managers, producers, commissioners of programmes or executives being dismissed from previous employment due to alleged financial mismanagement or dishonesty; if yes, what is the policy?
* 16587 (2004). Deborah Coddington to the Minister of Broadcasting: Has he received any reports of any senior personnel currently employed at Television New Zealand (T.V.N.Z.) being dismissed from previous employment due to alleged financial mismanagement or dishonesty; if yes, on what date did he receive those reports, to whom did they relate, and what action, if any, did he take?
* 16604 (2004). Deborah Coddington to the Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage: Is she aware of any recent changes to feature film production financing guidelines being considered by the New Zealand Film Commission; if yes, what are these changes?
* 16605 (2004). Deborah Coddington to the Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage: Has she received any reports or advice regarding the New Zealand Film Commission considering applications for funding for documentary films; if yes, on what date and what was the nature of these reports or advice?
With respect to last week's posts about dark fibre and infrastructure, someone calling themselves "Osama" offered the following comment:
Dude, Canada had a glut of dark fibre following the tech boom. Canarie got a whole lot so cheap even their eyes watered. There is a glut in Central Auckland - even in Grey Lynn (Telstra) but ARENA doesn't have the same windfall of below-cost fibre to benefit from. Sorry.
Good point, but it really serves to underline the merit of the Canadian government's terribly-politically-incorrect broadband strategy. They regulated pricing on the basis of capital expenditure, so the telcos and cable companies had to build out to increase their revenue. Installed fibre is not a bad thing of which to have a glut, is it?
As the Fallujah offensive starts to go septic, and violence erupts in a string of other cities, Juan Cole has commentary and background here and here. And Dahr Jamail's story Dogs Eating Bodies in the Streets of Fallujah is getting a lot of mileage.
With the place smashed into rubble, the question would now seem to be whether there is still a viable city for 300,000 people to return to. Will they become internal refugees? On past form, you'd have to guess there isn't a plan to fix it.
Raed has a variety of urban warfare pictures from around Iraq.
Slashdot has a thread on the claimed discovery of Atlantis.
Adam Bogacki directed me this excellent analysis by J.K. Galbraith of operational problems with the US elections this month. He believes that attempts at voter suppression worked in at least some places - and his proposed solution is to abolish election day.
And, finally, it was nice to know that so many people appreciated yesterday's post about Dorothy. Her family is pleased too.