Hard News: Something odd and unresolved
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A five-hundred page policy paper isn't arse-wipe if it gives voters an insight into where a particular party will be starting post-election negotiations with potential coalition partners, and it isn't arse-wipe if it gives the voters a concrete perception of a party's ideology.
And if it's unaffordable and/or unworkable, it only isn't arse wipe (and environmentally unfriendly to boot) if printed on glossy paper.
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it only isn't arse wipe (and environmentally unfriendly to boot) if printed on glossy paper.
Like, er, Slippery?
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Franks was asked about a question of policy and couldn't answer because there is none.
Instead of simply noting the obvious, he pretends this is some new virtue - don't ask me what I'll do, ask me about what I am.
"A vicious, nasty little homophobe" is what I remember from his ACT days. Sad to see National losing social progressives like Blumsky and gaining the worst dross of ACT instead.
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So, Kyle, do you think Ruth Key has some dark secret buried back in Austria, his half-brothers know and loathe their little bro', he secretly beats his children and abuses his wife, and there was a long line of school mates and former co-workers he terrorised whose interviews mysteriously got lost?
Oh I doubt that Key has any deep dark secrets, he doesn't strike me as that interesting at all.
Just saying, the Herald's in depth, extensive biography of John Key reaching the same level of dullness as Brian Edwards biography of Helen Clark, doesn't say much for it. Either there's nothing interesting about the man at all, or they did a pretty bad job of making the article interesting, both of which are disappointing.
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Bullshit, Don
Authorised:
sanctioned by established authority
Which clearly it was.
Unauthorised it wasn't.
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Whoooa there nellys... Lets not get too worked up here. I'm no fan of John Key. But the guy's a damn good chance of becoming PM and I didn't know a bloody thing about him before this. Lets break it down and remember it only runs up to the end of his banking career. A piece about his mother (bloody interesting). A light piece on Bronagh/their relationship/the kids (normal, valid journalistic endeavour when profiling a politician and of interest to a great many thus the reason it gets done all the time). A typical Q + A that shows his music tastes are - you guessed it - bland. A human interest yarn about his long lost brother. Then a main piece on his life story starting from the year dot showing basically that he's certainly not the most interesting guy in the world but that he's determined and what he's got, he got himself. No dirt from his banking career (disappointing I know) but for an investigation that uncovered a brother Key himself hasn't been in touch with we can sure they didn't try. If the description of Key breathing through his teeth with excitement when recollecting of his massive gambles on the kiwi isn't a good anecote, WTF is? So in summary, a life story up to 40 is a life story up to 40. I expect to see a lot more of the "interesting" stuff next week. So the Herald leans towards National. Wow, no shit. But the idea of a Mr Burns-type editor telling his cronies to go out and write a puff-piece on Key just doesn't wash... For starters, in these days of modern media cutbacks they probably wouldn't have the staff. It is what it is: a damn solid look at what the guy comes from and what he's about.
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Considering that the article only took Key up to what, early adolescence? I'm not really sure what dark skeletons they could really air. Not that I wasn't hoping for some but gotta be realistic about most 10 year olds, especially those who want to play golf...
As for whether the article was truly unauthorised or not, it's really semantics isn't it? Technically you can argue that it wasn't, depending on what definitions you use for 'authority' etc. but common usage suggests that most people expect that the term "unauthorised" means that the subject has not ok'd it - doesn't matter what a dictionary says the term means, it's what the general public think it means in this case.
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Whoooa there nellys... Lets not get too worked up here.
Kelly, this is your first post at PA System. I'm suspicious. Are you somehow affiliated with the Herald?
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__Instead of simply noting the obvious, he pretends this is some new virtue - don't ask me what I'll do, ask me about what I am.__
"A vicious, nasty little homophobe" is what I remember from his ACT days.
Quite! It's really quite odd for a personality as weird as Franks to be urging people to take him on character. I mean, who's the constituency for that?
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Yes, I am the editor's PA. He's actually a reaaaalllly nice guy and you guys don't understand him at all. If only you could see him at work, he's so great. I can't believe you saw through me
Unauthorised - yes semantics - they dug up his half-brother. ow that's unauthorised. They told the guy "your half-bro might be PM of a small colonial nation". If some journo dug up my half-brother while investigating me I'd be concerned at how hard they were going
I actually enjoyed the family pics... they tell a lot. Gotta love Christmas Day in the Canterbury rugby jumper. ANd the sandals with socks... Now THAT tells you about our possible future leader.
As did the aforementioned footage onf 80s Johnny on Unuathorised History of NZ...
Speaking of glowing biogs... Remember "The Patient English" by Wariwick Roger in North and South a few years back... Didn't get him far
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Yeah no its my first post I guess I just got inspired with cats thinking it was the end of the world that a paper did an in-depth profile of a potential PM...
all i wanted to say was whoa nelly
this is now keeping me from outrageous fortune
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It is what it is: a damn solid look at what the guy comes from and what he's about.
minority report.
lol.
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this is now keeping me from outrageous fortune
a true martyr to the cause.
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Okay. I was wrong. It was a damn solid look at what the guy comes from.
Hopefully this week we'll hear more of what he's about.
I was getting a bit carried away - I'm new here.
I guess something I noticed was a couple of refernces to how Key seeks advice when he needs it. Sounded like they were setting up for something.
Coz one thing we don't know about, other than Crosby-Textor, is who he's been getting advice from since he entered politics.When he came back, or when he was deciding to come back to politics, who was his muse. WHo advised him on that. ANd since then, who's advised him on image, on media, on policy. Coz Crosby Textor is only gonna be the wallpaper
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Surely they decided to call it "unauthorised" to make it sound less.. boring. It's hardly an accidental choice of word, but I don't think they're being literal at all - more of a self-important marketing ploy is my pick.
I recommend looking at that few minutes of 80s footage from the other Unauthorised History, including some great evasion that looks familiar already and even the bloke's wife admitting his job was boring.
Worth the whole Herald piece, I thought. Kelly, don't tell yer boss I said that though.
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I was getting a bit carried away - I'm new here.
Oh, there are people who've been here for ages who get carried away all the time ...
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In white jackets, sometimes..
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Quite! It's really quite odd for a personality as weird as Franks to be urging people to take him on character. I mean, who's the constituency for that?
Well, you've got to thank whatever God you don't believe in that we have a secret ballot, and Yank-style exit polls aren't otherwise compulsory psych evaluations and intelligence tests for electors would start looking damn attractive.
Earlier this year, we attended the civil unification of friends in Petone. I had a fascinating conversation with a guest who explained to me in quite unprintable term how much he despised his local MP, Trevor Mallard. But here's the punchline -- "but of course, I'll vote for him." Didn't really think there was much point in explaining all that two-votes tosh when the bride threatened to get bridezilla on my arse if I got into any political arguments on her special day. :)
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Oh, there are people who've been here for ages who get carried away all the time ...
And come back with duty free cigarettes, endless photos and a bad case of the colonist's revenge. :)
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Oh, there are people who've been here for ages who get carried away all the time ...
and some who are ascorted to a safer environment by nice people in white coats. it's just those stains they leave on the carpet that worry me...
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Two things
Thanks, everyone, for spelling arse correctly and making an old pedant very happy!
Crosby Textor sounds like someone's ghetto pimp name.
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Thanks, everyone, for spelling arse correctly and making an old pedant very happy!
I've been thinking about this since you brought it up the other day. Y'see, for me, I can't write that word at all. "Arse" to me is the UK usage, where it is a common expletive and much is made of that middle "r" sound. "Ass" is the USA usage, which is almost invariably descriptive, and always seems to catch a drawl when its said, like a sail catching wind.
The NZ version is different in both pronunciation and usage to either of those ones. I don't like either spelling; I think we need our own, but of course you can't force these things.
(And in re: John Key bio - if it was closer to the election, I'd smell a rat. As it is, I'm prepared to give the Herald a pass on this one, even though I'm a very happy citizen of Helengrad. Not that I've read it or even seen a copy of course, that would take far too much effort.)
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Has anyone linked to The Onion yet? Sometimes in my rough perusal I miss the good stuff.
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I was getting a bit carried away - I'm new here.
No worries, Kelly, and welcome to PA System. I'm just a bit paranoid with things hotting up around election time.
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Has anyone linked to The Onion yet? Sometimes in my rough perusal I miss the good stuff.
Excellent link Dinah, a three pointer that cross-pollinates the vocab discussion elsewhere:
Added Sherwood, "It's all about getting the factoids out in the open."
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