Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: That Buzzing Sound

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    Why Craig, how could I say when even Ms Lee is having memory issues about the whole thing?

    Well, Goff and Mallard seemed quite happy to accuse Lee of not disclosing to NZOA that she was a National Party candidate. Since Jane Wrightson has quite clearly said that's not true, I'd expect an apology to be forthcoming. (Or evidence provided that Wrightson is either a liar or senile.) Won't hold my breath waiting, though.

    Jesse Gunarathan, on the other hand, seems to recall events more clearly.

    Hum... and apparently her employment issues with Lee are totally irrelevant.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    OH, and to state the bleeding obvious: That comment was a great hairball of stupid. Racist? Don't think so. Needs to sharpen up dramatically about handling an obviously hostile crowd, and thinking on her feet? Certainly.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    OH, and to state the bleeding obvious: That comment was a great hairball of stupid. Racist? Don't think so.

    You're right. Keeping people from outside your area from entering your area is not racist, we might need a special word for it.

    Suburbism?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    You're right. Keeping people from outside your area from entering your area is not racist, we might need a special word for it.

    Suburbism?

    That works for me, though if we impeached every politician who said something spectacularly stupid in uncontrolled surroundings there wouldn't be any left. Or we'd never see anyone out from behind a teleprompter, surrounded by taser-bearing PR flacks, which I'm not entirely sure is a good thing.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Horsley,

    OH, and to state the bleeding obvious: That comment was a great hairball of stupid. Racist? Don't think so. Needs to sharpen up dramatically about handling an obviously hostile crowd, and thinking on her feet? Certainly

    Hi first time poster here...

    I was at the meeting, and I would have to disagree. It wasnt something that she just blurted out, in fact she seemed very pleased with herself for having thought of it. When asked to clarify the comment, she went into a fair amount of detail justifying herself. Maybe she doesnt consider herself a rascist, but it appeared to be a view that she genuinely subscribed too.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    OMFG! I listened to Melissa lee's train wreck of an interview with Geoff Robinson - Stephen Fry couldn't have made it up. Gentle Geoff was clearly nonplussed.

    That she is brittle and shrill became clear on Q&A last weekend - that she is just plain dumb wasn't made clear until this week.

    "A senior policeman told me" sounded suspiciously like a fib made up on the spot, someone needs to ask her the next obvious question - what was the policeman's name? Her evasiveness over the possible blurring of the use of public funds was unforgivable from a political viewpoint - she has had plenty of time to sort her story.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • andin,

    Hum... and apparently her employment issues with Lee are totally irrelevant

    I wonder what they were?

    Parliament should dump the opening prayer and start sessions with readings of the Tales of Chicken Little and The Little Shepherd Boy Who Cried Wolf instead.

    I would have suggested some ethics texts,( excluding those tomes where the author/authors believe an invisible hand is guiding them,or even worse talking to them) maybe some Thomas Paine.

    But "Dump the Prayer" I like it.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    That works for me, though if we impeached every politician who said something spectacularly stupid in uncontrolled surroundings there wouldn't be any left.

    Oh, cry me a river, Craig. Yes, the poor thing, having to speak without a teleprompter, in front of live human beings... booh-hoo.

    You know, when somebody says something *that* stupid and narrow-minded and sad, you might just have to entertain the possibly that they are in fact themselves stupid and narrow-minded and sad. Language being a window into the soul, and that.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I wonder what they were?

    I wouldn't mind knowing. You know like when Insinuate was making incredibly serious allegations against David Parker, they should have included some significant information about his main source that would have raised serious questions about his credibility.

    Anyway, complaints have been laid with NZOA and the Electoral Commission and unless you're totally wing-nutty I think you've got to accept they're going to run a credible investigation.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    And another small observation about Melissa Lee. I was godsmacked at her lack of preparation for her interview this morning. I wonder if there isn't a huge difference between the instinctive ferral cunning honed from years political kneecapping of the electorate MP and the sort of lazy careerism of some fastracked list MP's?

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Oh, cry me a river, Craig. Yes, the poor thing, having to speak without a teleprompter, in front of live human beings... booh-hoo.

    Why don't you slap in a catheter and drain off some of the piss?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Because you know something, Gio, if I was prone to hanging everyone who ever said anything stupid I'd have to get around to committing suicide at some point.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    You seem not to understand how this works, Gio. When a Labour member says something stupid they need to apologise, but when a National person says something stupid it should be ignored, because 'they all do it.'

    Similarly, you should not accept that a National member is lying unless you have solid proof of it, but you should assume that a Labour member is lying unless you have solid proof that he's not.

    I hope that clears it up.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    So currently National:
    - are demolishing half the constituency to build a highway
    - are replacing the semi-democratic council with an imposed Banks-O-Mander
    - have a candidate who's been making party political films with NZ on Air money
    - and also has something of a problem with anyone who isn't either East Asian or Pakeha

    They'll probably still win..

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    we might need a special word for it.
    - Suburbism?

    These things go in cycles Suburbanist behaviour will lead to the inevitable rise of those pesky Areans , the backlash of the Anti Destination League* and so it goes...
    (* not my concept - first coined by that brilliant cartoonist and animator Chuck Jones - so I read recently in The Atlantic mag)

    Maybe we should all live purely on the web
    and just be loyal to an Urldom and all its protocols : )

    yrs HAL
    (shift one to the right = IBM!)

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Tim Michie,

    I wonder what they were?

    The link to the Morning Report interview with the former staffer doesn't appear to be up yet but she said her contract wasn't renewed, she had to get over and move on from that and that TV3 approached her.

    Auckward • Since Nov 2006 • 614 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    and unless you're totally wing-nutty I think you've got to accept they're going to run a credible investigation

    Why would we accept that? National were quite happy to accuse the Police of being thoroughly in Labour's pocket whenever the Police investigated something and the outcome was not to National's liking. The Police are legislated to be independent, too. Which is more than can be said for NZOA.

    What's good for the goose, etc. Though I should point out that I actually do expect an impartial investigation from both organisations, and I hope (probably in vain, though) that the outcomes will be respected by all parties.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    "A senior policeman told me" sounded suspiciously like a fib made up on the spot, someone needs to ask her the next obvious question - what was the policeman's name?

    Some of my best friends are Polynesians, but...

    Seriously though, she doesn't speak for this Chiwi.

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

  • Sacha,

    Craig, the difference is that you're not putting yourself forward as a leader - well, except maybe of the "justify anything the Nats do" movement here - a thankless task sometimes, but one that attracts different levels of power and corresponding public scrutiny.

    Suburbism is when a Palmy motelier bans people from Waikanae. "South Auckland" is code for brown folk - as you well know even though there aren't many where you live at present. Lee seems like a loudmouth racist - because she is acting like one. At least it's good for potential voters to see who she is now.

    Unless her production company's only income was from NZonAir, it seems to me ok for her to deploy her staff and her equipment any way she likes as the owner and manager. I'm confident that will come out in the wash, and I agree an apology to Wrightson might be due (but like you I'm not holding my breath).

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    Seriously though, she doesn't speak for this Chiwi.

    Well, since she's a Korwi, that's not unsurprising :P

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    has something of a problem with anyone who isn't either East Asian or Pakeha

    At the time of the National Party election advert with that schoolkids choir, I remember noting here that Asian passes as diversity in our leafy eastern suburbs.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    You seem not to understand how this works, Gio. When a Labour member says something stupid they need to apologise, but when a National person says something stupid it should be ignored, because 'they all do it.'

    Similarly, you should not accept that a National member is lying unless you have solid proof of it, but you should assume that a Labour member is lying unless you have solid proof that he's not.

    I hope that clears it up.

    How about we try this, 3410:

    1) I'm the last person who occupies the moral high ground when it comes to saying stupid, ill considered things. Which I do apologise for.

    2) Everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. If I can extend that to Philip Field, perhaps you can extend the same to Lee?

    3) And when you get things wrong, you should apologise. Unless Jane Wrightson is a liar, perhaps Lee is owed one by the people who claim she failed to dislose her status as a National Party candidate before the last election?

    So currently National:
    - are demolishing half the constituency to build a highway
    - are replacing the semi-democratic council with an imposed Banks-O-Mander
    - have a candidate who's been making party political films with NZ on Air money

    1) Half the constituency? Theatre, much?
    2) WTF is a 'Banks-O-Mander'
    3) We're really having a problem with that 'allegedly' thing. Are you moonlighting as the last living Herald sub-editor?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Oh, and you know that national fibre network.

    It's being rolled back to, basically, fibre to places that already have fibre. And it'll cost a fortune.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. If I can extend that to Philip Field, perhaps you can extend the same to Lee?

    Field? He's guilty as. Hasn't he been hung yet?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    Field? He's guilty as. Hasn't he been hung yet?

    And Helen had the good sense to show him the door when he was turning politically toxic.

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

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