Hard News: We need to talk about Len
205 Responses
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BenWilson, in reply to
But that is quite relevant of where NZ’s at now and where Japan was at back in the 80s-90s.
I really do struggle to see much of a parallel between the countries.
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Stephen R, in reply to
Is it wrong that I feel a nigh-on-orgasmic and highly addictive rush of schadenfreude every time I hear the words “Cameron Brewer declined to be interviewed” on Radio New Zealand?
No Craig, it's not wrong, or if it is, I don't want to be right.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
No, thankfully Cr. Brewer’s sex life remains a known unknown (to coin a phrase). But, boy, while the Filthy Five and the Herald were riding their moral high horses yesterday it turns out Cameron just forgot to declare his own junkets.
As far as I can see, Brewer also flat-out lies to Orsman in that story when he claims to have made the proper declaration in 2011. The register of interests didn't exist in 2011.
He told another version of the same lie to John Drinnan in 2011, who wrote about the junket in September 2011. Brewer claimed to have properly declared the gift. In today's story he admits he did nothing of the kind. It's astonishing.
And isn’t it funny how the story is well buried in the paper and Bernard Orsman’s tone is *cough* considerably more temperate. Guess we’re not going to get a screeching front-page editorial demanding Brewer’s head on a pike any time soon.
Or even just a tough story that really put Brewer on the spot. That would do for now.
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
I don't quite get why a broadcaster would have a commercial interest in a public transport project. Are they worried people won't listen to the radio when commuting by train instead of car? Or are they just objecting on normal right-wing pave-the-earth principles?
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I don’t quite get why a broadcaster would have a commercial interest in a public transport project. Are they worried people won’t listen to the radio when commuting by train instead of car? Or are they just objecting on normal right-wing pave-the-earth principles?
The tunnel route runs right under their building in Eden Terrace and may cause problems with noise and vibration during construction.
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
I reckon a jackhammer going full bore would be better than most of their output - I mean, it can't be racist, sexist or Justin Bieber.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Oh, dear… looks like Cameron Brewer is going to find out what The Herald does to its useful idiots when they’re no longer useful… If you’d excuse me, I have to go comfort my weeping crocodile.
RE https://twitter.com/BernardOrsman/status/413578038060650496
I believe it's a form of blowback. Or, lobbing a live grenade only for it to bounce against a wall and back into the lobber's face.
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What's the deal with "rumours" that Phil Goff might be interested in the Auckland mayoralty? Or did Fairfax and TVNZ and the Herald simply and arbitrarily decide to publish stories today which say that he had absolutely no interest... for no obvious reason?
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
What’s the deal with “rumours” that Phil Goff might be interested in the Auckland mayoralty?
Who knows? The only person I've heard saying any such thing is Dick Quax, and I have my doubts his sources in Labour circles are deep or reliable, assuming they exist at all. If you really want to get conspiratorial, it might be some cunning Labour ploy to encourage Goff to get off a safe Labour seat to kick start a caucus "renewal" but otherwise 'Goff: No ambitions to become a go-go dancer in a Bangkok boy bar' has roughly the same news value -- i.e. little if any.
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Jim Cathcart, in reply to
<q>I really do struggle to see much of a parallel between the countries.
</q>
It's simple really. Sense of entitlement. It appears to be on the rise in NZ, but on the decline in Japan. And that sense of entitlement seems to rise and fall based on economic fortune.
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It’s amusing how much harder Radio NZ has gone on the Cameron Brewer story than the Herald, which actually broke it. Todd Niall has done his usual good, patient work on it. All he's had back from Brewer is a brief email saying that Brewer won't be commenting on Len Brown's failure to declaring, starting today.
No word on whether he will ever comment on, like, his own failure.
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izogi, in reply to
If you really want to get conspiratorial, it might be some cunning Labour ploy
If I did, I'd think it were more likely that it were an effort to convince waning Len Brown supporters that there's a potentially electable leftie candidate who could take over as an alternative, to convince them to pull their support for him.
Re-reading those links, the Herald does seem to be the only one to report/repeat the rumours without also printing Phil Goff's outright denial. It's a pretty weak conspiracy at this point, though. :)
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SteveH, in reply to
I’d think it were more likely that it were an effort to convince waning Len Brown supporters that there’s a potentially electable leftie candidate who could take over as an alternative, to convince them to pull their support for him.
That was my thought too. But given that Brown hasn't resigned yet it all seems a little shrill.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
It’s amusing how much harder Radio NZ has gone on the Cameron Brewer story than the Herald, which actually broke it.
So, really, why did they bother? The more I over-think it, I suspect The Herald's not getting the kind of overwhelming support (internally or from the public) they'd like everyone to believe. Brewer's just the most convenient fig leaf for their 'Get Len' agenda. And let's be honest, I'd feel a little more sympathetic towards Brewer if he hadn't done such a good job of pinning a target to his own arse.
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Rich Lock, in reply to
I reckon a jackhammer going full bore would be better than most of their output
They might pick up a few listeners from George FM, as well.
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and they keep repeating the $39,000 bs over and over again
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Russell Brown, in reply to
So, really, why did they bother? The more I over-think it, I suspect The Herald’s not getting the kind of overwhelming support (internally or from the public) they’d like everyone to believe.
They've painted themselves into a corner. All they can do now is keep saying over and over that he's damaged goods in the hope it will become true.
As I said in the original post, I do regard Brown's undeclared taking of freebies from Sky City as an obvious and lamentable breach of the code of conduct. But any sense of proportion has been lost, to the extent that it's hard not to come back around to the view that it's still about the shagging.
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BenWilson, in reply to
It’s simple really. Sense of entitlement.
But that's everywhere.
It appears to be on the rise in NZ, but on the decline in Japan.
Hard to say. It's a very loose phrase, not exactly something that's quantified. Yes, people whose fortunes are rising tend to feel that is a good thing, and if their fortunes are falling for a lengthy period, they often decide it's time to pull their finger out.
But what that has to do with the Mayor of Auckland, I don't know. He's not the sum totality of NZ. He's not even a CEO of a major business, which is what you were comparing to. If he was, he could probably afford endless visits to Love Hotels, like they do in Japan, and carrying a burner phone would be a no-brainer, and in Japan it would have cost about $5 for all the use he made of it.
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BenWilson, in reply to
All they can do now is keep saying over and over that he’s damaged goods in the hope it will become true.
In 3 years, few will remember, and Brown may not stand again anyway. It's so far away that their insistence really can only be seen in the context of actually trying to roll the Mayor. They will fail. Perhaps they want to clip his wings, make it hard for him to do business? Again, they will fail.
Which actually goes to the real issue being the impotent helpless rage they all feel in Brown having not only been elected but having creamed the competition. It just feel so unfair.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
And let’s be honest, I’d feel a little more sympathetic towards Brewer if he hadn’t done such a good job of pinning a target to his own arse.
This. His yapping in Thursday's meeting was dreadful. Also how much of a lack of self-awareness do these guys have? Did he and Quax really not grasp that have ignored their own duty of declaration they weren’t in a very good position to be demanding yet more disclosure from Brown?
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simon g, in reply to
I have honestly not yet heard an interview - or read a column - where anybody coherently explains what it IS all about. Suggestions welcome (but not if they include phrases like "it's not a good look" or "swirling around", or any other substitutes for facts).
It is iron law that every argument about politics must include the phrase "That's not the issue!", as the antagonists seek to shift the battle to their preferred terrain. But in the case of Len Brown, "That's not the issue!" seems to be on constant replay, with nobody any the wiser about what the "Issue" really is.
The problem of course, is if the "Issue" is clarified, then there are consequences for people other than Len Brown. Adulterers must all resign, or non-declarers must all resign, or Sky City freebie-takers must all resign, or people with rubbish PR (and Brown's has been hopeless lately) must all resign. So, it's all left murky, for the sake of those who have positions to lose - but not for the sake of an informed populace, or the future of public ethics.
The Clinton comparison can be overdone, but the core of it is the same: is it about the high road or the low? Is it about the constitution, or Monica's thong? Only one of them really matters, but only the other one sells newspapers. The Herald has tried to blur the two, but I'm not buying it ... in either sense of the word.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
They’ve painted themselves into a corner. All they can do now is keep saying over and over that he’s damaged goods in the hope it will become true.
Totally. And one more thing about Brewer's junket -- who paid for it? A media company, and while sledging the opposition is a time-honoured media tradition, it could escalate into a tit-for-tat round of rather awkward news stories about APN's own *cough* interactions with politicians.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
The problem of course, is if the “Issue” is clarified, then there are consequences for people other than Len Brown. Adulterers must all resign, or non-declarers must all resign, or Sky City freebie-takers must all resign, or people with rubbish PR (and Brown’s has been hopeless lately) must all resign. So, it’s all left murky, for the sake of those who have positions to lose – but not for the sake of an informed populace, or the future of public ethics.
Nicely put.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
The Clinton comparison can be overdone, but the core of it is the same: is it about the high road or the low? Is it about the constitution, or Monica’s thong? Only one of them really matters, but only the other one sells newspapers. The Herald has tried to blur the two, but I’m not buying it … in either sense of the word.
This, too is nicely put with the other nicely put bit RB mentioned.
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Oh, well. In light of the Herald's story today, let me think about that again.
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