Posts by underscore_b
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But Rodger, the alternative you're proposing is just another kind of fascism, which undermines democratic process just as much as the leaders you're seeking to depose. I know I certainly wouldn't want to live in a society where any politician or social activist had reason to fear for their life, no matter what their views.
I'm all for criticisms of policy and even assertions that certain people are unfit to hold public office. But there's a big difference between that and threats of violence.
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Indeed. Parlour psychoanalysis often provides delicious case studies in projection and various forms of confirmation bias.
Fair call, Craig, but I really don't think that's the case here. Brash has previously called Hager's book a scurrilous attack, now he says it was an honest one. That's a pretty stark contrast. Or do you have a different interpretation?
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Well he had to say that in 2006, seeing as he was a party leader...someone should ask him why they differ so much though.
I wouldn't be surprised if Laugeson actually did ask him that - and I'd be even less surprised if he declined to comment further. The whole tone of the interview is confessional though, and I suspect that's as far as Brash could go on record without discrediting the party a la Scott McLellan.
Kyle: I think it's important to note that he didn't have to give an interview at all, and there's little for him to gain from it other than a salved conscience. It's framed as a character portrait, but there's some very, very interesting nuggets of information in there as I've mentioned above. There's a lot to be said for reading between the lines... :D
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An intriguing interview with Brash there, especially his apparent vindication of Hager:
The book, he says "was at least an honest attack".
Compare this with his newsletter from December 06, 2006:
"...a scurrilous attack on both the National Party as an institution and me as its Leader.
From the same newsletter:
Hager never lets the truth get in the way of a good conspiracy theory. He has used information very selectively, apparently modified some of the emails he has obtained, and drawn conclusions which are, in many cases, quite absurd.
It seems to me that Laugeson has come as close to an admission of guilt as anyone is going to get. Your thoughts?
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So although I'm pretty neutral about the practice and promotion of FLG in New Zealand, I'm pretty annoyed about their promotional tactics.
Well, yes and no, Guanny. I'd argue that FLG has more or less been forced to adopt a fly-by-night approach because otherwise they basically get stonewalled by the Chinese consulate. I've been involved with the Auckland Lantern Festival for a number of years and each time I've seen Falun Gong barred from the festivities because the consulate threatens to pull its support.
While I find their beliefs quite, quite fruity, I'm also aware that they are a group which has been systematically persecuted and hunted down like criminals in their own country. For that reason, I feel it's perfectly understandable that they would want to politicise these kind of situations.
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Just chiming in with the praise - I look forward to more of these stories on an even more regular basis. :D
What Nicky said at the conference really resonated with me actually, in that it's actually really hard to fight that kind of linguistic snowball effect. And the 'slippery Key' one is going to be especially persistent, especially since there *is* a grain of truth to it.
I have a healthy degree of skepticism about National policy and the lack thereof. But by framing it as an ad hominem, we lose sight of what we actually want from our Opposition. While this might not be an especially popular view, I actually appreciated that Key didn't start shooting his mouth off as soon as the AIA story broke. Ideally, you'd prefer him to have an informed opinion on the issue, but at least he didn't cop out with the reactionary tactics we've come to expect from Brownlee et al. And yet he was briefly pilloried for it.
Thoughts?
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Thank you for such a fitting eulogy.
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TMM: As it happens, I was just browsing through some back-issues of Craccum and found what seems to be an interview with you about 'personal style'. I hope you continue to rock the anarcho-riot grrrl thing from inside the halls of bureaucratic power. Anyway, thanks for the bloggery, Tze Ming.