Posts by simon g
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The balcony scenes were fantastic. A cross between the football terraces and a mosh pit.
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Paul
There was another side to National's reply, detailed here:
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Atlee offered a bunch of handouts
And Venice is a bunch of puddles.
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Dave, that doesn't make sense. What is the referendum for? Fun, or change?
The response to this referendum will come from a new Parliament, even if the referendum is held on election day. Therefore, the views of the new Parliament will determine the outcome.
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Nick
Of course the referendum must - and will - be held, if there are enough signatures. And there is clearly a strong case for the referendum to be held on election day, on simple practicalities alone. But I think you have fallen into John Key's trap (and it is a clever one, at least in the short term, as Larry Baldock's statement above demonstrates).
Which is more important: the date of the referendum, or Parliament's response to the referendum?
We all know what the result will be, whenever and however it is held. We don't know what will be done about it. If a referendum is the "voice of the people", surely what they say matters more than when they say it.
Let the people speak, then ignore them. Is that a clarion call for direct democracy? Hardly. It's a cynical tactic, not the Gettysburg address.
On the TV news tonight, the headline will be "Clark rules out election day referendum". The headline won't be "Key rules out changing law after referendum." Both are true. Which one really matters?
But I do commend John Key on his political skills. If our media are too dumb to see through them, that's our problem, not his.
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Craig, I see plenty of partisan hackery at the Standard. I've seen people being one-eyed, or personal, or just wrong.
What I don't see is racism, bigotry, misogyny etc. But I see that almost every time I visit Kiwiblog (in the comments threads), and I think that's far worse than getting nasty about John Key, or whatever.
The discussion here began with the crudest misogyny on Kiwiblog, about an alleged rape victim. If that's a staple on the lefty blogs, then they're filth too. I've never seen it. Have you?
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Craig, you're fond of appearing bipartisan, but balance is not a substitute for truth.
There is no "loony left" equivalent of Kiwiblog, there is no comfortable home for racism, misogyny, and general bigotry, and unless Tom has been cloned a hundred times over, and has been pouring filth on every minority group there is, you're going to have to do a lot better than that. We are talking about a crowd - a LARGE crowd - of people, comfortable in their Kiwiblog sewer, and attracted there by its content. Which is right wing.
Thing is, I'm quite sure you know there is no equivalence, but you keep pretending there is because ... why? Party politics? Wishful thinking? I genuinely don't know why you do this. You're defending the indefensible by working overtime in the straw factory, and it's a shame.
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Craig, there is no comparison whatsoever between commenters who habitually dwell on Kiwiblog and those on PA, and you damn well know it. There can always be a few idiots or trolls on any internet forum, since all they need to do is sign in and type, but on Kiwiblog it is not a few, it is not new, and it is not an accident. It is the voice of the Neanderthal right wing blogosphere. Misogyny and all.
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If you ever needed convincing of the tragedy that is kiwiblog, the thread on this issue is conclusive proof; imagine the most sexist crap you've ever heard and you pretty much have it. Farrar himself might not be a misogynist, but his mates are.
God, I just read it. Really nasty. And of course the misogyny is accompanied by an instant, effortless shift to a lynch mob, almost in the same sentence. It's like those Simpsons town meetings:
"Good bloke ... stupid slag ... she obviously wanted it ... but just in case ... castrate him!"
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If you're looking for somebody to blame, here's one man's answer: it's all of you. Well, those of you resident in NZ anyway.
Writing in the UK Telegraph, Matt Stevens (England prop) plays the victim:
There isn't too much I can say about the investigation by the police. As a squad we have taken a decision that we will not discuss the details in public and I have to abide by that.
What I can say is that when you come to play rugby in New Zealand you are not just playing the All Blacks, you are taking on the whole nation. Everyone is against you. (italics added)
There is a siege mentality out here and that's what makes it so difficult to come to New Zealand and concentrate purely on playing rugby. The events of the past week have pulled us together as a squad. We have supported each other and made a collective effort to try to concentrate on the rugby. The investigation was something that we had to put to one side during the build-up to the second Test.
Well done, everybody. Especially the police. You did it for the All Blacks.