Posts by nzlemming
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Hard News: The Fine Line, in reply to Russell Brown,
For that reason, I actually don’t think it makes sense for Cunliffe to conjure up a magic number now, no matter how much Guyon Espiner screams at him.
I've stopped actually listening to Moaning Report, now. I'm only keyed to the changing bulletins as a timekeeper. Both of them are crap interviewers.
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Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to Myles Thomas,
Yeah yeah. 30 odd years is a trend of non-military GGs. Strange to change back but not conclusive of anything, just unusual.
Meh. 30 years is the blink of an eye in governance terms.
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Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to Angela Hart,
Hear, hear. Weasels are a pest inNew Zealand and should be treated accordingly.
I stoatily agree.
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Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to Sacha,
Court testimony and a follow-up interview, reported by professional journalists. What are you basing yours on?
Oh, attested facts, pfft. ;-)
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Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to Myles Thomas,
With the many able candidates to GG why appoint someone who’s just been appointed to a very important role? And why the military man? That’s unusual for GG who has been usually an ex-legal or politician.
Yeah, nah the list of Governors and GGs doesn't bear out your argument. In fact, it's only since Holyoake in 1977 that we moved away from former military figures.
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Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to Alfie,
Key has finally responded with his usual ridicule and a claim that John Campbell is some sort of “conspiracy theorist”.
“Trust me. There’s nothing to see here folks… moving right along.”
So, applying the Farrar factor, it's now confirmed ;-)
Having watched the article, now, +1 on the silly music but what strikes me about Fletcher is that he can't articulate an answer to Campbell's mild questioning in the early interview. I didn't think about it at the time but that's not what you look for in a change agent. You go for someone who can think on his feet, deflect with a smile, has excellent presentation skills as well as organisational ability, because those are the very things you have to do. That Fletcher couldn't do that is odd, because there's nothing in his history that indicates a problem there. I wonder if it was a natural reluctance to lie that was tripping him up verbally. -
Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to Sacha,
His complete dismissiveness all but screams Campbell is onto something
that and conveniently leaving out parts of the timeline that don’t suit Farrar’s spin.
Farrar is very fond of saying "it's not official until it's been denied"
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Hard News: Circumstance and coincidence, in reply to MxDEJ,
Random thought crossed with a genuine question: Was there some pressing reason to move Mateparae out of NZDF, even if it meant bouncing him in and out of the GCSB?
No, he was a very able head of NZDF and well-respected.
[edit: except by Jon Stephenson ;-) ]
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Hard News: The problems inherent in the system, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
For the same reason we don’t talk much about adults who purchase alcohol legally, consume the stuff in moderation, don’t drive drunk, commit crimes against others or their property under the influence, or end up with severe chronic alcohol-related health issues? Because they’re not a public policy or public health issue.
Spot. On.
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OnPoint: Budget 2014: Yeah okay., in reply to Rosemary McDonald,
And of course those bureaucrats were being honest? Yeah, right.
Actually, they are. You might let a little more light into the argument if you stopped demonising people and thought about the fact that most people join the public service because they want to make the country run, not because they want to run the country. They are people, just like you and me. They follow the direction of an elected government that sets the policy, the targets and holds the purse strings. The bureaucracy may suffer from inertia in either getting moving or stopping once started, but they are, by and large, not the initial force. That is the minister. And those are the people who want to run the country.