Posts by Matthew Poole
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Hard News: Last Words, in reply to 3410,
I guess that’s what Labour gets for failing to advise “Party vote Labour” on their billboards
Except that they do have "Party Vote Labour" billboards up all over the place.
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Hard News: Last Words, in reply to Tom Semmens,
Labour won’t suffer a 2002 type meltdown because Phil Goff is a better man than Bill English
Labour’s polling right now is down around the level of National's 2002 result. It’s entirely possible that their voters will look at the polls and say “We’re doomed. Fuckit, I can’t be bothered.”
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Still staggered that support for National is so high while support for asset sales is so low. Also terrified at the thought that National might get an outright majority, though I still consider it unlikely.
Given the way the polls are being reported, I can't help but feel that this might be Labour's 2002, with traditionally-low voter turnout exacerbated by people looking at the polls and saying "I just can't be fucked voting for a party I know is going to lose abysmally." Which saddens me greatly, given that I think Labour have some very constructive policies, finally, but I'm also far more engaged than most voters.
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What's the deal with politically-related stories? Say the Ambrose decision comes down on Friday afternoon, can the papers print stories about it in their Saturday editions?
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Hard News: Grokking things by being places, in reply to Kumara Republic,
As in Palinite Tea Party rabid?
Probably not to the point of talking about how disagreeing voters are traitors or ought to be exterminated, but the message from any of them who have commented on any politics-related FB thread where I've contributed is that no person with a functional brain could possibly not vote for National. Which is pretty on-message for the Palinites.
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Hard News: Grokking things by being places, in reply to Matthew Poole,
Those of you I have as FB friends
Or are friends of my FB friends, which given that Craig and Russell are both on the list should just about encompass all of PAS ;)
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Hard News: Grokking things by being places, in reply to Jackie Clark,
The best thing I got out of it was validation of my decision not to reveal my voting inclinations to him. I cannot debate politics like it's a religion, and I'd just end up furious at being expected to defend my chosen party's policies even where I disagree with them. I'm sure the next family get-together will be an interesting experience, especially if National do manage to pull off another term.
And the show is a big up-side, so I didn't care that much. My lighting looks great (it's OK, my ego has heaps of room to fit through doorways), and aside from having to throw a wobbly at two cast who missed an entry cue and left someone else standing on stage looking like an idiot it's been a really good opening weekend. So thankfully he didn't get to ruin my weekend :)
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Well, my weekend was mostly good. Show that I'm stage-managing and did lighting design for - Roger Hall's Love Off The Shelf (shameless plug, sorry Russell) - opened on Saturday night, to a very, very appreciative audience. Hysterically funny, if anyone's desirous of a good night out.
The down-side was that I got to discover just how rude some rabid Nats supporters can be, as my partner's brother proceeded to insult a bunch of my friends on Facebook as he demonstrated that, for him, National is not a political party, it's a religion. Those of you I have as FB friends might get something of a laugh out of it (the thread about National not fronting up to RNZ), and for the rest of you, here are a few choice quotes, which may also help your understanding of the "intellect" of the tribal National voter:I'm surrounded by people who can't think outside the square. You can throw as many so called "facts" at me as you like
The so called "facts" were references to Treasury's Briefing to the Incoming Minister in '08, showing $319m of core Crown debt.
If you guys can't see how we need National then I suggest you pack your hemp goods and go live in Norfolk Island, start a community of pottery makers and folk songs
I trust what National do, they have done an EXCELLENT job given the recession which you monkies seem to have completed been oblivious too.
And, lastly:
Fortunately these days I've noticed most people see through that and lean towards those who have credibility in the right area's. I'd like to see another 8 years of National to let their policies mature and develop, under anyone else I might aswell direct debit my income to those undeserving. All this talk about facts and figures, I don't trust them regardless where they come from, it's politics.
Rather depressing that we allow people like that to vote, but at least I now have confirmation that there's no point even trying to discuss politics with him (or the rest of her family, who are all equally rabid National supporters) because I cannot have a theological debate about John Key.
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Hard News: Criminalising Journalism, in reply to Sacha,
NewstalkZB journo Felix Marwick defends offending those in power.
I thought he was a bit obtuse with his opening, though. A week of giving Key the well-deserved grilling that he's not had for the last five years doesn't mean the last five years of complaining wasn't justified.
One reason I am hacked off with the way the media are behaving now is that we shouldn't have had to wait five bloody years to see Key subjected to intense scrutiny. He shouldn't have been able to get to even the end of the first year of this term without his non-appearance on RadioNZ being front-page news. I've written two excoriating posts on Your Views about how the media are largely to blame for the opprobrium with which the public is treating their treatment of Key, because it looks like the faithful dog turning on the kind master for no good reason. Five years of fawning familiarity will do that to your perceived relationship.
It's nice that we're finally getting to see The Real Key[tm], but we needed to have the actuality of "the smiling assassin" exposed before he became PM, not a week before he appears set to (though I'm still hopeful that he won't) get a second term. -
Hard News: Criminalising Journalism, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Where do people get their ideas from?
From National. Look at the success of the narrative that were it not for National being in charge right now, we'd be really in the poo. That they inherited books that were in a shocking state, and it's only by their good management that we're not double-figures in the red before accounting for Christchurch.
I went and found Treasury's briefing to English as incoming Minister in 2008, and he took over core Crown debt of $319m. That's effectively zero. But damned if you can find a hard-core Nats supporter (and Craig clearly doesn't count, given his stated disillusionment with the Party) who'll acknowledge that English has had enormous freedom to play fast-and-loose with monetary policy because Cullen stewarded the books into a very healthy state. That the only reason we aren't much deeper in the poo is because of Cullen, not English. They just don't want to hear it.