Posts by nzlemming
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Russell Brown,
That’s really, really disappointing.
And now the moderator has spoken!
I've just hidden a whole lot of posts.
If you don't like where this thread is going, feel free to throw your two cents in - that's why it's called a discussion board.
Posting that you're leaving the discussion adds nothing constructive.
sigh. It's not like we flounced.
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Russell Brown,
That’s really, really disappointing.
It so is.
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Islander,
That's another thought. Cultural incorrectness.
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Russell Brown,
I think you’ve royally missed Craig’s point there …
Edit: Or possibly not. You’re saying people/teachers are better than that?
Possibly I have. I took him to mean that most teachers would think the child dishonest, but he specifically said "You're a schoolteacher..." so I can only apply what I would think/do in that situation, given that it's my thought experiment.
I'd like to think people/teachers are better than that, but I do know that's not the case. I've just withdrawn from the geekzone thread because I can't cope with their bullshit any more.
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
You’re a high school teacher. One of your students persistently avoids making direct and sustained eye contact when you’re talking.
Actually, I'd immediately think they might be autistic, rather than dishonest. Not everyone has your worldview, Craig.
-
I've been in the Geekzone thread about this (more polite than the Kiwiboggers but just as stone age in thinking, most of them) and I think it's mainly about fear - the "if we let them into our place, they might sit next to us and then we'd be embarrassed" thing. Plus the "it's taxpayers' money! Why should she have something special!!" approach, with a little bit of "she's been working for the Greens, she should have known what she was getting into!" on the side.
I weep for the lack of empathy in my countrymen.
-
Hard News: The Mega Conspiracy, in reply to nzlemming,
The Guardian has a report, as does the Telegraph.
From the Telegraph story:
"Sources say that is because the investigation centres on hacking into music industry accounts and social network sites in order to put up material before it has been released, rather than simply breaching an artist's existing copyright."
which puts it in a different light from Megaupload.
-
Legal Beagle: It's (almost) never that simple, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,
Other parties spend the similar staff time/money/ they get to assist, for example, technologically-challenged MPs by printing off all their incoming email and drafting all their emails from dictation. Parties without this technological disability can spend that money on other things, but haven’t seemed to complain that parties with technologically-adept MPs get the same funding without the same need etc. etc.
I appreciate that you're making a point as (I presume) Devil's Advocate, but those of us who do operate with disabilities could easily take offence at your phrase "technological disability". Deciding not to learn how to do something is not the same as being physically incapable.
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Fair enough, my bad.
-
Hard News: This Is Not A Complicated Issue, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,
You appear to be under the impression that the Prime Minister could not ask the Governor-General to appoint someone else as the Minister responsible for Vote: Parliamentary Service. I am intrigued from where this impression arises.
Appearances may be deceiving you. ;-)
What I said was “Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Governor General” – I assume you are not disputing that. Ministerial warrants are granted by the Crown, although I don’t know of an occasion where one has been refused (I am aware of a couple that have been withdrawn – Philip Field and Richard Worth come to mind – though at the request of the PM on each occasion), but the constitutional form is important. A Minister, therefore, is one appointed by the Crown.
The Speaker is elected by the House. Practically speaking, s/he is appointed by the Government and the election is a formality; however; in constitutional matters, the formalities are important. This means that the Speaker is not appointed by the Crown and therefore not a minister by definition. Which is where my first comment had its source. The important distinction (which the Office of the Clerk will be happy to talk to you about ad nauseum) is that the PM cannot tell the Speaker what to do.
Parliament allocates the budget. To be sure, the Budget is developed by the Government of the day and voted on in Parliament, but constitutionally it is Parliament that approves or disapproves the allocation. So we say that Parliament votes to allocate funding to agencies/programmes and we shorthand that to Vote Transport or Vote Parliamentary Services.
My comment to Russell was that the Speaker was not a Minister of the Crown. Do you dispute that, Graeme?
My further comment was to the effect that it may be that the convention to refer to a role that has control of a portion of the Vote as the “Responsible Minister” whether or not that individual is actually a warranted Minister of the Crown. I am happy to be corrected; I freely state that I don’t know the answer to this.
And, actually, because the Speaker is in charge of the House and technically owns the property associated with it, I don’t believe the Prime Minister could allocate responsibility for Vote Parliamentary Services to another Minister, because nobody but the Speaker has the authority to spend it.
According to my reading of the Parliamentary Services Act 2000, the Speaker may direct how these funds are disbursed; the PSC may advise him/her, but it is his decision. Convention may be different, but that, as I read it, is what the law says. If you have different information, I’m happy to hear it.