Posts by Petra

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  • Hard News: Anatomy of a Shambles,

    You seem to be implying that I am a one-eyed bitter idealogue. Would you care to explain to me why?

    It was the impression that I got from this post:

    So let's recap...

    But especially this bit:

    Wil you be celebrating with a few good old working class beers tonight? None of that champagne for you. No. That's for weak soft socialists like Russell Brown.
    What's that buzzing I hear? Oh yeah, it's Michael Joseph Savage spinniing in his grave.
    If anyone needs me, I'll be up at his memorial with a bottle of scotch, screaming at the wind.

    But perhaps I was being a bit hyperbolic in attributing fanaticism to your own hyperbole. *shrug*

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    I don't know much about Matt McCarten but, on your analysis, I think I can safely say I like him.

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    Nic Farra (does s/he post here?) wrote:

    The totalitarian tendencies of the left are where leftist organisation inevitably and historically head. Also inevitably, this leads to the bosses victory and the continued hegemony of the State. The unionists and the social democrats are far too concerned with jostling for power to consider completely overturning all means of control. Come to think of it, that's the whole point. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. However the left WILL be fooled again. And again. And again.

    That's how I feel about both the hard left and the hard right. They are authoritarians/totalitarians, jostling for power. One just uses the poor rich man, the other the poor poor man. Two sides of the same coin.

    "Capitalism is man's exploitation of man. But with Socialism it is the other way around."

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    Oh Petra! You've got to stop believing what the nuns tell you...

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    An excellent reply to Scott Hamilton's piece, Giovanni! Brava!

    One thing that popped into my mind as I read Hamilton's post and your response: unions need to change with the times - get themselves another "business model", for want of a better term. They need to adjust if they are to effectively achieve their goals, or they will be held back by old school, old hard left thinking. The world has changed, and they need to find new solutions to old (and new) issues. Then they might be better able to serve the needs of the worker.

    I haven't got as far as thinking up any new ideas yet, though. Typical. Tch!

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    ...the condom wrappers under the bed!

    eeew!

    Are you sure they weren't just sleeping bags for mice?

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    Are you suggesting that the good citizens of Matamata start walking around on their knees and speaking a strange tongue?

    lol. Not quite. Though that could be fun to see.

    I am sure there is ample imagination in the town--as well as a couple of good cafes.

    Nice bar I went into.

    A couple of good cafes won't make people stop for long - especially if the good cafes are just like every other good cafe in any other town.

    I'm talking more about shop facades, themed accommodation, maybe even a town crier or something...

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    I guess it really matters for Matamata

    Matamata is a rich town, thanks to dairy and thoroughbreds, and my visit to the town on Monday disappointed me. Has the town no imagination? As a place that is now on the map as Hobbiton, and as such has people calling in much more than ever before, there is nothing to make them stay. I'm not saying turn the place into a theme park, but...oh, wait. I am actually suggesting they turn it into a theme park. Kinda. It would make people stop and stay a few days and spend even more, instead of just getting off the bus for an hour or two.

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    Thank you, 3410.

    I should've Googled!

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

  • Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit,

    There's currently a conspiracy theory being shared amongst some of the actors that holds that Warners engineered the whole thing by paying huge money to an (unnamed) PR firm. It really does not pass a reality test.

    While I agree with you in this instance, truth can be stranger than fiction. An example that springs to mind: Edward Bernays staging a "march" in ...oh, heck, I've forgotten the name of the South American country...which was then televised in the US to "prove" that the citizens of that nation were unhappy with their socialist overlords, resulting in public approval of a CIA driven coup there. Banana Republics, and all that.

    It does happen, even though it might not appear to pass any 'reality' tests.

    But I don't believe this is the case here, not by a long shot.

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report

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