Posts by BenWilson
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Hard News: The Ides of Epsom, in reply to DexterX,
Yes, but she kept my cat. I think it was a symbolic gesture.
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Hard News: Meanwhile back at the polls, in reply to Andrew Robertson,
As you can see, there are a few gaps here and there.
Pretty good start, though. Righteous work, sir.
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Hard News: The Ides of Epsom, in reply to Eoin Ryan,
I don't even think it's entirely irrational. Outside of the actual business of politics, or peripheral ones like the professional media, what does one actually gain, for the most part, from a strong interest in politics? I'd say it's mostly from how it affects our interactions with people we interact with. How does our opinion convey our character? Our intelligence, our level of generally knowledge? Our aspirations? Our allegiances? These conveyances can actually have quite a big impact on our lives, which is why it's often considered unwise to discuss politics with any seriousness in workplaces. It might not make much difference to any policy that affects me whether it's Labour or National in power, but it could make a difference all day every day, if I'm in disagreement with a co-worker or boss who is seated near me. It most certainly can and does cause massive disharmony in families that have differing political opinions - to anyone that values harmony, they either don't discuss it, or just adopt the family attitude. Tribalism can be as much a function of ongoing influence as of mere upbringing.
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Legal Beagle: Q&A: John Banks' judicial review, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
I don't think they should back it, either. It is actually a costly form of grandstanding.
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Hard News: The Ides of Epsom, in reply to Brent Jackson,
This is something I’ve never understood, but I’ve met people who vote as though they’re betting on which team will win.
Well politics can certainly be seen as a spectator sport. Everyone's got an opinion, most people have very little influence other than adding to the roar of the crowd, it's got teams, characters, a backstory, plenty of stats, triumphs, reversals, neck and neck races, strategy, tactics, and then finally, a result.
It seems to be another manifestation of the rational voter paradox, that if one's influence approaches zero, then one takes what one can get out of it. The grumpy abstainer from voting is not the only way to be apathetic, since it does risk social disapproval, and the old chestnut that one should not be allowed to comment if one doesn't vote. For no cost, one can get a ticket to the big game, and have a punt, and be a part of the zeitgeist. Then at the water cooler on Monday you can go "In your face, Lefty!", or "Take that, Capitalist!!", and revel in the look of bitter defeat in the faces of anyone who actually cares (and lost), and party on with the "winners".
I'm pretty sure there's a lot of people who really don't care much more than that. They know that, come Monday, it's not going to make any difference to their pay packet or their school zoning, and even in a few years, given that the decisions are made by compromising representatives facing constantly changing conditions, that how it affects them then is probably somewhat random. When they couple 2 parts: Extremely small influence on result, and highly dubious connection between result and their own general welfare outcome, they really do feel they gain the most utility out of just treating it like a game that they don't have anything real invested in.
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Hard News: The Ides of Epsom, in reply to william blake,
Perhaps they will stand a candidate if ACT keep up the crazy talk.
I wish, but don't think so (presuming you mean they will support a candidate - so far as I know Goldsmith will be standing). Firstly, it's one more seat for their bloc, which is tenuous. ACT is the only party likely to get a seat that has never gone with Labour. Second, they need not to be the most extreme right wing party in parliament, even with a commanding chunk of the seats. It just doesn't look good when trying to form a government that claims to be centrist.
Just from perception alone, since NZers tend to be centrist, it doesn't help that self perception amongst potential voters, to realize that more than half of the votes are going to parties to the left of you. People who psychologically prefer to back the winning team will have good reason to hedge and go for one of the little middle parties, NZF, UF, Maori. They might even go Labour.
This has always been the big danger of the whole Key government, that it would lead to a structural collapse of the right. I thought it would come about by voters finding ACT pointless. It's quite something that it actually just completely imploded due to incompetence and dishonesty. Will this be a cypher that Epsom wishes to continue to hold on to? I don't know.
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Hard News: The Ides of Epsom, in reply to Sacha,
Some argue that there are really only 7 stories. The rest just build on them. Banks has now completed all of them apart from the rom-com.
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Another memory of Epsom. Although, strictly speaking, that side of the road is not Epsom.
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Hard News: The Ides of Epsom, in reply to Russell Brown,
“the character of their community”
One of the views of Epsom I remember from my childhood.
ETA: The high walls and dense bushes shrouding the character filled doctor's surgeries were beautifully counterpointed by hi-rise above the smog of the angry gridlocked commuters. When I lived in Clonbern Rd, I'd fall asleep to the lovely sound of decelerating trucks on the offramp. Ah, Epsom, where I lost both my virginity and my car (stolen 3 times), how dare they sully you.
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Legal Beagle: Q&A: John Banks' judicial review, in reply to Moz,
True. He should be allowed to run for office again, so long as he openly acknowledges a love of KDC and all his works, and sacrifices a goat to him.
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