Posts by BenWilson
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Sacha,
Quite a few Labourites clearly feel strongly that IP/Mana actually is the enemy. My comments about teamwork refer to the Green/Labour synergy. Labour definitely don't need IP/Mana anywhere near so much, indeed they would be best placed by playing them off with the Maori Party.
The general left wing feeling that they should naturally ally with Mana is probably wishful thinking. I'd like it if they did, personally, but I can see that the seats held by the Maori Party hold just as much power, and in far more compromising and malleable hands. And I'd still say that the Maori party are of the left, in general.*
Best would be if they all got together, of course. Which is hardly out of the question. I think they'd only be fighting if the left bloc had enough seats that Labour could get away with playing them off against each other.
*ETA: They're in a National led government, but only because that's what it takes to get power. They weren't actually required - National has a bare majority with ACT and UF.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Russell Brown,
You know, that makes a lot of sense. It’s those strategy games you play on the computer, innit?
I'm always hoping to make that pay. Only a few thousand wasted hours left!
But I'd say it's more informed by sport. When you drill as a team you can expect coordination without having to micromanage the movements of the other players. I didn't really write what I exactly meant, though. I should have said that you don't keep pointing your gun at your fellow players. You certainly should look at where your team is at all times to see where your own energies would be best applied. But most of your focus and attention should be on the opposition, and particularly your mark. In a good team, they know where the other players are and trust them to do their jobs. Your communication to them should not really be open, but in secret. You drill together, learn call codes, plan strategy and tactics. People don't need to hear you yelling at each other, or about each other, when they can clearly see from your movements that you're acting in concert.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Rob Stowell,
which is approx 2.3 kg per litre of petrol.
I found that hard to believe until I did some basic maths/physics. Every carbon atom ends up bound with 2 oxygen ones. Atomic weight of carbon around 12, oxygen around 16, so the ratio of weight is 4/3. Total weight of C02 per liter thus ends up as 650g+4/3*(650g)*2 = 2383g =2.38kg. Presumably the difference ends up as other things, like carbon monoxide etc.
Quite amazed by that, I'd never appreciated that the weight of the gas created was more than 2 times as much as the fuel used.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
I’d expect Key to do exactly what Cunliffe is doing. He’d talk about National’s immigration policy. Then he’d attack Labour’s. He wouldn’t even talk about NZF’s.
ETA: Actually, then he'd have a crack at the Greens' and demand that Labour comment on that.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Sacha,
Let the goat go! It's not the craziest idea. It means that they maximise time spent talking about their policy. I noticed both Cunliffe and Norman doing exactly this. Every time Labour get asked about Green policy, they just talk about their own policy. Every time Greens get asked about the policy of anyone else, they just talk about their own policy. Except when it comes to National policy, which they both attack, and then refer again to their own policy. I got the impression of real coordination there. It's what you do when you really do have the other guy's backs. Don't keep turning around to look at them.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Bart Janssen,
People were so hard on Shearer but they didn’t realise he was running on the beta.
Yes, he was 95% complete on launch.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Sacha,
MMP voters like to know where the similarities are as well as the differences.
Absolutely. Both are vital. Full marks for similarities. Now, about those differences...
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Richard Aston,
But does Labour feel that way?
Perhaps not, but as Norman kept pointing out, they're in a very strong position this time. There is nearly zero chance that Labour will form a coalition without the Greens, so if IP/Mana made up the numbers, the Greens could quite simply insist, locking NZ First out. To do so would make a lot of sense, would push much more strongly for their own agenda. Then Labour's only other coalition possibility would be with National, and that seems very unlikely in this country at the moment.
ETA: I think that the chance of this happening is low, though. NZ First seems likely to also be required. I think they would probably go with National, however much Peters likes to talk up keeping his options open. But a lot can happen in a few months. I'm feeling pretty impressed with how much like a government in waiting the Green and Labour leadership are looking.
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Wow, just hit Cunliffe's bit. I seldom watch TV news so I'm just a little shocked by how confident and coherent he is, remembering how poorly Shearer came across. Good to see.
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to AlistairC,
Russell Norman came across very well in that Q&A to my eyes, btw. Really has a good idea of how a mixed coalition could work.
Talking up what a threat IP is to them seems a bit flat to me. Maybe they take some votes from the Greens, but it doesn’t seem like they’re really challenging the Greens on the environmentalism front, and would be foolish to try. So long as they signal compatibility, I think they’re making the right move. IP Mana that is (wasn’t that the name of Bruce Lee’s legendary Wing Chun instructor?). So long as they’re genuinely targeting a different demographic, it’s good for both parties on the left. I’m damned sure that the Greens would rather make the numbers with Labour with the help of IP/Mana than with the help of NZ First.
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