Posts by Craig Ranapia
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Hard News: Playing the Man, in reply to izogi,
It’s great to see the NZDF has started thinking about process and training, though it’ll probably take more than that and also some time to change the culture and thinking around the OIA.
Yeah, but nah... I'm all for a considered approach to things, but twenty eight years is more than enough time to get your shit together. While I'd like to extend the benefit of the doubt from the NZDF, I've heard much the same from local government and district health boards before. Giving the monkey a new job title doesn't mean shit, when the organ grinder intends to keep playing the same old Lily Allen cover:
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Hard News: The witless on the pitiless, in reply to Isaac Freeman,
Quite so, although I think most people will find it hard to generate much sympathy for his right to due process.
Well, Isaac, as I pointed out in my Public Address Radio piece this week the New Zealand Government seemed quite capable of doing so when Sir Erima Harvey Northcroft was appointed as New Zealand's judge on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo. I'm sure it would have been politically advantageous for the First Labour Government to bray for blood in an election year, but they didn't.
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Hard News: Playing the Man, in reply to Matthew Poole,
I’m sure Labour would just love to get their tooth (they haven’t displayed enough competence to credit them with a full set) into that particular privilege issue in an election year.
While such a complaint would force some rather uncomfortable attention on whether the current leader of the Labour Party was more than a little economical with the ministerial vertias when he held the Defence and Foreign Affairs portfolios? Hell, at this point Labour politically and electorally has nothing left to lose so I’d call even odds. I'd bet that there are plenty of hacks, and research unit elves on both sides, going over every word Goff has ever said about Afghanistan and the SAS with the proverbial nit-pick.
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Selwyn Manning covered the attacks too, noting that Stephenson has taken legal advice with respect to what has been said about him by both political leaders and Defence Force chief Rhys Jones.
If Sue, Grabbit and Runne have been consulted, I might want to tread carefully. But you’d really think Key would have learned his lesson from Audrey Young bitch-slapping him around after be accused her of fabricating quotes.
If you're going to accuse a journalist of making shit up, it's a no-brainer that you better have rock solid evidence (preferably a first-generation recording with corroboration from several sources) to back you up.
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Hard News: Asking for a Contribution, in reply to John Armstrong,
careful modulation of tone
Is that a polite way of saying "the supersonic screech of blind terror when you realise you're too hung over to read the balls you scrawled on the back of a cocktail napkin much earlier that morning"?
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Hard News: Asking for a Contribution, in reply to Jackie Clark,
Or you could do what some of our parents tell us is done in their churches which is to announce from your pulpit how much everyone has given. <sarc>
And where I have gotten much practice stage whispering "Oh, what an adorable wickerwork basket. I'd take it, but haven't got anywhere to put the darling wee thing. Perhaps this nice family would have use..."
They will get the hint eventually....
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Hard News: Asking for a Contribution, in reply to Islander,
I was thinking of starting out with a box of pencils and some strawberry jam, but live fish? Damn, you country folks don't piss about.
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Hard News: Asking for a Contribution, in reply to Paul Dowden,
If there was an annual PA telethon I reckon Russel, David, Graeme and Craig’d just need to threaten to post a whistling tummies* film of their own if we don’t pay up.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Don't test the limits of what I'll do for money. It will be a long, traumatic and hideously expensive night with ongoing consequences.
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Off the pace today, but here's my contribution to the contribution drive on Twitter:
Consider making a contribution to @publicaddress, or my pole-dancing thong comes out of retirement. Do it for the kids.
Times are hard and I don't make idle threats, folks.
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Hard News: For the kids, if nothing else, in reply to Sacha,
I tend to agree the framing doesn’t produce a useful conversation.
Damn right. When I trotted out my own argument ad Hitlerium a friend made this very good point. Winston Peters is nothing like Hitler. He's exactly like Winston Peters - which is more than enough ammo to go on with.
I get that Don Brash and the ACT Party are loathed around these parts, but the cheap Hitler analogies add no value to the debate.
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