Posts by Craig Ranapia
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Chris Waugh,
Read the rest of my comment. And what I was responding to. I don’t disagree that the Police should investigate and prosecute where there is evidence of the law being broken. I do agree that the Police should be reluctant to get involved in politics.
That's fair enough, and I didn't mean to imply I thought otherwise. My apologies.
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Chris Waugh,
I generally think the Police should remain reluctant to involve themselves in such matters.
If that’s the case, here’s something to put on the “to do” list for the 51st Parliament. If the Police aren’t interested in enforcing electoral law, amend the relevant sections of the Electoral Act requiring electoral officials to report breeches to the Police for further investigation and prosecution and give the responsibility to someone who will. Though in my more cynical moments, I suspect there's a multi-party consensus that the status quo works just fine.
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Kevin McCready,
3. It also fails because NZ electorate seats are far from being decided democratically. Counting them under a preferential system
A preferential electoral system that has specific flaws you’d like to share, or is it the entire idea of MMP you find objectionable? ( ETA: And on reflection, under MMP electorate votes aren't counted preferentially. Was your point that you think STV would be fairer or something?)
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Sara Bee,
Josie Paganism
Best. Typo. Ever. Madame, you look most fetching in that Freudian slip. :)
-
Hard News: The humanity, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
May as well send the Herald on holiday for a month then, seeing as there is no interest in Team Key
And what news value is there either, Sofie –
1) John Key gets standing ovation at crowded and indecently cheerful National caucus meeting, followed by photo ops on the steps.
2) Closed door meetings with slightly less cheerful David Seymour, Peter Dunne and Te Ururoa Flavell. The news there is going to be whatever C&S agreements get signed, and whether those three are going to end up in Cabinet, but there’s nothing yet on that front beyond speculation. But there’s no coalition-forming dramatics going on, because there’s no need to form one.
3) [EDITED TO CORRECT ERROR OF FACT. STUPID FACTS.] As far as Cabinet is concerned, there's already a certain amount of speculation going around. But that's all it is. As I understand the rules (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) it would be dodgy as hell for Key to start appointing Ministers before the return of the writ and the official declaration of elected members. (Based on previous form, Maureen Pugh – the lowest ranked National MP-elect – and Steffan Browning shouldn’t unpack their bags until all the specials are counted either. The Greens historically pick up a seat off National here, but we’ll see how that pans out.)
4) All the new MPs are going through orientation, but that’s hardly going to be leading the six o’clock news unless someone goes completely bonko with a credit card unusually early.
Might not be a bad time for the Press Gallery to have a collective warm milky drink, and catch up on some non-election related work. It’s not as if the world has stopped turning.
-
Hard News: The humanity, in reply to nzlemming,
Is it “exclusive” because she only interviewed her own typewriter?
To be fair, I’m sure that caucus room is leaking like a sieve just a little more subtly and a lot more off the record than it has over the last couple of days. I just decline to clutch my pearls in shock at the notion Cunliffe is “reconsidering” things; I suspect more than a few political types are doing the same, as one is prone to do after a general election.
I think this story could usefully be put on the back burner until there’s some actual news to report – preferably with credible on the record sources who actually know what they’re talking about, but that might be OTT. Instead we're probably going to get meaningless live crosses to Cunliffe's front gate for a vox pop with the postie. Stranger things have happened...
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Rob S,
I respect you Craig for your engagement with PA but could I please have a yes or no regarding the matter of a commission of enquiry being established into these concerns as you are concerned with keeping the Government to account for their actions.
I'd say no, while granting there are perfectly legitimate counter-arguments that the grounds specified in the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1908 apply. I still need convincing that "the issue cannot be dealt with through the normal machinery of Government or through the criminal or civil courts" but, again, I'll happily defer to superior expertise on a point of law.
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Andrew Geddis,
By the same token, the losers on election day (which, if we’re honest, is everyone commenting here except Eric and Craig) can’t try to insinuate that the winners don’t “really” have a mandate because a whole lot of people didn’t bother voting.
I wouldn't go as harsh as “if you don’t vote, don’t complain” – because I think even if you don’t vote, you’re still a citizen and have a right to curse your employees in the legislature as incompetent malign numpties, fairly or not, even if it gives me a migraine in the process. And as for compulsory voting, I have a one word rebuttal to anyone who thinks that will improve the quality of our legislature – Australia. But I digress.
But while I think turnout is a serious issue, there’s not some turnout tipping point where the results of elections become more or less “legitimate”. I’m sure everyone here, including me, would have a hearty eye-roll at the idea that Lianne Dalziel is a less legitimate Christchurch mayor than Bob Parker was because the turnout in 2013 was significantly lower than it was three years earlier, and it's the awful local body turnouts that depress me because there you don't even have to haul arse to a polling place on a specific day. And I've sure never seen anyone open a rates demand and say "Oh, that's far too low," :)
-
Hard News: The humanity, in reply to Russell Brown,
Paddy apologises for “tricky”, proposes “delphic”, goes on Twitter to credit Jolisa Gracewood.
Jolisa should put a call in to Messers Sue, Grabbit and Runne because I'm sure Jolisa knows full well the Pythia were prone to... let's just say, a high degree of strategic ambiguity in a very dangerous world. As a Classics major, I've got to admit it's an ingenious way to call someone an incoherent liar but I'm not sure doubling down on that score is helpful.
-
OnPoint: Sunlight Resistance, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Would you do 50-60 hour weeks for $50-60K, in Auckland?
I’m a scientist, I spent 9 years earning SFA to get a PhD which got me a job that paid $36k*, we can play this game all day and night if you like.
You can. My partner’s grand-niece is in her first year of nursing studies and I’m sure she’s going to be a damn fine one. But when she graduates (probably with a substantial student loan to service), she’s going to be working more than 50 hours a week in a profession where the entry-level salaries are currently around $47K. If she’s in this just for the money, she’s a bloody fool and I’ve seen little evidence she’s anything of the kind.