Posts by BenWilson
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Hard News: Calling the race before it's over, in reply to Barnard,
If this desire to democratize the party is driven by concerns over the last leadership contest & a belief the wrong man is leading the party, then why can't those people say so.
They're quite probably conflicted. It's a thing to be conflicted over, after all, since the two represent quite different tacks for the party.
My wish? That they'd find a friggin' way to work productively together. And that's not a partisan wish, it's a wish with the good of the country in mind.
Indeed, although I'm not sure that they aren't working together. They have managed to improve Labour's position. Maybe people actually like the idea of a party that's a bit of a chaotic meeting of viewpoints, rather like democracy, and the nation as a whole. The arse-kicking single leader thing is so second millenium.
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Hard News: Calling the race before it's over, in reply to Sacha,
the 'whip' role was bound to go there eventually
I thought whips were meant to be about internal discipline, giving stern remonstration, pulling rank and kudos to keep the young loose cannons in line. I guess when the whip is 34 years old, though, it doesn't work so well, lecturing people old enough to be their dad, and complaining helplessly to the press seems like a better method.
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Hard News: Calling the race before it's over, in reply to Barnard,
It's nice to think of it as healthy internal democracy, but it almost always appears as infighting, weakness, and self indulgence to the public.
And yet, through all of that, Labour's steadily risen and National has steadily fallen in the polls. It just happens to be a slow, steady move, rather than the Brash-Orewa bounce everyone seems to think Shearer has to pull at some time, or face the guillotine.
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He must be aware of how this would play in the msm, and therefore the implications of the Will I, won't I' stuff?
I'm not sure. All but a small number of the MPs being hounded to pledge their undying souls to Shearer have refused, because the idea that it's a secret ballot is actually an important one, as is the fact that February is in the future, and it's perfectly possible for Shearer to drop the ball majorly before then. I'm not committing to how I feel about Shearer in February either, you know, because I'm a rational being, capable of changing my mind.
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Hard News: Calling the race before it's over, in reply to Stephen Judd,
the Cunliffe manouevring is real too
Can you flesh that out? What sort of maneuvering did you see or hear about?
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Hard News: Calling the race before it's over, in reply to Stephen Judd,
a measured analysis of publicly available information from many sources tends to out-perform insider gossip.
Yes! But caveat that by saying "in the long run". There are surely times when you get the scoop. I just don't see it this time.
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I'm also not convinced that the supposed Machiavellian nature of Cunliffe that is ironically being constantly leaked to all these journalists who won't come clean on any sources, isn't just a ploy by someone a little lower down the food chain using them to jockey for position.
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Another way of seeing things, which goes against the tendency towards presidentialism, is to see the Shearer/Cunliffe dynamic as extremely healthy democratic practice, and both of them are lifted by it. Having a strongly opinionated character near the top is actually a bloody good thing, to be fully encouraged in any organization that values reality over groupthink. I'm quite stoked by what Labour has come up with here*, for the first time in ages, and if that's come about because Shearer didn't stomp on Cunliffe's face on day one, then all the more power to Shearer.
*With the proviso that I think it might not be strategically wise - Labour moving rhetorically right without any clear policy was a strategy that could eat the equally vacuous National policy and rhetoric, leaving room for partners to the left. But for Labour to come out clearly with more socialistic policy is not something I'm going to lament, it's nice to think they really do believe that stuff still. I do prefer honest politics, and I really do think Shearer is going to be rewarded in the polls by this, quite quickly.
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It's still fresh in my memory, it was earlier this year. I'm still getting random associations flooding back of her at strange times, often brought on by touch. Today was full of them, and also full of touching, and man hugs and every other kind of hugs. Her son, my uncle, married, in the same church that we said goodbye to her in, her church. The same vicar presided over both sacraments. It was clear which kind he enjoyed the most, so caught up in the moment, he forgot to bring his bible, and had to run off mid-service. He played the music selections from his iPhone over the PA. "What if the phone rang during the service?" I asked him afterward. His eyes widened, and he giggled nervously. "Put it on flight mode from now on", I said. He touched my shoulder and thanked me.
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Hard News: Why did Stephen die?, in reply to kmont,
a van load of cops insisting they needed to enter my house when I was having a party because they 'followed a guy who smelled of pot to this address'.
Their story smells of bullshit. They could have searched him then, and since they didn't even invoke the Misuse of Drugs Act, it's pretty clear they had nothing, and were trying it on. Good on you for refusing. I've never once heard of anything good coming to anyone willfully letting the police in, unless they actually called them.
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