Posts by Ben Austin
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Mediawatch spent some minutes this week on the media coverage. They raised an interesting point that the local news channel, 9, didn't see fit to give the riots anywhere near the profile/prominance that the national tv news did. The implication being that it was to some extent hyped up by national media when the locals treated it as one of several serious local issues of the day.
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I would like to go to this, sadly there is no way I can free-up Thursday midday so quickly. Oh well, the free lunch shall be another's prize.
It is my view that the current state of the media/political nexus here is that everyone is desperately trying to find ways to build coherent programmes (or headlines) of public sector funding cuts, as such, people like R Hide may be lionised if they offer ideas of some kind.
Would not suprise me in the slightist if we see some name checking for NZ/Hide/Act in the UK over the next couple of weeks as a result of this meeting
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Jack - thanks for the tip. I'll maybe check it out in the weekend as I think I'll be up that way.
Islander - I am shocked that Willets would at risk of being dethroned - but I would agree the Steak and Cheese comparison is the real test - I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that matter.
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Paul, it is indeed a hard balancing act
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Dunedin seems to be getting a bad rap for being dull, which surprises me. There were plenty of clubs or societies set up by OUSA, good facilities to use for sports/fitness, good local beaches or tourist traps and the campus was close enough to the centre of the city that going to see a film or visit cafe (if one could afford either), or visiting a gallery was quite easy. Then of course there was the drinking culture. I don’t recall anyone I knew getting too bored prior to about third year, at which point most graduated and left Dunedin. I put that down to itchy feet or the desire to get out and work/earn, as much to Dunedin’s alleged inherent dullness.
What exactly would have I been doing for recreation as an 18-21 year old student in Christchurch, Wellington, Palmerton North, Hamilton, Auckland etc? Bearing in mind study commitments, general lack of disposable income and a desire to socialise with other students? The only major advantages I can see is that I might have had a better chance of meeting non students or getting a slightly nicer flat to live in.
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Hmm. I need to move back to Oamaru. The lack of NZ style pies in the UK is starting to really bug me.
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I did my undergraduate in Dunedin late 90s to early 00s and this (and the last time this happened in 07?) seems very different from how I remember things. In my five years I think I saw two fights and, one of which wasn’t a student fight and the other was a mini brawl outside a student pub (The Bowler). It was a very mellow and relaxed time for me and made visiting places like either night-time central Auckland or the strip in Christchurch seem all the worse.
That being said, a lot of what goes on now – the couch burnings, the petty vandalism, the glass in the street, the seven day a week drunkenness was standard stuff then as well. Places like Castle Street were the epicentres and the people who flatted there were usually second or third year students who really wanted to be in the centre of the action. I also was there during the previous drinking age of 20 and then the current 18 – and while that change did make the pub atmosphere a little different, we still had the same flat/street drinking culture.
I think perhaps we are just seeing either a local cultural aberration. With some effort I am sure they can get back to the more relaxed/less violent. Maybe that will need to be harsh application of the law or university statute
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I don't think my school does class or year reunions - but they did just hold their 125th anniversary over a whole weekend. I think I prefer the whole school reunion model rather than a specific year or class, if just because you are more likely to find interesting people to talk to and it is more of an event. That being said I didn't attend and unless I am going to be nearby during future events I probably won't attend them.
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In a happy coincidence I recently read something relevant to this – “Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction” by David M. Farrell. It is a pretty quick read but worth it if you want a brief introduction to the research on the 4-5 (I forget) general classes of electoral system, alongside some conclusions about how each of them rate in terms of political stability, representation and effects on wider issues like economic performance.
This might be a good place to start sharing ideas for background reading or research for those of us who were not involved in the previous referendums or discussions.
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AMT can be ok, but in my opinion they've got a little too big too quickly I think and the quality is now rather variable, just like the other London/national chains. But then London is all about chain restaurants and cafes.