Posts by Chris Waugh
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Hard News: The Letter, in reply to Matthew Poole,
It wasn’t the first one unless we’ve been mislead. It wasn’t the third one unless we’ve been mislead. If it was the second one, there ought to be the appropriate declaration
Perhaps a fourth option? It was a personally funded holiday during which he met with Liu who took him out to lunch then a tour of his factory. And, of course, Liu paid for lunch and the factory tour. So, no, I don't think Barker's trip was in any way a junket. Nor do I think it's much of an issue. But in the broader context of Liu building up relations with various politicians apparently with a view to advancing his own interests - obtaining residence and then citizenship contrary to official advice, for example - it certainly is worth asking what, precisely, Barker was doing meeting Liu in Chongqing.
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Hard News: The Letter, in reply to Matthew Poole,
__Rick Barker’s junket__
So a politician who goes on holiday is on a junket? I see.
I think serious questions should be asked as to the precise nature of his visit to Liu in Chongqing. One does not often visit factories belonging to business people looking to move to and invest in one's own country while on holiday.
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Hard News: The Letter, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Second is that it seems to me that Mr Liu is not someone who (in hindsight) should have been allowed to immigrate.
And Immigration was telling that to ministers both Labour and National all along...
ETA: Snap! Russell.
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Wow. I thought John Armstrong's piece yesterday was unhinged. But no, Armstrong was mild:
David Cunliffe has an unfortunate manner on the moral high ground. He adopts a tone of solemn, heavy-hearted condemnation befitting a preacher in hell.
Or:
But mainly Mr Cunliffe had wanted to know when Mr Liu could expect a decision, much as former National minister Maurice Williamson was not trying to influence the police on his behalf when Mr Williamson contacted a district commander about a domestic assault investigation.
He said he just wanted to ensure the police were on solid ground.
Please excuse me while I struggle to see the equivalence.
This story has a very suspicious smell to it. I can't shake the feeling that it's a huge National tu quoque to distract attention from National's own highly dodgy relations with Donghua Liu and others.
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Hard News: Sectarian Bloodlust 2.0, in reply to TracyMac,
I didn't think Bart was talking about morality at all. Look at the words used: On the one hand, technology and science. On the other, ignorance. Those are some really strange bedfellows: knowledge and a wilful, studied lack thereof.
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Ballsup, alright. It seems the situation in Iraq is only getting more complicated. And now Buddhist on Muslim violence in Sri Lanka - and something tells me the situation for the Rohingya in Burma is still a long way from improving.
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Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has targeted the campaign in a more direct way: by trying to shut down the communications infrastructure that was supposed to be the pride of post-invasion Iraq. Internet services have been cut off completely in several districts and the government is trying to block Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Viber and Skype from Iraq altogether.
China tried the same in Xinjiang following ethnic/separatist riots out there back in ummmm.... 2009? I think it was, just plain turning the internet off for the better part of a year. I'm sure it helped short term, in that people had to work much harder to either spread rumours or organise, but given the recent apparent spike in violence, including taking the terror to previously uninvolved parts of China, seems to suggest it's not much of a long term strategy. And then, of course, you have to wonder about the opportunities lost by turning off the internet.
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Hard News: Sectarian Bloodlust 2.0, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
I'm not convinced. Especially given how quick so many nominally on the left are to jump onto anti-globalisation/nationalist/protectionist/dirty foreigners bandwagons.
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Hard News: Sectarian Bloodlust 2.0, in reply to Kumara Republic,
Going even further back, there was the artificial border drawing of the Sykes-Picot Agreement,
Funny, ISIL (or EIIL in French) has been drawing the same connection.
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Hard News: Sectarian Bloodlust 2.0, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
My point really is that, left to their own devices, people will pursue a slow, lumpy course to a less violent and more liberal society.
Well, from what I understand, violence generally has been trending down over time, but more liberal? Like UKIP, Front National, Tony Abbott....?