Posts by George Darroch
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
JLM, a wonderful description.
-
Oh yes, posting this too because it demonstrates the other best thing about TDF, Phil Liggett's voice.
-
I love le TDF. So much to love.
The countryside is beautiful, and yes, it is slow like cricket, but there's always something happening. They're moving, at an average of 41km/h. What is truly amazing is the sheer intensity of the event. It's like 180 professional marathon runners going full tilt. For 21 almost continuous days. The mountain stages this year are particularly harsh. Take this one, for example. What's insane is that that stage isn't even the most difficult. Merely surviving, keeping the pace over thousands of kilometres of fast flats and epic mountains, is achievement enough.
Then there's the omnipresent devil world's largest mobile guitar and largest bicycle. Spectators on mountain stages can be terrible to watch, running in front of cyclists, although I don't think the lady in yellow had any intention to interact with the peloton!
I have to admit that my love was cultivated in Australia, where the SBS network shows it free to air, and a veritable cultural institution has developed. Gabriel Gate has been delivering Taste le Tour for decades. I haven't done so yet, but I may use a proxy and sneak around their geoblocking... there's something about watching it live, and as it moves into the mountain stages the competition will step up another level. Otherwise, Tim let us know where your shop is!
Obviously, Australian coverage focuses on Cadel Evans, but he's extremely likeable. As sincere an athlete as you'll find, his emotions (which run the full spectrum) are evident. But mostly nice. If you need someone to support, support him. Julian Dean is also an incredible athlete, competing in the sprint classification. He hasn't had any wins yet, but he very much deserves his place on the Tour.
-
Well for that one question at least, Goff appears to have been considering the votes of his supporters and potential supporters
It's a wonder what people will say when there are cameras in the room.
-
I’d actually like to see how Goff handled the rest of it, because the one bit that was on the news rather defied my expectations.
He seemed extremely comfortable with his position. I was very impressed, and I’d like to think that wasn’t the result of very low expectations. Key on the other hand was trying to say nothing and everything
Julie Fairey has a response on The Hand Mirror.
I believe politicians should try to accept every invitation they get, particularly the ones where they are being asked clear transparent questions about their policies and views in public. To oppose politicians speaking at the Family First or Destiny conferences is akin** to believing they shouldn’t speak at the Gay Auckland Business Association pre-election debates, or indeed the Suffrage Eve Debate the team here organised in 2008.
How can we make informed decisions about who to vote for if politicians are not upfront about their intentions?
It’s one I largely agree with. So long as politicians are being honest with everyone, it isn’t a problem. Her conclusions however point to the same knowledge gap that I had coming into this. If we conclude that the Goff segment we saw was representative, then the viewpoints he put to the crowd are consistent with the ones he and his party put to the public. This is a good thing. Key, on the other hand, seems to want to know what the popular position on any given issue is, and was desperate to give non-answers for that reason.
-
Craig, I bet John Key could become a paid up member of Family Fist, beat his children, excommunicate any gay relations he happened to have, and you would still vote National.
Yeah, that's because he's a patched member.
Most National Party members I've met have fairly clear ideas about how far the state should intervene in your bedroom, and how far it should reach into your wallet. If their party started walking seriously away from either of these, they'd reconsider.
-
Key voted against the Civil Union Bill.
And in February this year, he was asked at the Big Gay Out whether he would still do so – and when pressed on it by Steven Oates would only say that we’d have to read his fucking book to find out
Quite.
-
Although the ideas being presented are entirely concordant with those of the church itself. Which is just like when Trades Hall is used by activist groups. It's how things are.
-
Hey, Craig, I don’t if you’re being disingenuous or just lying but you do realise this thing is being held in Mangere (hardly heartland Tory land) for a reason?
If I might comment on the church it's being held at. The particular venue forms the southern branch of a network called Life, which has 5 churches over Auckland. They moved into this premises after expanding from their central venue, which is on Mt Eden Rd just down from the Powerstation.
This particular building is large, and set up for conferences. Which isn't surprising, because for a long time it was the New Zealand Expo Pavilion and Conference Centre. It lay somewhat abandoned for a while, and during the early 2000s I knew it best for hosting a series of rather wild dance parties known as Industry. Anyhow, the reason I know so much about this church is that it happens to be the one my mum and sister attend. And although my mum is particularly active, she wasn't aware that it was taking place. In this case, it's just a convenient venue.
-
Oh, and an event that Labour MPs definitely will be attending tomorrow: 25th Anniversary Celebration of the passing of Homosexual Law Reform in Wellington. To remind us that there is so much progress for good in the world (and of course, this should set the filthy fundies raging).