Posts by John Armstrong
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Hard News: Unwarranted risk, in reply to Steve Barnes,
National are opposing the people of New Zealand, they are opposing any form of public broadcasting, they are opposing any social growth with the idealogical mindset that the individual is greater than the whole, they are opposing public good over private profit.
Not to shift the blame here at all, but National are not doing all this alone. They are doing it with the aid, or at least compliance, of two coalition partners, at least one of which must be very uncomfortable with much of it. As Sacha pointed out in another thread, change doesn't have to wait till 2014.
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Hard News: Notes in My Pocket, in reply to Paul Campbell,
abject terror
Yes, that was a risk, particularly as our wee boy isn't at all keen on loud noises. As a result we had a carefully-worked out plan which involved sitting near a strategically selected exit, estimating the combined temporal duration of 'Land of Hope and Glory' and the 1812 Overture, mapping the most efficient route through packed carparks and the neighbouring cemetary (factoring in the need to not walk across any actual graves at night), all with a view to arriving at a pre-selected hilltop that was simultaneously far enough away to minimise the terrorising effects of sound yet sufficiently elevated to provide an optimal and unobstructed visual field. And do you think we could wake him up?
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Two melted lindt choccies that a nice woman gave to my two year old at the Hamilton Garden Festival symphony in the park event last week. (He had already been to a birthday party that morning and enough sugar was enough..)
Attached to the choccies is a very lovely memory of said two-year old's much anticipated (at least by me) response to his first sighting of proper fireworks. Which was to sleep through them.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
A careless idiot on a bike and a careless idiot in a car doing the same can burn in the same circle of hell, AFAIC.
Becker certainly didn’t look like some callous petrol head overjoyed at getting away with “dooring” a dirty hippy to death.
In the context of this discussion can I suggest that you take a deep breath before posting stuff like this too? Are you really surprised when others respond with a bit of heat?
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A favourite early memory is of Booga from Head Like a Hole climbing up the frame between main stages after an absolutely blistering set and gleefully eyeballing the Breeders, challenging them to top that. Cracking bit of anti-cultural cringe.
Laughing along to Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes in 1997. Dave was the best self-proclaimed sex-symbol ever.
Battles a couple of years ago. Converted instantly and have discovered a lot of good music as a result (Don Caballero and Tyondai Braxton's solo work in particular..)
But mostly, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata..
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Fantastic to see Phil Twyford get a boost too.
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to giovanni tiso,
the intellectual differences that are displayed . . .
are not real.If you mean that the differences of opinion expressed here tend to fall within relatively narrow limits, fair enough. But I'm not sure that is necessarily a fatal weakness. While it is always valuable to test your ideas with people who think very differently, it's also useful to refine them by speaking with people who share the same core ideas, 'values', or whatever weird umbrella it is that shields this place from the more extreme elements of online discussion.
For the record, my observation was that both the 'offence' under discussion and the response were pretty mild.
It would be a real shame to lose your voice.
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OnPoint: Dear Labour Caucus, in reply to BenWilson,
I feel inadequate from having little to show for such time spent.
You may not have much to show but don't think the time has been wasted. I am reasonably sure I can speak for other PAS serial hangers-on when I say that these discussions are one of the staples of my intellectual diet.
As an aside, the intellectual differences that are displayed are one of the key reasons for that. Stick around, Gio.
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Hard News: The Next Labour Leader, in reply to Bart Janssen,
it isn’t fair for the Labour party to go after Green votes
Labour would do far better to go after the people who didn't vote at all in this election, rather than those who voted for the Greens. To that end, I think David Shearer would be the best choice, in that he probably has a better chance of attracting people who have become indifferent to politics than Cunliffe, who, despite his many qualifying attributes, is probably viewed as an establishment politician.
As Ben has been saying, this is to prioritise leadership above policy, which I agree is a problem. But, it might also be true that you have to lead a horse to water before it can drink. People who have stopped engaging to the degree that they choose not to vote are possibly not going to re-engage very deeply with new policy, no matter how good it is.
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Hard News: The Next Labour Leader, in reply to Isaac Freeman,
Man, I am explainy today. I am aware that I am talking about abstractions, and don't have to walk the talk of running a real political party.
Maybe so but you are making a lot of sense to me.
And anyway, is their really any such thing as a pure abstraction in politics?