Posts by Kumara Republic
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Polity: Unity, success: Chicken, egg?, in reply to
(1) Not everyone can afford to live in Auckland. Get over it and move where the work is. I have done this multiple times in my life out of necessity,
(2) I don’t understand why anyone thinks they’re *entitled* to a house in Herne Bay or Khandallah right out of School/Uni. Our parents *aspired* to that and worked their way up the ladder.
(3) Working in the trades is beneath precisely *nobody* I mean, my God do yo know what plumbers earn? They work very hard, but they do well. So perhaps instead of all this Uni/NCEA nonsense, for some people we need to re-emphasize the Trades.
(4) Build more housing. The Auckland chokehold is ridiculous. Yes, I understand that rampant expansion cannot continue, but as Kiwis we have more land than we pretend to.
(5) There are winners and losers in life. I have been both a winner and a loser in my time. Learn this. learn how to pick yourself up when you “lose” and don’t throw a hissy fit (well, not for more than the “allowable 24 hr pity party”) then go back at it – this applies to current grads and the Labour party.#1: People move to Auckland because that’s where the plum jobs are. A number of people close to me have said they’re only up there because they couldn’t get work anywhere else, and if it wasn’t for their jobs they’d be back down south in a flash. Some form of regional development is worth revisiting.
#2: Houses may be cheaper in outlying areas, but the gains are often negated by 3+ hour commutes. The CRL and plans to densify areas near it is a partial solution.
#3: Agreed that university isn’t for everyone, myself included. To think otherwise is a recipe for credential inflation and wasted effort.
#4: Those who want to throw the RMA on a bonfire are quick to invoke it if Donald Trump or the developers of the Burj Khalifa were to propose something very tall near them. The real issue is that some Aucklanders want keep Auckland s some kind of overgrown cow-town – think of the differences in urbanity and culture between say Vancouver and Dallas.
#5: Have you seen this cartoon on privilege? -
Polity: Unity, success: Chicken, egg?, in reply to
So I was hoping this group of people, although what they’re currently saying won’t be popular within Labour, might at least start a debate and bring back some more moderate Labour voters – who, IMHO have left in droves as the hard left has become a bit strong within the party.
Once again, this Puddlegum blog article begs the question: did Labour really lose votes to National, given the Nats' actual number of votes barely changed, or did Labour lose votes to the "missing million"?
Personally the first step the Labour caucus needs to take is to tell the seat-warmers in its midst to know when to quit. There's a point where valuable experience turns into gerontocratic self-preservation.
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Polity: Unity, success: Chicken, egg?, in reply to
It’s been noted by others that Key could easily fit into the Democratic Party of the US, because the Government he runs is well within its mainstream. Liberal, but not ahead of public opinion, and willing to spend to rectify problems in society. His Government is probably to the left of the Obama administration.
The Political Compass suggests he's slight more to the Right of Obama.
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Hard News: Laughing from diversity, and…, in reply to
The Slater thing was just awkward, as Russell says. He was at pains to want to be liked, and to be funny, and failed on both fronts.
It sometimes pays to give the subject enough rope to strangle himself. Paul Bushnell's Artsweek interview with Richard Prebble on RNZ years ago comes to mind:
Sometimes, however, you do actually have to own up to what your policy is. Prebble appeared last weekend on National Radio's Arts Week. I sometimes muse that the promos for Arts Week make the name of the programme sound a bit like "Arse Week". So must Richard Prebble, because "arse" is about the best description of his behaviour.
Now, Act's policy on culture has hitherto apparently been that it will only fund heritage - or dead culture. The living arts don't deserve any public support and they won't get any. This is not a very good message to be carrying into a neck and neck battle in arty Wellington Central.
So Prebble went on Arts Week claiming that he supported public arts funding, he'd always done so and so did Act. But, said the interviewer, Paul Bushnell, I have statements from your arts and culture spokesperson Donna Awatere-Huata and your candidate and lead groupie Catherine Asare, and this piece of paper your officials told me was your arts policy ... and they all say the opposite. How could this be?
He pressed the point until Prebble lost it spectacularly, and at some length.
"You are a liar! This man is telling lies!" he bawled into Bushnell's mic.
"Mr Prebble, put the microphone down ..."
"I'll do what I want with it!" roared the Mad Dog.
Bushnell was by this point probably wondering if anyone could hit his interview subject with a tranquiliser dart. It made for great radio. Hilarious. But Deputy Prime Minister? I don't think so, Richard.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Up the Charts, in reply to
I used to avidly follow the chart listings in the Listener. I remember noting that O Bla Di O Bla Da was on it in about 5 different places, at one stage, all by different bands.
Or when "Power of Love" appeared 3 times on the charts in 1985.
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Hard News: Campbell interviewed, in reply to
I noticed the lack of Herald coverage too. I guess it is now officially a propaganda paper for National Press releases. Otherwise their journalists are incompetent or lazy. Fisher keeps plugging away tho’ and I like Dita, that’s it.
I emailed Jo Goodhew, her area of portfolio and her area, about the shipment. I await her weasle words but don’t hold me breath. seems any law can be broken as long as they support NationalThe NZH has covered it over the last 24 hours:
* Shipment of live NZ animals sparks concern
* Green Party criticises sheep shipment -
Again, if anyone hasn't seen it yet, Druglawed has one more showing at the Roxy in Wellington this Saturday morning.
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Envirologue: Choose Wisely, Grasshopper:…, in reply to
It is only recently that two things happened first is the governments sold off a lot of government owned housing stock to private landlords and second is housing prices jumped so rapidly people stopped even trying to own and switched to renting long term.
This IS a new problem.
And now the "landed gentry" with their "housing apartheid" - as the un-socialistic Shamubeel Eaqub describes them in his own words - have become so powerful, that the only things guaranteed to dislodge them are a housing bubble burst or the outbreak of war. Prof Eaqub in the same clip also called for stronger renters' rights.
THE NATION: SUNDAY JUNE 7, 2015
My inner Machiavellian tells me there's a way to bring the bubble burst forward without the use of violent force: print enough counterfeit NZD to have the Reserve Bank governor reaching for his brown pants.
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Hard News: Laughing from diversity, and…, in reply to
Comedy is hard work. Most people aren’t that funny. Bill Hicks to me personifies the modern craft of comedy.
Another one is George Carlin, who, aside from 7 Dirty Words fame, had some brilliantly biting social commentary.