Posts by Rob Stowell
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Hard News: Jonesing, in reply to Keir Leslie,
Look at the Standard and the Daily Blog and the pretty much continuous campaign of vilification against MPs who don’t back Cunliffe. Hilary Stace got screamed at there for suggesting Ruth Dyson was a pretty decent Minister.
Fair enough. And yuck. I haven't spent much eyeball at Teh Std or the Daily Bog and don't 'specially want to. There are supporters of all 3 who have made asses of themselves. It's stupid and destructive.
And Ruth Dyson was a good minister for disabilities- she really bloody listened, for a start.
There are Labour MPs who deserve a kick in the pants who support each one of the candidates. And there'll be a time and place for that, too, no doubt ... -
Hard News: Jonesing, in reply to Keir Leslie,
if Cunliffe’s going to reward his mates he has to demote people — but it’s really unattractive.
This is sad.
If Cunliffe is elected, would you support his leadership? If he loses, would you support him as deputy?
Do you believe Cunliffe, if elected, would be so stupid as to reward all his supporters in caucus and demote his opponents? If he did, he'd lose the next election and get rolled, and he'd deserve it.But half-a-grain of brain indicates it's stupidity on a stick, and everything Cunliffe has said publicly indicates he's not proposing to do any such thing.
I dunno. Like the last Labour leadership, I don't come as a partisan. I'd be happy with Robertson or Cunliffe.
But again, Cunlifffe seems the stronger choice (this time far less clearly, but still.) And Robertson supporters appear to be starting to play nasty (again). On the one hand, innuendo, on the other, naked loathing. Of the two sides 'Team Cunliffe' have played the better team game.
It's ugly. And mystifying.
It could only be justified if Cunliffe is truly so vain, stupid and self-serving he'd inevitably come a massive cropper, taking the party out for several elections. And that's a mighty supposition.
I understand partisan passion, but the lack of infighting has been a big plus so far. It'd be horrible to watch that thrown away. -
Speaker: You ain't from round here, in reply to Kiwiiano,
Heaven knows we have little enough information to judge their value as representatives.
Amen. There's a few key questions I'd like answers to before I vote for anyone. But I'm gonna be out of town for the best chance to ask at a public meeting. Hoping there will be on-line Q&A but somehow "I'm committed to this community and well-qualified to serve" is about all we get from most of them ...
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Hard News: Jonesing, in reply to Henry Barnard,
I found that interview shocking. Saying something is 'beneath you' is NZ political death- especially on the left. We don't like people who think like that.
Makes me cross. Whose time was he wasting? Not just his own. Did he feel entitled to throw it away? What a disaster! -
Just caught the last half-hour-or so, (and didn’t know any of the songs) but it was great!
Also kept thinking, this streaming lark is the way to go, even here in the wop-wops, on the end of a lot of copper. Why can’t we watch everything online like this, live or on demand?
It's coming, but slower than it should be. -
Having watched the item .... it'd be more honest if they'd also talked to his ex-wife and seven kids. Since it's sposed to be 'warts and all'.
Yeah- the implication that because Shane and his (new) partner invite TV3 to a bbq (without any of their respective kids?) while the other two are more respecting of their families' privacy, they are somehow 'hiding something' is mean-spirited as well as ludicrous. -
Hard News: Jonesing, in reply to Sacha,
But since parliament votes on bills put before it, not necessarily Labour Party policy, it’s nuts to vote on a leader and not know where they stand, don’t-ya-reckon?
ETA: that's a good part of the beauty of this process. -
Hard News: Jonesing, in reply to Keir Leslie,
it’s also a consciously designed exercise in political theatre…
it’s been hilarious watching pundits/journalists who have no clue at all about the Labour Party (and I include most left-wing commentators here as well) opine about the relative political positions of the candidates …. They just don’t have a clue!The ‘political theatre’ isn’t working well when we don’t know the political leanings of the main characters. Unless it’s theatre designed to deceive … (give them their due, National learnt that lesson, and have campaigned openly on unpopular policy.)
I like the process. It’s been great.
But I’m mystified we know so little of the ‘relative political positions of the candidates’ that we’re reading tea-leaves and parsing tweets. However ‘hilarious’ for insiders, that’s not a good thing. For Labour or NZ. -
Can someone please point to evidence of Jones being a/ a really good speaker b/ amusing/witty/funny c/ in good command of all aspects of a complex situation?
From what I've seen in the contest to date, he's just not living up to the hype.
Yet people whose opinion I respect insist he's the man for the job.
Yrs
Puzzled of Shakesville -
Puttin pressure on Putin - if it's possible- is the only way this can get untangled. Makes a lot of sense, but I have no sense of what might make him change his stance. Not moral suasion, anyway.