Posts by Span .
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I used to love working the stats too, although I haven't worked one since the new legislation came in for both time and a half and a day in lieu. But then I used to take very few holidays at all, at one point they had to pay me out for a whole bunch as I'd accrued so much.
My current workplace has a compulsory shut down for two weeks, and I've heard of another (office-ish work) that closes for four whole weeks! My work is also very big on making you take your leave in the year you earnt it (actually effectively taking your leave in advance), which makes it hard to save up for special occassions, but is generally a good idea I think. Otherwise I'd go back to not taking any leave and then ending up with ME all over again...
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How many does that leave Yamis? Another 100 million?
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Well my holiday's over already, in the away-from-town sense. Now I'm back home belatedly catching on to that mp3 thing due to the player I scored for Xmas (what a great opportunity to procure all those terrible songs you were too embarassed to actually purchase -Girls Aloud anyone?).
The holiday was in Rotovegas for a few days of family Xmas with the in-laws. I distracted myself from various things, including missing my own family - my nieces were getting kittens back in Whangaparaoa, grrr - by doing crosswords most of the day.
Then we hung around in town for a while longer, did some walks, saw Casino Royale (I never thought I could actually really like a Bond film, but I was so wrong), ate out a great deal, and missed out on the luge 'cos of the crap weather on the last morning. When is Auckland going to get a luge? I'm not sure we can be a truly international city until we get one. Humph. (Does that qualify as emo?)
From now until work starts again on the 8th I'm anticipating quite a lot of cleaning and rearranging of furniture, not to mention wasting time on the internet and possibly working my way through that coveted Firefly boxset (again). When it's raining of course, when it's sunny I'm hoping to be out doing stuff that doesn't involve giving in to the inexorable pull of St Lukes.
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I thought having Dallow present the news from Fiji was pretty gimmicky, but to be honest I only flicked across it.
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I got 9 on Mr Slack's luverly quiz. Bit startling to look at the graph with the results.
I guess the thing is this - do we prefer to know a lot about our potential Prime Ministers before they ascend to greatness, or are we happy to wait for them to have it thrust upon them before we find out who they are and what they think?
(I'm thinking rather a lot about United Future's worm-fuelled result in 2002, when a lot of NZers decided better the devil we don't know, voted for them in droves, and then only afterwards did people realise what they stood for).
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oh dear, that link didn't work very well did it?
this should work, even if it isn't pretty (it's still prettier than the above, urgh!)
http://spanblather.blogspot.com/2006/11/those-pesky-unionists.html
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Ah Neil, I knew it was just a matter of time before someone decided to throw union donations into the mix here (just as Dr Brash did on Nat Rad recently).
Here's http://spanblather.blogspot.com/2006/11/those-pesky-unionists.html/a rebuttal of that fallacy, which I prepared earlier.
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Darling Craig,
Actually there have been plenty of times that I've been shy of sharing my opinions, but this hasn't been an affliction I've suffered from on my blog, which would be your experience of me.Anyhoo, yes of course I've disagreed with my party (which is not Labour, but the Alliance, for those readers not familiar with my politics). Sometimes, like during the 2002 split with Anderton, I've even done so quite publicly.
But the last bit part of your question I do struggle with:
_ or found the leadership and strategic direction a distasteful compromise of what you considered fundamental principles?_
Not much, really. And when that leadership or strategic direction has been decided by legitimate democratic processes within an organisation, and you are on the minority side of that decision, then democracy says you accept that or you find other opportunities to express your principles.
I think that is the key difference here. (uh oh pun alert!)
I haven't read The Hollow Men yet (and I'm a slow reader so it'll be a while before I have). But the indications from the media reports, and Danyl's review, indicate that the decisions about strategic direction, and policies, were not being made within the democratic structures of the National Party at all.
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Neil, use of the word "conspiratorial" tends to attract the mind to other words like "fruitcake" and "nutbar" and other nouns and adjectives that undermine the points the target is making.
Danyl's post clearly states, repeatedly, that Hagar's evidence, which is surely how one assesses the worth of his argument, is from primary sources, not News of the World or whispers in the press gallery.
As Hagar uses credible sources, and a great deal of direct quotation, it is difficult to argue that Hagar's conclusions are not credible.
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Hee hee, nice start to the morning, thanks Mr Slack!