Hard News: That Buzzing Sound
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The same pressure led to Brash's about-face on the civil union bills -- for which he was decent enough to express regret in his valedictory speech. (He also gracefully apologised for his notorious letter to the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral about Clark's attitude to religion and marriage: "While I didn't personally write the letter, I did sign it, and take full responsibility for it. Given all the circumstances, that was not one of my most brilliant letters.")
Thanks for the reminder. As for McCully, at the end of the 80s he attempted to gain milage by questioning the funding of women's rugby, but quickly backed off after being roundly howled down. Unlike Brash he's shown himself to be thoroughly negative throughout his political career, with a bottom-feeder's compulsion to equate bigotry with the true mood of the electorate.
As for Clark, I know that I've harped on this before, but I can't help feeling that her failure to fully employ Tim Barnett's talent shows something of her timidity in these matters.
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Oh, I don't think they're the same. But I do think that a lot of the time we see an over-simplified picture of the Left that doesn't include, say, the Labour voters of South Auckland or the West Coast or Sydenham, the socially-conservative Left. Hence my taking issue with Gio's comment, which is where I came in.
Oh, for sure. With Chris Trotter et al it all relates to the unbelievably tedious argument between class struggle and identity politics. But it is worth noting that predictions that South Auckland churchgoers would turn on labour over civil unions proved to be 100% wrong.
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As for Clark, I know that I've harped on this before, but I can't help feeling that her failure to fully employ Tim Barnett's talent shows something of her timidity in these matters.
Eh? She made Chris Carter Minister of Education, promoted Maryan Street to Cabinet after only two years in office, and employed Heather Simpson and Grant Robertson as her key advisers. I really don't think timidity over his sexual orientation can be blamed for Barnett's failure to progress further.
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3410,
Don't think it's been mentioned yet -- apologies if I'm wrong on that -- but last night's Sunday 's Rankin segment is up on TVNZ.
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Barnett was never given a ministerial role. Plenty of demonstrably lesser talents were. Barnett's courage in winning over the bigoted on a one-to-one basis through his sheer good nature and reasonableness - and there are plenty of those in Chch Central - was phenomenal. A pity he's gone, just as he appeared to be getting the hang of what makes this place tick. On the other hand, maybe that's why he stepped down.
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But hey, since folks keep mentioning Helen Clark -- perhaps she should have retired from public life so the salacious and vile tittle-tattle about her marriage and sexual orientation didn't "become the issue"? Bullshit.
But those propagating that line of "vile tittle-tattle" were not particularly trying to reveal hypocrisy on Clark's part, were they? It was salacious for the sake it, as I recall.
So it still seems like a pretty specious comparison to the current Rankin coverage. I'm not condoning all the media tactics and approach overall (and don't think anyone else here particularly is, either) but there's a legitimate aspect to it: revealing private actions when they are hypocritical in light of your public stance on issues in which you may have some influence.
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(In a different vein, I really respect the fact that Grant Robertson is out and gay in a way that does not preclude him being obsessively knowledgeable about the history of Otago rugby.)
I'm sure Grant now supports Wellington-based teams... though I note he's a vociferous supporter of the Phoenix but less so the 'Canes...
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Eh? She made Chris Carter Minister of Education, promoted Maryan Street to Cabinet after only two years in office, and employed Heather Simpson and Grant Robertson as her key advisers. I really don't think timidity over his sexual orientation can be blamed for Barnett's failure to progress further.
None of the aforementioned went anywhere near as far as Barnett in advancing genuinely progessive social legislation. And to the electorate at large, prime ministerial advisers are hardly controversial figures. You can't be seriously suggesting that appointing any of the above to took an exceptional degree of political courage. Barnett was a lighning rod for social bigots, as evidenced by the unspeakably vile comments on his short-lived blog.
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Caritas made a submission on the Families Commission in 2003.
http://www.caritas.org.nz/dox/Domestic%20Advocacy/Families%20Commission%20Bill%202003.doc
Thinking back on the Rankin & Religion article about her being excluded from her kids first holy communion. All parents are, it's about the kids not her, ... now I get it.
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Russ:
Amen to that. I was cheered by Pansy Wong's short-lived "Pansy's Pansies" for just that reason. It's a shame the idea was kind of shut down.
I'm reminded of this doco that showed @ the Film Fests about 3-5 years back.
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Don't think it's been mentioned yet -- apologies if I'm wrong on that -- but last night's Sunday's Rankin segment is up on TVNZ.
Holy shit. I didn't realise it was quite that hardcore. Janet MacIntyre reads Rankin this statement from Margo McAuley's sister in Ireland:
"In relation to Ms Christine Rankin and Mr Kim Macintyre, my opinion will forever be marked with heartbreak and anger. Kim Macintyre was married to my sister Margo and they'd been together for approximately 10 years. At the time of Margo's tragic and totally unnecessary death, Mr Kim Macintyre and Ms Christine Rankin were in a relationship. Mr Macintyre and Ms Rankin had in fact met approximately two years previously. I cannot say how long the relationship had been going on. On the day prior to Margo's death, Mr Macintyre informed Margo that he was leaving her to be with Ms Christine Rankin."
Rankin then reads her own statement denying any affair, and declines to answer further questions, including one about twin suicide notes left for her and Kim. I actually felt sorry for her until she started blaming it all on a left-wing conspriracy.
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Barnett was a lighning rod for social bigots, as evidenced by the unspeakably vile comments on his short-lived blog.
Working as his blog proof-reader was certainly an... interesting job. One that required large applications of medicinal alcohol to disinfect the inside of my brain.
Barnett was a great guy, hard-working and personable. We (Chch's chardonnay socialists) miss him. I don't know what nobbled his career but I'd struggle to believe it was incompetance.
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Barnett was a great guy, hard-working and personable. We (Chch's chardonnay socialists) miss him. I don't know what nobbled his career but I'd struggle to believe it was incompetance.
I interviewed him a couple of times (one time with the Libertarianz' health spokesman, on drug law reform) and certainly enjoyed it, and was impressed by his politics. I just took issue with Joe's guess that his sexuality precluded him from higher honours, because the evidence doesn't suggest that.
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I actually felt sorry for her until she started blaming it all on a left-wing conspriracy.
The HoS is left-wing? But, yeah, I tend to agree.
Key and Bennett may keep their nominee but you have to wonder why they wanted her in the first place? If all you need is "colourful" character, then who's next? Merepeka Raukawa-Tait?
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Reminds me. The first two, surprisingly prescient, pars of one of Steve Braunias's morning-after election stories from the SST, last November:
AND THE winner of last night's election coverage was Duncan Garner. TV3's political editor scored a fabulous scoop when he roamed the National Party campaign headquarters, and ran into Christine Rankin.
As one of New Zealand's leading harridans, Rankin was the ideal person to give voice to the wave of euphoria, fantasy, and delusion that swept the country. "John Key," she said, with yet another set of massive ear-rings swinging like chandeliers from her ears, "is a decent, really great man. He will be a much-loved prime minister". -
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait?
Donna Awatere-Huata!
This is a fun game, but it scares me that someone might be taking notes.
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Donna Awatere-Huata!
Now there's someone who let me down. I interviewed a few people for a Listener story when Act launched as a political party, and while some of them (Muriel Newman) struck me as bonkers, Donna seemed kind and serious. And then look what she did ...
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But those propagating that line of "vile tittle-tattle" were not particularly trying to reveal hypocrisy on Clark's part, were they?
Oh, Steve, it was all about the hypocrisy of a closeted lezzer in a sham marriage of convenience with a gay bear pushing her covert far-left homosexual agenda down kiddie's throats. At least, I think that's what Ian Wishart said before my ears started bleeding and I lapsed into a welcome coma.
but there's a legitimate aspect to it: revealing private actions when they are hypocritical in light of your public stance on issues in which you may have some influence.
So, it really would have been useful to remind everyone that Ron Mark was convicted at 17 of having (consensual) sex with a 15 year old, got off with a fine (presumably from some wet, PC wally) and went on to take a rather harder line where others were concerned? Personally, I'd rather the squalid 'outing' of that factoid had never happened, and I'm rather thankful more attention was put on picking his fatuous vapourings apart.
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This is a fun game,
and to make it really nasty, I'll nominate Josef Fritzl
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Reminds me. The first two, surprisingly prescient, pars of one of Steve Braunias's morning-after election stories from the SST, last November
Thanks, Philip, for the reminder why I don't pay for the Sunday Star-Times any more.
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Barnett was a great guy, hard-working and personable. We (Chch's chardonnay socialists) miss him.
Along with an elderly relative or three, for whom Barnett was probably their first contact with an upfront, intelligent and articulate gay guy.
I just took issue with Joe's guess that his sexuality precluded him from higher honours, because the evidence doesn't suggest that.
That wasn't the point I was attempting. It was Barnett's very public linking of his sexuality with his politics, e.g. civil unions, that made him so singular. I don't know whether Clark had much instinct for the electoral mood on such matters, but to me there's a distinct impression that she erred on the side of caution while Tim took it for the team.
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Rankin then reads her own statement denying any affair, and declines to answer further questions, including one about twin suicide notes left for her and Kim.
I'm assuming you agree that she was *right* to decline to answer the questions put to her. After all it was Rankin who agreed to go on the programme and it is good to see her stand her ground. And if the HoS etc hadn't written those articles in attempts to cast doubt on Rankin's ability to be a commissioner -which is the only motive for writing them that I can see - she would never had to front on TV in the first place.
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I'm assuming you agree that she was *right* to decline to answer the questions put to her. After all it was Rankin who agreed to go on the programme and it is good to see her stand her ground.
I think she was, actually. I don't think the public has a right to know too much about the circumstances leading to the suicide of a woman who was married to a man who's recently married someone else who has recently been appointed to the Board of a public body.
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Oh, and getting back to For the Sake of Our Children's major issue (the "right to smack" that's all over its home page at the moment), this guy is finally in court:
Musician punched son in face, court told
NEW 1:32PM Monday May 18, 2009
A witness has told a Christchurch court she saw a local man punch his son and flick his ear.Fifty-year-old musician Jimmy Mason is on trial on three charges of assaulting his two sons, then aged two and four, in December 2007.
Belinda Payne told the court she saw Mason at the Bridge of Remembrance where the two boys were riding their bikes.
She says he was yelling and telling off the boys. Ms Payne says Mason lifted up the bikes while the boys were still on them and forced them down onto the ground.
She says Mason then flicked the ear of the older boy and punched him in the face.
Mason's defence lawyer has told the court his client used reasonable force.
As if you didn't guess it, it looks like yet another angry man throwing his weight around and then running for the support of the Christian sadists. I look forward to the response from the goons at Family Integrity who thought he was such a great bloke.
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And courtesy of Dim-Post, Ian Wishart shows his utter lack of irony, self-awareness or shame. Couldn't make it up without a massive dose of 'shrooms...
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