tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post6295216569798937177..comments2024-03-29T17:12:19.648+13:00Comments on Bowalley Road: Take Your PartnersChris Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-62564182591761499412009-09-10T14:29:04.327+12:002009-09-10T14:29:04.327+12:00Adolf, I think you may have been referring to my p...Adolf, I think you may have been referring to my post when I referred to Ronald Reagan (and John Key) as not great thinkers. <br /><br />I don't think even the most partisan of Republicans (nor National Party big wigs) would seriosuly argue that Reagan (Key) was (is) a deep or profound thinker. But this is not my point. Reagan had, and continues to have, a profound impact on politics and culture in the USA and beyond and I don't think Key will have the same type of impact in this country. Rather, the point of similarity between the two is their ability to offer themselves to the electorate as a screen or mirror upon which the electorate can project an image of themselves as they would like to see themselves, rather than as they actually are. <br /><br />In Key's case,I think he probably is a decent likeable guy. He's moderate and pragmatic (think Jim Bolger and Keith Holyoake) and probably the first Prime Minister we have had in my lifetime who doesn't have an obvious major personality flaw. He speaks like the majority of kiwis, poor grammar and all (remember his election nigh accpetance speech?), he's modest and doesn't mind acting the goat in a loud shirt dancing like a dork either with drag queens or visiting our Pacific neighbours. He's been terribly successful overseas (ie he's proved himself on the world stage) and returned home and thrown himself into public service. And he is proving as popular as all get out. <br /><br />Labour will not prevail over a Key-led National government in the short-term (at least a couple of terms and probably three). It will take time for mistakes to accrue, policy problems to gestate and for the political cycle to turn. The only glimmer of hope for Labour is that some of the manifestly inadequate members of his cabinet - think here of Kate Wilkinson, Anne Tolley, Paula Bennett and Nick Smith as a start - will, when put under pressure and pressed on the detail and implementation of policy, be shown as not up to their jobs and this will take the gloss off the government as a whole. But it will take time and an awful lot of hard work for shadow Ministers to best their opposite numbers as they have only their intelligence and diligence against the resources of government. But the good thing for the country is that Key is sufficiently pragmatic (remember his compromise solution over the anti-smacking legsilation) that he might well steal any good ideas generated by the opposition. The temptation for Labour is to give in to impatience, try out a few different leaders, and refuse to develop policies of its own for fear Key might steal them. I think Labour needs to put the country and its constituencies ahead of self-interest, try to influence policy in important areas, and wait out Key and for the electoral cycle to turn and/or for the hard heads in the National Party to push Key aside. As one of New Zealand's premier philosophers once famously said: "It might not happen overnight, but it will happen!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-14367606285486906452009-09-09T19:10:56.992+12:002009-09-09T19:10:56.992+12:00Interesting that small minded commenters here writ...Interesting that small minded commenters here write off one of the greatest 'thinkers' in America's 20th century. Probably because he didn't use big words.<br /><br />Just goes to show why you are stuffed. You can't tell the difference between a dead hedgehog and a hind quarter of texel lamb.Adolf Fiinkenseinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08045358863278087055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-62212832121686202902009-09-09T14:34:52.230+12:002009-09-09T14:34:52.230+12:00I agree with the previous poster. In many countri...I agree with the previous poster. In many countries, someone with Key's chronic inability to articulate cogently would be considered ineligible for any form of public office. Similarly, Clark's inherent cogency would have been seen as an asset. But not, apparently, here! However, it might eventually become apparent even to New Zealanders that the Emperor has no clothes.<br /><br />VictorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-76638813379386897102009-09-09T13:03:04.328+12:002009-09-09T13:03:04.328+12:00A moderation of support for Labour by the poor and...A moderation of support for Labour by the poor and a substantial shift to National by middle-income women probably explains the outcome of the last election in fairly accurate terms. And I think you are right to point to the anti-smacking legsilation as a significant factor underlying these changes. But I think the more significant factor was the attractiveness of Key and our ambivalence towards Clark. As the NZ Herald unscientific poll of greatest living New Zealander demonstrated, we respect Clark enormously. But I don't think kiwis ever really liked or warmed to her. This wasn't so much of a problem when she faced leaders of the National Party no-one particularly warmed to such as Jenny Shipley, Bill English and Don Brash. But up against Key, someone who is just possibly a genuinely nice guy, albeit a fairly uncomplicated one and one not overly troubled by ideas, and carrying the baggage of 9 years in office, our respect for Clark wasn't enough to make us stick wih her. Instead we flocked to the unthreatening nice guy who seemed to have had a very succssful life and career before entering politics. And the stratospheric support for Key and National evidenced in the polls this year suggests that kiwis are still backing this nice guy. In my view, Key has something of the Ronald Reagan about him; he's not much of a thinker (which in NZ is a positive) but when we look at him we see what we would like to see in ourselves - successful, easy going, uncomplicated and broadly decent. Key is going to be very difficult to beat in the short-term. But in the long term the very things that make him so popular now will ultimately found a judgement about 'wasted years', 'years of drift', 'absence of vision' etc etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-33678947699932615902009-09-09T11:14:01.861+12:002009-09-09T11:14:01.861+12:00It has been announced that Nigel Latta will assist...It has been announced that Nigel Latta will assist in the review of the Child Discipline Law. Christine Rankin is a member of the Families Commission. Why not complete the trifecta by creating a New Zealand Senate to which a horse could be appointed.Roddershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09037441119749028504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-83969757754025208582009-09-08T16:14:52.097+12:002009-09-08T16:14:52.097+12:00Clearly you were not disenfranchised Anonymous, si...Clearly you were not disenfranchised Anonymous, since you voted. And what exactly are these "anti-kiwi hate policies" to which you refer? I'd also like to know what qualifies a person as a "decent Kiwi" - it does not appear to include concern for the less fortunate by your account.Olwynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-30160567810676047082009-09-08T15:52:27.920+12:002009-09-08T15:52:27.920+12:00Ah Trotter, with the typical sneering contempt for...Ah Trotter, with the typical sneering contempt for decent New Zealand we've come to expect from the Left-wing beneficiary class.<br /><br />Labour were trounced in the last election because decent, law-abiding Kiwis were tired of being disenfranchised, tired of the creeping socialism and totalitarian aspirations of Pol Clark.<br /><br />It was the ultimate protest vote. New Zealanders raised their voices and shouted a collective <b>No!</b> to the anti-Kiwi hate policies of the Clark regime.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-70313232509466711412009-09-08T13:02:02.699+12:002009-09-08T13:02:02.699+12:00Lindsey,
You say 'tried to use S59 as a defen...Lindsey,<br /><br />You say 'tried to use S59 as a defense'. So did the defense work, or did the jury reject that defense and say guilty of what ever the actual offence was?Workingmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-29167640748706119492009-09-08T11:24:53.290+12:002009-09-08T11:24:53.290+12:00Epsom man, Waitakere man, Manurewa man...
Perhaps...Epsom man, Waitakere man, Manurewa man...<br /><br />Perhaps political parties need to treat their voters as citizens, and not target markets.<br /><br />MillsyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-6036042621440594142009-09-07T15:17:27.310+12:002009-09-07T15:17:27.310+12:00Mr Trotter, you could not have wished for more rel...Mr Trotter, you could not have wished for more reliable corroboration of your thesis than this piece of waffly junk from the DomPost. Says it all really.<br /><br />It should have been headed "Love, Labour's Lost!" (Did you like that? You can have it. That's a joke, by the way. Remember Wayne and Shuster?))<br /><br />http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/opinion/2839362/Labour-should-seize-post-crash-policy-leadAdolf Fiinkenseinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08045358863278087055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-52299655187550585782009-09-07T02:14:51.319+12:002009-09-07T02:14:51.319+12:00"And Epsom man was annoyed that Grammer had t..."And Epsom man was annoyed that Grammer had to have a zone, breaking 140 years of tradition. Epsom man found that -- and he is generally an expert in his field -- the advice he gave -- and he was asked -- by the last labour gov't was ignored by the 20 something polstudies graduate Helen had just employed."<br /><br />And rightly so. The average Epsom man is a tiresome blowhard who thinks that having an LLB qualifies him to pontificate to the rest of the country on a wide variety of topics. He's basically Waitakere man with a snootier accent and a greater sense of entitlement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-72049908351249789232009-09-06T21:53:12.520+12:002009-09-06T21:53:12.520+12:00Lindsey - I suspect you are misinformed about the ...Lindsey - I suspect you are misinformed about the protections animals have under the law.<br /><br />Olwyn - Labour got a lot of votes in south Auckland, and without them would have been toast. But that's not the same thing.<br /><br />Turnout rose in south Auckland in 2005 (where "south Auckland" = the electorates of Mangere, Manukau East, and Manurewa), but the 2005 election was close – so turnout was up everywhere.<br /><br />Across New Zealand, it was up 3.94 points on the 2002 election. Across the general electorates only, it was up 3.51 points. In Mangere, turnout was up 2 points, in Manukau East, it was 2.24 and in Manurewa it was 2.64.<br /><br />And it wasn't a large increase in enrolled voters, either. The population of New Zealand having increased, numbers of enrolled voters were just up. Admittedly, south Auckland electorates were up by more than the average, but Auckland was growing faster than the average (Auckland picked up an extra electorate in the recent post-census re-districting). And the south Auckland electorates weren't growing at a vastly different rate from, say, Auckland Central.<br /><br />The three south Auckland electorates had the lowest turnout across all general electorates in both 2002 and 2005, with very low growth in turnout as well.Graeme Edgelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03928755583921638414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-23074082452233714082009-09-06T13:56:24.574+12:002009-09-06T13:56:24.574+12:00At the end of the day, NZ is the victim of a cross...At the end of the day, NZ is the victim of a cross between a deliberate hoax and voluntary self-delusion.<br /><br /> Emperor John has no clothes, but the populace can't stop cheering their wonderful colour, cut and texture.<br /><br />I don't think Smacking Bill angst is going to have too huge an effect upon this coalition of the wishful thinking. When we really start paying the price for neo-liberal Peter Pan economics, we'll be told it's all Labour's fault!<br /><br />VictorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-19896681098577296482009-09-06T12:49:28.639+12:002009-09-06T12:49:28.639+12:00Chris, liked it.
The last advocate of the Manure...Chris, liked it. <br /><br />The last advocate of the Manurewa man is Ross Robertson, who has been sidelined. There is now no party for the working class.<br /><br />Labour used to win by allying Manurewa man with Epsom man. But Helen also lost Epsom man. This chap (and chapette) used to think liberal meant voting left and had a sense of noblesse oblige. Epsom man gave his party vote to Labour and his electorate vote to a person who looked after the Grammar zone. Epsom man generally liked the social properties and Clarke's "third way" -- and Epsom man has friends in the UK who voted for Blair and for Clinton.<br /><br />However, the increased funding that was promised led to more muppets being employed in Wellington. This led to more paper work. Epsom man would rather be generating billable hours -- and Epsom woman would rather be doctoring, teaching or nursing -- than filling in the increasingly baroque paperwork the muppets demanded.<br /><br />And Epsom man was annoyed that Grammer had to have a zone, breaking 140 years of tradition. Epsom man found that -- and he is generally an expert in his field -- the advice he gave -- and he was asked -- by the last labour gov't was ignored by the 20 something polstudies graduate Helen had just employed.<br /><br />The result is that the left do not have many Epsom men left in their ranks. They have lost all the Manurewa men -- and modern unions are run by professional advocates not men on the shop floor and women on the ward. <br /><br />Old Labour may rise again, but the third way is beyond resurrectionAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-73011503213631457942009-09-06T11:56:56.047+12:002009-09-06T11:56:56.047+12:00From what I remember, analysis done by the unions ...From what I remember, analysis done by the unions at the time does support the claim that a big South Auckland vote played a large part in Labour's 2005 win. <br /><br />Harking back to earlier posts, the big problem facing the left lies in the fact that poverty and insecurity are entrenched in NZ society, and few want to know about it - neither Waitakere man nor his quasi-urbane opponent. Labour's efforts in getting everyone employed certainly helped, but were countered to some extent by the housing boom, which gave rise to a new bunch of lay-landlords, happily pocketing the rental supplement recycled through low-paid hands and into their bank accounts. In fact housing unaffordablity may have played a larger part in Labour's defeat than the smacking bill. <br /><br />It is as if most the country has accepted that some percentage or other of abject poverty is inevitable, and will only begin to matter if people start starving to death in the street. Our standard response is to place an increasing list of constraints on the already desperate, whenever we are shown up by a UN or OECD report.Olwynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-56435907418402862682009-09-06T08:28:20.947+12:002009-09-06T08:28:20.947+12:00Amazing how something which gave your child the sa...Amazing how something which gave your child the same rights as your dog was spun into something so different from the reality.<br />I was on a Jury once where a sadistic child beater tried to use S59 as a defense and I am pleased it was repealed.Lindseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-84451963744576451792009-09-06T00:00:08.068+12:002009-09-06T00:00:08.068+12:00Producerist? Yes, god forbid that those who actual...Producerist? Yes, god forbid that those who actually PRODUCE something get rewarded by society.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17084190068233286583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-91158161522460398922009-09-05T22:04:22.439+12:002009-09-05T22:04:22.439+12:00Wow, it took you 1052 words to describe Pauline Ha...Wow, it took you 1052 words to describe Pauline Hanson's One Nation. Funnily enough, John Howard built a successful political career by usurping Hanson's producerist and racist message. And funnily enough, Crosby/Textor - who seem to have a close relationship with National - were his PR gurus of choice. If I were the NZ Labour Party, I would hope someone was talking the ALP on how to defeat the wedge politics of Crosby/Textor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-4838985768813703902009-09-05T20:18:29.877+12:002009-09-05T20:18:29.877+12:00It was hardly central to you point, and wasn't...It was hardly central to you point, and wasn't even quite what you were saying, but the idea that Labour won the 2005 election on the back of a strong get out the vote campaign in South Auckland is one of the persistent myths of New Zealand politics (up there with the myth that we were always going to have a second referendum on MMP).<br /><br />It really doesn't bear analysis.Graeme Edgelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03928755583921638414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-19410436587467066622009-09-05T16:16:08.404+12:002009-09-05T16:16:08.404+12:00Aaaaah Mr Trotter. You are the master of the para...Aaaaah Mr Trotter. You are the master of the parable.<br /><br />I've been having a bit of a dust up with the shouters of the right over at Farrar's Troll Farm. (Hell, I'm a life long National/Liberal voter)Most of these chaps appear to be the self styled intelligentsia for whom your Waitakere Man shows disdain. They are spitting chips because they haven't got their way over the smacking referendum. Short sighted dolts, all of them.<br /><br />I think you are right in your summing up. It's just a matter of timing and I reckon John Key and his mates are keeping the smacking law up their sleeves to knock over Mallard as he attempts to lead Labour back from oblivion.<br /><br />Maori seats an issue? Naaaah. That's just a smoke screen. Only the university activists want them. Real Maori, like me, will get our representation by earning it, thank you very much. Maori have already, in nine months, made more gains with National than they made with nine years of Labour.<br /><br />Clark destroyed the Labour Party when she buggered off to talk to a sheep.Adolf Fiinkenseinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08045358863278087055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-74212358084518335852009-09-05T16:00:35.903+12:002009-09-05T16:00:35.903+12:00Thanks for the excellent read Chris. I hate to thi...Thanks for the excellent read Chris. I hate to think what 'Manurewa Man' would think of Clark's successor - what has he ever done to earn his or his whanau's vote? Sign a free trade deal with communist China? That's his only achievment I can think of and something tells me it's not exactly very high up on the priority list for your average Labour voter.Jonathannoreply@blogger.com