I have pretty much given up on believing Labour are on the side of light when it comes to balancing individual rights against law’n'order.

I suspect they’ll support it, but if they do oppose, you’d hardly know it because they’re not going to be vocal about it.

You know why this country is sliding into shit? Because the people who could stand up against things like this stay quiet, for fear of scaring the sheep.

They’re not your voters, they’re your critics and supporters. Sometimes they’re important and influential, they say useful things, and other times they don’t. Judgement is required to determine which.

How come National keep on voting as a block on conscience issues? Are they not allowed to think for themselves?

The third question worth considering is what will the issue that splits that block vote look like? At some point there will be a conscience issue with enough internal dissension that their whips won’t be able to hold it together. Labour must be hanging out for that issue, what is it? and what does Key do when he can’t “lead” a united front?

ok stupid idea.

The social scientist in me is just interested in what would happen if the leftie commenters just left them to it for a while.

Unless of course it’s just that r0b’s comments get ignored

That’s probably it!

I find it helps to think of it like walking home early on a Sunday morning. If you’re careful about stepping over the puddles of vomit and the occasional prone body and dodging the hectoring weird guy with the Tourettes and the conspiracy theory, you can meet some interesting people along the way and might even get to see the odd astounding sunrise.

Whereas here it’s more like hurrying through the airport, head down, hoping some earnest young true believer doesn’t manage to corner you with some tedious tract, trying to convince you that the Leader of the Labour Party really did find their policy writ on gold tablets buried in the forest.

If you make it to your seat you’re often lucky enough to find you’re sitting next to someone entertaining, and occasionally you’ll even get a window seat.

So I wouldn’t want any of the very good commenters we get here being deterred by r0b’s “media buddies” because mine say just the opposite.

Unless of course it’s just that r0b’s comments get ignored, while my bon mots are universally acknowledged as the height of erudition and wit

* No, really.