Comments on: Open mike 11/12/2009

By: Rex Widerstrom

Rex Widerstrom — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:45:11 +0000

Apropos of past discussions on the decline of the MSM.

A magazine article (I can’t find a link to it, you’ll just have to trust me) lists “The ten deadliest countries for journalists” as produced, allegedly, by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Protect, but not from ignorance it seems. For the eighth most dangerous country listed is “Asia”.

By: the pinkpostman

the pinkpostman — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:51:41 +0000

Ron ; I can’t under stand how the Maori Party is getting further and further into the National embrace . They are becoming more Right Wing than Rodney and his mates . They are allowing their Maori people to be shafted time and again. As I have said before Tariana Tureha is driven by a unnatural hatred of Helen Clark .

By: Draco T Bastard

Draco T Bastard — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:40:57 +0000

You do know that political parties need to have 500+ people in them don’t you? I’m pretty sure that you’ll find that both the Jim Anderton Party and the P Dunne Party have far more than that.

By: Quoth the Raven

Quoth the Raven — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:26:16 +0000

That would be great – a none of the above box to tick next election.

By: GFraser

GFraser — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:46:11 +0000

I take it that the P.M. will be relaxed about this story;
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3150804/New-Zealand-gets-climate-fossil-award

By: Bored

Bored — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:01:09 +0000

No, I will Google and have a laugh..Thanks.

By: prism

prism — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:52:14 +0000

It will lack the personal touch I should think seeing its just a biographer. Being face to face with the celeb can spark stuff like Pilger and Lord High Winston of Britain, did you hear that one?

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:47:46 +0000

And the Palin article has been produced in the Washington Post, The Guardian…..whereas McDonald?

By: Bored

Bored — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:43:14 +0000

How gruesome, do you think she might do a Pilger again?

By: prism

prism — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:37:39 +0000

Kim Hill will be talking to Ayn Rand biographer Sat morning on Nat Radio.

By: felix

felix — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:37:28 +0000

Yep. Carbon tax.

By: outofbed

outofbed — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:32:26 +0000

UK issues new guidance on labelling of food from illegal West Bank settlements
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/10/guidance-labelling-food-israeli-settlements

By: prism

prism — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:31:40 +0000

Question – minor fringe parties in parliament. We would hear even less in the media about the important concerns of government and parliament and more about SA driving tractors up parliament steps, WP playing media badminton, the Nazi front, the everything should be free front, and regular reports on an unofficial competing list of ‘how many women I can bed’ and drinks before I fall down from the front with a lot of front.

PB iii) The major parties would form a grand coalition before either of them saddled up to a truly dangerous party. I don’t think that we can count on this – the assessment of dangerous depends on who is making it.

By: prism

prism — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:16:22 +0000

The 90% guess of fraudulent trading is the important measure surely rather than the money estimate.

By: Pascal's bookie

Pascal's bookie — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:03:58 +0000

ii)look at the power ACT has at the moment

They have the power National gave them. No more.

iii)I can’t see that happening ever to be honest.

To use your National Front example, if the NF held the balance of power (unlikely) what do you think would happen to either Nat or Lab in the next election if they gave the NF any power?

The thing about really radical nutjob parties is that they are really unpopular, that would taint any party that went into coaltion with them.

iv)Yet they still claim that they are oppressed.

Not quite sure what you mean but my point was quite specific, and about the legitimacy of the complaint. the complaint may well come anyway, but so what?Again, if the NF had enough votes to get a seat in the house, and you deny them that, then they have a complaint that is legitimate (if you accept my point ‘i’, which you do).

v) What would have happened if B&B had got in?

You tell me, you’re the one that’s worried about it. They would have whatever power the major parties chose to give them, probably none. They would be no more expensive than any other innefectual backbench opposition MP.