Author Archive
Wolf at the door of National’s ‘house of sticks’
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, August 6th, 2008 - 2 comments
News coverage of English revelations
Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, August 5th, 2008 - 9 comments
Here’s the segment on the English meltdown from TV One last night. [I wanted to put up TV3’s as well – it’s good coverage, including interviews with KiwiBank customers – but I just can’t seem to deal with their flaky video stream (anyone else have problems with it?)]
No Right Turn temporarily off air
Written By: - Date published: 4:40 pm, August 1st, 2008 - 29 comments
A tale of woe from Idiot/Savant: Sometime this afternoon, Blogger, in its infinite wisdom, decided that No Right Turn was a “spam blog” and locked it. I have naturally asked for a review, and sometime in the next two business days (yeah right) someone at blogger “customer service” will be looking at it and manually […]
Effervescent stylist slams politicians
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, August 1st, 2008 - 22 comments
New Zealand stylist Stephanie Rumble – best known for her fallout with Addington race officials after claiming that a giant bottle of Lindaur was her “date” in an attempt to avoid a newly introduced ban on BYO alcohol at the event – says that Helen Clark is too inhibited, John Key needs some contrast, Gerry […]
How Wal-Mart spread across America
Written By: - Date published: 4:23 pm, July 31st, 2008 - 10 comments
Here’s a cool animation of Wal-Mart’s spread across the US (click the image below to launch it): Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world by revenue, and the largest private employer in the world. Here’s a little Wikipedia info on them and a page dedicated to some of the criticisms of the chain. (Via: BoingBoing)
Controversial advertising
Written By: - Date published: 11:35 am, July 31st, 2008 - 10 comments
Stuff reports that “a British commercial for a chocolate bar featuringThe A Team star Mr T has been pulled over concerns it could cause offence to homosexuals”. Here’s one airing locally that’s likely to cause some controversy too. It’s from a campaign by athletic gear manufacturer Skins called (perhaps tellingly) “Beyond reason”.
Who you callin’ a moron Sunday magazine?
Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, July 30th, 2008 - 11 comments
Exclusive Brethren accused of fraud and kidnapping
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, July 30th, 2008 - 10 comments
The Melborne Age reports that: A writ is expected to be filed in the High Court on Wednesday alleging the involvement of the secretive Exclusive Brethren in a variety of crimes, including fraud and kidnapping. Three sisters, from India, who say they are on the run from the religious sect, allege they can link it […]
Searching for the right answer
Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, July 29th, 2008 - 9 comments
Hint: it ain’t chocolate.
Why Labour thinks it can win again
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, July 29th, 2008 - 54 comments
Here’s a well-reasoned article by Therese Arseneau in which she canvasses the reasons behind Labour thinking it can still win. She puts it down to: MMP, their ‘core vote’, voter mobilisation, National’s policies, Helen Clark herself and a bit of a mix of good management and good luck. Definitely worth a read.
The conservative brotherhood
Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, July 29th, 2008 - 12 comments
Eddie’s already posted on the scripts the Tories in the UK used when it came to explaining (away) their associations with dodgy political consultants Crosby Textor. It was the same broken record used here by National in recent weeks. The anti-Blair “demon-eyes” ad below ran in 1997. The ad on the right ran here last […]
It’s not just the polls
Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, July 15th, 2008 - 41 comments
Jordan Carter posted a month or so back (a little controversially) on how much easier life might be for some on the left if they didn’t believe it was necessary to give due moral regard to others – selfishness certainly seems simpler. New research suggests that Jordan may well be right. The study has concluded […]
Tearaway on election ’08
Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, July 15th, 2008 - 37 comments
A reader just alerted us to the fact that Tearaway’s latest issue features a piece on election ’08. Gotta love the question about what each leader would do with a billion dollars. Damn, where are C/T when you need ’em…? (Click the image for a larger version)
Iran’s Photoshop job
Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, July 11th, 2008 - 23 comments
From NYT blog The Lede: As news spread across the world of Iran’s provocative missile tests, so did an image of four missiles heading skyward in unison. Unfortunately, it appeared to contain one too many missiles, a point that had not emerged before the photo was used on the front pages of The Los Angeles […]
David Slack at Drinking Liberally Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, July 9th, 2008 - 13 comments
(Via: greylynnsinglesclub)
Havoc interviews Hager
Written By: - Date published: 5:44 pm, July 7th, 2008 - 15 comments
Hager confirms that his info comes from a leak from within the National Party, not as the Nats would have you believe, a devious external computer hacker intent on exposing them.
Nats spending your money to build “Brand Key”?
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, July 7th, 2008 - 72 comments
Looks like John Key might be a little less “self-made” and a little more “taxpayer-made” than he’d have us believe… click the image for a larger version.
The Girl Effect
Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, July 7th, 2008 - Comments Off on The Girl Effect
Learn more at thegirleffect.org
Introducing 08wire
Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, July 7th, 2008 - 2 comments
Well, as promised 08wire launched today – “The Smartest Political Fun in the Galaxy.’ After you’ve joined their Facebook group check out their first video – John the Chameleon…
Havoc interviews Key on Crosby/Textor
Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, July 7th, 2008 - 37 comments
Here’s some great audio of Key running Crosby/Textor lines to avoid answering Havoc’s questions. Around the half way point my personal favourite C/T line even makes an appearance: “I intend to run a positive upbeat ambitious campaign; I think it reflects my personality”. As Havoc observes “[John] you’ve spent the last nine months gaining New […]
Democracy under attack
Written By: - Date published: 3:02 pm, July 6th, 2008 - 27 comments
Ruth Laugesen’s got a piece in the SST today entitled “How National’s spin doctors operate“. She points out that Crosby/Textor’s methods, contrary to the opinion of many other journalists here, do differ from what are considered standard focus group and polling methodologies. Auckland University political studies senior lecturer Jennifer Lees-Marshment suggests that C/T are different […]
National’s New Plymouth candidate quits
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, July 6th, 2008 - 28 comments
National Party’s New Plymouth candidate Clem Coxhead has reportedly wanted to be in politics since he was nine years old. Earlier this year he won a hard fought and sometimes bitter internal selection process. Puzzling then that he’s now abandoning the candidacy citing “work commitments”. The Taranaki Daily News has been informed that “business dealings […]
Video: The Century of the Self
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, July 6th, 2008 - 13 comments
Hager’s Crosby/Textor revelations and the ensuing debate reminded me of this four party BBC documentary by Adam Curtis: The Century of the Self. Embedded below is part four entitled “Eight people sipping wine in Kettering”: To many in both politics and business, the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has […]
One door closes, another opens
Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, July 3rd, 2008 - 8 comments
A shame to hear that our mates at blogblog have called it quits for now but a delight to see that our friends from keepleftnz.org – active at the last election – are kicking off “the smartest political fun in the galaxy” on July 7: 08Wire.org
TVNZ7 ad
Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, July 2nd, 2008 - 13 comments
TVNZ7 have some great content. Looks like some serious effort’s going into their advertising as well. Here’s one that caught my attention the other day. If your eyesight’s anything like mine you might want to click for a larger version.
Crosby Textor spin the use of Crosby Textor
Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, July 1st, 2008 - 33 comments
I wish some journo would ask Key whether Crosby/Textor helped him with lines on how to handle questions about his using them – they must have a standard set they give their clients. Would Key really have thought of this one himself: John Key says the vast bulk of advice he takes is from the […]
Same old National. Same old spin.
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, July 1st, 2008 - 39 comments
Former National Party MP Marilyn Waring wrote in the introduction to The Hollow Men: I must admit to a sense of anticipated despair about the treatment [the book] might receive… The focus may be on looking for and condemning the leakers as opposed to scrutinising an appallingly mendacious political campaign. This has been precisely the […]
John does a Don
Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, June 30th, 2008 - 76 comments
Remember Noelle McCarthy’s 95bFM interview with Brash in which she got him to admit to knowledge of the Brethren pamphlets? Student radio has done it again. Hager’s weekend article in the Sunday Star Times detailed an ongoing advisory relationship between the National Party and political consultants Crosby Textor. But RDU’s Kate Gorgeous asked John Key back in November 2007, “Have you got […]
Nandor’s valedictory
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, June 27th, 2008 - 19 comments
Great final speech by the Green MP. Good interview in the Dom here. Full speech at the Green Party website.
- It’s clear footy has an Indigenous participation problem, and the AFL draft is only part of the so...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chelsey Taylor, PhD Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology From revolutionary Geelong ruckman Graham “Polly” Farmer, to the electrifying Krakouer brothers (Phil and Jim) at North Melbourne, through to modern stars such as Charlie Cameron, Adam Goodes, Lance Franklin and Eddie Betts, Indigenous ...6 days ago - What our politicians’ signatures tell us about their personalities
We asked a handwriting expert to analyse the scrawls of our elected officials. Here’s what they said. Recently I received a press release from the trio of ministers – Simeon Brown, Shane Jones and Chris Bishop – tasked with overseeing the government’s controversial fast-track consenting bill. The press release itself ...6 days ago - Livestream: 19,000 join as Treaty Principles Bill hīkoi reaches Parliament
'The energy, the power-it's palpable here on the ground,' an MP says as a sea of red, black and white flags sorrounds the Beehive. ...6 days ago - Education minister says kids should be in school instead of at hīkoi
But the son of a haka expert, travelling down with students from Huntly, says "this is all part of our learning, this is their school". ...6 days ago
- Basic rules for screen time at a young age can help reduce childhood obesity – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ladan Hashemi, Senior Research Fellow in Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Childhood obesity is a growing concern worldwide. But in New Zealand it’s a particularly pressing issue. With one of the highest rates in the OECD, about one ...6 days ago
- Livestream: Treaty Principles Bill hīkoi mō te Tiriti at Parliament
Thousands have marched through the streets of a capital and to the Beehive. ...6 days ago
- Kanaky Aotearoa Solidarity Says “Toitū Te Tiriti!”
Kanaky Aotearoa Solidarity supports te hikoi and says Toitū te Tiriti! Māori never ceded sovereignty! ...6 days ago - Video: Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke reacts to haka heard around the world
In the face of criticism, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke says there was definitely a moment of 'what just happened?', after the House was suspended during voting. ...6 days ago
- Livestream: Treaty Principles Bill hīkoi at Parliament
'The energy, the power-it's palpable here on the ground,' an MP says as a sea of red, black and white flags makes its way to the Beehive and crowds line the streets. ...6 days ago
- Review: Camping is the hyper horny, extremely silly play we need right now
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- ‘We don’t even have a CT scan here’: Dunedin Hospital protesters rally
About 1000 people turned up to hear why building the hospital as planned, was important. ...6 days ago
- Biggest Ever Community Petition, With Over 200,000 Signatures, Opposes Treaty Principles Bill
The country has spoken. This Bill is a bad faith attempt to revoke the Government’s commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and it’s visible to not just Aotearoa, but the world. ...6 days ago
- Justice Committee Calls For Submissions On The Principles Of The Treaty Of Waitangi Bill
The committee is intending to complete hearings by the end of February 2025. Further decisions about hearings will be made and communicated in due course. ...6 days ago
- To build support, it might be time for the Greens to hang up their movement-style approach to politi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Narelle Miragliotta, Associate Professor in Politics, Murdoch University State and territory elections held in 2024 have not delivered the electoral and legislative gains the Greens would have hoped for or expected. Of the elections conducted this year, the Greens’ performance was, ...6 days ago
- Australia’s new anti-vaping program in schools is a good step – but education is only part of th...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonine Jancey, Academic and Director Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, Curtin University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Last week, the federal government announced a plan to roll out an anti-vaping program in schools across the country. The education program, ...6 days ago
- We pay less for houses in one-in-100 year flood zones – but overlook risks of more devastating flo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Song Shi, Associate Professor, Property Economics, University of Technology Sydney If you’re buying a house near a river or on a floodplain, you will likely come up against the question of flood risk. We usually talk about this in terms of chance. ...6 days ago
- What was the deal with Julius Caesar and Cleopatra’s ‘situationship’?
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- The cost of being: An ‘anti-capitalist’ barista and tutor renting in Wellington
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- Regulations Ministry: Online tool can be used to share ‘red tape horror stories’
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- Elon Musk’s new job will bring tech ‘disruption’ to the US government – and history says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hallam Stevens, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, James Cook University On November 12, United States president-elect Donald Trump announced he would appoint Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to lead a newly constituted Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow tech billionaire and former ...6 days ago
- AI for life: how sovereign Wiradyuri ways of knowing can transform technology for good
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Russ-Smith, Associate Professor, Social Work and Assistant Deputy Head of School, School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University Philip Schubert/Shutterstock From climate change to geopolitical instability to health emergencies, we are entering a period of momentous change. The technology industry ...6 days ago
- Live updates: Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi marches to parliament
Tens of thousands are expected to gather in Te Upoko-o-te-ika-a-Māui today, as the nationwide Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi prepares to arrive at parliament. Follow this blog for up-to-date coverage and reaction. ...6 days ago
- NZ media’s second wave of doom
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- With 14 community newspapers due to close, too many parts of NZ are becoming ‘news deserts’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Treadwell, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images When media company NZME proposed the closure of 14 community newspapers last week, the so-called “news desert” encroached a little further into the local information landscape. The term refers ...6 days ago
- New Zealand’s new ‘anti-scam czar’ gets to work
Millions of dollars are lost to scams each year. Should more attention be on the social media giants that platform them? Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in today’s edition of The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...6 days ago
- Dunedin Hospital rebuild: Rally stirs more opposition to cutbacks
A sea of Southerners filled Dunedin's Town Hall last night in support of the Save Our Southern Hospital campaign. ...6 days ago
- Thousands expected at Parliament as hīkoi moves towards the capital
This article first appeared at rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at Parliament today as the final leg of the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti reaches its last destination – but organisers and participants are saying it will not end there.At Takupūwāhia Marae ...6 days ago
- Treaty hīkoi: Commuter disruption expected as protest reaches Wellington
People on foot and in cars began making their way into central Wellington from the early hours of this morning. ...6 days ago
- Press Gallery 101: The House chats with Jason Walls
After an abuse apology kerfuffle in Parliament last week, The House spoke to Press Gallery chair Jason Walls about how the Press Gallery works, and who gets to join. ...6 days ago
- COP29: Surprise at lack of reaction to US elections
The first week of the global COP29 climate summit was remarkable for the wrong reasons, but with the second week now underway, a veteran NZ diplomat says the event is making constructive progress. ...6 days ago
- Pupils join hīkoi as te Tiriti is removed from curriculum framework
As a Wellington school leader takes 100 of his junior college pupils onto Parliament’s forecourt today alongside the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, he is freshly motivated to protest.The pupils are officially there to learn – the trip comes under ‘education outside the classroom’ – but Onslow College deputy principal Connor ...6 days ago
- Hīkoi heads into Wellington: ‘This is a opportunity to stand up and have a voice’
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at Parliament today as the final leg of the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti reaches its last destination - but organisers and participants are saying it will not end there. ...6 days ago
- Treaty hīkoi: Commuter disruption expected as huge protest reaches Wellington
People on foot and in cars began making their way into central Wellington from the early hours of this morning. ...6 days ago
- Live: Hīkoi mō te Tiriti sets off for capital, tens of thousands expected at Parliament
Tens of thousands are expected to congregate at Parliament this morning. Follow the latest with RNZ's live updates. ...6 days ago
- Windbag: On the City to Sea Bridge and the power of letting go
It’s a Wellington icon, but we must say goodbye. It is time to demolish the bridge, argues Joel MacManus. Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge is beautiful and weird. Its design says something about what Wellington is and the way the city sees itself. It’s been the home of many late ...6 days ago
- Who gets to have an opinion on the hīkoi and who must remain ‘impartial’?
Newsrooms of old were apparently more impartial. But that’s only because everyone shared the same biases, argues Madeleine Chapman. Last week, the Herald’s Media Insider (AKA editor-at-large Shayne Currie) reported on some shocking news. Top TVNZ executive Nevak Rogers had taken annual leave from her job as chief content officer ...6 days ago
- Daily crossword, Tuesday 19 November
The post Daily crossword, Tuesday 19 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- ‘Extremely disappointing’: Watts blasts countries for blocking negotiations at COP29
The clock is now ticking and ministers have just four days to agree to a global finance goal and settle other thorny issues The post ‘Extremely disappointing’: Watts blasts countries for blocking negotiations at COP29 appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
- Whitewashing te Tiriti out of education
Opinion: The school curriculum framework’s acknowledgement of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been replaced with a commitment to ‘the science of learning’ The post Whitewashing te Tiriti out of education appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
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