Caption contest

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 pm, July 21st, 2010 - 40 comments
Categories: caption contest, class war, workers' rights - Tags: , ,

Remember back in 2008 when David Farrar and Cameron Slater launched a set of billboards comparing Helen Clark to a series of dictators over big issues like which lightbulbs you could buy and a recommendation on low-flow shower heads?

The funny thing is she’d never had anything to do with any of the dictators used but when John Key’s attacks workers are put before the house there will be at least one MP voting for them that was a friend of Pinochet’s Minister of Labour.

Ironic huh?

Feel free to add your captions in the comments.

40 comments on “Caption contest ”

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  1. Gooner 1
    21 July 2010 at 8:35 pm

    I’m a working Kiwi and John Key certainly hasn’t attacked me.

  2. Irascible 2
    21 July 2010 at 9:34 pm

    Do you share the same PR company, John? Mine was good GOP based as well.

  3. Bill 3
    21 July 2010 at 9:43 pm

    No caption.

    Am I only one who is noticing a certain ‘rolling maul’ that differs somewhat to the one promised?

    This shit really is 80/90 redux. And the left is being backfooted. Again.

    Why?

    Because the intellectual left, the rewarded liberal left; the largely self appointed respectable left; the safe and recognised representatives of the left, are doing the same old same old, ‘let’s sit and talk about it’ strategy in the belief that a ‘lets just joust on logic and our rapier intellect will show people who is right and who is wrong and the world will follow’ strategy will some how change things or save the day.

    It won’t.

    The Pinochet/Chile/NZ angle needs to be hit. Hit big. Hit black and blue. Hit again. And then hit harder.

    edit . caption.

    See this hand? Hand of your government man.
    (Apologies to Mr Byrne.)

    • loota 3.1
      21 July 2010 at 10:29 pm

      Bill, you got it mate, forget this intellectualising B*S* (save it for the in-caucus policy analysis and detailed discussions with sector representation) reach out there, relay a story (that doesn’t have to be 100% technically accurate, but make it a good story) and make some frakin’ common sense to the ordinary NZ’er who is willing to give you not more than 11s of their precious time in a day to think about what you are saying.

      captcha RESPECTS

      • Bill 3.1.1
        21 July 2010 at 11:47 pm

        Oh, us ordinary people living here in NZ give one another much more than 11 seconds of our time. And we understand just fine.

        Just sometimes some of us can’t articulate our understanding as well as others of us can.

        Edit. Should I have put a link to the source of my caption suggestion? I think so. here it is. Enjoy!

  4. George Darroch 4
    21 July 2010 at 10:54 pm

    “The funny thing is she’d never had anything to do with any of the dictators used.”

    But plenty to do with those great democracies China, Vietnam, and Singapore.

    “Ironic huh?”

    Yep.

    The National Party (sorry, Free Speech Coalition) billboards were ridiculous and intellectually weak, and so is this. Let’s focus our efforts on getting real traction on this issue – we don’t have the benefit of a complicit media to help us.

    • someplace 4.1
      22 July 2010 at 12:43 am

      It’s a bit of light humour, George. It’s not a strategy document. Lighten up.

    • Pete 4.2
      22 July 2010 at 8:53 am

      I agree completely – this is a bit too much like getting down and rolling in the mud with Farrar and co – we don’t need to do this, the Pinochet/work rights message has already been posted.

  5. Policy Parrot 5
    21 July 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Sorry, but without the fat bald guy standing next to it it just doesn’t have the same effect 😛

  6. Pablo 6
    21 July 2010 at 11:55 pm

    Felicitaciones Comandante Roger y Teniente John! Mision Cumplida!

    capcha: plot

    • IrishBill 6.1
      22 July 2010 at 7:39 am

      Mision Cumplida? Unfortunately I suspect not.

      • Pablo 6.1.1
        22 July 2010 at 1:57 pm

        In the imposition of market-driven ideology as the dominant organising principle for NZ society and the emasculation of the NZ union movement as an effective leader of the NZ working class, I think so.

        I am surprised you did not pick up on the reference to Commander Roger and Lieutenant John.

        • IrishBill 6.1.1.1
          22 July 2010 at 2:41 pm

          I didn’t realise what Teniente translated to. I’d argue that it will take the wholesale flogging off of the last key assets/resources to lock the market system in. As we’ve seen with the sale of Contact Energy and the blackmail buyback price of Kiwirail it ain’t easy to to come back from the transfer of property rights from public to corporate (no matter how dodgily done) within a social democratic framework. And I’m not holding my breath for a revolutionary socialist government.

  7. BLiP 7
    22 July 2010 at 12:16 am

    On behalf of the global Capitalists, I just have one word for you, New Zealand: GOTCHA

    (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know . . . it was Argentina but its getting late and The Standard has done such a good job today I haven’t had time to read everything, make a few comments, and attempt wit. Keep up the good work comrades.)

    • Bill 7.1
      22 July 2010 at 12:41 am

      But it was ( for better or worse) in ‘The Sun’….ie, in the (groan) full light of day…and this is still in the shadows…and maybe I should just shut up about now…

      • RobertM 7.1.1
        23 July 2010 at 12:04 am

        Yes well bill, pretty aside I’m for freedom. Clark oppossed the F-l6s and Skyhawks which had 45-50% support. Clark and Wilde were prepared to give subtle support to the Anzac frigates which would allow the navy to go on as they always had recuiting from the criminal prole vicous areas that they always has had Taranaki, South Canterbury, Mataura, Gore. The Otago and Wellington are sailing up the harbour with the potential to break the Japanese whalers, and your have no idea what it took to get that far. I had to have those charlie wilson F-l6s roling through the texas night, otherwise there was no chance, otherwise it was simply hopeless. Look I admired those Argentine skyhawk pilotsl. I’m for an unlimited hetorsexual 24 hour society and freedom for the mentaly ill. And Bradford is the greatest opponent of freedom, justice and truth on earth. She has simply destroyed all truth and justice you just have to allowe the mentally ill . disabled and weak to get sexual jsutice and that is incompatible with everything Clark, Bradford and Peter Davis were about. Outlaw the fincancing of Sociolgy.

        • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.1
          23 July 2010 at 1:07 am

          Do you have any idea as to what you just wrote? Because I sure as hell don’t.

          • The Voice of Reason 7.1.1.1.1
            23 July 2010 at 9:29 am

            It guess worse, Draco. And after another hour on the turps, RobM came up with this contender for comment of the year:

            http://www.thestandard.org.nz/little-confirms-new-plymouth-candidacy/#comment-235280

            • RobertM 7.1.1.1.1.1
              23 July 2010 at 4:55 pm

              I think it was 4 cans of Smirnoff, 2 Rheinecks and 4 Hop Rockers to lubricate the blogging before a night on the tiles. Actually its the HMNZS Otago and the HMNZS Wellington and those offshore patrol ships came into being largely because the third frigate option was canned in favour of the F-l6 option. The pakistani F-16s feature in the film, ‘Charlie Wilsons war’. Somewhat regretably I share certain tastes in common with Charlie Wilson.But I don’t really apologise or regret, because I do believe in a 24 hour hetrosexual society as the aim, whether it was realisable or not.
              On the issue of Pinochet, I not sure he was anymore the enemy of freedom than Bradford, Peter Davis or any NZ academic sociologists.

              • felix …
                23 July 2010 at 7:45 pm

                Well, apart from all the murder and torture.

                p.s. That pathetic booze intake shouldn’t affect your reading or writing. I drink more than that before I read the morning paper. Pussy.

                • IrishBill …
                  23 July 2010 at 8:11 pm

                  Indeed Felix, the kids just can’t handle their booze nowadays. Although I do think you’ve forgotten the time Sue Bradford disappeared her political opponents by throwing them into the Pacific Ocean from military helicopters.

                  Or was that Roger’s mate Pinochet? It’s so hard to remember the details after all this time.

                  • RobertM …
                    24 July 2010 at 5:39 pm

                    Actually I am quite well versed on events in Chile and Argentina in the l960s and l970s. There were factions among the marxist left who might have been just as vicious as Pinochet if Allende had continued in power. Prior to pinochet’s coup the left were barely controllable in Chile since the Christian Democrats or whoever took power in l964. That l964-70 Chilean government rather resembles Bill’s idea of good leadership, weak kneed catholic social democracy that was losing control to resistance priests and armed student activists. In this nation of Outer Roa the Nats show little sign of the courage and conviction to reverse most of the policies of Clark, Bradford, Cullen, Dalziel and Peters.My suspicion is the 90 day bill is partly being promoted by the likes of English and Key because it will open up employment opportunities to certain groups.
                    It was the outriders of the Argentine Junta who threw left wing activists out of planes not Pinochet.
                    Another crucial difference is that the United States attatched great economic and political importance to Chile in the fight against communism in Latin American. Its been said that Henry Kissinger regarded both New Zealand and Chile as daggers pointing at Antarctica, but it would be too much to expect him to differentiate and I don’t think NZ is in danger of such intervention partly because we are of less and less military, economic, intelligence ( both military and human) to the US as each year passes. So I agree with Bill, I just feel that the Nats like Clark are tamed pussies that lack courage.

  8. luva 8
    22 July 2010 at 6:48 am

    Irishbill is as funny as David and Whale

  9. The Voice of Reason 9
    22 July 2010 at 7:55 am

    Funny thing, Roger, heaven is so much hotter than they said it would be. Ouch, it burns, it burns!

  10. ghostwhowalksnz 10
    22 July 2010 at 8:58 am

    ” Waving yes , but smiling No, no matter what Crosby/Textor says”

  11. bbfloyd 11
    22 July 2010 at 11:25 am

    thought bubble……….ah young Ronald McJonny, best clown act i ever saw. i miss him.

  12. Gosman 12
    22 July 2010 at 11:36 am

    Why have you got a caption contest when you have already provided the caption?

    • Bored 12.1
      22 July 2010 at 12:03 pm

      Yeah, its a lefty habit, you have to understand that our concept of competitve behavoir is inclusive as well. Difficult I know, but we could have done the “righty” thing and put the caption out to competitve tender, and we would have ended up buying a cheap Chinese one or similar.

  13. Ryan 13
    22 July 2010 at 1:19 pm

    Your workers are tied sir..

    P.S I’m getting ideas for a “bush/key” photomontage.

  14. Ryan 14
    22 July 2010 at 1:24 pm

    HA! First to come at ya with a caption. Love the coment on lefty habits about inclusive compition and buying cheap chinese goods. I think you may have pushed a member of the national party over the edge with that one, but the coroner is not allowed to publish the cause of death, due to another suppression order.

  15. burt 15
    22 July 2010 at 11:04 pm

    I congratulate The Standard for taking it way to far.

    • felix 15.1
      23 July 2010 at 9:20 am

      Do you mean “too far” or “for too long”?

      The latter would be a critique of the comedic value but the former would suggest that you think the idea itself is absurd.

      I hope you’re not trying to hide the latter behind the former for some reason.

  16. Gosman 16
    23 July 2010 at 9:23 am

    This is almost as lame as the Peter Shirtcliffe idea for a caption competition for the worst political cartoon of all time re the upcoming electoral referendum.

  17. Harry 17
    23 July 2010 at 8:50 pm

    “An Armed Police Force is Now Essential Mr Key”

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