Daily review 28/04/2015

83 comments on “Daily review 28/04/2015 ”

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1. rawshark-yeshe 1

   28 April 2015 at 5:42 pm

   what is that image please ??
   • mickysavage 1.1

     28 April 2015 at 6:53 pm

     Blue whale with a boat dwarfed by its size
     • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1

       28 April 2015 at 6:59 pm

       I’m wondering if the people in the boat could actually see the whale.
     • rawshark-yeshe 1.1.2

       28 April 2015 at 6:59 pm

       that’s a big blue !! thx micky :happysmile:
     • vto 1.1.3

       28 April 2015 at 8:06 pm

       That’s not a blue whale under a boat. The scales are all out.
       • te reo putake 1.1.3.1

         28 April 2015 at 8:48 pm

         C’mon, vto, It’s a mammal not a fish. It doesn’t have scales.
         • vto 1.1.3.1.1

           28 April 2015 at 9:08 pm

           hee, well something is not right. That is either a ten foot tinnie or a five hundred foot mammal fish beast… which has just done its morning business…
           • Draco T Bastard 1.1.3.1.1.1

             28 April 2015 at 10:06 pm

             I suspect the perspective and the refractive effect of the water is throwing you off. The Blue Whale is a truly magnificent beast.

             And, yes, my first thought was that the boat was a small dinghy and probably less than 10′.
             • vto …

               28 April 2015 at 10:34 pm

               I read somewhere recently that the blue whale resides in just one or two places on the planet, and that there were a few more than feared which is a relief.
   • Murray Rawshark 1.2

     28 April 2015 at 11:09 pm

     Blue whales can be up to 30m long and can appear up to 33% bigger underwater, because of refraction. They also swim past the Maui gas fields and areas where Simon Bridges has decided sonic exploration can happen. Despite their colour, they are rumoured to not vote NAct.
     • McFlock 1.2.1

       28 April 2015 at 11:32 pm

       Despite their colour, they are rumoured to not vote NAct.

       Blue-greens, then?
       • swordfish 1.2.1.1

         29 April 2015 at 12:07 am

         Plaid Cymru, surely ?
2. Wayne 2

   28 April 2015 at 6:23 pm

   Great image, presumably a blue whale, and a big one at that.

   Have a read of Mathew Hooton in the NBR (24 April) on his speculation of Winston Peters ambition to be PM. It is pretty much my view and I was setting forth about it to closely connected political figures just before the article was published ( Ihad no knowledge of the article). From my investigations over the last few weeks it is a broader NZF goal.
   • felix 2.1

     28 April 2015 at 6:29 pm

     Look Wayne, if you mean ‘David DP Farrar reckons we should spread fear of Winston among the left to destabilise the Green/Labour relationship’, then just say ‘David DP Farrar reckons we should spread fear of Winston among the left to destabilise the Green/Labour relationship.’
     • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.1

       28 April 2015 at 6:35 pm

       The “centre-right” has good reason to be concerned about Winston 😈
     • the pigman 2.1.2

       28 April 2015 at 6:40 pm

       +101 (bonus point for nixing that one early).

       Dyslexic Wayne – do all your DP’ing before you get on the wines because your sentences quickly become incomprehensible as the evening draws on. Lucky for you that felix is sharp.
     • Wayne 2.1.3

       28 April 2015 at 6:46 pm

       Nothing about spreading fear. More an observation of future coalition dynamics.

       Winston will want the deal from either side. If he does well in the provinces he could get more than a third of the votes of the two larger parties (ie 12% v 36%). That would give him real negotiating power.

       As I understand it NBR is paywalled.
       • b waghorn 2.1.3.1

         28 April 2015 at 6:55 pm

         I would agree about Winston getting leverage out of the provinces northland has shown them another option.
         In the last week I’ve had one farmer admit that they do better under labour than the nats and I’ve heard another grumping about key letting nz get sold to offshore interests.
         There’s lots of votes ripe for the picking for any party that can see past the city limits. Mine included.
         • Draco T Bastard 2.1.3.1.1

           28 April 2015 at 7:01 pm

           In the last week I’ve had one farmer admit that they do better under labour than the nats and I’ve heard another grumping about key letting nz get sold to offshore interests.

           Yep. That’d be right up Winston’s and NZ1sts alley.
       • felix 2.1.3.2

         28 April 2015 at 6:56 pm

         If I explain why your observations are so irrelevant to coalition dynamics will you promise to go back to drinking and leave this thread alone?

         A National govt reliant on Winston’s good favour would be a vast improvement on the current mish-mash of one-man-bands and principle-free pretenders.

         A Labour/Green govt reliant on Winston would, likewise, be a vast improvement on the current mess.

         Of course a Labour/Green govt without Winston would be better still, but that’s for all intents impossible for the foreseeable future so not worth worrying about.

         There is really nothing much for the left to lose from Winston’s re-emergence that they weren’t going to lose anyway.
         • Draco T Bastard 2.1.3.2.1

           28 April 2015 at 7:02 pm

           +1
       • Tracey 2.1.3.3

         29 April 2015 at 9:37 am

         moved from your weeks of investigation to dynamic observations inside 35 minutes Wayne
     • Tracey 2.1.4

       29 April 2015 at 9:35 am

       lol

       or post the guts of your investigations
   • rawshark-yeshe 2.2

     28 April 2015 at 6:30 pm

     can’t you post a link Wayne? blog manners and all that ….
   • One Anonymous Bloke 2.3

     28 April 2015 at 6:31 pm

     A political party has a goal of making its leader PM. This fact is so banal I wonder what Dr. Mapp’s agenda is in raising it.
     • Draco T Bastard 2.3.1

       28 April 2015 at 7:03 pm

       :LOL:
     • marty mars 2.3.2

       28 April 2015 at 8:15 pm

       The mapp is a airy tory?
     • Hayden 2.3.3

       28 April 2015 at 10:57 pm

       Thanks for posting that, I thought I was on drugs.
   • McFlock 2.4

     28 April 2015 at 6:48 pm

     I’ve also heard that David Seymour wants to be prime minister in 2017, utilising the legions of support he’ll have when finally he’s able to win an electorate all by himself, just like a big-boy politician.

     This is a tremendous danger to National, and I am sitting under my bridge feeling concerned, very concerned, that you guys just aren’t taking the ACT threat seriously enough…
     • felix 2.4.1

       28 April 2015 at 6:58 pm

       😀
     • miravox 2.4.2

       28 April 2015 at 7:08 pm

       I’m concerned that the National Party is so concerned about ACT’s concern about being PM that they ACT Party might, concerningly, extract some policy promises from the very concerned PM (I’m cynically laughing on the inside re Charter Schools etc).

       Just anticipating where this speculation goes. Tail wagging the dog and all that. Hmm – actually that sounds weird right now.
       • rawshark-yeshe 2.4.2.1

         28 April 2015 at 7:50 pm

         has anyone asked David would-be-pm Seymour what he thinks about Pry Minister Key’s creepy unlawful behaviour ? In his electorate after all ?
         • miravox 2.4.2.1.1

           28 April 2015 at 8:03 pm

           Interesting question there yeshe. I went and had a look at ACT’s press releases and there’s nothing there on hair-pulling.

           However, this could be a bargaining chip that a concerned Nat could live with (with a bit of arm-twisting /sarc)

           ACT Leader David Seymour is proposing a programme of one per cent per year reductions in the company tax rate.

           Company tax would drop by a percentage point each year for eight years, to a target of 20%.

           It’s headline is “ACT’s plan to boost wages”

           No end of laughs with this lot.
           • Incognito 2.4.2.1.1.1

             28 April 2015 at 10:16 pm

             You won’t find these three words in ACT’s press releases either: Jamie-Whyte-incest.
           • Tracey 2.4.2.1.1.2

             29 April 2015 at 9:40 am

             the party of the real world has been doing a lit review of research into company tax
         • Tracey 2.4.2.1.2

           29 April 2015 at 9:39 am

           he is fighting the injustice of a gate at mt eden…
   • Clemgeopin 2.5

     29 April 2015 at 10:09 am

     Wayne, have you made any comments yet about Key’s hair touching/pulling/assaulting creepy behaviour? If not, why not? If yes, sorry I must have missed it.
     Do you approve his conduct or condemn it?
3. Adrian 3

   28 April 2015 at 6:34 pm

   It’s bothered me that the emphasis is pretty much all on Keys treatment on Amanda Bailey and overlooking the very sinister fondling and ” grooming” of young girls hair.
   Baileys treatment was appalling but she did have a little more age and experience to fall back on, not so the younger girls.
   Ironicly it was arch excusist Hooten in a throwaway line on 9 to 12 that reminded me of that strange habit of Keys of turning up at certain girls schools to be mobbed by the ( non-voting ) students.
   Don’t recall him at many boys schools.
   Were these visits at Keys instigation? If so the implications are really,really sinister.
   • swordfish 3.1

     28 April 2015 at 7:40 pm

     Gotta be very careful about making those sorts of allegations, unless you have strong evidence. False accusations surrounding anything that approaches paedophilia / hebephilia are not only unethical in themselves but also, of course, risk a severe backlash from voters.

     There are various innocent explanations for Key’s behaviour in regard to the younger girls’ ponytails. Danyl at The Dim Post, for example, argues:

     “…but that doesn’t make it a sexual fetish. Key is also a dad and I really feel like he’s interacting with these girls and women on that level, not as the bizarre fledgling pedophile serial killer he’s now regarded as…it seems like the kind of physical contact fathers have with their daughters. Dad stuff…It’s not trivial, but it is less serious than all the ugly rhetoric about sexual assault that people are throwing around.”

     Below the post, at comment 40, Danyl then quotes from a 2011 Claire Trevett article:
     “Key’s other technique is touch. He has patted his way around the country – tickling toddlers’ stomachs, chucking chins, ruffling hair, rubbing women on the upper arm and patting shoulders, clasping men’s arms…It appears casual, but is too frequent and too obvious to be anything but deliberate. This prime ministerial laying on of hands is something he did not do in 2008. It is aimed at reinforcing a personal connection.”

     Danyl then concludes:
     So it’ calculated. It’s something he’s told to do. And, on the campaign trail he makes these physical connections with hundreds of people a day. So when you’re looking at footage of him touching lots of young girls’ hair, you’re looking at footage selected from thousands of hours of campaign footage of Key touching countless people.”

     Doesn’t mean Danyl’s right (I’d say certainly not in regard to Amanda Bailey) but we shouldn’t automatically ignore innocent explanations (in regards to the girls) for mere political expediency. When I look at that footage, sometimes, yeah, I think it’s genuinely creepy, sometimes I – a bit like Danyl – I think it’s Key trying to impress mother and father voters by playing ‘Father of the Nation’.

     https://dimpost.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/good-grief-3/
     • felix 3.1.1

       28 April 2015 at 8:10 pm

       Good points.
     • emergency mike 3.1.2

       28 April 2015 at 9:04 pm

       I thought about this too swordfish. Aside from the fact that going overboard on the ‘creepy/sicko/perv/fetish’ angle could backfire, Key’s touchy casual guy often seems quite calculated and deliberate. It’s just that it doesn’t come naturally to him, so it looks awkward. It’s an act.

       It could be that that the waitress incident is partly a function, as Hooton was saying on the radio, of Key, having played the part publicly for so long, losing touching with the fact that the touchy photo-op time Key is not how normal people behave in everyday social interactions. But of course that alone isn’t sufficient to explain it. The bullying display of power over others aspect is impossible to ignore.

       He knows what he did was legally wrong, but I don’t think he understands why it’s morally wrong. Understanding that would require the ability to empathize. He refused to acknowledge the power imbalance to Gower, and repeated his ‘good relationship banter’ lines. I.e. she misunderstood, she took offense, and he apologized (sort of) for causing offense.

       I think he really doesn’t get it. He’s clueless. And that’s the creepy part.
       • Tracey 3.1.2.1

         29 April 2015 at 9:46 am

         +1 @ unable to empathize. he sees everything entirely from his own world view. something many of his supporters share.
     • Murray Rawshark 3.1.3

       28 April 2015 at 11:27 pm

       Not convinced, swordy. A pat on the upper back is just tactile, or even a pat on the upper arm. Fondling hair is not what you do to with other people’s children. Even if Crosby Textor have instructed him to touch people at every opportunity, there are innocent ways of doing it. What he does is bad touching.
       • Tracey 3.1.3.1

         29 April 2015 at 9:48 am

         my abuser… white male over 60… used to cut my hair as a favour to my mum. to help save money. he would always cut my brothers hair first leaving me in the garage alone wiyh him. am not saying Key is an abuser.just telling my story.
       • Molly 3.1.3.2

         29 April 2015 at 1:17 pm

         Agree. The sustained act of pulling the hair of Amanda Bailey puts this firmly in the unacceptable and illegal field.

         Bringing that knowledge into context with the touching of young girls hair on the campaign trail, does not fit the criteria of just “coached personal touching” – if that is what he has been doing.

         In addition, as a NZer it is culturally inappropriate for many in our Māori and Pasifika cultures to touch someone’s head. It would surprise me if a PR specialist in NZ politics did not know that, and if they had proposed physical contact, they surely would have specified this prohibition.
     • Tracey 3.1.4

       29 April 2015 at 9:44 am

       thanks for this. and to be clear to those about to use this article as a way to wave it all away. it is wrong. to touch anyone in such a personal way without permission. his PR gurus are probably male and/or over 55…
       • Murray Rawshark 3.1.4.1

         29 April 2015 at 11:37 am

         I’m male and over 55 🙂
4. ScottGN 4

   28 April 2015 at 6:47 pm

   Plus ça change and all that. Simon Collins in the Herald reports that vouchers for social services are back. Here we go again.
   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11439734
5. James Thrace 5

   28 April 2015 at 6:48 pm

   Ive been realising lately that the terminology of “right wing” and “left wing” has really only entered public consciousness since 2006 onwards. I can’t find any earlier examples where it was used en masse to categorise political leanings. Prior to 2006 it was typically “socialist” or “capitalist”. Therefore, my mind wanders down the path of wondering whether the terms RIGHT and LEFT have formulated as a tool to give over to people gravitating towards those political parties labelled as “right” because they can’t be wrong if they’re right, right? Afterall, being left is wrong when you could be right.
   • Foreign waka 5.1

     28 April 2015 at 6:59 pm

     Just came home after a long work day, reading this. Oh joy I still can lough. Thanks 🙂
   • felix 5.2

     28 April 2015 at 7:00 pm

     Are you shitting me James?
     • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1

       28 April 2015 at 7:29 pm

       Framing the issues: UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics

       With Republicans controlling the Senate, the House, and the White House and enjoying a large margin of victory for California Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s clear that the Democratic Party is in crisis. George Lakoff, a UC Berkeley professor of linguistics and cognitive science, thinks he knows why. Conservatives have spent decades defining their ideas, carefully choosing the language with which to present them, and building an infrastructure to communicate them, says Lakoff.

       The work has paid off: by dictating the terms of national debate, conservatives have put progressives firmly on the defensive.

       It may not be as simple as James put it but the right-wing have been manipulating the language for decades and it’s paying off for them. It doesn’t help when people say that they aren’t doing that when it’s actually fairly obvious that they are.
       • felix 5.2.1.1

         28 April 2015 at 7:36 pm

         No doubt they are. I just remember issues being discussed in terms of a left/right divide going back a few decades before James says it was a thing.

         Springbok tour for one.
         • te reo putake 5.2.1.1.1

           28 April 2015 at 8:57 pm

           If memory serves, the term goes back to the French Revolution. The Royalists sat to the right of the chair, the liberals to the left.
   • Puddleglum 5.3

     28 April 2015 at 7:18 pm

     I think the far more interesting shift in the political lexicon is from socialist vs. Tory/capitalist to liberal vs conservative.

     The latter is the American version of ‘left’ and ‘right’ rather than the former British/European version.

     The terms ‘left’ and ‘right’ go back a very long way (French Parliament). The Wikipedia entry on it is useful enough.

     I remember seeing Bill Rowling describe himself as a socialist (specifically a ‘Christian socialist’) in an interview before the 1975 election – the last time a New Zealand Labour Party leader has called themselves a socialist as far as I’m aware.
     • Olwyn 5.3.1

       28 April 2015 at 9:22 pm

       The shift to liberal versus conservative is a telling one. Anything actually resembling socialism would now require a major paradigm shift – our current system simply cannot accommodate it and is designed to make sure it cannot get a foothold. What’s more, the liberal side of the new political axis tends to be legalistic more than liberating, while the conservative side is rather rapacious and averse to conserving anything.
6. McFlock 6

   28 April 2015 at 7:03 pm

   bloody good picture, too
7. James Thrace 7

   28 April 2015 at 7:06 pm

   Not at all. MSM in NZ have only really hammered home those two political differentiations since 2006. Right about the time Crosby Textor started advising National and FJK became national party leader. Given how few kiwis seriously think about politics, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the “right” terminology has slowly and insidiously been ingrained into daily consciousness. How else to explain the ongoing popularity of the “right wing” when it’s plainly abundant NZ has no capacity to absorb such wanton capitalist desires, and socialism works far better for smaller populations.
   • felix 7.1

     28 April 2015 at 7:21 pm

     Wow.

     Sorry but I just can’t take this seriously. I have been familiar with those terms since my childhood in the 70s.
   • Hateatea 7.2

     28 April 2015 at 7:59 pm

     I can remember it in the late 1950’s. Maybe it depends on how political your parents were?
   • swordfish 7.3

     28 April 2015 at 8:14 pm

     Madness, James. Those terms have been in use for a very long time.
     • Atiawa 7.3.1

       28 April 2015 at 9:23 pm

       A political party named “National” is helpful.Kirk was always mindful of the National party brand and how the electorate could be drawn to the patriotic connotations of it.
       • Murray Rawshark 7.3.1.1

         28 April 2015 at 11:32 pm

         Winston didn’t choose NZ First by accident.
8. ropata 8

   28 April 2015 at 7:11 pm

   Treason Part 1: Casino Capitalism
   Adam Smith branded those who pocketed the nation’s rents as “The Public Enemy”. But today, governments celebrate the privatisation of the income that we all help to create. The result, reports Fred Harrison in Part 1 of The Treason Trilogy, is a house of cards built on debt. He forecasts the next property boom/bust, and accuses politicians of betraying their duty of care to their people.

   [lprent: Freaking odd. First I couldn’t embed a youtube this morning in a post without immense pissing about. This evening you can do them in comments. I can’t win..

   So far the wordpress 4.2 release is proving to be a real pain. IfI’d paid for it, I’d be complaining. Since I didn’t, I might have to go and start irritating the clowns removing and inserting features into the core.

   Especially when they are bugs. This only works if the URL is on the last line and there is no end of line.

   You can use it for the moment. I will donate a months holiday to the first person to misuse it.]

   https://youtu.be/SmsyoWCsxRY
   • les 8.1

     28 April 2015 at 9:22 pm

     thanks for that video ropata…quite coincidental that Baltimore features so prominently…Bernard Hickey advocates a land tax,and the commentators on this vid endorse it, as the answer to a more equable and fairer taxation system.One that rewards productivity as opposed to speculation.
     • ropata 8.1.1

       4 May 2015 at 8:26 pm

       You’re welcome. Sadly, history shows that these kind of laws will probably only be implemented by a mass uprising, and will be rolled back in another generation as new elites take power
9. Draco T Bastard 9

   28 April 2015 at 7:18 pm

   Nonviolence as Compliance

   When nonviolence is preached as an attempt to evade the repercussions of political brutality, it betrays itself. When nonviolence begins halfway through the war with the aggressor calling time out, it exposes itself as a ruse. When nonviolence is preached by the representatives of the state, while the state doles out heaps of violence to its citizens, it reveals itself to be a con. And none of this can mean that rioting or violence is “correct” or “wise,” any more than a forest fire can be “correct” or “wise.” Wisdom isn’t the point tonight. Disrespect is. In this case, disrespect for the hollow law and failed order that so regularly disrespects the rioters themselves.

   The police initiated violent oppression over an extended time and are now surprised by the violent reaction. Thus they call for non-violence just not from their own people but from the people they have been oppressing. This is, of course, a sham – they themselves won’t stop their violence.

   The people are now reacting to that violent oppression and the forces who initiated that violence and excused it are going to get pounded. This is the normal path for oppressive regimes.
10. Weepus beard 10

    28 April 2015 at 7:42 pm

    Stuff is such a damaging website. The reader comment section is nothing but (for all intents and purposes) an anonymous right wing ideology marketing vehicle.

    This, from some property speculating bitch pretending to be on the side of the ever increasing lot of tenants, while remorselessly attacking the idea of a rental property WOF.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/do-we-need-a-rental-warrant-of-fitness/11639021/Tenants-have-the-right-to-choose-where-they-live

    Kareena Lundy is a real estate agent, private investigator, and founder of http://www.landlordassistnz.co.nz which is a tenant vetting service for landlords.

    A bit of research illustrates how firmly Kareena Lundy is in the camp of the runaway property speculator and the lazy slumlord but Stuff.co.nz does not at any point cite the affiliations of their “reader commentators”

    These articles are free infomercials for those who use them and Stuff could care less.
11. Paul 11

    28 April 2015 at 8:46 pm

    McDonald’s rejects zero hours deal

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11439986

    Boycott them
    • te reo putake 11.1

      28 April 2015 at 8:58 pm

      I knew this day would come, so I’ve been boycotting them for twenty years.
      • Bearded Git 11.1.1

        29 April 2015 at 10:53 am

        I’ll take your 20 and raise it to 30
    • Draco T Bastard 11.2

      28 April 2015 at 9:56 pm

      Not really surprised. Back when I was a manager there we were encouraged to discourage any attempts to have a union start and then, while claiming to be the best employer in the country, they consistently exploited the employees.

      Glad I left the place.
12. veutoviper 12

    28 April 2015 at 9:15 pm

    How to win friends and influence people ….. NOT

    Has John Key given up?

    It seems that the NZ press – particularly those accompanying Key on his Middle East trade mission – are seething about being left out of the loop. Key did not bother to let them know that NZ troops bound for Iraq were in Dubai when they were there. They found out by reading the local newspapers!

    https://twitter.com/patrickgowernz/status/592953678891388928

    https://twitter.com/patrickgowernz/status/592958995775623168

    https://twitter.com/barrysoper/status/592953401681448960

    https://twitter.com/katieabradford/status/592973275233292288

    https://twitter.com/avancenz/status/592953744867729408

    https://twitter.com/avancenz/status/592954207679840256
    • veutoviper 12.1

      28 April 2015 at 9:28 pm

      And another earlier one from Gower. LOL!

      https://twitter.com/patrickgowernz/status/592953678891388928
    • Clemgeopin 12.2

      29 April 2015 at 12:56 am

      Patrick Gower’s tweet:

      In the ongoing PR debacle of the Iraq deployment, John Key tells Dubai journo our troops are there – keeps it secret from NZ media.— Patrick Gower (@patrickgowernz) April 28, 2015

      Key is getting not just creepy but dumb it seems!

      Now await the spin, explanation and cover up that will follow.

      It is well known that it is often the cover up that does more damage.
      • idlegus 12.2.1

        29 April 2015 at 5:36 am

        nz journos are so used to being handed a press release, maybe while they are over there they should be doing some … ummm, whats the word i’m looking for? oh yes, JOURNALISM! do some digging, ask some questions, say ‘no’ to the free bottles of wine ya lazy bastards. imo this latest kerfuffle (which isn’t anywhere on the nz web news sites this morning, except the herald tells us that john key is still ever so popular, nzrs love having a hair pulling pm) proves how useless & under served we are by our own media. for shame, go back to pr guys.
13. rawshark-yeshe 13

    28 April 2015 at 9:42 pm

    I wouldn’t have thought a wise man would deliberately wish to inflame his media pack quite so much at this very specific point .. much too casual for me 🙂
    • veutoviper 13.1

      28 April 2015 at 9:49 pm

      Lost the plot – or given up? I roared with laughter when I found these tweets. Time to go to bed on a high. And have you seen the submissive Bronagh coming off the plane in Saudia Arabia?

      http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/john-key-lands-in-saudi-arabia-amid-yemen-bombing-2015042818

      And Paddy’s latest – https://twitter.com/patrickgowernz/status/592985276990926849

      And Michelle Boag landing in Saudia Arabia via Barry Soper – OMG!
      https://twitter.com/barrysoper/status/592951458464542720
      • rawshark-yeshe 13.1.1

        28 April 2015 at 10:08 pm

        What a family contrast from Bronagh to her daughter’s ‘art’ exhibition in Paris !!! No wonder she looks so very, very miserable. I feel sad for her.

        And pardon, but why is Boag there ????
        • veutoviper 13.1.1.1

          28 April 2015 at 10:32 pm

          Boag is apparently representing the New Zealand Middle East Business Council, one of her many “hats”.

          Re Bronagh, I agree. She hasn’t seemed that happy on this trip from the few photos etc I have seen of her at Gallipoli etc. Mustn’t mention the other female Key/Lazar or we might incur the SR (there is only one view allowed – mine) wrath ……

          [lprent: My wrath and just about every other moderators as well.

          We have had a general policy forever that excludes politicians kids and family from debate unless a clear public interest can be shown. At this point I can’t see one in either of Bronagh and John Key’s kids. Nor can Stephanie or any other author who has looked at it so far.

          We’ll let it ride a bit when it is ‘news’ as raised by the gossip rag – The NZ Herald and therefore sort of in the public interest. But if we feel that it exceeds the limits of public interest or if the commenting heads off as if they were politicians (ie as kids and family aren’t part of the Lange vs Atkinson decision), then we quell it. Some in a more kindly fashion than others.

          You should be thankful that I don’t have much time to moderate at present. I tend towards the draconian solutions when I feel that comments overstepped the bounds when it comes to families. From what I have seen Stephanie and probably others headed off my darker sword with a set of warnings.

          But never fear. I also have some pretty draconian responses to people making snide comments about moderators as well. I’d suggest that if you want to find out what they are, then make them after this warning. ]
          • cogito 13.1.1.1.1

            28 April 2015 at 11:06 pm

            On the matter of the Middle East, I posted the following in the Saudi thread, but I was so surprised by what Key was quoted as saying that I’ll repost it here too.

            Judge for yourselves….

            From The Arab News (Saudi Newspaper)

            Visit of New Zealand PM to cement ties
            http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/737521

            Key is quoted as saying:

            “New Zealand stands ready to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process,” he said.
            As New Zealand prepares for its presidency of the UN Security Council in July, it must set an example by focusing particularly on regional turmoil that has hampered peace and security of the Middle East, including the Gulf states….”

            Hard to believe……
          • rawshark-yeshe 13.1.1.1.2

            28 April 2015 at 11:09 pm

            Poor Bronagh, so sad. And I think it is valid to mention Bronagh’s daughter in this instance. Bronagh would have been arrested if she chose to carry with her to Saudi Arabia a copy of the flyer for her daughter’s Paris exhibition.

            That’s how thin the ice is in Saudi Arabia. Things melt when least expected.
14. adam 14

    28 April 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Did this poll appear here for discussion? I missed this email, and just opened it tonight. Interesting results. All around surveillance and how people feel about it.

    https://horizonpoll.co.nz/page/400/surveillance

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