Direct action against SH20 motorway begins

32 comments on “Direct action against SH20 motorway begins ”

• Comments are now closed

1. edoze 1

   17 May 2009 at 11:20 pm

   The Fulton Hogan worker was useless! He could have stopped those rabble rouses in their tracks. He had the orange jacket of faux authority on and everything.

   People were more scared of getting arrested than protesting for real. They obviously dont care enough about the tunnel.

   That was a one of the tamest protest i have ever seen, but it had a good edit and soundtrack.
2. jarbury 2

   17 May 2009 at 11:43 pm

   I have a few thoughts on “where to from here” with regards to protesting against the Waterview decision.

   http://transportblog.co.nz/2009/05/16/bulldozing-the-process-for-waterview/

   Basically, two steps first:

   1) Get the costs and benefits of the project to be calculated and properly released. This needs to take into account the additional social and environmental costs from this option vs the full tunnel option. The $2.6b of time-savings benefits should also be extremely closely examined.

   2) Demand a local hearing. The government IS going to bulldoze this through a “board of inquiry”, limit the length of the consent process and limit the rights of appeal – all changes currently being promoted in the RMA Amendment Bill (remember the one we didn’t get a proper say on). Residents should work together to demand a proper local hearing for this proposal, not some quasi environment court situation where everyone will need to have hot-shot lawyers.

   Starting a “Stop the Motorway” society would also be a good idea. My boss (who lives in across the road from where the motorway will be) has suggested that “Bury the Motorway” might be a good name – as it either means bring back the tunnel or stop the whole project.
   • serpico 2.1

     18 May 2009 at 7:47 am

     Just get on with your life jambury and you never know you might be able to get a job picking up litter on the new motorway.
     • The Voice of Reason 2.1.1

       18 May 2009 at 9:41 am

       Nah, John Key’s already got that job. He’s trying to scrape some roadkill called Melissa off the tarmac as we speak.
   • Anita 2.2

     18 May 2009 at 10:55 am

     It needs a combination of three tactics IMO:

     1) A respectable community group with a couple of very eloquent and middle class looking spokespeople (ideally with either no political affiliation or a balanced pair)able and willing to drop everything and spokesperson on just about everything related. Epic media accessibility (think Garth McVicar). This might be your “bury the motorway”.

     2) Dedicated detailed legal and procedural challenges from hell (think Waterfront Watch)

     3) Radical direct action with a real eye to media opportunities and street theatre.

     The first group will be the “balanced opinion” used by the media whenver groups 2 and 3 do something. So it’ll be group 2/3, group 1, govt spokesperson (probably preceded with “Transport Minister, Steven Joyce, was unavailable for comment”. That way the media is carrying 2:1 anti-motorway voices and group 1 shows that the entire community is against the motorway (not just the nutty procedure freaks and the dreadlocked rent a mob (as the right will try to portray groups 2 and 3 ))

     Just saying 🙂
     • rave 2.2.1

       18 May 2009 at 11:12 am

       Great ideas. Also I think that we could get the logo bury the motorway printed on hiviz jackets and all wear them everywhere as a sort of constant street theatre.
     • jarbury 2.2.2

       18 May 2009 at 11:48 am

       Excellent ideas there. I wonder if I am impartial enough to get involved with group 1?

       Legal work will clearly need a lot of money to help fund it. But then again there are a lot of people in the surrounding area who are likely to lose a lot if it goes ahead (and particularly if it is not mitigated properly).

       The extremely busy stretch of Great North Road through Waterview offers some great opportunities for group 3 to protest along.
3. Natpicker 3

   18 May 2009 at 8:18 am

   Serpico will have the luxury (along with the rest of us) of good health from walking to work within the next dozen years when only the super rich have the ability to buy petrol (for which they will get mugged), Whilst walking most people will likely reflect upon the massive missappropriation of resources to build this road which should have gone towards alternatives such as rail. Fortunately for Serpico there wont be much litter to pick up as his public duty (strange word “duty”).

   For the rest of us the divorce from our cars is going to be a real shocker, we just cant get our heads around it which is why we are going down the mad path of building soon to be redundant motorways. Jarbury, lets not piss around with reroutes, modifications etc, lets see it fore what it is, a massive resource missappropriation. Hey, Serpico, get a bike.
   • serpico 3.1

     18 May 2009 at 8:25 am

     I already got a bike with a blue banana seat and ape hangers.
     Hey Natpicker, give jamberry a nosegay!!
     • Natpicker 3.1.1

       18 May 2009 at 9:21 am

       Nice bike Serpico, ape hangers sound very appropriate
4. jarbury 4

   18 May 2009 at 8:59 am

   Who is jamberry?
5. giggles 5

   18 May 2009 at 10:11 am

   Pretty important issue this one, as evidenced by the protester turnout.
   • jagilby 5.1

     18 May 2009 at 11:59 am

     “25-30” NIMBYs, NIABYs, BANANAs and CAVE people?

     Hmmm, is that all it takes to define a substantial turnout? I see democracy works in quite a different way on planet The Standard.
6. Tom Semmens 6

   18 May 2009 at 10:37 am

   Well you see Jarbury, the right has a sense of humour permanently frozen at about the level of a year five or six schoolchild. In keeping with the fine comedic tradition of ten year olds, a lot of righties seem to think it is enormously funny to deliberately get someones name wrong.

   It just means that you are a bit of clever clogs study swot who all the dumb kids further down the stream find a wee bit threatening. Just nod, and avoid eye contact.

   Next: Serpico tries to steal your playlunch.
7. Nih 7

   18 May 2009 at 11:06 am

   Although there’s plenty of name-calling from the opposition and their supporters during any given term, this particular government is undeniably a train wreck.

   Key’s popularity has waned more quickly than any prime minister in our history, they’ve failed to properly address the recession, ‘political royalty’ behaviour such as an unskilled Rankin’s appointment to an inappropriate position has reared its ugly head and National’s dubious Australian PR team seems to have gone on holiday.

   Can’t wait for the next election.
   • Tim Ellis 7.1

     18 May 2009 at 11:12 am

     Key’s popularity has waned more quickly than any prime minister in our history, they’ve failed to properly address the recession and their dubious Australian PR team seems to have gone on holiday.

     Erm, the polls suggest otherwise. Key is more popular as prime minister and National is more popular as a government than any other political leader or party under MMP.
     • The Voice of Reason 7.1.1

       18 May 2009 at 11:21 am

       Not this week, Timmy. Ask around the research department at the ‘bank’ you work at. One term, then another decade on the opposition benches.
   • Anita 7.2

     18 May 2009 at 11:17 am

     Nih writes,

     Key’s popularity has waned more quickly than any prime minister in our history

     Any evidence of that?
     • Pat 7.2.1

       18 May 2009 at 11:31 am

       Is there a prize for the dumbest comment ever made on The Standard? Cause surely Nih’s one would be a finalist.
8. Chris 8

   18 May 2009 at 11:32 am

   I know two of the people on that protest (and I would have been there had I known about it). The two are in fact deeply die-heart National Party members. I would like to acknowledge that they at least have the courage of their conviction that Steve Joyce’s motorway is a bad idea for everyone concerned.
9. Pat 9

   18 May 2009 at 11:39 am

   Anita: You made some throughful assessment on gender bias about Lee. Your thoughts on Rankin? It seems Rankin bears the brunt of the attacks, yet her husband Mr McIntyre is off-limits. Also, I am not sure a male would be subjected to the same scrutiny about their personal life (Cullen, Mallard, Brash etc spring to mind).
   • Anita 9.1

     18 May 2009 at 11:45 am

     Pat,

     I do intend to write something about the revolting intrusion into Rankin’s personal life. I just need to calm down a little and work out which tack to take as there are so many things that bother me about it and I try not to write posts which are just a breathless list of things that offend me connected by “and what’s more”. 🙂

     Do you think the gender bias is the worst aspect of it?
     • Pat 9.1.1

       18 May 2009 at 12:07 pm

       “Do you think the gender bias is the worst aspect of it?”

       I can’t think of an example in NZ politics where a male’s personal life has suffered an attack such as this. She is being labelled the scarlet woman and the direct implication is that she caused Mrs McIntyre to take her own life. This line of attack is despicable, and for the life of me I cannot find the connection to her ability to carry out a part-time role on a board.
       • Anita 9.1.1.1

         18 May 2009 at 1:29 pm

         I think there are three bundled issues

         1) Gender archetypes

         2) Attack politics

         3) Intrusion into personal lives.

         I’m pretty offended by all three.
         • Pat 9.1.1.1.1

           18 May 2009 at 1:40 pm

           I think you have unbundled the key issues well. You can write your blog now.

           The great irony is that Rankin has already done more for the profile of the Family Commission than anything or anyone else since it started. Most people were not aware it existed, and even less know what it does. She is a threat to its cushy existence, because she will ask the hard questions (e.g. the Kahui twins comment she made last night) and also demand outcomes.
         • Anita 9.1.1.1.2

           18 May 2009 at 1:46 pm

           Pat writes,

           I think you have unbundled the key issues well. You can write your blog now.

           I can’t do justice to all three in a single post.

           I will fiddle with it and write something tonight.
         • Anita 9.1.1.1.3

           18 May 2009 at 8:02 pm

           Pat,

           Here you go

           Everyone else,

           Apologies for linkwhoring.
         • felix 9.1.1.1.4

           18 May 2009 at 9:16 pm

           All true but you know what? I couldn’t give a fuck.

           The woman is – to borrow from Bill Hicks – a demon sent from hell to lower the standards.

           That’s all she is. No amount of attacking or defending her can change this. You’re all wasting your time.

           Now can we get back to serious issues which actually matter please?
10. The Voice of Reason 10

    18 May 2009 at 11:57 am

    I think the trophy is still round at Tim Ellis’s place, Pat. You’d be fighting Serpico and Bilbo for the right to stick it on the mantlepiece, I guess.

    NiH’s comment, overenthusaistic though it might have been, does raise a question for me. Where are the polls? Are any due nationally or in Mt Albert? Sorry to sidetrack, Standardistas, but does anyone know?
    • Pat 10.1

      18 May 2009 at 12:10 pm

      Labour have been doing their own polling in Mt Albert, haven’t they? I’m sure if they looked real good for Shearer, they would release them.
      • The Voice of Reason 10.1.1

        18 May 2009 at 12:19 pm

        Ditto for the Nats, Pat, but they’d be holding back out of embarrassment.

        I’m actually wondering when the major polling companies are due to canvass the voters again. I think the honeymoon is over and the bride is thumbing the yellow pages for divorce lawyers, but I’d love to see some numbers to prove it.
      • Pascal's bookie 10.1.2

        18 May 2009 at 12:19 pm

        “…they would release them”

        Unlikely I think, if you start selectively releasing favourable results you only set yourself up for a world of awkward questions in other times.

• Comments are now closed

• Log in
• Donate
• Contribute post

• Articles RSS