Murdoch on Mandela

Written By: - Date published: 11:35 pm, December 10th, 2013 - 30 comments
Categories: International, poverty - Tags:

murdochOnMandela

30 comments on “Murdoch on Mandela ”

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  1. Clemgeopin 1
    10 December 2013 at 11:41 pm

    Who is Murdoch ?

    Great quote though.

    • Mary 1.1
      11 December 2013 at 12:51 am

      It’s a great quote. Should be a major guiding principle. The Key et al agenda is about replacing state funded welfare with private charity. Youth payments, Whanau Ora…all the signs are there.

    • Bunji 1.2
      11 December 2013 at 9:03 am

      Sharon Murdoch is a cartoonist who has a fair amount of work in the Dom Post / Fairfax. She’s quite good.

      • swordfish 1.2.1
        11 December 2013 at 9:43 am

        The DOMPOST seem to be using a range of newer (eg Murdoch) and older (eg Hodgson) cartoonists as a replacement for Tom Scott while he’s away filming.

        I was always a great fan of Hodgson’s in the 80s, but (with occasional exceptions – like the cartoon I describe in comment 5), he’s probably not quite as sharp as he used to be. His efforts these days have the air of mildly-amusing kids’ picture-book illustrations. Can still be brilliant now and then, though.

        In many ways, Murdoch reminds me of the young Hodgson, sharp, incisive humour that packs a political wallop, combined with beautiful draftsmanship and graphic design. She did a great cartoon on the fallout over the Roastbusters, but possibly my favourite was the ‘new police oath’ one. (inspired by Anne Tolley rebuking the Police for their monumental cock-up in failing to administer the oaths properly). Under the caption “New Police Oath”, we see a close-up of an outraged Tolley’s face with eyeballs popping out with the speech bubble emanating from her mouth: “Oh Frickin Hell !!!”. The long line of senior Police standing behind her (and – as the said cock-up suggested – not necessarily being all that bright) all repeat in unison: “Oh Frickin Hell !!!”.

        • Clemgeopin 1.2.1.1
          11 December 2013 at 10:06 am

          That is very funny!

          [Knowing the cock-ups that Key is infamous for, yesterday while thinking of Mandela’s funeral, I had the vision of a cartoon :
          Key making amends by leaving near the coffin a huge rugby troty, proclaiming to the camera that it is from Nuslund and then bidding Mandela a very fond farewell with a quick three way handshake in his coffin! Just close your eyes and imagine that cartoon]

      • Clemgeopin 1.2.2
        11 December 2013 at 9:51 am

        Oh, ok. Thanks very much!

  2. Sanctuary 2
    11 December 2013 at 6:29 am

    The irony of of that quote is that Mandela’s death allowed our establishment media to more or less ignore child poverty. Mandela’s dead, crime of the day, oh yes and under the fold a bit about the recent child poverty report.

  3. Salsy 3
    11 December 2013 at 6:41 am

    Perhaps the most scathing and chillingly accurate article ever written about Key.

    Key might never have called Mandela a terrorist, but his 1980s apathy over apartheid is arguably more troubling for what it reveals about the shallow nature of his politics, and his very motivations for going into public service.

    During the period when Key and others in the banking industry were making their fortunes, NZ went from being one of the most equal countries in the developed world to being one of the most unequal, a trend that is continuing under Key’s government. The OECD credits changes in taxation and labour law for the dramatic changes in the distribution of wealth.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/yasmine-ryan/apartheid-new-zealand_b_4411734.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

    • LynWiper 3.1
      11 December 2013 at 8:18 am

      Excellent article. Totally agree Salsy. Thanks for the link.

    • Chooky 3.2
      11 December 2013 at 8:48 am

      +1000….great article….this is real journalism of the best kind…..the juxtaposition of multiple ironies at Mandela’s funeral…ie those amoral government politicians who scrambled to be on the band wagon, to be seen with the ‘in crowd’ of world leaders at the event of a great man’s funeral.

      Where were these male politicians and what were they doing when Mandela was laying down his life fighting for justice and equality?…when Mandela was called a terrorist?…what were they saying and what were they doing?…whose side were they on then?….whose side are they on now?…who are they working for now?….I can see Mandela’s wry smile

      …it would make a great ironic documentary of the Exposure of Hypocrisy ….a la Michael Moore

    • CnrJoe 3.3
      11 December 2013 at 12:18 pm

      good grief – our dirty secret regarding the crumminess of our dear leader is out, how embarrassing

      • Rodel 3.3.1
        11 December 2013 at 9:31 pm

        That really is a great quote.
        Key aged 19? was a sallow youth during the Apartheid demos. Can’t really blame him too much for being ignorant especially as he was probably contemplating his first million and nothing else much mattered.
        Now is however, is a different story.He is a hollow man I believe.

  4. One Anonymous Knucklehead 4
    11 December 2013 at 6:45 am

    Fighting poverty

    Zuma booed at funeral

    An act of justice.

  5. swordfish 5
    11 December 2013 at 7:07 am

    Yeah, Murdoch’s shaping up to be one of our most impressive cartoonists.

    Veteran cartoonist, Trace Hodgson (another from the FAIRFAX stable), also had an impressive one on NZ’s child poverty published in yesterday’s DOMPOST.

    Below a sign saying “Child Poverty in New Zealand”, we see a decidedly well-fed Paula Bennett holding a large, bulging bag (on which read the words “PAY RI$E”). Behind her, there’s a well-stocked Christmas Tree and plenty of presents. She’s looking down at a starving child holding out a begging bowl (behind him, there are only headstones, cacti and a skull with a buzzard perched on top). Bennett addresses the starving boy with 2 speech bubbles. In the first, she says “Don’t worry, we are aware of your problem and are taking a thoughtful & strategic approach to tackling this complex issue !”. In the second, she continues: “So zip it, sweetie, I’ve got some serious Christmas Shopping to do !”.

    • Bunji 5.1
      11 December 2013 at 9:29 am

      Here it is

      (tried to put image in comment but couldn’t get it to work Lynn…)

      • swordfish 5.1.1
        11 December 2013 at 10:26 am

        Cheers, Bunji and 1prent. I’m one of those unfortunates who, despite (or is it because of ?) a university education, remain a complete and utter dullard on all things related to computers and IT (including – can you believe – such apparent simplicities as linking).

  6. Philj 6
    11 December 2013 at 8:23 am

    The Standard is a great blog site. It gives me some hope that we are not all duped. Compare with Kiwiblog /Farrar. That’s what we are up against folks.

    • Rodel 6.1
      11 December 2013 at 9:40 pm

      PhiljI agree.
      I wish it (the Standard) and maybe Kiwiblog was on the front page of every NZ Newspaper. Apart from some stupid righty dumcomments and maybe a few lefty dumcomments,( some from me in moments of frenzy), the standard of debate is informative
      The most useful thing we can do I guess is send/ recommend it to friends, left and right and let them decide/foment.

  7. drum 7
    11 December 2013 at 9:21 am

    Ryan’s article made me wonder…probably for the 1000th time…if a journalist asked Key what he actually stood for…where was his moral ground….what would he answer?

    • s y d 7.1
      11 December 2013 at 9:51 am

      “I’m not going to bother going into it.”

    • Will@Welly 7.2
      11 December 2013 at 9:54 am

      The old kiwi adage “Pissing in the wind, mate.”

    • Rogue Trooper 7.3
      11 December 2013 at 1:16 pm

      “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”.
      “I didn’t get where I am today…blah blah blah”.
      Arbeit Macht freis with that?

    • Blue 7.4
      11 December 2013 at 2:13 pm

      You don’t have to wonder. He was asked a variation on that question in one of televised leader’s debates before the last election. The question was along the lines of ‘what would you take to the street to protest about?’

      Phil Goff answered without difficulty. Key squirmed, ummhed and aahed and gave some garbled rambling bullshit about equality of opportunity or some such, which did nothing to disguise the fact that he has never been on a protest in his life and never will.

      His moral ground is pretty much non-existent. That HuffPo article above nails him perfectly in a way no Kiwi journo has ever been able to.

    • Sean Carroll 7.5
      11 December 2013 at 11:00 pm

      He has few morals, he is a neoliberal. As long as the neoliberal agenda progresses (Eg. asset sales, privatisation of education, bleeding of workers rights and conditions), any ‘moral’ considerations are not important.

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