Open mike 04/02/2012

33 comments on “Open mike 04/02/2012 ”

• Comments are now closed

1. Jenny 1

   4 February 2012 at 6:20 am

   The anonymous Labour Party, trade union leader, who grandly calls himself, ‘The Voice of Reason’ has over many comment threads, laid out the reasons why Union leaders loyal to the Labour Party think we should turn our backs on the wharfies.

   For this we should thank him. VoR has done all of us a service by shining a light on the rationalisations for inaction, that go on behind closed doors at the top of the union and labour movement, that we, at the grass roots are not normally aware of, until it is to late.

   Ignoring all the evasions and excuses, the argument for not acting by these Labour Party union officials who dominate the trade union leadership goes something like this:

   The wharfies are only 300 hundred workers, so it is better that they be sacrificed, rather than risk National attacking the rest of the union movement.

   Only 300 workers in one port are involved at present and there have been a few hours delays for a handful of ships on the 5 days of striking.

   EDDIE: “1951 it ain’t, for now”

   The last thing the workers need is Labour creating an excuse for National to attack them.

   EDDIE: “1951 it ain’t, for now”

   VoR and EDDIE are doing a useful service in being honest and open in laying out their reasons why the wharfies will be sacrificed.

   Good for them for openly putting forward their point of view. For the first time ever, It gives those of us who think that our Labour Party aligned union leaders are making another terrible mistake, an opportunity to question this potentially disastrous policy direction, before it fully plays out.

   Because I believe VoR’s views embody the accepted wisdom at the head of the union movement. I have repeatedly asked Voice of Reason a simple question:

   These are the results so far:

   Q. (1)

   I take it that you are a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?
   Jenny 21 January 2012 at 6:15 pm

   A. (1)

   … speculation about my identity does you no credit and if its meant to intimidate, you can fuck right off.

   The Voice of Reason 21 January 2012 at 9:24 pm

   Q. (2)

   In a previous thread I questioned you as “a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?”
   Which you ignored.

   So I will ask you again.

   As a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?

   Jenny 25 January 2012 at 8:48 pm

   A. (2)

   I didn’t ignore the question, I told you to piss off.

   The Voice of Reason 25 January 2012 at 9:16 pm

   Q.(3)

   VOR, I call it as I see it.
   Twice I have asked you, “as a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?”

   Both times you have refused to answer the question.

   So I will ask you a third time.

   As a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?

   Jenny 1 February 2012 at 6:07 pm

   A. (3)

   My response is the same as before, Jenny. You can take a flying one….

   The Voice of Reason 1 February 2012 at 7:47 pm

   As the self appointed unofficial spokesperson for all leading Labour Party union officials, let us see if The Voice of Reason has changed his position yet.

   So for the fourth time, TVoR, if you are still out there:

   As a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?
   • mickysavage 1.1

     4 February 2012 at 6:46 am

     All I can say Jenny is that there is a significant number of Labour Party members who think the party should be giving MUNZ full support.
     • Jenny 1.1.1

       4 February 2012 at 8:31 am

       Thank you
   • The Voice of Reason 1.2

     4 February 2012 at 9:13 am

     Jenny, you are clearly mad. Luckily you have no connection to workers, their unions or their culture. Just another bitter and twisted red guard attacking workers and their organisations from the sideline. This is MUNZ’s dispute not yours and I will continue to take my lead from that fine, fighting union. It’s their choice as to how they run the blue, not yours.
      
     And you really should apologise for implying that the MUNZ leadership are scabs. That’s not a word unionists throw around lightly, but you probably wouldn’t know that, being stuck in the Hotel Hoxha bunker these last 30 years.
     • Jackal 1.2.1

       4 February 2012 at 9:21 am

       I was just wanting to double check that the Voice of Reason commenting on the Jackal RWNJ thread is you?
       • The Voice of Reason 1.2.1.1

         4 February 2012 at 9:28 am

         No, not me, Jackal, but I really should. You’ve built up a really fine blog. There is a pale imposter who uses my name over at KB, might be him or her. Ban ’em I say!

         Edit: having read the comments in full, I think it is the kb one. I take back the banning request, clone VoR makes some good points!
         • Jackal 1.2.1.1.1

           4 February 2012 at 9:37 am

           Thanks for that VOR. Impersonation seems to be a favourite of bog wallowers.
         • mickysavage 1.2.1.1.2

           4 February 2012 at 3:02 pm

           I have had the same problem.  Happy to share my theories …
     • Jenny 1.2.2

       4 February 2012 at 9:53 am

       I implied no such thing. In fact I know that behind the scenes the MUNZ leadership are doing everything to get the Labour Party and their affiliated unions on side.

       I will ask you for the fifth time:

       As a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?
       • The Voice of Reason 1.2.2.1

         4 February 2012 at 10:08 am

         “In fact I know that behind the scenes …”
          
         You know nothing, Jenny.
         • Jenny 1.2.2.1.1

           4 February 2012 at 4:04 pm

           Time will tell, VOR. I hope that I am wrong, and that you are right.

           I hope your are right that the wharfies can keep their jobs and win this dispute and can do it without the support of the New Zealand trade union movement.

           Unfortunate as it seems, it looks like they may have to.

           Because, of people like you, and EDDIE, and Darien Fenton and others from the Labour Party with influence inside the union movement who have made it clear, that if it is up to you, the New Zealand union movement will be giving them no support.

           Despite this, the union delegates at MUNZ have told me,

           “We didn’t buy this fight, but we are determined to win it”

           To achieve this victory MUNZ delegates have told me that they are looking for support “everywhere”.

           They have sent a high powered delegation to discuss getting official support from the local iwi.

           And in the coming weeks they will be doing a mail out to all of Auckland looking for support for their cause.

           Munz have also asked for and received support from the ITWF and the Australian trade unions.

           Since MUNZ are looking for support “everywhere”, I would like to ask you again a simple question, answer it how ever you like.

           As a Labour Party supporter and a union official, both. Will you be calling on your members to support the wharfies, or not?
           • KJT 1.2.2.1.1.1

             5 February 2012 at 6:38 am

             Jenny is correct.

             The labour party is showing their true colours yet again. NACT light.

             Anyone who does not want to be contract labour on $13.50 an hour should be supporting MUNZ.

             Labour have lost their way.
2. lprent 2

   4 February 2012 at 7:40 am

   Now running the server on FPM/FastCGI with 128M shared memory APC. Looks stable and fast.

   Let me know if there are any errors apart from the usual ones.

   In the meantime I’ll wash the sweat off (clammy weather in Auckland), get breakfast, and then contemplate the next set of updates.

   First up is to improve the replication on source files and images to the backup servers. The way it operates now is effective but not efficient (using rsync).
   • LynW 2.1

     4 February 2012 at 8:19 am

     Is this your form of relaxation lprent? Whatever that ‘tech speak’ means, you almost make it sound like fun! I’m just grateful to be able to access/use this site. Thanks for all your hard work. Cheers.
     • Jenny 2.1.1

       4 February 2012 at 8:29 am

       Ditto
     • felix 2.1.2

       4 February 2012 at 9:05 am

       +1
     • lprent 2.1.3

       4 February 2012 at 9:26 am

       Is this your form of relaxation lprent?

       Yep.

       I am fortunate that companies want to pay me to work on my hobby of programming and mucking about with computer systems. They usually want me to work on the extremes like stuffing excessive processing of a touch color screen into what is essentially a fast 486 without a graphics processor. Or figuring out how to make massive numbers of graphics instantly available for a MMOG. It is always pretty tight engineering.

       So when I get to play on a machine with a lot of grunt and pretty small amounts of data, it is a pleasant experience.

       I’ve finished configuring the fastcgi and database (finally got rid of the 50k post revisions that caused Wednesdays outage) now. So the little outages are finished if anyone got caught by them. Now to backup those system updates into subversion.
3. Jackal 3

   4 February 2012 at 8:52 am

   Fuck the police protests

   Police have been heavy handed in trying to curb the mass demonstrations, often using tear gas, pepper spray and brute force to suppress people exercising their democratic rights… so it’s no wonder there’s a lot of resentment felt towards the police. They really only have themselves to blame for blindly following the orders of the 1%.
   • Colonial Viper 3.1

     4 February 2012 at 8:59 am

     Funny story.

     Max Keiser pointed out that as the police were clearing out Occupy Wall St protestors, Bank of Mellon New York just around the corner was ‘stealing’ funds from police officers via hidden and unexplained fees and transaction practices.

     The irony.
4. randal 4

   4 February 2012 at 9:41 am

   thus spake zarathustra.
   may every song you sing be your favourite tune.
5. The Voice of Reason 5

   4 February 2012 at 9:52 am

   How the internet works, part 94:
    
   The FBI and Scotland Yard have a cosy chat about how to break Anonymous. Anonymous broadcasts discussion to the world.
6. Bored 6

   4 February 2012 at 3:37 pm

   US soldier Manning is to be court marshalled by the military and faces life in prison….because he leaked evidence of his side committing atrocities. We have all seen some of the footage of helicopter gunship patrols killing innocent civilians in Bagdhad. My sympathies go out to this brave young man and his family. Maybe the US military might have done better to have let it go, they may create another “Dreyfus”.

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/6367049/Army-orders-court-martial-in-WikiLeaks-case
   • Draco T Bastard 6.1

     4 February 2012 at 4:57 pm

     That’s how martyrs are made.
7. Treetop 7

   4 February 2012 at 6:47 pm

   Yesterday on open mike 12.1 I stated that there would be a blow out in the cost of the fees to sell the energy assets. I stated that potential litigation of treaty rights would be a cost. Tonight on TV 3 news, litigation is being spoken of with the Waitangi Tribunal.

   A couple days ago on the Standard there was a topic title “Largely Symbolic”, what I find to be of interest is that Annette Sykes has been a lawyer for the Waitangi Tribunal and hopefully she still is. Hone Harawira was smart to make Sykes the president of the Mana Party. Hone has now found himself to be a member of parliament, which the spot light will shine on him brightly and Key will learn the meaning of section 9 of the SOE legislation re the Treaty of Waitangi.
8. ropata 8

   5 February 2012 at 12:49 am

   Study links dim wits to conservative ideology

   British and American children who are less intelligent are more likely to grow up to be conservative and/or bigots, according to new research published in Physiological Science.

   The research study, “Bright minds and dark attitudes“, found that lower general intelligence in childhood predicts greater racism in adulthood, and this effect was largely mediated via conservative ideology.

   On average there was a clearly defined link between sub-par cognitive skills and abstract reasoning and bigotry.

   “Cognitive ability is a reliable predictor of prejudice. Understanding the causes of intergroup bias is the first step toward ultimately addressing social inequalities and negativity toward out-groups. Exposing right-wing conservative ideology and intergroup contact as mechanisms through which personal intelligence may influence prejudice represents a fundamental advance in developing such an understanding,” the paper concludes.
   • McFlock 8.1

     5 February 2012 at 1:16 am

     Yeah, I still giggle at that 🙂
     And I don’t believe that it’s the first paper to draw that string, by any means
     • grumpy 8.1.1

       5 February 2012 at 3:57 am

       Sitting here in Zurich enjoying the -17c global warming, and just found out an amazing bit of information.

       the Swiss, being right wing reactionaries and full of those rip off bankers, could be expected to trample on workers rights – not so.

       In order to preserve the family life, you need a written application from your boss to work overtime on Saturday and Sunday – and it needs to be approved by the officials in the local canton.

       RWNJ’s standing up for workers rights!!!!!
       • Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1

         5 February 2012 at 5:22 am

         the Swiss, being right wing reactionaries and full of those rip off bankers, could be expected to trample on workers rights – not so.

         Swiss bankers don’t rip off their own people. They help the wealthy from around the world obscure funds and rip off their own people, creating jobs in Switzerland through the taking and hiding of funds from faraway places.
       • rosy 8.1.1.2

         5 February 2012 at 5:55 am

         Probably because the neo-lib nutters haven’t managed to get their hands on the labour laws yet. It’s similar in Austria – really good protection for workers, although currently there’s a move to overturn the ban on Sunday trading – no indication yet on whether it will succeed.

         Edit: and in Switzerland wouldn’t the workers have to vote to change labour laws, given its referenda-style governance?
         • KJT 8.1.1.2.1

           5 February 2012 at 6:42 am

           Yes. As Switzerland has a Democracy, unlike us, the majority do not vote to give away their wealth to a small minority of already wealthy..
         • grumpy 8.1.1.2.2

           5 February 2012 at 7:25 am

           Sunday tomorrow – and the shops will be closed in Zurich. Just goes to show how affluent countries value quality of life.

           I have to say though, that Zurich feels like the city time forgot, surreal somehow……..
           • rosy 8.1.1.2.2.1

             5 February 2012 at 9:32 pm

             “I have to say though, that Zurich feels like the city time forgot, surreal somehow…”

             I understand the sentiment. It took awhile for me to come to terms with being transported back to before the neo-lib revolution. Now it’s nice, really nice.
     • KJT 8.1.2

       5 February 2012 at 6:40 am

       They say, 49% of the population are below average intelligence.

       49% voted National!

• Comments are now closed

• Log in
• Donate
• Contribute post

• Articles RSS