Open mike 13/11/2010

25 comments on “Open mike 13/11/2010 ”

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1. Logie97 1

   13 November 2010 at 6:54 am

   MP’s Expenses

   Stuff reports this morning
   “… and Parliamentary Service officials are now trawling through 10 years of travel claims by Mrs Wong and her husband…”.

   How is it that they can go back 10 years on this one, but only 7 years on the previous administration’s?

   We were told that anything previous had been removed.

   Captcha: explanations
2. Carol 2

   13 November 2010 at 7:15 am

   A brilliant inititiative for political action against the neoliberal “austerity” measures:

   http://london.indymedia.org/articles/5984

   Education Camp occupies Parliament Square and opens free university. If you’re tired of shouting slogans and want to be part of the alternatives, come to Parliament Square.

   As the dust settles on the chaos across central London, a new university has emerged: a free university in Parliament Square. The space was peacefully occupied by an autonomous group of students called Education Camp. Their intention is to hold the space for a period of time to facilitate free public lectures and open discussion about proactive alternatives for higher education. New students and professors are welcome.

   Could there be a similar initiative here? Aotea Square? Albert Park? The Domain? in Auckland.

   Outside the Beehive in Wellington?
   • Jenny 2.1

     13 November 2010 at 8:28 am

     England’s Tianamen Square?

     Let’s hope this student occupation has a better outcome than being cleared out by armed paramilitary forces.

     How ironic that David Cameron is in China at the moment.

     Maybe a good tactic to prevent such a reoccurrence would be for the students to construct their own “Goddess of Democracy” statue.

     The original “Goddess of Democracy” was carved by students from the Chinese Central Academy of Fine Arts and erected in Tianamen during their protest. …
     • Sean Brooks 2.1.1

       13 November 2010 at 10:47 am

       So how may people died in England’s Tiananmen square?
       • felix 2.1.1.1

         13 November 2010 at 11:01 am

         Yeah you do tend to get a bit less state-sponsored killing in liberal democracies.
         • Zorr 2.1.1.1.1

           13 November 2010 at 12:54 pm

           It is really good to see active protesting against the current insanity that rules the British parliament. To a certain extent, I think the lords and masters over there had forgotten how much backbone their populace has because they haven’t shown it for decades.
3. Jenny 3

   13 November 2010 at 8:52 am

   .
   An interesting essay on democracy and the UK student’s protests, came from John in yesterday’s open Mike.

   Open mike 12/11/2010

   In an article that could apply to this country’s upcoming struggle to preserve MMP, John wrote:

   The most important thing to remember is WE DID NOT VOTE THE SCUM INTO POWER.
   In fact an even scarier thing to remember is that THE TORIES HAVE LOST IN EVERY ELECTION FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS!
   And yet despite being voted against by the majority of people in every such election (even Thatcher at her peak had 56% of people voting for anti-conservative parties) we have allowed the Tories to steal election after election by defrauding the electoral system.
   Eden, Douglas-Home, Heath, Thatcher, Major, Cameron… every single one of them FIRMLY REJECTED BY THE ELECTORATE and yet they managed to take over power and use it to inflict great and long-lasting harm against the poor, the weak and the sick.
   We can never trust the ballot box again. No fair electoral system would have given the Tories power for a single day in the last 50 years… only a complete overhaul of the electoral system to lock in a Leftist majority for the next 50 years will work. That’s not anti-democratic, it is the will of the people (and indeed, Sweden had a centre-left government for that kind of timescale).
   To remove this government, we will have to use direct action. Once they are overthrown we will guarantee that no conservative will ever win office again within our lifetime. That is the challenge we all must fight for.”
   • Joachim's 3.1

     14 November 2010 at 1:44 am

     Its time to realise that its not about fighting the Tories. Its about changing the broken system. The Tories are just a symptom.
4. ianmac 4

   13 November 2010 at 10:38 am

   The Press today, Vernon Small:” A diplomatic stoush over a US decision to limit media coverage of the TPP meeting to one still photographer per country was last night still unresolved.

   Key has called the limit “disappointing” and undertaken to reverse it. ”

   I wonder why Key would demand better media coverage? The issue? Personal publicity?
   http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/world/4342275/John-Key-wades-into-currency-war-at-Apec
   • Pascal's bookie 4.1

     13 November 2010 at 11:07 am

     Um. It’s not a press conference John.
     • felix 4.1.1

       13 November 2010 at 11:21 am

       Then what the hell am I doing here?! I could be sucking piss at home in Hawaii FFS!!
       • Jim Nald 4.1.1.1

         13 November 2010 at 12:18 pm

         Darling, you turkey, come home and pose with biosecurity officers.
         Panic pants is locating some, err, whoever left after your frontline cuts.
         Oh nevermind. If he can’t find any, you’d look just right, next to a kiwifruit.
5. Pascal's bookie 5

   13 November 2010 at 11:34 am

   George W Bush. Gentleman and scholar.*

   *For definitions of ‘gentleman’ where gentleman = ‘Dry drunk warcriminal who’s no better than he oughta be’; and ‘scholar’ where scholar = ‘Plagiarist and hack’
6. Pascal's bookie 6

   13 November 2010 at 11:41 am

   Maddow and Stewart interview each other about the meeedja.

   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#40141311

   (50 mins)
   • Sean Brooks 6.1

     13 November 2010 at 1:00 pm

     Stewart is getting ripped into on american message boards for going soft on faux news.
   • ianmac 6.2

     14 November 2010 at 12:08 am

     Here in NZ we tend to say Right bad, Left good. Instead we should have been able to have a discussion on for example National Standards. We smooth over the wrinkles on our side, and highlight the wrinkles on their side. The danger of course in being so understanding is that you loose the initiative and the issues such as waterboarding become grey areas. (I once laid out a proposition for an item but made the mistake of highlighting the negative side as well. The idea was trashed by the directors because they focussed on the negatives.)
     Interesting interview but long and repetitive from John.
     Thanks Pascal.
7. Pascal's bookie 7

   13 November 2010 at 11:48 am

   This oughtta be a big story:

   http://www.balloon-juice.com/2010/11/12/ethics-blind-justicerepublican-crime-syndicate/#more-52619

   Supreme court justice fundraising for politicians.
8. Draco T Bastard 8

   13 November 2010 at 12:26 pm

   Urgency, local government and the democratic process

   The Government is planning to push Rodney Hide’s water privatisation bill through its remaining stages under urgency next week. This is not surprising in itself, given how much of this Government’s business has been done under urgency.

   More dictatorial urgency from NACT. Democracy really has been under attack since this government was elected.
9. Herbert 9

   13 November 2010 at 6:44 pm

   Not sure if this interview with Ha-Joon Chang has been posted or not but well worth a watch. A few quotes to whet the appetite
   On currency controls: “Now, in certain countries, even the IMF is saying, “Maybe we should put capital control in, so that this speculative capital wouldn’t destabilize your economy.”
   On deficit spending: “Don’t forget that in the 1930s a lot of countries started cutting this deficit as soon as things looked slightly better, and many of them went back into recession. It’s already happening in Ireland. I mean, they started cutting deficit. They are now in bigger trouble.”
   On Free markets: “I mean, the greatest example is child labor. When in the 19th century the European countries tried to introduce legislation on child labor, a lot of free market economists argued that this is outrageous, this is an infringement on the freedom of contract—these kids want to work, these people want to employ them, what is your problem?”
   http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2010/11/12/economist_ha_joon_chang_on_the_g20_summit_currency_wars_and_why_the_free_market_is_a_myth
10. Fisiani 10

    13 November 2010 at 8:06 pm

    Trevor Mallard has just endorsed Hekia Parata as having Cabinet minister ability on Kiwiblog
    • Pascal's bookie 10.1

      13 November 2010 at 8:29 pm

      She’s easily as good as Wong, Worth, Tolley, Bennet, Blinglish, so yeah, she’d make the cut in a National party caucus.
      • ianmac 10.1.1

        14 November 2010 at 12:10 am

        And that fits in with Stewart’s moderate view on issues too eh.
      • ak 10.1.2

        14 November 2010 at 1:06 am

        Thanks Fiz.

        Mallard going within a mile of – let alone on – the sewer, tells us all we needed to know.

        Go Matt. And Sue.

        Without restraint.

        Ignore the addled wethers.

        A new generation needed.
        • Joachim's 10.1.2.1

          14 November 2010 at 1:42 am

          No more half hearted efforts from the Left. I think what is needed now is action, not talking. As you said ak – go Matt and Sue.

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