Open mike 21/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 21st, 2010 - 47 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

Comment on whatever takes your fancy.

The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

47 comments on “Open mike 21/06/2010 ”

  1. felix 1

    Is that favicon new or have I been caching the old one for months?

  2. felix 2

    First resignation from the PEDA files.

    • RedLogix 2.1

      Interesting felix:

      “In the six years I have been in this role, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Council and Ministers over the years, unfortunately over this debacle the Council has received no communications over this matter which makes it difficult to respond to these issues when our communities raise their concern. To a large extent we are the face of the Ministry because of our roles as Ministerial Advisors, it would have been appropriate to talk to us and seek advice on this matter, I would have thought.’

      In other words not only does the man know he was bypassed and cut out of the loop; he also knows the whole deal is corrupt….and he wants nothing to do with it.

  3. Jenny 3

    On the global stage, as American military might and economic power crumbles, American Imperialism moves into cyberspace.

    A proposal being introduced in the American Senate would give the US “absolute power” over the internet.

    One of Australia’s top communications experts, University of Sydney associate professor Bjorn Landfeldt, railed against the idea, saying shutting down the internet would “inflict an enormous damage on the entire world”.

    “The proposal is from Joe Lieberman, a repeat offender on rights versus regulation, in a bill called Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010,”

    capcha – isolate

  4. Monty 4

    Great to see John Key at the Football World Cup supporting our team. If Clark was the bad-luck curse and jinx for NZ teams competing internationally, Is john Key the good luck tailsman?

    • I dreamed a dream 4.1

      Shame he was there. NZ would have won otherwise.

    • WillieMaley 4.2

      The guy is a joke 🙁
      On the pitch at the end FFS, every other political leader would congratulte the team in the privacy of the dressing room. Not our celebrity PM, has to be on the pitch trying to be centre of attention!

  5. I dreamed a dream 5

    Hmmm… this looks interesting — http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2010/06/21/jonathan-coleman-why-did-your-leader-spend/

    Should be good material for a Standard post.

    • ianmac 5.1

      Yes IDaD: The PM buying wine like Chris Carter did must have substance for serious concern. After all we must tackle every little detail! Ther is enough concern for the Nact trolls have responded in numbers on Red Alert. Interesting.

  6. BLiP 6

    Public relations, BP style . . . .

  7. joe bloggs 7

    Just who IS the Leader of the Labour Party these days?

    I see Chris Carter is still in denial about his spending habits and now takes his lead from Helen Clark:
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/3832013/MP-takes-Clarks-advice

    And Phil “Mr 5%” Goff is only just holding off Helen Clark on 4.9% for preferred PM:
    http://www.3news.co.nz/Expenses-scandal-hurts-Labour-in-polls/tabid/419/articleID/161801/Default.aspx

    Troubling times!

    • felix 7.1

      Interesting, your wording is almost exactly the same as that of several other commenters yesterday.

      It’s as if…. nah, couldn’t be….

      • Anne 7.1.1

        You mean he’s on the Nat Party Research Unit’s email list of instructions to their bloggers and commenters?

        UPDATED MESSAGE FOR WEEK COMMENCING 21 JUNE.
        Do not under any circumstances make any comments re- the PEDA issue. Any one who ignores this instruction will be removed from the list immediately and may suffer further penalties in due course.

        • joe bloggs 7.1.1.1

          much as I admire the work of the Nat Party Research Unit I regret that I cannot lay claim to being a member of that august body.

          And as for the PEDA issue, I have no qualms in mentioning that piece of crap funding. And for once I’m in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with some of the more lucid comments here. It’s a thoroughly poorly developed funding proposal full of platitudinous and politically correct nothingness. Could have been written by the Labour Govt.

          There you go Annie, good enough to reassure you of my non-partisan nature?

  8. Croc 8

    International Whaling Organisation corruption claims

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3811014/International-Whaling-Organisation-corruption-claims

    http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100613/NEWS11/100619895/-1/NEWSMAP

    This has been going on for years openly but looks like some investigative reporters have got onto the story.

  9. vto 9

    So what is the true story behind Hubbard’s Aorangi Securities coming under SFO investigation?

    Is it straight forward and ‘clean’?

    Is it a play around the water issues in Canterbury given Hubbard’s extensive stake in CPW and other schemes?

    do do do do ……..

    • ianmac 9.1

      Mr Hubbard has criticised the SFO actions saying that the trusts are very safe and correct. Does seem a bit odd.

      • vto 9.1.1

        Yes ianmac, that is highly unusual for Hubbard to come out and say something like that. He is clearly very unhappy. http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/3833081/Hubbard-in-fraud-probe

        Something is definitely up.

        • ianmac 9.1.1.1

          VTO: It is a bit unusual isn’t it, for a Minister (Powers) to comment so early in the process saying how important it is to launch the process???

          • prism 9.1.1.1.1

            Wondered if the preponderance of pompous politicians with interests in Canterbury’s irrigation works might be behind the swift action to control the Hubbard’s funds. There must be a Canterbury cabal plotting away as many of the local mayors seemed to be for the dismissal of the democratic body. Interesting to see people worm themselves up to a high niche on the democratic climbing wall and then drop rocks on the schmucks underneath.

  10. joe bloggs 10

    back on June 17th I posted in the Open Mike section about Len Brown:
    and as for the kanohi te kanohi and face-slapping routine FFS, gimme a break. Brown is a skinny, middle aged white trougher, not a Maori, nor an Islander

    Looks like I’m not the only bystander watching Brown’s slide from grace with bemusement:
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/3832012/Mayors-antics-rapped

    Caveman stuff indeed – onyer Dr Ropata!

    • BLiP 10.1

      Heh!! The Banksy minions just have no idea how to counter Len’s hook up with the Maori community. I would love to see Dick Quax doing a haka – I imagine it could be described as a Tory’s attempt to locate his wallet.

      • joe bloggs 10.1.2

        Heh, indeed! From the comments that prominent Maori have made about Brown’s behaviour it’s evident that Brown is struggling to come to grips with his own ‘hook-up’ with the Maori community.

        Not so much ‘hook-up’ as “fuck-up” as they describe his antics as offensive.

  11. SHG 11

    So can we all agree that Carter has essentially said “F*ck you, I take my instructions from Helen Clark, not you” to Phil Goff?

    [lprent: No more viable than the statement that SHG screws sheep for pleasure.

    If you want to use that particular debating “tactic” of assuming silence equals agreement, then you will find that I dislike it intensely. I usually assume that it means the perp is a ACToid fuckwit who has been ‘trained’ to be a dickhead in any normal discussion.

    Take a week off for acting like a moron. In the meantime we will assume that your silence means that the SHG sheep snagging rumors are true. ]

    • ianmac 11.1

      SHG: I think that your bosses will be disappointed in your tedious attempt to do whatever you believe you are doing.

  12. ianmac 12

    Very well covered on PEDA by Russell Brown- Public Address.
    “On the face of it, the short and curious life of the Pacific Economic Development Agency Ltd is a perfect Auckland political story.”
    and: “The curious thing here is why the New Zealand Herald’s reporting of a story on its own damn doorstep has been so half-hearted, and why it was left to its slutty Sunday sibling to raise an editorial flag on it.

    http://publicaddress.net/6704#post6704

  13. ianmac 13

    Ahh. Edit didn’t transfer that this was from Russell Brown on Public Address.

  14. The oil disaster

    been polluting for 60 days and reserves could allow it to continue for 2 years or so.

    So the current map of surface pollution needs to be multiplied by at least 12ish to get an idea of how much shit we are in. Of course the undersea plumes are where the real oil resides. This is a world changing event.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jun/18/bp-gulf-oil-leak-estimates

    • Santi 15.1

      And with that oil undersea plumes Obama’s reputation takes another tumble, which will see him ousted in 2012.

      So much for hope, which turned out to be hype.

  15. prism 16

    Nice phrase Santi. If changed a little to – So much for hope which always turns out to be hype, it comes close to a depressing reality.

  16. The Voice of Reason 17

    Press Release
    NZ Government
    21.06.10

    Apology to Chinese Government

    The NZ Government has today apologised to the Chinese Government for the traitorous actions of notorious left deviationist Russel Norman, self confessed leader of the Gang of Nine. Norman, whose infantilism and opportunism has made him a despised and isolated figure amongst right thinking comrades in the Peoples Assembly, has taken the road of sectarian oppositionism in the face of overwhelming support for the glorious leadership of Comrade John Key Il, the Great Helmsman of the New Dawn.

    The NZ Government is pleased to advise comrades that the Dear Leader did no damage to his knees while delivering the apology, though his hair was mussed when Comrade Xi Jinping fraternally patted his head.

    The NZ Government hopes that there will be no further incidents of revisionism in the future and warns the running dog Norman that they know where he lives.

    Dear Leader John Key Il , currently in South Africa, will, on his triumphant return, apologise to the French Government for the appalling destruction of French navy armaments by the so called Greenpeace and their aggressive Rainbow Warrior. Plans to apologise to Germany for the nation’s naive opposition to the wise policies of former leader A. Hitler are well advanced, with comrade David Garrett promising to lend the Great Helmsman his best brown shirt.

    Ends.

    • The Voice of Reason 17.1

      Jeez, still in moderation. Was it ‘David Garrett’ that set off the alarms?

      • lprent 17.1.1

        Beats me. I did release it.

        Problem was today that we went under spam attack again. There were a couple of hundred spam pingbacks and your comment got lost in the rush.

        Just spent the last hour adding IP ranges to the deny barrier on apache. If people are in those IP ranges (all overseas), then The Standard doesn’t exist for them anymore.

        The most extreme is an exclusion for ANY IP numbers starting with 72, 74, 77, 173 and 174 because the only traffic we ever get from there is spambots.

        • BLiP 17.1.1.1

          Testing – one, two three . . . a couple of my comments appear to have evaporated.

          EDIT: Oh, no, there it is . . . must have been me. Since Dr Felix’s handy hint I now have about four The Standards on the dial. What fun.

  17. Hateatea 18

    How many Maaori have to say the same thing before you believe it? Do they have to come with certain whakapapa? Would they be more credible if they were clearly National supporters? What is it exactly that you are wanting before you believe that ‘kanohi ki te kanohi’ is not what Len Brown is trying to portray?

    For the record, I am Maaori, that is one of the ordinary people. I am not an academic, I have been Maaori all my life and I have credibility for my traditional knowledge.

    Of the four people quoted, I have no specific knowledge of the traditional knowledge credentials of only one. That is because that persons personal history is not known to me in any detail pertaining to traditional knowledge. The other three certainly have the knowledge and credibility within Te Ao Maaori.

    Why you think their professions disqualify them from commenting I do not know but perhaps you could qualify your stance with appropriate (to you) standards for information recognition so that we all know who you will and won’t believe.

    Finally, there is no one authoritative voice for Maaori any more than there is for Scots, Welsh, Irish, Turks or rugby players for example. However there are people with the appropriate standing to comment. It is just a shame from your point of view that none of them are white, middle class men as I suspect that is who you would prefer to hear from

    • The Voice of Reason 18.1

      I’d like to hear from the marae, not the media interviewing each other. Didn’t mean to piss you off, Hateatea, just making a point about a lazy piece of journalism.

      • Hateatea 18.1.1

        My point is that you did. It is your narrow vision that has the other labels on them. I have seen all four on marae participating, although three at a different level than the fourth. Your lack of knowledge of the many facets to their lives has limited your acknowledgement of their right to comment. Shame on you.

        BTW If you think the journalism is lazy, what does that say about your personal research?

        FWIW I reserve ‘pissed off’ status for people I care about. At this point, you don’t qualify. I’ll let you know if and when you do

  18. The Voice of Reason 19

    Hmmm. I know a little about some of the four, a lot about one. So what? My point is that merely asking for comment from one segment of society (paid commentators + Morrison) does not answer Prism’s question. Which was:

    ‘Could you give the link to where the Maori community have expressed their opinions that Brown’s ‘antics’ are offensive?’

    Those four are not the maori community, IMHO. They are rent a quotes, in this context.

    ‘BTW If you think the journalism is lazy, what does that say about your personal research?’

    Nothing, I suspect. I’m not paid to write, but I know what I’m talking about.

    ‘FWIW I reserve ‘pissed off’ status for people I care about. At this point, you don’t qualify. I’ll let you know if and when you do’

    Would be funny, if you weren’t so obviously pissed off.