Quote of the week

28 comments on “Quote of the week ”

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1. Matthew Pilott 1

   6 June 2008 at 4:42 pm

   Heh – they know what he looks like, now they want to find out what a policy looks like.
2. T-rex 2

   6 June 2008 at 5:01 pm

   Can just imagine it.

   Principal: “Thankyou SO much for coming along Mr Key, the children just can’t wait to get home and do some comparative policy analysis”.

   Key: “Oh that’s no problem at all, my pleasure, I’m ambitious for childre… wait… what? But I smiled and waved and mentioned Bebo and everything! What’s with everyone going all Nancy-freaking-Drew on me?”
3. Matthew Pilott 3

   6 June 2008 at 5:03 pm

   Nice t-rex, very nice.

   Weekend, all: enjoy it.

   Cap Attorneys costa – they sure friggin’ do!
4. Felix 4

   6 June 2008 at 6:28 pm

   Beautiful.
5. M 5

   6 June 2008 at 6:34 pm

   And they will go home and tell Mum and Dad that John Key is a good guy who has a vision of success and reward for effort for NZ. They will aspire to be successful, and acheive their potential in life as John Key has done.

   Labour on the other hand could talk about how they like people to be beholden to the state, and while labour talk about socialist warm fuzzy’s and spending other people’s money to buy votes, National’s message i going to appeal to the youth of today.

   I hope John Key has talked to some young people who previously doubted their potential and will now go andrealise that potential. (and hopefully converted even more people to the blue team.)
6. Principessa 6

   6 June 2008 at 6:44 pm

   This is my favourite:-

   The response to Mr Key’s Internet pledge was not enthusiastic.

   “How can you compare the environment to broadband?” Jenses Kemp (17) said. “Not everyone has computers … how can he justify that billion dollars? Some kids here don’t even have money for clothes.”

   Shane Partington (17) agreed. “That billion dollars could go towards so much. What about our education and health system?”

   Somebody sign that young man up to Young Labour! Health and Education- too right!
7. coge 7

   6 June 2008 at 6:59 pm

   Why don’t you labourites concentrate of getting your parties popularity up. Instead of John Key…He He He Ha Ha Ha ….. HO HO HO…..Following your leaders grotesque baritone forced laughter in the house. Clarks house follies are beneath the dignity of any true statesman or woman.
8. Robinsod 8

   6 June 2008 at 7:17 pm

   Coge – it’s “party’s” not “patties” but aside from your illiteracy are you telling us National has your vote because “Helen sounds like a man”? Good to know the value you place on your vote you dumbarse…
9. coge 9

   6 June 2008 at 7:55 pm

   Lesson #1 Labour shoots the messenger.
10. Principessa 10

    6 June 2008 at 8:09 pm

    Lesson #2 What is National’s message?
11. jon 11

    6 June 2008 at 8:56 pm

    Lesson #3 Its “party’s’ not “parties” and certainly not “patties’ but aside from your illiteracy …….
12. Ari 12

    6 June 2008 at 10:43 pm

    Are you imply there’s no such thing as a stateswoman, coge? Grammar dictates something along the lines of states- man or woman, if not statespeople. 😉

    Nitpicking aside, those of us on the left are focusing on building support, of which only about three percent or so has been lost since last election. But we have enough spare time to laugh at the “man of the people” act* that Key tries so hard to pull off. And it’s even funnier when even children can see through his two policies of tax cuts and more broadband spending.

    *I’ll accept that maybe he really does believe he’s a man of the people, I just find it hilarious how false he comes off sometimes.
13. QoT 13

    6 June 2008 at 10:44 pm

    Principessa – clearly you missed the even-more-priceless quote from a 17-year-old in today’s DomPost: “Anyone over 40 with a Bebo page is a sad, sad man.”
14. Ari 14

    6 June 2008 at 10:46 pm

    What about women over 40 with Bebo pages? Are they sad men too? 🙂

    Yeah, okay, it had to be done.
15. coge 15

    6 June 2008 at 10:58 pm

    Ari, I just don’t get it. Most young people are excited in anticipation
    of Clarks fourth term. Is every poll a rogue poll?
16. Ari 16

    6 June 2008 at 11:08 pm

    Mmm? Have you been lurking for a while, coge? I don’t recall you replying to my comments on polls.

    We’ve had two polls from outfits that have been pushing some very rightwing views lately that came up with National 5 points higher than other, generally more reliable polls. I’m viewing them with a little more credibility, but again, it could merely be their demographics and unintentional bias creeping in that are making the difference. New Zealand polls have a ridiculously small sample size, too, so we’re prone to more volatility.

    Third time’s a charm for a trend change so dramatic as a 5% jump, but I have no illusions that in the short-term, National’s “small target” strategy has helped them rally dissatisfied voters- most of which, however, are dissatisfied centre-right voters who want to converge around a central party, but Labour have definitely lost some support to National.

    As for a fourth Clark term- I’d be far more excited if she were a Green. 😛
17. Lew 17

    6 June 2008 at 11:35 pm

    Much as I like the sparring above – might I be so bold as to return it to the actual topic? The bit quoted:

    “now they are going to go away and have a look at some of the other parties’ policies.’

    … is best-case scenario whichever way you look at it. It’s tempting to read it as `students discard Key’s policies in favour of other parties”, but in actuality what it means (and what I’m sure the principal means, since she’d not be so rude to Key as to say the former) is `now that the kids have seen one lot of policies, they’re going to look for points of comparison.’

    Surely if there’s one thing the various partisan hacks in this audience can bury the hatchet over, it’s a politically educated high school populace. Surely?

    L
18. T-Rex 18

    7 June 2008 at 7:41 am

    Lew – Hell yes.

    My only real objection is people voting National purely because they ‘want tax cuts’, or ‘just think it’s time for a change’ or ‘are fed up with bludgers’, without knowing what else they’re really getting. Anyone voting National with a full knowledge of what’s on offer… well… I’ll still disagree with them, but at least they’ll have thought about it.

    Even better, it might make Labour smarten up THEIR act in some areas too.

    Anyway – I’m off into them there hills to get rained on for the weekend. Have a good one all
19. Felix 19

    7 June 2008 at 10:59 am

    Lew,

    I read it the third (and more amusing) way – that having met Mr Key the students would go and look at other parties’ policies as looking at his own would be impossible, having offered none.

    I’m sure you’re right about what the principal actually meant, but I got a laugh out of the phrasing of the quote.
20. Draco TB 20

    7 June 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Surely if there’s one thing the various partisan hacks in this audience can bury the hatchet over, it’s a politically educated high school populace. Surely?

    As much as I like seeing kids being politically educated (something that didn’t happen in my day) I’d also like to see some of the older generations becoming politically (re)educated as well. They tend to vote more than the young and some of the assumptions that they’re working from have proven to be complete BS.
21. Ari 21

    7 June 2008 at 1:15 pm

    Amen, Draco.
22. Lew 22

    7 June 2008 at 1:39 pm

    T-rex: “Even better, it might make Labour smarten up THEIR act in some areas too.”

    Bloody oath.

    Felix: “having met Mr Key the students would go and look at other parties’ policies as looking at his own would be impossible, having offered none.”

    Heh.
    I’d also like to see some of the older generations becoming politically (re)educated as well. ”

    Re-education? And people wonder why lefties are seen as tending toward the totalitarian.

    L
    Draco: ”

    L
23. Lew 23

    7 June 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Stupid ajax comment-editory thing hangs on `saving’ every time. Bring back the old one!

    L

    [lprent: which browser?]
24. higherstandard 24

    7 June 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Lew

    Political education in schools always has the potential to turn into political indoctrination in schools.

    Educate kids in history by all means but pure political education in schools would make me very nervous.
25. higherstandard 25

    7 June 2008 at 1:46 pm

    and amen to Lews comment on the edit function – not working nearly as well as the previous version

    [lprent: I’m not all that happy with it. But I’ll have a look at the css because it seems to be set up for a 640×480 type screen]
26. Matthew Pilott 26

    7 June 2008 at 3:51 pm

    You can edit, then hit save. After a few seconds, use the red “x” close button – refresh the page and it will have updated the comment.

    It does have a very small window that’s a bit annoying though…

    HS – agreed about political education in schools – I think it would be excellent if it were done well though. Political history would be a useful method – nothing specific and current, but an overview of our political history over the last century or so, perhaps?
27. Felix 27

    7 June 2008 at 6:33 pm

    I’m with Lew and hs on the edit thing – very annoying for me (Firefox, XP). What was wrong with the old one anyway?
28. higherstandard 28

    8 June 2008 at 11:11 am

    Mat

    Agreed on the education front it’s just that history is littered with examples of indoctrination under the guise of education – I think there’s a very low chance of this happening in NZ but I continue to be wound up by some of the things the kids come back from school with parroting as fact.

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