Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Tariana Turia has made a mark
There’s a worthwhile profile of Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia in the Dominion Post today. Ms Turia announced her intention to retire before the 2014 election recently. I’ve always respected this thoughtful, courageous woman … who is much more than a politician. I remember interviewing her during last year’s general election when her former colleague, […]
Ha! Who would be a politician, huh?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so the proverb goes. It seems it’s the same, too, with perceptions of political ‘performance’. (Whatever that slippery term means.) This week, I made a judgement about Justice Minister Judith Collins and her handling of the Bain compensation report. See Current affairs through partisan filters. David Bain […]
Current affairs through partisan filters. David Bain in limbo.
It’s been intriguing to watch the messy political debate in New Zealand about the findings of the independent inquiry, conducted by an internationally respected justice, into the case for compensation for wrongful imprisonment of David Bain. I personally, largely ignorantly, thought David Bain was the killer of his family. A jury convicted him. But then […]
*Chuckle* @JudithCollinsMP in an apron. (But what an apron!)
@JudithCollinsMP has the self-confidence to carry this off. Respec’. I say good on her. (Apparently it’s a cow shed safety apron.) I wonder how others see it? – P PS Nasty, hateful comments will be deleted, so leave them out.
The non-sense of political labels and cutting friends because of their conclusions
From a wonderful article on recent US politics (Really. Please read it.) Revenge of the Reality-Based Community: My life on the Republican right—and how I saw it all go wrong by Bruce Bartlett. The final line for me to cross in complete alienation from the right was my recognition that Obama is not a leftist. […]
Cluster WHAT?
This, in my pantry, reminded me of Labour’s internal woes … what a welcome distraction that is for the gummint.
The ancient (and dangerous) model of leadership
Sudden death or death by a thousand cuts? I learned pretty much all I needed to know about political manoeuvring, frustrated ambition and Olympic-level backstabbing when I covered local body politics — the ‘civics’ round — in Wellington for NewstalkZB, before going on to the Parliamentary press gallery. In my experience at that time, the […]
Lying for a living — part of an ugly cosmology
I just had to share this: Delusion? or Audacity? You decide. Breathless irony from Bill O’Reilly Fox News: Meanwhile, Ezra Klein, writing in the Washington Post, reacting to Mitt Romney telling his (disappointed) donors and backers that President Obama beat him in the election because he gave “gifts” to a wide sector of the electorate, […]
NZ sovereignty? SkyCity’s tentacles …
This seems like unwelcome involvement by SkyCity … Casino company Sky City helped negotiate a deal struck by the Government which fast tracks wealthy Chinese visitors’ visa applications when they fly China Southern Airlines to New Zealand, NZ First Leader Winston Peters has revealed. Mr Peters yesterday forced Immigration Minister Nathan Guy to hastily announce […]
Andrew Sullivan: Obama governed as ‘a moderate Republican’
Gee I like Andrew Sullivan. I like his human qualities and his intelligence and passion. Any regular reader of his website The Daily Dish (as I am) can see why his blog format/approach is so copied by others far less imaginative. He works hard to snippet news ‘in real time’, but his value in his […]
Wry. In Nate Silver we trust?
http://twitter.com/kirstenpowers10/status/265580305702871041/photo/1 via Poynter, who also had the good humour to headline an article about the US election: Voters gather to decide Nate Silver’s fate Wry. – P
Mitt Romney quoted out of context? Not really.
TELL MITT ROMNEY: CLIMATE CHANGE ISN’T A JOKE Much of the nation is reeling from Superstorm Sandy. As families rebuild from Sandy’s destruction, our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific, fossil-fueled storm. When Gov. Mitt Romney made climate change a punch line at the Republican National Convention, he mocked a real threat to […]
