Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturation coverage
Meddler Key and Aggrandizement Sharples are now proposing a joint TVNZ, MTS and TV3 bid for Forceback 2011. Quoth Te Herald: "The final, semifinals, bronze medal game and the quarterfinals will be live on all three channels."
Right, and what about the 3 million New Zealanders who don't want to watch rugby union, judging by the fact that only 1 million bothered to tune in to watch the All Blacks' (generally unexpected) quarter-final loss to France last time, broadcast free-to-air by TV3 at a reasonable hour on a Sunday morning?
I guess they could always go outside for a walk, or whatever. Christ, isn't it bad enough these poor bastards will be underwriting 2/3rds of the event's losses, currently optimistically estimated at $39 million.
Right, and what about the 3 million New Zealanders who don't want to watch rugby union, judging by the fact that only 1 million bothered to tune in to watch the All Blacks' (generally unexpected) quarter-final loss to France last time, broadcast free-to-air by TV3 at a reasonable hour on a Sunday morning?
I guess they could always go outside for a walk, or whatever. Christ, isn't it bad enough these poor bastards will be underwriting 2/3rds of the event's losses, currently optimistically estimated at $39 million.
Labels: forceback, john key, Parti Maori, pita sharples, rugby world cup, taxes
Sunday, August 31, 2008
PC world frikkin awesome
A slightly belated response to rugby thug, Brian Lochore.
But first, what's with the National Star-Times today? "Labour to Glenn: Help us Again!" Wow, both a rhyme and an exclamation mark in the lead story on-line - sure makes Labour seem desperate. The sum total of reporting in the story: Mike Williams met briefly with Glenn in France. No new donation was forthcoming. Wow. Interestingly, one of the most insightful takes on Owen Glenn's in today's papers from none other than Coddington:
Then, "'Labour's finished' - Harawira". Err, Ok. First of all, Harawira is a big mouth fuckwit who likes to say controversial things. He should not be indulged in this by the media. Second, Parti Maori would be electoral poison for National if they actually continued to represent a Maori nationalist/separatist perspective. As they would for Labour, come to think of it. The alternative is that they become conservative, brown-skinned blue-bloods, and are crucified by their own supporters at the following election, a la NZ First's Maori MPs in 1999.
Now, on to this new PC world so bemoaned by some old guy who apparently coached the All Blacks once. I for one think many of the developments he so bewails are great.
- Society turning fathers into "male mothers" obsessed with safety instead of adventure, such that you're not supposed to take them on the back of motorbikes or horses. Well, leaving aside the fact that children probably still enjoy riding horses as much as they ever did, and that horseback riding is good exercise and actually encouraged for disabled kids, I take this to mean: "Fathers are now encouraged to think about their children's safety, and not recklessly endanger them." To which I say: good.
- He used to be able to go drinking while his children were left either (a) playing in the mud; or (b) in the back of the car. Presumably after one of these hilarious rugby parties, for the duration of which his kids were left unattended and with little to do, he drove home drunk. Nice one. I for one am glad that society now discourages parents from leaving their kids in order to drink piss with their buddies. It's called being a good, responsible parent.
- No one respects authority anymore, there's always someone protesting. Leaving aside the complete lack of connection between these two assertions, I suspect he's mistaken on the first count (some kids always gave their teachers and/or parents shit, and some still do), and I think the right to protest is one of the most important and valuable rights in a democracy. Presumably he actually supports the right to protest when it's exercised by his right-wing, pro-child-smacking mates.
- Adults are no longer allowed to dish out random violence against their children, and other people's children. Really ... enough said.
- " You as a father, with the aid of your partner - I can't say 'wife' these days, PC. You are the one who sets the ground rules." Well you can certainly say 'wife' if it applies, but partner is a pretty useful term too. I sense a certain implied patriarchy here, in which the father is the primary rule setter, and the 'wife' backs him up. (i.e., "It's the star of the show Wayne! And with him as always is Garth.") I actually value equality in parenting.
But first, what's with the National Star-Times today? "Labour to Glenn: Help us Again!" Wow, both a rhyme and an exclamation mark in the lead story on-line - sure makes Labour seem desperate. The sum total of reporting in the story: Mike Williams met briefly with Glenn in France. No new donation was forthcoming. Wow. Interestingly, one of the most insightful takes on Owen Glenn's in today's papers from none other than Coddington:
Just six months ago Glenn was uttering bizarre words about Labour's behaviour. He gave half a million dollars to the party, he said, to even the score over the Exclusive Brethren, but that didn't check out because his donation was made long before the 2005 election.I don't by any means think Glenn's actively malevolent, but he sure is eccentric and unreliable.
He also said Clark offered him a Cabinet post but no one believed that one. Clark's no fool and Labour allocates its portfolios by vote.
Then Glenn told the New Zealand Herald he was in line to be consul general of Monaco (when that position wasn't due), and don't forget the mystery about Glenn offering Sir Howard Morrison $1 million to stand for Parliament.
Why give this man credibility over Peters? He's become the Exclusive Brethren of this year's election.
Then, "'Labour's finished' - Harawira". Err, Ok. First of all, Harawira is a big mouth fuckwit who likes to say controversial things. He should not be indulged in this by the media. Second, Parti Maori would be electoral poison for National if they actually continued to represent a Maori nationalist/separatist perspective. As they would for Labour, come to think of it. The alternative is that they become conservative, brown-skinned blue-bloods, and are crucified by their own supporters at the following election, a la NZ First's Maori MPs in 1999.
Now, on to this new PC world so bemoaned by some old guy who apparently coached the All Blacks once. I for one think many of the developments he so bewails are great.
- Society turning fathers into "male mothers" obsessed with safety instead of adventure, such that you're not supposed to take them on the back of motorbikes or horses. Well, leaving aside the fact that children probably still enjoy riding horses as much as they ever did, and that horseback riding is good exercise and actually encouraged for disabled kids, I take this to mean: "Fathers are now encouraged to think about their children's safety, and not recklessly endanger them." To which I say: good.
- He used to be able to go drinking while his children were left either (a) playing in the mud; or (b) in the back of the car. Presumably after one of these hilarious rugby parties, for the duration of which his kids were left unattended and with little to do, he drove home drunk. Nice one. I for one am glad that society now discourages parents from leaving their kids in order to drink piss with their buddies. It's called being a good, responsible parent.
- No one respects authority anymore, there's always someone protesting. Leaving aside the complete lack of connection between these two assertions, I suspect he's mistaken on the first count (some kids always gave their teachers and/or parents shit, and some still do), and I think the right to protest is one of the most important and valuable rights in a democracy. Presumably he actually supports the right to protest when it's exercised by his right-wing, pro-child-smacking mates.
- Adults are no longer allowed to dish out random violence against their children, and other people's children. Really ... enough said.
- " You as a father, with the aid of your partner - I can't say 'wife' these days, PC. You are the one who sets the ground rules." Well you can certainly say 'wife' if it applies, but partner is a pretty useful term too. I sense a certain implied patriarchy here, in which the father is the primary rule setter, and the 'wife' backs him up. (i.e., "It's the star of the show Wayne! And with him as always is Garth.") I actually value equality in parenting.
Labels: all blacks, labour, media, Parti Maori, politics
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Another politician makes another ass of self
Following on from last week's deranged ramblings from the Farmers' Party Spokesperson on the Prohibition of Water and Protection of Babies, today we have Pita Sharples making absurd statements about race relations. On the one hand I realize that his shrill and ridiculous rhetoric will go down well with his party's target voters - aggrieved Maori who conceptualize the world in only two tones (brown and white), and believe the state is always out to get them. On the other, I use the word "ridiculous" in the literal sense - his claims are so over-stated and bereft of logic as to invite ridicule.
Sharples characterizes the police as engaging in "storm trooper" and "extreme" behaviour, having "lashed out" at Maori, in such a way "that negative history is repeating itself." And then the trump, headline-earning card: "This action has violated the trust that has been developing between Maori and Pakeha and sets our race relations back 100 years."
Honestly, man, pull yourself together. No land was confiscated. No war was fought. No one was shot, or even roughed up by the cops. The redcoats did not invade Maori land. A few Maori alleged to be involved in very serious illegal paramilitary activities were arrested. They are now being charged in an open and transparent legal process. A few other Maori in some shitty town were momentarily detailed while their vehicles were searched. Some other folks who were not Maori, but who might or might not have known the paramilitary wannabes, have also been arrested and charged. This is not a crisis in race relations you idiot.
What do you suggest the Police should have done? Ignored the information they had gathered? Politely knocked on the front doors of the alleged and asked: "I say mate, by any chance are you planning on doing anything bad with your arsenal of guns and home-made explosives? No? Didn't think so. Have a nice day." One might also hypothesize that a significant proportion of the Police executing the warrants, and making the arrests, were Maori themselves.
Such nuances are lost on the Maori Party I fear.
The critical point, though, is that if the self-styled Tuhoe warriors - consisting largely of the fat, the excessively tattooed, and the disaffected - had been left to follow through on their alleged plans (i.e., war against the state, or at least some aspect of it, probably killing a few innocent "whiteys" along the way) ... then we might have a real crisis of race relations.
Pita Sharples you are a tosser.
Sharples characterizes the police as engaging in "storm trooper" and "extreme" behaviour, having "lashed out" at Maori, in such a way "that negative history is repeating itself." And then the trump, headline-earning card: "This action has violated the trust that has been developing between Maori and Pakeha and sets our race relations back 100 years."
Honestly, man, pull yourself together. No land was confiscated. No war was fought. No one was shot, or even roughed up by the cops. The redcoats did not invade Maori land. A few Maori alleged to be involved in very serious illegal paramilitary activities were arrested. They are now being charged in an open and transparent legal process. A few other Maori in some shitty town were momentarily detailed while their vehicles were searched. Some other folks who were not Maori, but who might or might not have known the paramilitary wannabes, have also been arrested and charged. This is not a crisis in race relations you idiot.
What do you suggest the Police should have done? Ignored the information they had gathered? Politely knocked on the front doors of the alleged and asked: "I say mate, by any chance are you planning on doing anything bad with your arsenal of guns and home-made explosives? No? Didn't think so. Have a nice day." One might also hypothesize that a significant proportion of the Police executing the warrants, and making the arrests, were Maori themselves.
Such nuances are lost on the Maori Party I fear.
The critical point, though, is that if the self-styled Tuhoe warriors - consisting largely of the fat, the excessively tattooed, and the disaffected - had been left to follow through on their alleged plans (i.e., war against the state, or at least some aspect of it, probably killing a few innocent "whiteys" along the way) ... then we might have a real crisis of race relations.
Pita Sharples you are a tosser.
Labels: idiots, Parti Maori, politics, terrorism
