First of all, I'll admit that Your Views hasn't had my full attention lately. So it came as a surprise to me when I browsed the topic "Can Rodney survive this perks scandal?" (which was originally posed as "Are Rodney Hide's travel expenses justified?") and found that I had missed the creation and subsequent closure of a thread concerned with Maori Party MP Hone Harawira's own "perks scandal" and supposedly "racist" comments made in an email to former Waitangi Tribunal director Buddy Mikaere. I'm not sure how long the thread was up, or what the question posed by Your Views was - the only trace of the thread's existence appears in a statement on the naughty Rodney thread:
"The other debate about Hone has now been closed because, regrettably, it degenerated into a racist rant instead of a constructive debate."
This statement reflects that the Your Views editorial team believe that the section encourages users to engage and debate in a constructive fashion, and that in this case, the thread was taken down because it was not representing this kind of engagement. Also, by claiming to remove the thread due to its "degenerat[ion] into a racist rant", they make it seem like they actively seek to stamp out any traces of racism in Your Views. Yeah right!
Argh, I took my eye off the ball for a couple of days, something really interesting happened in Your Views and I missed the lead-up! Ah well, there's still been plenty of intriguing responses to the "Has Rodney really done it this time?" question:
Kingi (Auckland)
Hide is married and not divorced. Taking his girlfriend overseas at taxpayers expense is wrong.
I don't mind politicians spending money frivolously, but by god, could they do it whilst upholding the principles of marriage?
katie k (Auckland)
Rodney doesn't deserve praise for his apology, the only thing he deserves is a good clip around the ears. He is two faced the only thing he is sorry for is that he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar
Strewth, that cheeky chappie Rodney deserves more than just a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket, we all bust a gut to put food on the table and his actions just take the piss.
This week Your Views also raised the question "Should TVNZ have axed Dancing with the Stars?"; another addition to its list of crucial politically-engaged topics. And as if a whole thread about Rodney wasn't enough to satisfy the Hide-haters of this world, a couple also used this thread to bag the ACT leader, who appeared on the show a few years back:
Pigs snout out (Churton Park)
Yep makes people like Rodney popular. Unless they bring Rodney back and drop him on his head. I'd donate to see that.
Wouldn't we all...
Showing posts with label Crooked politicians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crooked politicians. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
DonKey needs to keep Rhort-ney Hide's snout out of the trough
Rodney Hide is being labelled a hypocrite after having his girlfriend accompany him on an overseas tour, all paid for by the Great New Zealand Taxpayer. A number of responses to the Your Views question "Are Rodney Hide's travel expenses justified?" have reacted with shock and disbelief at the suggestion that Rodney has managed to score himself a lady friend. However, overall this thread reflects one thing that Your Views users can always be counted on to do: continually reference politicians or other public figures not by their real names but by some kind of incredibly witty and cutting nickname. Oh and the heavy circulation of the same cynical phrases over and over again (PC gone mad being the most favoured). Okay so this phenomenon is by no means limited to the space of Your Views, as the public, journalists and politicians have been thinking up nasty names to call each other since the year dot. As Matt Southall from spEak You're bRanes notes, speaking about the BBC's Have Your Say section:
"Nobody ever writes "New Labour" or "Gordon Brown". These petty internet gnomes proudly write "Nu LiarBore", "Gordon CLOWN" or something similarly inventive and hilarious. You can almost see their smiles of satisfaction as they type it. Funny and subversive. Brilliant."
Hiawatha (Auckland Central)
Rhort-ney Hide, you deserve to be fired. What a sad hypocrite you are.
I'm sure Hiawatha is pleased with her shot at Rodney Hide. Yeah, make a funny word play on his name, that'll learn him! As we saw in a previous post about John Key's American adventure, to hilariously refer to John Key you say 'DonKey', for Helen Clark it's 'Auntie Helen' or 'Head Girl Helen'.
Certain phrases get circulated again and again, each time getting more and more frustrating to read and yet, gathering more momentum as they go...
wellwisher (Penrose)
Just another pig at the trough.
Shane (Grey Lynn)
Rodney Hide should first pay back his partners expenses then he should resign. He has no creditabilty and is just another pig with his face in the trough.
Huia Gold Coast (Queensland)
Hide is a pompous hypocrite who has shown that he is just another right wing reptile with his snout in the trough?
Yes, yes, we get it. Politicians are pigs with snouts or faces in the trough. Very creative! 10 out of 10 for all of you.
Margot Campbell (Napier)
The lefties will jump all over this. Rodney is the only one with steel balls in our parliament. Good that he brings a girl rather than a boy.
Don't look for the splinter on some someone else. Look for the log on yourself.
And if you weren't outraged by that, here's some more Margot for ya! From the thread "Would you trade your regular breaks for time off later?":
Margot Campbell (Napier)
Who cares about this? The only people who take 'smoko' are the bottom of th bell curve who put lids on yoghurt. They vote red anyway.
The more I read Your Views, the more Margot Campbell's posts stick out and the more convinced I am that she must be a fake whose posts are designed to piss off the "PC brigade". She is also the bright spark who inspired the 'Ratbags suckling at the public teat' label in the tag cloud. Interesting that the moderation lets through some appalling homophobic remarks too, especially as they promise to weed out any posts that could be "considered discriminatory on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual preference, nationality, age, disability, etc." Letting Margot's post go through just adds more weight to my theory that she is part of a Your Views forum conspiracy, dreamed up to incite maximum levels of offense and controversy.
"Nobody ever writes "New Labour" or "Gordon Brown". These petty internet gnomes proudly write "Nu LiarBore", "Gordon CLOWN" or something similarly inventive and hilarious. You can almost see their smiles of satisfaction as they type it. Funny and subversive. Brilliant."
Hiawatha (Auckland Central)
Rhort-ney Hide, you deserve to be fired. What a sad hypocrite you are.
I'm sure Hiawatha is pleased with her shot at Rodney Hide. Yeah, make a funny word play on his name, that'll learn him! As we saw in a previous post about John Key's American adventure, to hilariously refer to John Key you say 'DonKey', for Helen Clark it's 'Auntie Helen' or 'Head Girl Helen'.
Certain phrases get circulated again and again, each time getting more and more frustrating to read and yet, gathering more momentum as they go...
wellwisher (Penrose)
Just another pig at the trough.
Shane (Grey Lynn)
Rodney Hide should first pay back his partners expenses then he should resign. He has no creditabilty and is just another pig with his face in the trough.
Huia Gold Coast (Queensland)
Hide is a pompous hypocrite who has shown that he is just another right wing reptile with his snout in the trough?
Yes, yes, we get it. Politicians are pigs with snouts or faces in the trough. Very creative! 10 out of 10 for all of you.
Margot Campbell (Napier)
The lefties will jump all over this. Rodney is the only one with steel balls in our parliament. Good that he brings a girl rather than a boy.
Don't look for the splinter on some someone else. Look for the log on yourself.
And if you weren't outraged by that, here's some more Margot for ya! From the thread "Would you trade your regular breaks for time off later?":
Margot Campbell (Napier)
Who cares about this? The only people who take 'smoko' are the bottom of th bell curve who put lids on yoghurt. They vote red anyway.
The more I read Your Views, the more Margot Campbell's posts stick out and the more convinced I am that she must be a fake whose posts are designed to piss off the "PC brigade". She is also the bright spark who inspired the 'Ratbags suckling at the public teat' label in the tag cloud. Interesting that the moderation lets through some appalling homophobic remarks too, especially as they promise to weed out any posts that could be "considered discriminatory on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual preference, nationality, age, disability, etc." Letting Margot's post go through just adds more weight to my theory that she is part of a Your Views forum conspiracy, dreamed up to incite maximum levels of offense and controversy.
Friday, October 16, 2009
'Cause I gotta have faith
The New Zealand government is borrowing $250 million per week to cope with the ongoing effects of the economic recession. As expected with the announcement of such a scary figure, fingers are being pointed, stress levels are rising and questions are being asked. One such question is being raised by Your Views. Do you have faith in the Government's handling of the economy? Well, do you?
Victor (Auckland)
No not at all. National Government is as bad as Labour Government. They are only there to look after their interest and of their friends and buisness colleagues.To cut down the governemt expenditure I urge Government to take the bold steps immediately:
1- Introduce death penalty for cold bloded murderers - saving cost on prison expenses and lesson to every one that if you take any one's life be prepared to lose your life.
2- Cut down on Immigrants and refugees coming to NZ
3- Impose family planning like India & China - maximum of 2 child per family. No extra benefits to be given if the mum ( solo) or parents they decide to have more then 2 children.
4- Change laws now that no former MP can claim for free travel benefits if they are no longer in Governement.
5- Change the term of the Government to 4 or 5 years to save millions in election costs & scrap MMP.
6-Cut the slaries of all Govt executives, Cabinets Ministers & MP's by 10% across the board.
7-Restrict overseas trips by MP and Government officials
8- Cut down the benefits to people who are able to work but are damn too lazy to work
9- Introduce tougher laws for manufactures & distributors of P- Life sentence.
Victor details his list of remedies for the country's woes, urging the current government to take heed of his suggestions. Victor doesn't have faith in the government's ability to handle the recession, but he does seem to have faith in using Your Views as a direct link to John Key. This reminds me of what Matt Southall, creator of spEak You're bRanes, said in a piece for the Guardian about users of the BBC's Have Your Say forum:
Laurence's prescription for a better New Zealand isn't as detailed as Victor's, however, he does outline John Key's first tasks: "tak[ing] his head out of his ass" and to "stop buggering around with Maori types and other crank groups". Using this kind of language is sure to discredit his response in the eyes of some other users, but more vulgar is Laurence's assertion that Maori are "types" who belong to a "crank" group. I wonder if we'd also find Laurence commenting in the Your Views thread on the Maori Television bid for the Rugby World Cup coverage rights, declaring that it's a pain in the ass for Key to be buggering around with Maori Television. "Refocus your priorities John, no more buggering around and get that head out of your ass!"
Margot Campbell (Napier)
They're doing around a gazillion times better through a recession than what Micheal and Helen did through the boom years. However, 1 gazillion is not good enough. JK is still a bit PC left wing. It might be time for Rodney to run the show to cut out the nonsense.
I have a fantastic yet terrifying mental image of Rodney Hide decked out in a yellow lycra bodysuit with a giant anti-PC sign on the front, cape blowing in the wind.
Lampie (Glen Eden)
No, next stupid question.
I love it. Lampie not only suggests that this question is stupid, but highlights the expectation that the next question will be stupid also. And yet Lampie still answers these stupid questions! Why do people continue to use Your Views if they dislike the service it is offering? I think that question deserves an entire post to itself. Stay tuned!
Victor (Auckland)
No not at all. National Government is as bad as Labour Government. They are only there to look after their interest and of their friends and buisness colleagues.To cut down the governemt expenditure I urge Government to take the bold steps immediately:
1- Introduce death penalty for cold bloded murderers - saving cost on prison expenses and lesson to every one that if you take any one's life be prepared to lose your life.
2- Cut down on Immigrants and refugees coming to NZ
3- Impose family planning like India & China - maximum of 2 child per family. No extra benefits to be given if the mum ( solo) or parents they decide to have more then 2 children.
4- Change laws now that no former MP can claim for free travel benefits if they are no longer in Governement.
5- Change the term of the Government to 4 or 5 years to save millions in election costs & scrap MMP.
6-Cut the slaries of all Govt executives, Cabinets Ministers & MP's by 10% across the board.
7-Restrict overseas trips by MP and Government officials
8- Cut down the benefits to people who are able to work but are damn too lazy to work
9- Introduce tougher laws for manufactures & distributors of P- Life sentence.
Victor details his list of remedies for the country's woes, urging the current government to take heed of his suggestions. Victor doesn't have faith in the government's ability to handle the recession, but he does seem to have faith in using Your Views as a direct link to John Key. This reminds me of what Matt Southall, creator of spEak You're bRanes, said in a piece for the Guardian about users of the BBC's Have Your Say forum:
Who do they think they're talking to? The Queen? Terry Wogan? Father Christmas? I can tell you, actually. They all think they're addressing Gordon Brown. This is about as sophisticated as their politics gets. The BBC = the state = Gordon Brown. Having their tragic witterings "published" on the BBC's site (THE BBC!!! THE ACTUAL BBC!!!!!) is, for them, a validation of their moronic opinion and as good as speaking directly to the prime minister.
Although I like to think I have a little more faith (the word of the day, really) in the users of Your Views, Southall no doubt points to the imagined communicatory connection between the State and features like Have Your Say and Your Views. Victor - perhaps write a letter to Mr Key with your thoughts? Such brilliant suggestions really need to reach the PM asap.
Laurence (United Kingdom)
Key needs to take his head out of his ass and stop buggering around with Maori types and other crank groups and immediately start with plans on improving productivity, closing the wage gap with Australia, paying off our huge overseas debt and developing other industries away from our dependance on agriculture. Key and National need to refocus their priorities and really think about what we voted them in for ie:creating jobs and improving living standards.
Laurence's prescription for a better New Zealand isn't as detailed as Victor's, however, he does outline John Key's first tasks: "tak[ing] his head out of his ass" and to "stop buggering around with Maori types and other crank groups". Using this kind of language is sure to discredit his response in the eyes of some other users, but more vulgar is Laurence's assertion that Maori are "types" who belong to a "crank" group. I wonder if we'd also find Laurence commenting in the Your Views thread on the Maori Television bid for the Rugby World Cup coverage rights, declaring that it's a pain in the ass for Key to be buggering around with Maori Television. "Refocus your priorities John, no more buggering around and get that head out of your ass!"
Margot Campbell (Napier)
They're doing around a gazillion times better through a recession than what Micheal and Helen did through the boom years. However, 1 gazillion is not good enough. JK is still a bit PC left wing. It might be time for Rodney to run the show to cut out the nonsense.
I have a fantastic yet terrifying mental image of Rodney Hide decked out in a yellow lycra bodysuit with a giant anti-PC sign on the front, cape blowing in the wind.
Lampie (Glen Eden)
No, next stupid question.
I love it. Lampie not only suggests that this question is stupid, but highlights the expectation that the next question will be stupid also. And yet Lampie still answers these stupid questions! Why do people continue to use Your Views if they dislike the service it is offering? I think that question deserves an entire post to itself. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Politicians: As crooked as a barrel of snakes
The issue of disclosing the name or names behind political donations is back in the spotlight. National appear to be doing an about-turn in regards to the topic of disclosing the names of those who donate, which is bound to incite a great debate over whether National are fulfilling the general "cut the PC crap"-type promises. Your Views asked: Should the source of political donations be more transparent?
Blerkie Dronks (Remuera)
What difference does it make, anyway? Each party is as bad as the other; all as crooked as a barrel of snakes.
Many comments allude to the classic stereotype of politicians as inherently evil and corrupt, but Blerkie Dronks dismisses the question entirely, effectively saying that political processes don't warrant critical thought as all politicians are liars.
Richard (Timaru)
Sounds like a well needed tidy up of the cock-up labour did, and fixing laws that have been badly written for a long time.
Lyall (Sandringham)
Richard (Timaru) please read the article. National are supporting the "Cock-up" that Labour did because Labour are saying they did not go far enough.
This is about National attempting to minimise disclosure and supporting the existing bill is better, to them, than extending the disclosure rules.
I can only assume that National has more to hide.
It's so interesting when the users critique each other's interpretation of events. Telling Richard to "read the article" is sure to make him pretty mad, especially as he seems pretty convinced of Labour's "cock-up" and National's job as Mister Fix-it. I'll keep an eye out for Richard's reply!
Jay (Swanson)
I am gobsmacked that a party (the National Party!) that campaigned with the utmost bitter intensity against a law which this newspaper branded anti-democratic (which it was never intended to be, but a charge which suited the Nats political aspirations and gave their friends in the Herald carte blanche to run with it) has been barely tweaked and the current mob in power now seem to think that Labour kinda got it right!
But what is equally amazing is the matter of fact way that the Herald reports this without any of the emotive hyberbolic language that it used in its descriptions of Labour's original bill. I guess with an international community looking on, and with a realisation that many countries have these kinds of laws, that they are not, after all, anti-democaratic, that it might be a tad "obvious" if the current government turned the table. Really "gets my goat."
As with many other mainstream news outlets, the NZ Herald has many faults (see Editing the Herald for a daily update of such weaknesses!). However, you've got to pat them on the back for allowing Your Views users to criticise their coverage, obviously the moderator didn't take great exception to Jay's comments. Mind you, the rules for Your Views do state that posts are subject to editing for 'length and clarity' so who knows the true extent of Jay's criticism, except perhaps Jay himself?
Blerkie Dronks (Remuera)
What difference does it make, anyway? Each party is as bad as the other; all as crooked as a barrel of snakes.
Many comments allude to the classic stereotype of politicians as inherently evil and corrupt, but Blerkie Dronks dismisses the question entirely, effectively saying that political processes don't warrant critical thought as all politicians are liars.
Richard (Timaru)
Sounds like a well needed tidy up of the cock-up labour did, and fixing laws that have been badly written for a long time.
Lyall (Sandringham)
Richard (Timaru) please read the article. National are supporting the "Cock-up" that Labour did because Labour are saying they did not go far enough.
This is about National attempting to minimise disclosure and supporting the existing bill is better, to them, than extending the disclosure rules.
I can only assume that National has more to hide.
It's so interesting when the users critique each other's interpretation of events. Telling Richard to "read the article" is sure to make him pretty mad, especially as he seems pretty convinced of Labour's "cock-up" and National's job as Mister Fix-it. I'll keep an eye out for Richard's reply!
Jay (Swanson)
I am gobsmacked that a party (the National Party!) that campaigned with the utmost bitter intensity against a law which this newspaper branded anti-democratic (which it was never intended to be, but a charge which suited the Nats political aspirations and gave their friends in the Herald carte blanche to run with it) has been barely tweaked and the current mob in power now seem to think that Labour kinda got it right!
But what is equally amazing is the matter of fact way that the Herald reports this without any of the emotive hyberbolic language that it used in its descriptions of Labour's original bill. I guess with an international community looking on, and with a realisation that many countries have these kinds of laws, that they are not, after all, anti-democaratic, that it might be a tad "obvious" if the current government turned the table. Really "gets my goat."
As with many other mainstream news outlets, the NZ Herald has many faults (see Editing the Herald for a daily update of such weaknesses!). However, you've got to pat them on the back for allowing Your Views users to criticise their coverage, obviously the moderator didn't take great exception to Jay's comments. Mind you, the rules for Your Views do state that posts are subject to editing for 'length and clarity' so who knows the true extent of Jay's criticism, except perhaps Jay himself?
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