Public Address - Hard News (Home)

Denial | Dec 10, 2007 11:21

I've just listened to Willie Jackson's interview with Clint Rickards on Radio Waatea. I'm less shocked at what the subject had to say than what the interviewer said.

"Phil Kitchens (sic) wouldn't have a bias, because he's not Louise's friend, is he?" Jackson asked ironically as he introduced the interview.

"Louise is a rock star and Clint Rickards is the scum of the earth according to mainstream media," he continued, later declaring "Operation Austin, they seemed to be able to find women everywhere."

Jackson also tried to get Rickards to say that the investigations against him were motivated by racism on the part of people who didn't want a Maori to be Police Commissioner. The former assistant commssioner wasn't going to go there; nor was he about to reiterate his support for his convicted rapist friends Shipton and Schollum, on the basis that anything he said would be "misconstrued". No one mentioned John Dewar.

"Once some of the women in politics saw it they just judged you guilty, didn't they?" invited Jackson.

Rickards claimed police had "coerced" a complaint out of the woman who claimed she was indecently assault with a bottle at the age of 16, but then concluded by insisting he supported the police "110% … I have no gripe or issues against the police -- I've said that before."

And Jackson didn't ask the question that might have made this angry man squirm: the daughter he mentioned more than once is about the age now that Louise Nicholas was when these men, in their position of responsibility, began to use her: would he be so blithe and forgiving if she had been so used?

In the end, it doesn't really matter what Clint Rickards thinks; nor the degree of his denial about what men with the duty of guardianship were doing in Rotorua in the 1980s. He's gone, and anyone who believes he was pursued because of his race is too deep in denial to bother with.

And on a more trivial matter: has there ever been a more overwhelming surge of Canterbury parochialism than that over the All Black coaching announcement? The two Cantabs on our rugby mailing list are absolutely beside themselves, and the vox pops from the region on Friday were hilarious: a "loser" had been rewarded declared on chap; apparently not pausing to ponder the the fate of the losing captain from Canterbury who had actually been on the field; or that that captain appears to have strongly endorsed the re-appointment of Graham Henry. The parochial peak was struck on Morning Report today when both Fergie McCormick and Alex Wyllie appeared to say they would support a Wallabies side coached by Deans over an All Black team. Good grief.

I'm happy with Graham Henry, and a little cheered that reflexive blood-letting has been avoid for once. But I'd have been happy with Robbie Deans too. They're both very good coaches. It just doesn't seem occasion for declaring war on the rest of the country.

Finally, we can only imagine the tantrum that would ensue from the New Zealand Herald if a senior [political figure was to issue a stream of inflammatory statements about public issues -- and then refuse to answer (or even be asked) any questions.

So what are we to make of Herald editor Tim Murphy's refusal to talk to Colin Peacock of Mediawatch for the programme's report on the paper's campaign against the Electoral Finance Bill?

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Mighty Indeed | Dec 07, 2007 09:09

Who says Wellingtonians aren't a forgiving people? Mere months after his story for Metro magazine on the challenges of a new life in the capital, Damian Christie has been welcomed to the fold: voters in the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards have named him Best Wellington web writer. I accepted the award on his behalf last night at Mighty Mighty and emailed him later with the good news.

Our big bash with the Wellingtonista went off nicely last night; comedy quiz show included. Sean Plunket was indisposed, and emailed me to say so yesterday, but I missed the message. So I ended up drafting in David Farrar at five minutes' notice, and his team duly went on and won the Muldoon-years quiz. He also disappeared into the night with the terrifying Muldoon toby jug for which the teams were competing. Er, we'll have to get that back David -- it was a trophy, not a prize …

And then, of course, Blam Blam Blam played, as silver-haired men jumped around alongside little popsies who weren't even born when Luxury Length was recorded. I also saw for the first time Keith Ng dance. He's got some moves. Everybody had a great time, the band included. Public sector productivity will be taking a small but measurable dip this morning.

Many thanks to the Wellingtonista crew and to the Blams, and especially to Freeview and Ponoko, whose sponsorship support made the whole thing possible. On ya.

Anyway, you'll have read Tze Ming's farewell post yesterday. We discussed it and it soon became evident that there wasn't much chance of her blogging in a manner she'd find worthwhile in her new job in Europe. I'm sad to see her go, and deeply proud of what she has written on this site.

But things change, and I'm in a position to announce a new Public Addresser. Graeme Edgeler, whose guest posts have been so informative recently, is coming on board to the regular Public Address crew: not as a replacement for Tze Ming, but as someone who was going to be here on his own merits anyway. (And yes, I have an idea about refreshing our gender and ethnic balance too.) He'll start as soon as we've knocked up a masthead for him.

Back to the quiz, some people thought my questions last night (several of which were contributed from afar by Trevor Richards) -- on the theme "when Muldoon was Prime Minister" -- were rather esoteric, so I thought that you all might want a crack at a selection of them. See how you go and I'll post the answers at the end of the day …

POLITICS

The 1975 election was also remarkable for the fact that a Maori candidate was elected to a general seat for the first time since 1893. In fact, there were two. Name me at least one of them.

For a bonus: Three years later, another Maori was elected to a general seat. Who was that?

In 1978, the Westland MP Paddy Blanchfield retired and made his farewell speech in Parliament. What was unusual about the speech?

For a bonus: In 2002, one MP's maiden speech included the performance of a version of a song that was a hit in the early 1980s. Who was the MP and what was the song?

What, by legend, was found in the briefcase stupidly left by an SIS operative on a journalist's fence?

For a bonus: What was really in there?

The plastic Rob Muldoon piggy bank had a unique feature -- what was it?

What was the marketing slogan for that product?

One of the 'Double Standard' billboards popular in Wellington during the Muldoon era read 'Rooting Pig Shot in Ngaio'. What were the last two words of the Billboard?

---

CULTURE

Scribe, Che Fu and Nesian Mystik's Feleti Strickson-Pua are all, of course, local rap artists. But what did their fathers have in common in the late 70s?

If in the early 1980s you have been a member of the 1480 Kroozers, what would you have been?

If you had been at an event in the company of 75,000 other New Zealanders over Auckland anniversary weekend in 1979, where would you have been?

What, in late 1970s, was the Sportronic?

Which two actors starred in both Goodbye Pork Pie and Utu?

Who did Tineke Bouchier replace in the televised version of 'It's In the Bag'?

What was a Blue Lady, as immortalised in the Hello Sailor song, 'Blue Lady'?

We all know that 'Gutter Black' is the theme song of Outrageous Fortune. But what Sailor song was featured in that other tale of Westie mayhem, Savage Honeymoon? [Lyin' in the Sand]

MULTI-CHOICE

1. What was the top tax rate in New Zealand in 1983?

(a) 50%
(b) 56%
(c) 66%
(d)70%

2. In the 1981 general election, Mana Motuhake and the Values Party finished fourth and fifth respectively in the popular vote. Which of the following parties came in sixth?

(a) The Wizard Party
(b) The Socialist Unity Party
(c) Economic Euthenics
(d) No Confidence.

3. How many computers were there in New Zealand workplaces in 1982?

(a) 25
(b) 370
(c)1500
(d) 4000

4. How many modems were connected to the telephone network in 1980?

(a) None
(b) 800
(c) 1800
(d) 2700

5. Which of the following was not the acronym of a interest group active in the 1970s?

(a) SPCS
(b) SPUC
(c) SPCA
(d) SPCL

6. Of whom did Muldoon say: 'He can stew in his own juice.'?

(a) Derek Quigley
(b) Abraham Ordia
c) John Minto
(d) David Lange

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The Clamour to Cringe | Dec 05, 2007 09:51

We recently discussed here the international PISA rankings for educational attainment. Well, the new PISA survey is out and one would hope that it might at least briefly quell the clamorous cringeing that normally passes for public commentary on our education system.

Again, our students are amongst the very best in the world in reading. Only Hong Kong, Finland and Korea achieved higher average scores. New Zealand ranks seventh in science and is also in the top group for maths.

The fly in the ointment -- the uncomfortably large group failing to achieve -- is still with us, but we're not alone in that. Australia has a more troubling case of the same thing, especially in the case of indigenous students, and they're worried there about the slide in reading attainment and maths. And in Britain, it's all wailing and gnashing.

This isn't to suggest that our education system is perfect (or that league tables are everything) but it appears to be outperforming nations with much higher per-capita income than ours. Remember how NCEA was going to send our academic standards down the toilet? How political correctness was ruining our primary schools? It might be nice to acknowledge that teachers, officials and policy-makers appear to have got the odd thing right in the last few years.

Meanwhile, the new Australia emerges apace: halfway to civil unions already.

The Google Zeitgeist results for New Zealand in 2007 are mildly interesting. The most striking result is that the most-searched for wedding was not that of any local celebrity, but the nuptials of Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.

Not unexpectedly, the US administration is already lying about what it knew, when of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani's barking mad foreign policy advisor reckons it's all a CIA plot to protect Iran. Yes, really.

Meanwhile in Iraq: the under-reported refugee story …

And on a whole other tip, 42 Below have given me some presents for our quiz contestants at tomorrow night's big party. So it seems only fair that I note their little campaign to have New Zealanders send a bottle of a favourite flavour to distant friends -- in Britain anyway. You can order for delivery at Oddbins, Drink On and The Drink Shop.

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Farce About | Dec 04, 2007 10:41

I'm not surprised the anti-Electoral Finance Bill march got a decent crowd in Auckland on Saturday: given the advertising spend, the assistance of such experienced headline-farmers as the Sensible Sentencing Trust and Family First, and a large phone-spam campaign, it would have been unusual if it didn't.

Phone spam? Yes, you read right. Tens of thousands of paid-for robocalls; the kind that leave a voice-mail message if you're not at home. As a form of "free speech", phone spam has some fairy serious shortcomings. Like all spam, it is a form of applied arrogance -- if I spam you I am asserting that my time is more valuable than yours. You can run to your phone, peasant; I'll go about my business.

It makes a bit more sense when you bear in mind that the protest organiser and finder John Boscawen is the chief fundraiser for the Act Party, which has been spamming New Zealanders since it began. Back in the day, it was fax spam. Later, the party ran multiple mailing lists to which people were subscribed without their knowledge (and it was hard to get unsubscribed). Muriel Newman (the party's technology spokesperson!) even passed on addresses obtained for her mailing list to her husband's stock tips and seminars business. And, of course, you know where the only two votes against the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill came from.

It's hard to defend a legislative process as shambolic as that around the EFB. It's also hard to defend some of the people who are making all the noise about it.

Colin Espiner has a plague on everyone's house column about the bill.

Meanwhile, Graham McCready's private prosecution for assault against Trevor Mallard has tipped into full-blown farce. First McCready's lawyer William Johnson declined to follow his client's wishes in opposing bail for the minister yesterday. Then Johnson complained that he wouldn't be available on the date set for a substantive hearing by the judge. Now McCready has sent a fax to the alleged victim, Tau Henare, threatening him with legal action. If Henare fails to contact McCready's lawyer by Friday, a refusal will have consequences" and "informations alleging obstruction of justice and being an accessory after the fact" will be filed against him. Good grief.

Further underlining the impression that there's a lot of farce about, National has had to cancel a special media event to present the dreary 'Ambitious for New Zealand' DVD presenting its leader, John Key, on copyright grounds. The Standard is, as you might expect, cock-a-hoop over spotting the problem and layering the real 'Clocks' and the fake one over each other to emphasise their similarity. But the Herald's Claire Trevett deserves credit for contacting people who know about these things, including musicologist and Verlaine Graeme Downes, and giving the story legs.

Whatever anyone says, the most likely explanation would seem to be that after National used 'Clocks' as a fanfare for John Key's entry to the National Party conference in August -- and paid the appropriate performance fee -- someone said to the production company "give us something like that" rather than stump up for the original for the DVD. And the production company took the instruction literally.

American tragedy: more Americans believe in Hell and The Devil than in the Theory of Evolution. It's actually not even close.

And finally: the Broadband Map launched by the State Services Commission at last week's Digital Future Summit is a really good example of the tricky business of the public sector engaging private citizens. It's a mash-up with Zoomin that maps fibre networks and, as it grows, areas of demand. You can go to it, find your address and register your place as one that would like better broadband, thanks. Only complaint: the key is hard to read.

In another example of adventurous thinking, the SSC is allowing Vikram Kumar, one of the key staff on its all-of-government authentication project, to blog privately on issues around the work. Given the almost universal tendency towards risk-averseness in state agencies, I think this is quite remarkable.

And if you want to see the presentations from the summit, many of them have been uploaded as MP4 files by the good people at R2.

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