Archive for 11 August 2013
While I'm away…
… some light reading material…
Left Turn – the New Zealand General Election of 1999 – The New Zealand General Election of 1999
By Jonathan Boston, Stephen Church, Stephen Levine, Elizabeth McLeay, & Nigels S Roberts
In Stormy Seas – The post-war New Zealand Economy
by Brian Easton
A thorn in their side
by Robert Green
by Marcia Russell
Helen – Portrait of a Prime Minister
by Brian Edwards
Diary of the Kirk Years
by Margaret Heywood
And one of my all time favourites (if I can find it amongst my stuff),
The Watchmen
Dave Gibbons & Alan Moore
Categories: On A Lighter Note Tags: books
The "Sack Shearer" video
11 August 2013 Frank Macskasy	13 comments
Mentioned on TV's the Nation this morning, was this curious, anonymously-produced video on You Tube;
Ostensibly, the 43 second long video was produced by "Rank And File Labour, Wellington". But there is no name or organisational identification attached to it.
I have four questions or observations to make on this vid;
1. Why is it anonymous?
There are plenty of left-wing activists and commentators (Martyn Bradbury and Chris Trotter to name but two) who could have fronted this.
Adding a name or names would have given it credibility and "legs". Making it anonymous reduces any impact or value it might have had on the issue. (Who do the media go to for comment? No one. How does the story gain traction? It doesn't. Aside from brief commentary, it vanishes.)
2. Too Professional?!
For an amateur video by "rank and file", it appears to be an awfully slick, polished piece of media. Too professional by far. As if it were done by an experienced, politically-savy, publicity company? A publicity company like… right-wing propaganda merchants, Textor-Crosby?
3. Who paid?
If it was as professional as it appears – who paid for it?
4. A secret? In New Zealand?
If it was produced from within the Left, how on Earth could it have been kept a secret? We're such a small nation – everyone is basically two or three degrees removed from each other. Is it really feasible that there would be no "whispers" or hints as to who created this video?
I could be totally wrong, and possibly this is indeed a vid produced by one or two Labour or other left-wing activists, who've managed to keep it "in house".
But if it is, by keeping it anonymous, the message of Labour's leadership is lost and diluted as people instead play parlour guessing-games as to who authored this.
If I had to place a bet, it would be ten bucks on Textor-Crosby, or a bunch of Young Nats or Act on Campus, playing silly-buggers.
Hat-tip
TV3's The Nation
The Daily Blog: Labour Party Coup Watch upgrade
Categories: Broadcast, The Body Politic
Helen Clark – reminding Key & Co what's important
Source: Radio NZ – Tackling unemployment would be Clark's priority
Listen: Radio NZ – Helen Clark on Sunday Morning
No doubt John Key will make some derisory, dismissive response to Ms Clark's justified concerns. He'll conveniently forget that under Labour, unemployment dropped to record lows;
Source: New Zealand Unemployed Persons
Source: New Zealand Unemployed Rate
Of course, there was the Global Financial Crisis and the resultant recession, but…
That same rationale is not extended to the unemployed, solo-mums, and others, who are painted as wilfull "dole bludgers", "druggies"/"alcoholics"/"gamblers", "work shy", "irresponsible breeders", etc, by Bennett, Key, and other National Ministers. For them, the excuse of a global crisis that destroyed millions of jobs doesn't factor in (see: World unemployment figures set to rise in 2013, claims UN labour agency).
Aside from the Christchurch re-build National has done very little to implement job creation policies. A buy-NZ for governmenment procurement would help boost employment, instead of sending jobs overseas by buying from low-wage societies.
Job training and upskilling of unemployed has been so poor that workers from overseas are being brought into the country to make up for a skills-shortage.
Even a project such as the dodgy Skycity convention centre appears to have over-inflated job numbers. (see: Puzzle of Key's extra casino jobs)
So before Key predictably opens his mouth and blames others for our chronically high unemployment rate, he could do well to ponder these points.
Anyway, when it suits Key, he is only too happy to invoke Ms Clark's well-deserved reputation as an effective Prime Minister. Note his constant references to the former Prime Minister when it suits him – especially over the GCSB and associated legislation;
"That is just the way things are," he said. "We live in a global environment where there are real threats, that's the point we make with the GCSB legislation, it is why Helen Clark passed the legislation in 2003."
"It is obviously small numbers but there are small numbers of radicalised New Zealanders, who have either gone over into those environments or returned, and I don't think this is terribly new, I suspect Helen Clark would have signed warrants as well."
Source: TVNZ – Spy law legislation passes second reading
If Key is finding it chilly right about now, it's because he is standing in the the shadow of his predecessor. Ms Clark certainly did not repeatedly blame others for her failings.
Something else Key might consider.
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 7 August 2013.
Categories: Social Issues, The Body Politic Tags: Dear Leader John Key, Helen Clark, unemployment