See ‘ya round

… said Neil Finn in 1994 before he went on to good and great things… who knows where we’ll be seen next?

Kiwiblogblog is mort. We’ve done our dash. I could provide an excuse, but in truth it is simply because not enough of us have sufficient time. That’s, no doubt, been obvious for a month or so (when a blog falls in the blogosphere, and no one’s around to hear it…)

If I might speak for the others for a moment; we’ve enjoyed our foray into the blogosphere. Our simple goal was to challenge David’s perceived impartiality. I believe we did that or at least encouraged others in their (hopefully constructive) criticism. Perhaps, from time to time, it became too personal. For that, I am sorry; David’s not a bad bloke (although some of his commentators may well be).

We would have like to have spread our wings a little more, however the EFA (and our own branding) made this simply too difficult. Also, with blogs like PublicAddress and the Standard, the competition was fierce.

To the many contributors here, those who agreed and disagreed; thanks. I could single out many contributions which were remarkable for their insight, coherence and balance, however to single out any one would be unfair.

Finally, and for the record, not one writer here is employed by or a member of the Labour Party. From time to time, but not at all often, we were given information by people who connected to the Labour Party (and, on at least one occassion, a person I’m pretty sure was a Nat staffer severely lacking in judgment). We used this information only once or twice. No money was provided and this was not the idea of anyone in anyway connected to the Labour Party. It was the idea of one of the original writers - I’d claim credit if I could, but I can’t.

US Foriegn Policy Barak-style

There was a remarkable moment in one of the YouTube debates when Barack Obama said he’d talk with the leaders of Iran and North Korea without preconditions. This differentiated him from the other candidates, Democrat and Republican, as well as other recent Presidents and foreign leaders. Or did it? In a fascinating piece in today’s Slate, Fred Kaplan reviews the argument that Barack Obama is too naive to be President and concludes his critics are wrong.

Central to Kaplan’s conclusion is the view that whereas once America was a super-power, it is now merely a very powerful nation and not the only one. Evidence for his claim is the growing number of bilateral agreements that exist without the once essential American brokerage:

Look at the deals that foreign leaders are cutting on their own. Israel and Hamas are talking about a cease-fire, using Egypt as a mediator. Turkey is serving as middleman in talks between Israel and Syria. The political factions in Lebanon worked out an accord, under Qatar’s supervision. 

It’s Obama who has in fact realised the need to recalibrate US foreign policy to its changed status, even if only to enable the US to rebuild its credibility.

It’s not hard to imagine how this campaign will progress. McCain, war veteran, will charge Obama, GenXer, with being an appeaser. Obama will respond by questioning the validity and success of McCain’s support for the war on Iraq. Who is right - well I’m clear on the second part of this, if not the first.

I note that Danyl Mclaughlin comments at the ‘bog on this very issue:

Worse still is [Obama] deciding . . . to negotiate without preconditions with even the worst human-rights-violating and anti-semitic of regimes.

Just out of curiosity, why is this a bad thing? Nixon negotiated with Mao, Reagan with the Soviets, Churchill and Roosevelt with Stalin. All of them understood that it’s in the interests in the US to negotiate because it always does so from a position of incredible strength.

Once bitten..

Poor David Farrar. His blog has been carefully cultivated as a home for the worst of the right, the Kiwiblog Right, to vent their bile over the Labour Government. Davey regularly dog-whistles to these guys (and they are all male) to keep them coming back for more red meat. But sometimes the mongrels bite the hand that feeds.

 

Today, Farrar made a post congratulating his friend and top UK blogger Iain Dale on his civil union. Now, I’ve seen Farrar dog-whistle often enough on gay members of Labour so it was sad but predictable that this post caused his rabid regulars turned on Davey. For example:

 

“So we have an IAN ” marrying” a JOHN and FARRAR going on honeymoon with them !!! FFS David get a reality check.. that’s the sort of Sxxxx Labour MPs get up to.!”

and from the charmingly named LabourMustBeLiquidated

Homosexuality is just an addiction. Those suffering from this disgusting dysfunction are deserving only of our pity at best, at worst our contempt.”

“Just an addiction”, must be hell of a lot of fun if it’s that addictive. This is just a sample of the aggressive, even violent comments made against homosexuals as a result of Farrar’s post.

To most people, it’s just another reason to avoid Kiwiblog but I think there’s a lesson in this experience for Farrar and an age-old one at that:

‘Lay down with dogs…’

Budget Bounce

If there is one thing that Davey claims he knows, its polls. It’s what he does for a living, more to the point it is what the National Party pay him to do for them. So you have to sit up and take notice when you read a comment from Davey like this:
 

It comes at a time when Labour have just got some momentum from the Budget.

 
So this would be the ‘block of cheese’ budget that National have decried across the land? Davey’s team will have been on the phones this week, and he knows that the Budget is resonating, and the polls are moving. It might be easier for them to blame an outburst by an obscure backbencher, but Davey is giving us the real story.

As an aside I still don’t know what National’s policy on Kiwisaver actually is at the moment. John Key said there would be an employer contribution - but nothing on what it will be or how it will be structured. Listen to the sucking sound - it’s called a vacuum.

Activism most brilliant

This story in the SMH showcases activism at its absolute best. We are inured to the plight of the starving, we can’t relate easily to the scale of this tragedy and yet if we do nothing more, we condem people to absolute misery.

Louis Vuitton have a case of course. Their intellectual property is being used in a way that will hurt them - or at least it bloody well should. Ridiculously flash handbags are nothing more or less than conspicuous consumption.

You’ve got to hand it to the artist, she’s moved and revolted us with a single image. I hope she’s got financial/legal support if she decides to fight this one.

What’s your sexual orientation Davey?

… actually, don’t - I’ve no need to hear about it.

Davey’s new polling feature has followed a predictably sad trajectory with the latest on his readership’s sexual orientation (oddly “frustrated” isn’t an option). Sure he’s had them on global warming, national policy (both of them), the best and worst third- or minor-party but why is he interested in his readership’s sexual orientation or whether they fancy Scarlett Johanson?

I suspect it’s simply a device to amuse his readership, kinda like how Zoos provide noisy toys for the chimps, and Davey frequently proclaims his own open-mindedness, but I can’t help but think it’s gone beyond quirky and is heading dangerously close to bizarre. What’s next I wonder?

Anyone filling in online survey’s should realise that their IP address can be tracked - most don’t care - but they would be quite wrong to expect that Davey’s tolerant attitude is shared by D4J, Redbaiter or any one of the numerous trolls who hang-out at the ‘bog

September 11 Video Archive

The Internet Archive has collected a compendium of live television feeds from prior, during and after the 9/11 attacks. Putting aside the disastrous foreign and domestic policy that these awful events unleashed within the USA and upon the World, it is numbing to watch the live coverage unfold as the realisation grows that the initial crash was the harbinger of a much bigger set of coordinated events. 

Not the kind of bet I’d want to lose

I’ve just seen a great video of a bloke forced to kit-up like Bok and wear a sign saying Richie McCaw cheats at a All Blacks v RSA game. Hilarious (except for the drunke git who takes the matter way too seriously). It’s not entirely safe for work but is damned amusing.

Drinking Liberally New Zealand

I just got an email about the launch of Drinking Liberally New Zealand.

The idea behind Drinking Liberally is to provide a relaxed, non-partisan forum for people from through the left to get together, get to know each other, trade ideas, and come up with withs of working together. They have a speech from a guest speaker at the start - it’s the Greens’ Nandor Tanczos for the launch, and things pretty much go from there.

The first Drinking Liberally is next Wednesday starting at 6 at the Southern Cross in Wellington. Should be good. they have more info over at The Standard.

BigBruv - party hack?

BigBruv is a regular here and elsewhere. He’s a bit huff’n puff but occassionally you get an insight into his inner-thoughts. BB’s acussed Kiwiblogblog of being in the employ of the Labour party - something we’ve been clear we’re not several times before. However, I’ve asked this same question of BB’s; is he a member of, or employed by, a political party? If so, in what capacity?