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December 2016

Trump Commodus

in Viewpoint by

Commodus succeeded his father. Trump was helped out with a cool million to get his real estate business going. Commodus laid stress on his unique status as a source of god-like power, liberality and physical prowess. Innumerable statues around the empire were set up portraying him in the guise of Hercules, reinforcing the image of him as a demigod, a physical giant, a protector and a battler against beasts and men. Trump hotels.

“not naturally wicked but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions, and it was through them that he at first, out of ignorance, missed the better life and then was led on into lustful and cruel habits, which soon became second nature.” – Cassius Dio on Commodus

The Democrats did try to point this out.

Commodus changed the name of Rome to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. Meeting at Trump Tower isn’t so bad.

After repeated attempts on Commodus’ life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. I guess tweets aren’t so bad either.

In the end Commodus was murdered. Upon his death, the Senate declared him a public enemy and restored the original name to the city of Rome and its institutions. Commodus’ statues were thrown down.

19 December 2016

in Uncategorised by

Yet another female teacher has sex with a student – again.  Pregnant women are told to dress more appropriately at swimming pools.  Sewerage is the new police weapon in the war on shit. Paula Bennett gets every single portfolio.  And Auckland Council is asked if $50K is a little too much to spend on a junket.

Hoskings on English

in Viewpoint by

I have been watching Bill English over the past few years. And while it is true that he comes at things from a financial point of view, he is not lacking in humanity. He has observed that it is better for the country to look after its children. He has advocated social housing. And while he might be slightly centre right, whatever that means, I have watched a man become more mature, wiser and more compassionate. For Hoskings to speciously call him a man without a pulse, and to seek to interfere in an important political process is not only beyond his remit, it his beyond his capacity for analysis.

Mikael

5 December 2016

in News In Brief by
  • John_Key_and_family.jpg
    By kelvinhu - DSC_7806, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5237001

Kazakhstan declares that New Zealand is actually a state of Australia. Heritage NZ claims there’s not enough water. Key argues with treasury. Then hands back the keys. Kiwi dollar drops. And McClay falters in Iran.

Key economics

in Interviews by
  • 1280px-Bowen_House_Beehive_Parliament.jpg
    Image by y Midnighttonight at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Interviewer: Tonight we’re talking to Prime Minister Coy about his promise of tax cuts.
Coy: Good evening.
Interviewer: The country is asking about whether it can afford tax cuts right now.  In a recent poll, 79 per cent of voters said they would prefer the Government spend the growing surpluses on extra social spending or debt repayment, rather than on tax cuts.
Coy: Oh, we can certainly afford tax cuts.
Interviewer: Shouldn’t we be repaying debt:
Coy: We will because we can afford it.
Interviewer: Shouldn’t we be lifting the retirement age?
Coy: Why would we do that?
Interviewer: Because we won’t be able to afford our aging population.
Coy: We especially can afford it. Those people vote for us, you know. And we’re certainly not going to drop the super.
Interviewer: What about the billions  needed for Kaikoura?
Coy: We certainly can afford that.
Interview: And what about 148,000 children living in poverty?
Coy: We’ll pay for that too.
Interviewer: Or rebuilding New Zealand’s road networks.
Coy: Consider it done.  We can afford it.
Interviewer: Or creating agricultural resilience?
Coy: We’re going to invest billions in it.
Interviewer: There must be a massive surplus.
Coy: Like the treasury’s never seen.

Image by y Midnighttonight at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Broadcasting

in Interviews by
  • microphone.jpg

Interviewer: Tonight we’re speaking with Broadcasting Minister, Tele Tubby.
Tubby: Thank you.
Interviewer: Tonight’s discussion is about the freezing of funding for Radio New Zealand.
Tubby: There needs to be more competition.
Interviewer:  Like a Stuff and Herald merger.
Tubby: Yes, the Commerce Commission is a real problem.
Interview: Some people think there’s a conspiracy to dumb down the news.
Tubby: We need to make the news accessible to the least common denominator.
Interviewer: And analysis of policy in New Zealand?
Tubby:  We don’t think it’s the place of publicly funded broadcasters to comment on government policy.
Interview: Do you think it’s anyone’s place to comment on government policy.
Tubby: That’s why we have corporate lobbyists and Mike Hoskings who happens to be a  very informed commentator on what’s happening in New Zealand..
Interviewer: So the open, impartial debate is…
Tubby: Not very good for our chances at the next election.
Interviewer: That’s hardly news, Ms Tubby.
Tubby: We’d prefer that there was no news at all.

Photo by Renée Johnson on Flickr and used here with Creative Commons license.

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