Radio New Zealand just reported that Don Brash is resigning from Parliament. I guess he realised he was pure political poison in the wake of the publication of Nicky Hager's book, and that the best thing he could do would be go back to the orchard and tend his kiwifruit.
Saying that I am "pleased" would be an understatement. Brash was a corrosive and cancerous influence on New Zealand politics who knowingly and willingly practicised the politics of division, scapegoating New Zealand's most vulnerable in an effort to gain political power. And he was not averse to pandering to the bigot vote (in spite of his supposed liberal principles), or simply making shit up to advance his ambition. His departure will hopefully end some of the viciousness around Parliament, and in the National Party.
As a list MP, Brash will be replaced by Katrina Shanks.
15 comments:
There may have been vicousness around Parliament, but it was not caused (or added to) by Don Brash. Division and bigotry are both arguable, viciousness is not.
Posted by Graeme Edgeler : 11/30/2006 04:13:00 PM
Oh, Graeme, don't be silly - don't you know Parliament was an oasis of civility and thoughtful debate before Satan Brash became Leader of the Opposition just as New Zealand was heaven on earth before that nasty Fourth Labour Government fucked it all up? Talking about 'making shit up', I/S, are you planning on rejoining the reality-based community any time soon?
Posted by Craig Ranapia : 11/30/2006 04:54:00 PM
Of course Brash was the cause of viciousness in Parliament.
After all, he arrived, led National out of the doldrums, and Labour responded by lowering the tone of Parliament in a shocking display of gutter politics, hysteria, lying, & name-calling.
If Brash hadn't come along & rescued the National party from the 'leadership' of Bill English, none of that would have happened.
Posted by Duncan Bayne : 11/30/2006 05:01:00 PM
I always thought 'haters and wreckers' was more 'cancerous and corrosive' than 'one standard of citizenship for all'.
Insider
Posted by Anonymous : 11/30/2006 05:08:00 PM
If Brash hadn't come along & rescued the National party from the 'leadership' of Bill English, none of that would have happened.
We tend to forget that Brash was over his honeymoon and polling as badly as English until they pulled out Orewa to woo - as they put it themselves - the "redneck" vote.
There were a few other examples of flat-out falsehood that sprang from that. Remember the bogus complaints about scholarships for Maori (which, of course, are almost all provided by Maori trusts) and the really offensive claim that Maori who entered medical schools under quota were substandard graduates?
I'm with you, I/S. I think the Brash project took the National Party in a nasty direction. I'm very happy to give Key the benefit of the doubt on his intent to change that.
Posted by Russell Brown : 11/30/2006 05:44:00 PM
Russell said
"Remember the bogus complaints about scholarships for Maori (which, of course, are almost all provided by Maori trusts)"
You might want to check out this website. Te Puni Kokiri recommend it for a list of maori scholarships
http://www.takoa.co.nz/govt_scholar2.htm
Insider
Posted by Anonymous : 11/30/2006 06:18:00 PM
'the reality-based community' - is that where Brash will be spending his twilight yeats?
Posted by Anonymous : 11/30/2006 07:44:00 PM
"Don Brash does not believe he is leaving politics under a cloud, insisting the fallout from the Nicky Hager book, The Hollow Men, played no part in his decision to leave Parliament."
Plainly, Don won't be joining that 'reality-based community' any time soon.
Posted by Anonymous : 11/30/2006 08:01:00 PM
Did anyone else notice how on our TV tonight that brash fellow said that he was pleased to be leaving on a "high note"!!!!! Is this the reality based community that Craig is talking about? With reality like that imagine what fantasy would be like!
Seriously, Brash obviously has been innoculated with the power of positive thinking, learnt at some PR consultants / selling encyclopedia course, or at an Amway meeting where everything is swell and you better believe it! This is of course exactly the skill that was needed to be able to lie so consistently (was it consistent?) in the weeks leading up to the lunchtime exit. John Key seems to have attended the same course.
I agree, the brash man is cancerous and corrosive.
Posted by Anonymous : 11/30/2006 10:01:00 PM
Saying that treating people differently because of their race is wrong is bigotry?
Saying concentrating on small issues like Civil Unions, Prostitution Reform, etc. for the few who need those instead of creating a world class economy for everyone is divisive?
Brash's making shit up because he talks policy? Paintergate, Speedgate, Corngate ("I have a clear recollection of that event" to "I can't remember everything" in five minutes), Pledge Card-gate ...
Ever thought of changing your blog name to "The Ministry of Truth"
Posted by Michael : 12/01/2006 08:33:00 AM
'Saying that treating people differently because of their race is wrong is bigotry?'
When Michael Bassett, McCully etc. are pulling your strings specifically to create division, you freaking well bet it is.
'Saying concentrating on small issues like Civil Unions, Prostitution Reform, etc. for the few who need those instead of creating a world class economy for everyone is divisive?'
Hogwash. Pandering to the bigoted few who are opposed to human rights is cynical and divisive. And human rights and their associated freedoms are fundamental to a world class economy. Brash was serving the agenda of an anti-democratic clique with a third-world vision of personal enrichment at the expense of the majority.
'Brash's making shit up because he talks policy? Paintergate, Speedgate, Corngate ("I have a clear recollection of that event" to "I can't remember everything" in five minutes), Pledge Card-gate ...'
You forgot to include liar-bour - it gets funnier every time it's repeated.
Seriously, Brash headed a piss-weak opposition concentrating on the very chickenshit non-issues you've listed. Philip Field would have been brought down long ago if National hadn't been besotted with having a dry old policy wonk as leader.
'Ever thought of changing your blog name to "The Ministry of Truth"'
Ah yes, Orwell. How very droll.
Posted by Anonymous : 12/01/2006 09:14:00 AM
Don Juan is very lucky. You try to use that Jedi mind trick stuff on us again and it's tar and chicken feathers old boy.
"These are not the droids you're looking for."
Posted by Anonymous : 12/01/2006 10:40:00 AM
You might want to check out this website. Te Puni Kokiri recommend it for a list of maori scholarships
http://www.takoa.co.nz/govt_scholar2.htm
For god's sake, did you actually read your own link?
The MoE Teaching scholarships (making up the bulk of those listed) are open to (my emphasis) "Mäori and non-Mäori graduates proficient in te reo Mäori intending to train to teach the Mäori language as a secondary level subject"
Te Tari Taake Scholarship
"Inland Revenue scholarship available to Maori, Pacific Island and people with disabilities."
The rest are either general scholarships, very small ($500) or limited to a handful of places. Viewed in the context of the overall number of scholarships available every year, those listed hardly seem significant. The library ones are very probably demand-driven.
So far as I am aware, the large majority of Maori scholarships are awarded by the M?ori Education Trust, which is "financed from private bequests and trusts set up from individuals or businesses" or iwi organisations - yes, that's Maori using their own money to help each other. You got a problem with that, buddy?
Tellingly, the example publicly touted as an example of "race-based" funding turned out to be, as I recall, a $1000 Ngai Tahu scholarship to Otago Uni. The student (lined up by the media team, no doubt) who complained that he didn't deserve it had to go and apply for it in the first place. What a bunch of bullshit.
Posted by Russell Brown : 12/01/2006 12:12:00 PM
Russell
You obviously missed the 3.5k Ministry of Women's affairs scholarship for Maori women and the $4k MFAT one for Maori law students. There's also the 2k Environemnt Waikato ones for resource management studies. Others are from the DoL, Stats NZ, Linz, Trasury, REserve Bank, MfE, MSD,
I don't include the Creatuve NZ ones for Maori art as that is arguably encouraging a genre.
There are more listed here
http://www.eo.auckland.ac.nz/docs/161742%202006MaoriScholarshipsCover_Fo.pdf
Remember it was you who said the Maori scholarships issue was "bogus" because they were almost all provided by Maori trusts. (Atually that is probably true given that I suspect almost all scholarships in general are given by private trusts)
I think the point that was originally made was that the state shouldn't be offering preferential scholarships at all.
It's not a point I agree with, but pretending they don't exist doesn't make the point bogus.
Insider
Posted by Anonymous : 12/01/2006 12:50:00 PM
It suddenly occurred to me! I now know why the brash man said he is pleased to be leaving on a "high note"! HE'S ON "P"! Maybe all those neo-cons he has been taking the advice of are ON "P" too! It all makes sense now! I heard someone on the wireless describing the symptoms. Sense of reality askew. Prone to seeing oneself as indestructible! Lack of sympathy for the misfortunes of others! Quick to anger! Nasty mouth! Inflated ego! Billigerent! The list of similarities is nearly endless!
Posted by Anonymous : 12/01/2006 10:49:00 PM
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