The Daily Blog Watch Friday 19 April

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Today’s Daily Blog Watch Round-Up of matters that have attracted the attention, assessments, and articulations of this country’s leading bloggers…

On Frogblog, Green MP, Gareth Hughes, spells out for right wing blogger and National Apologist, David Farrar, why taking data from a pro-nuclear energy website is not a particularly clever idea. This is disappointing – Farrar can do better than this. Was he educated at a Charter School, per chance?

F minus.

Gordon Campbell writes on Scoop,  on the same-sex marriage vote, and the current Dotcom law case, and  makes a powerful point when hesez,

“An injustice, unchallenged for centuries and occurring across cultural boundaries gets treated by the Catholic Church hierarchy as thereby normal, and somehow justified. Well, just because it has always been that way doesn’t make it right – whether it be child abuse, slavery, or social discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity.”

Plus, more analysis on the Dotcom case. Gordon provides more helpful info than any daily newspaper. Because he puts it all into context – not just isolated media reports.

Hot Topic – NZ’s best climate change blog – reports on climate-change denier, Christopher Monckton, being interviewed on “Nights” on Radio NZ last night. Gareth’s review is on the nose; I heard the interview myself and concur with him that Monckton was full of arrant nonsense.

The Radio NZ interview link is on the blogpost,  Monckton misfires on Radio New Zealand: a baker’s dozen of errors and deception.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

On Ideologically Impure, the fabulous QoT reports on marriage equality passing through Parliament, and on the Labour-Green proposals to re-nationalise our electricity industry. Writing in Unsurprising reactions, she sez,

 “Awesome to see some real game-changing policy with big sexy BERL reports behind it.  I can only hope they keep it up.”

I’ve heard Ganesh Nana speak in public and read many of his reports. The guy is gifted with more Common Sense than a herd of National politicians. Which probably ain’t surprising.

On Kumara Republic, the blogger wrote of the closing of another newspaper, The Capital Times (1974-2013), in  A week of deaths. The paper survived thirteen years later than the critically acclaimed, City Voice – the child of top journo, Simon Collins.

Oh and some right wing politician died.

Marty on mars 2 earth outs another racist on bitter bob. Honestly folks, this country is full of rampant racist rednecks who bitch about Maiori under-achieving and filling our jails, etc, etc, et-bloody-cetera. But when Maori want to lift their game and help their own to get ahead – we get turnip-heads like Bob Clarkson having a whinge that just makes me want to grab that old fart and yell “Shut.The.Fuck.Up.You.Old.Twat!”

Grrrrr!

The Jackal hits the nail on the head with his assessment of the Green-Labour (or Labour-Green) policy on re-nationalising our electricity sector. But for the Tories, it’s Panic stations, as they realise that this is a sound policy. And a sensible policy. And one that may actually motivate the under-classes to go out and vote in 2014 (or earlier). The Tories are in a lather as they realise that cutting power prices is a sure winner with the electorate. After all – hands up all those people who want HIGHER power prices??? (Hmmm, only a group of National Party supporters. Ok, you folks keep paying the high prices. The rest of us will pay the lower amounts. See? Life IS fair!)

The Standard is up to it’s usual High Standard,

  • Nats panicking on NZ Power
  • Dunne abandons charter schools, writes
  • Friday afternoon graph porn by

And I leave this happy thought for the reader as you read Mickey Savage’s blogpost, on Waitakere NewsIt looks like Key has jumped the shark:  the latest Roy Morgan poll.

And folks, the nasty odour you’re smelling are the under-pants of National ministers as they realise that the Opposition benches await them in 2014.

Read and smile.

The nightmare will soon be over.

Blogpost of the Day

Chris Trotter writes on Bowalley Road,  Let Liberty Be Our Shield, and speaks wisely of terrorism and the temptations to give in to increasing State powers of surveillance,

THE UNITED STATES Department of Homeland Security, dangerously overloaded with surveillance and interception powers, could not save the Boston Marathon. But, then, no one could have saved the Boston Marathon. Short of imposing a monitoring regime of Orwellian proportions – one which would utterly obliterate all civil rights and democratic freedoms – no state can promise its citizens absolute safety.
 

[…]

 
When New Zealand experienced its last terrorist attack – the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985 – the first response of the David Lange-led Labour Government was not to bring down a series of draconian “security” measures. His instinct was to allow the NZ Police to get on with their job.

Chris then makes one of the most impassioned – yet coolly logical – assessments as to where the West is going wrong in combating extremists  who kill innocent people. This should be required reading for every person elected into Parliament.

No wonder that Comrade Chris is the Moral Shepherd of the Left (with apologies to Bomber Bradbury).

~oo~