The Family Party

 Of the parties that won’t succeed in the 2008 general election, the Family Party will probably get the most attention.   Their strong positions on moral issues will make for great TV during the campaign.  Their enthusiastic campaigners will inevitably have words with those living life-styles that Bishop Brian and leader Richard Lewis disapprove of.  

Its mission to win electorates in South Auckland is hugely ambitious. In 2005 its predecessor, Destiny, came 18-20,000 votes behind Labour in Mangere, Manukau East and Manurewa. Unless it’s much less divisive and less hard-right economically than Destiny, it can’t win these electorates. 

2008 General Election

Bit by bit, the 2008 General Election is starting to get underway.  Candidates are being picked and parties are starting to register.

If my blog stats tell me anything, it’s that I may as well write about what no-one else is bothering to write about.  Given how the mainstream media ignores, quite justifiably, the political parties that are quite frankly unelectable, I think 100wordblog has found its niche!

Scott Watson and divine creation

 With the Hope and Smart murders hitting the headlines again, I noticed that the theories used to protest the innocence of convicted murderers tend to build their credibility using a similar tactic to the way the anti-evolution movement uses Intelligent Design.  Rather than offering a solidly developed alternative they attack selected aspects of the existing evidence.

Scott Watson’s innocence is being promoted on the basis of the mystery ketch, which no one seems to have photographed. Much like Intelligent Design focuses on a few ‘failings’ of evolutionary theory and ignores the vast quantity of supporting evidence.

 

Evidence and Conspiracy

 John Minto thinks the leaking of the Police’s affidavit is a deliberate conspiracy, but then wanting to press terrorism charges at all was a political conspiracy.

Perhaps he’s not heard of the cock-up versus conspiracy dichotomy.  Of course, there’s less opportunity to express outrage over a cock-up.   I think I’m agreeing with Chris Trotter.

Let’s remember Minto’s raged against the Police’s lack of evidence, “nothing one wouldn’t hear… at any gun club” and compare this to his evidence about these Police and government conspiracies, of which he has none.  But who needs it, the government’s bad mmmkay.

Financial Hyperbole

Financial market journalists are either the most excitable of journalists or the most desperate to fill column inches. 

Given the prices in financial markets change as often as the weather, you’d expect a measured approach to reporting such changes.   In reality the reporting is as measured as that about changing celebrity relationships.  The Herald, for example, feels the need to use the word ‘plunge’ for anything other than the smallest change.  The word ’soars’ is another favourite.

If something happens every month  it’s not that notable.   Would anyone take a headline about the sunniest day for two weeks seriously?

Biofuels, food and coffee

There are a number of shock-horror comments being made about biofuels crowding out food production.  These statements are ultimately superficial. 

While land currently producing food is being converted to produce biofuel crops, the tradeoff between food production and other activities is nothing new.  There’s much arable land being used for non food production – cotton for clothes, rubber for tyres or tobacco. Biofuels are just another commodity.

Let’s remember land that could be growing food for the poor is currently providing us with the unnecessary luxuries of fair trade coffee beans and chocolate.