Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Obfuscation on steroids

Whangamata Marina hits the High Court in Wellygogs today. Get the popcorn.
In a poll that has no statistical significance at all, about 60% of the great unwashed feel that Taito Philip Paddock should resign - doesn't matter any more as he's home free.
There is a picture of the Headmistress today (always a black mark for any publication) and she is waving one of the infamous pledge cards. The image is surrounded by weasel words (hers), explanations of the spin (the Herald) and what really happened (pseudo facts). Sooner or later (pretty please, sooner) she's going to come a gutser and her astonishing arrogance over this and other similar matters is going to bite her on the bum. The whole country knows that her mob should pay the money back despite her claiming that some Parliamentary body told her she was in the clear. They don't have the money and so we get into max smokescreen mode. On an individual basis I wonder how I would get on using the same tactics with the IRD if, after taking the advice of my accountant, I was found to owe the men in suits money. No show.
Slim pickings thus far and so it's off to the comments page which often comes to the rescue on slow days. There is an article by Bruce Hucker (I don't like him one little bit) but I proceed looking for a bit of harmless sport. It turns out to be a bit written in response to an article by Owen McShane (I like him) which I haven't read. Bearing this in mind I think its probably better to bale out and find the original to read first but I was never known for my strong mind so I soldier on. Now I read a lot of complicated stuff in relation to my daily activities toiling in the fields and regard myself at being pretty adept at seeing the wood for the trees. The prose presented by the deputy mayor is virtually unreadable. The words look like English but it all reads like Martian. You struggle through a sentence and realise he has said nothing. He is arguing for (or is it against) higher density housing in Auckland and he speaks in the sort of bueaucratic twaddle that his stock in trade. If the comments part of the paper was available on line I would cut and paste a papragraph or two and see if you can do any better. I reckon he probably talks like this as well and his tactic is now plain. He writes to you or talks at you about something. You give up because he is unintelligible and say 'Whatever' and he goes off and does what he was going to do anyway because you have agreed with him. He can then stand up, claim to have followed 'due democratic process' and we have wasted squillions more rates dollar on something we don't want or need. This is the left wing joker who insists on flying up the front of the plane on your money - in case you've forgotten. Top stuff.

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