Q+A, The Nation Review

Last weeks ratings
Q+A 219, 590
The Nation 112 480. The Nation would be pretty happy with those ratings.


The Nation
After a couple of weeks complaining about not being sent anything by TV 3 for The Nation (as opposed to TVNZ who give me updates every two days) , the producer at The Nation got in touch with me directly and sent them to me, that's nice. It's good to know bitching can get results. So this week Duncan will be following the latest developments in the SAS Afghanistan story, Sean will be with Gerald Hensley and Glynn Harper on how World War II defined and changed New Zealand politics and Daryll Hutchison reports on how parent power is changing our secondary schools.

The big story is our SAS troops committing revenge killings and being part of torture in Afghanistan, isn't it lovely to fight for a corrupt Government in an ill defined war while we are complicit in torture? Laugh it up NZ, laugh it up!

Good to finally get some focus on NZ committing war crimes. We are handing over prisoners to torture units in Afghanistan, isn't that great you stupid little Hobbits? Isn't it disgusting that NZ is involved in torture? How do we win for democracy and freedom when we use war crimes and torture to fight it? The Metro Editor and Keith Locke are on putting the boot into the Government.

It is disgusting that NZ is involved in such evil.

There is the compulsory story about ANZAC Day and how important it is for us to kill people for a sense of national identity. Why can't we look at the hypocrisy of commemorating the 'glorious' dead from yesteryear when we are deeply involved in torture in a current war? We've shown that we've learnt nothing!

Great story on State Schools. Western Springs comes out looking pretty good. The story is effectively about rich kids (mainly white) fleeing to rich schools. Rich people can normally keep poor people away from them by buying in wealthy areas, these schools allow those rich parents to keep those gates raised. If you want to pay for your kid to go to a private school, all power to you, that's not my beef, I'm pissed off that religious schools can take money from the Government! Auckland Grammar wanks on about its Cambridge wankery, the sooner John Morris gets hit by a bus the better NZ will be, I never liked him at Orewa College. It seems the 'Grammar Zone' is being used simply to promote higher property prices and attract wealthy Asian parents.

The Nation do some of the best current affairs pre edited story's, and this was one of them. Intelligent and interesting.

Great to see Brian Edwards on the panel.

Q+A
The Panel is Dr Jon Johansson, Unite Union leader Matt McCarten and God friend Glyn Carpenter. Don Brash is on live, and its more on the disgusting story that NZ forces are handing civilians over to torture unit.

Thank God Paul Holmes isn't on, Guy is ten thousand times better. He needs a better opening monologue writer.

Guy's interview with Mapp is brilliant. He asks what the sacrifice of life means on ANZAC Day. Whatever his answer is it will be thrown back at him when the torture issue gets raised. He claims there is progress, yet as Guyon points out, it is still dangerous and we are sending bloody tanks there! Mapp claims we have LAVs there because the roads have been 'progressively improved'??? The second Guyon starts asking about specific dates, Mapp sits up. It turns out we are involved in a revenge killing after an attack on a NZ soldier. How do we know the people they attacked and killed were the ones responsible? A court decides guilt, are we now saying the SAS are a Court unto themselves who can decide who is guilty and who is not and kill both accordingly? When you are against war, it is because war makes good people do evil things.

Guyon moves onto the torture allegations. Jon Stevenson's piece in Metro is the kick off for Mapp's face to getting pale. He is worried. NZers are not going to like knowing their soldiers are handing people over for torture. He DARES claim we are in Afghanistan to stop terrorism at the end of the debate.

The panel lay into our despicable role in Afghanistan. This story has potential to flare up.

Nice bit of religious chat between Christians and Muslims. Both are intelligent with interesting views on religion and its use of violence. It was decided that Politics and religion need to stay 50 meters away from each other.

The panel rumble over religion and politics. Guyon asks Matt why Christians have never formed their own political party, he quips it is because their leader is in prison for paedophilia.

Q+A have become very clever in having a big interview at the end of the hour, this week it's Don Brash, never before have so many ACT Party supporters sat through a discussion about God.

Monty Burns look a like Don Brash is back, he wants the ACT Party leadership. He hasn't spoken to other Caucus members??? This looks like a fly on the hoof putsch, the horses have spooked and the impatience of ACT's ideologues means its Rodney to the sword time.

To those who made 2008 one of the lowest voter turn outs on record by not voting, you now have a reason to drop the apathy. Don is THAT crazy he makes going out to vote once every 3 years over staying at home stoned on the couch a worthwhile proposition.

Guyon points out that Key wouldn't want anything to do with Don, Don says he is a former National Party leader and as such, Key can't rule him out. Jaw dropping arrogance. Imagine a National Party/ACT with Don Brash Government??? Sweet Jesus Phil Goff will be singing and clapping all day.

Guyon was excellent as host.

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