Archive for May, 2009

On busy mode again

I was struggling to write something here in recent weeks, but I just could not find enough time to do so. It's that usual end of a semester busy mode again, and I'm currently having 3 assignments and at least 1 presentation on the to do list. Plus other personal commitments I have to make, the priority of update my blogs isn't that high any more.

I'm expecting that I could finish most of the works before or after Queen's Birthday, so I'll be back around that time, but before that, the update of this blog is halted. HOWEVER, you will still be able to find me in other places. I am still present on Twitter, and I have increased the number of tweets on current affairs in English.

The other thing is, I have made some of my RSS subscription categories publicly available for quite a while now, although I didn't post the links on this blog:). Most of my information and ideas came from those nice bloggers, so I just think these pages might be helpful if you are not a very into reading via RSS:

• blogs-china-politics (in Chinese)
  
• blogs-china-english
• blogs-new-zealand
• Magazines (mix of two languages)

Well, then, have a happy, safe Queen's birthday if I failed to make myself back on time.

Napier Shooting

I am quite busy this month so I expect more time between updates in this blog. However, I still had enough time to watch the incident in Napier unfold.

Unlike a lot of backseat drivers who have never been to the site, I have no problem with how the police handled the inccident.  It is more than obvious that police wanted the gunman Jan Molenaar alive, otherwise AOS would storm the house before we know it. Unlike the Aramoana massacre, Molenaar snapped, but he poses no immediate threat to the public, therefore it's best to talk it out rather than end it with another life lost and put the Police in further danger.

The real problem of this tragedy, I think is the internal police procedures. I still prefer the polic to not carry any guns in daily patrols, but this incident was to carry out a search warrent, but the police failed to foresee the danger of such activity so failed to carry guns. It's the police authority failed to protect the safety of police force.

This was also the case in the death of Don Wilkinson. His fate was sealed when they decided not to carry guns.

Mt Albert By-election

Local issues tend to get magnified in by-elections, but I cannot see that in this election yet. All two major parties have announce its candidate for the by-election, but non of them really know the area well - Labour''s David Shearer was a International aid worker; National's Melissa Lee, there's very little known about her stand on local issues.

This is more of a party contest now.

Unlike a lot of tories dreaming of getting an extra seat but have no vote in this, I happen to actually live in the electorate. You have to admit this is a very red seat, National never took it before, the last close call I could remember was in the 1990 election, but Clark still managed to hold on the seat despite Labour's poor showing nation-wide. If this is a National-Labour contest, I could see no chance for National.

But this is more than a two party contest, so National may got a chance, but just. It will depend on:

• Performance of Russell Norman, his ability to split hard left votes.
• How successful Nats could brand Shearer as the "national-lite".
• Turn out rate.
• Development of the supercity proposal.

It's still too early to call but I understand Labour does felt a bit nervous right now, many of residents got Labour polling phone calls recently, but that's understandable, given that the party has just lost an election, and Shearer is a relatively new face, therefore there are a lot of uncertainties.

For me, I do admire Shearer's career as a international aid worker, for that, I think he deserves this seat, as his skills of managing refugee camps would come quite handy as some parts of this electorate do give you a refugee camp kind of feeling. Although Clark was a successful Prime Minister, I do feel she owes quite a lot to her electorates, some areas didn't gain a lot from the economic development in the last few years.