Scoop, NZs independent news site, delivers all the press releases that come its way in unexpurgated form - but it gleefully editorialises the link titles on the front page. Whoever's on task today has entertained me greatly with this barbed header to a press release by Heather Roy on Helen Clark's comments on the cost in Kiwi lives if we'd gone into Iraq. The ACT MP has titled her own release Morally bankrupt PM hits new low in politics, but the linky on Scoop's front page is helpfully titled "Roy Demands Respect For Memory Of Hypothetical Dead Soldiers". Hee! The selection of photo art for many stories is also a thing of beauty - local Who gaggersnark blog 'Zeus Plug' recently expressed its amusement. Hear hear.
Much respect to the Scoop massive for delivering such an amazing news service. If you're a Kiwi, you really should visit regularly - Gordon Campbell's election coverage is quite amazing all by itself!
With a title like that, it was probably Lyndon. He does the satire, after all.
Posted by: Idiot/Savant at September 18, 2008 3:37 PMThat was my guess too, but Scoop might be blessed with some other fine people with a sarcastic streak...
Posted by: morgue at September 18, 2008 3:41 PMi adore the photos on the scoop site. they are a highlight of my working day!
Posted by: homeperm! at September 18, 2008 10:05 PMDon't really agree with ACT, but Roy has something of a point on this one. Clarks hypothetical casualty figures were more than a little exaggerated and somewhat unfoundedly hysterical. Not to mention Labour making defence decisions seemingly based on ideological reasons rather than practical ones.
Posted by: Samm at September 18, 2008 11:13 PMSamm: by "defence decisions" don't you mean "war decisions"? War in the Middle East has nothing to do with defending New Zealand.
The renaming of Departments of War to Departments of Defence strikes me as rather like calling civilian casualties "collateral damage"; they both put the reality of the situations at a remove. These aren't decisions on how to defend New Zealand, they are decisions on whether or not to attack another country, so why is it "defence"?
Calling it "Defence" rather than "War" seems to be a way of being able to justify it more easily. I would much rather the decision on whether to go to war or not was based more on an ideological decision like "Is it really the right thing to do?" rather than a practical one like "What sort of political gain can we get out of this?"
I'm just sayin'.
Posted by: Joey at September 20, 2008 8:46 AMJoey: I was referring to general management of the NZDF during Labours government. The decision not to join the Iraq war with combat forces was the right one.
Posted by: samm at September 20, 2008 9:34 AMOr to put it another way: more people need to read George Orwell.
Posted by: Scott A at September 23, 2008 1:08 PM