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The Persuader
My personal blog, started in 2006. No paid or guest posts, no link sales.
Posts tagged ‘politics’
15.01.2023
A Mastodon post about my mayoral campaign policies. No, I didn’t foresee a global pandemic as such (though I certainly was on Twitter perplexed at why the WHO had not declared COVID-19 a global emergency in January 2020), but I did feel there was insufficient resilience in our economy and wanted to advance ideas that would at least put this city right.
I saw the cafĂ©s all opening around town, the PM John Key’s support of tourism, and thinking: there’s not enough diversity among these types of businesses, and we’re well behind other cities on the percentage that IT plays. We need more high-wage jobs if we were to increase our rates’ base sustainably, not make Wellington unaffordable by taking a bigger and bigger chunk of incomes that had barely risen in line with the cost of living. All this I stated at the time, and they were trends that stared us right in the face.
Working from home was a way of alleviating stress on our traffic network, or at least help stagger the amount of traffic on the road at any given time. Tied in to that was publicizing real-time about public transport, which I think is starting to happen, to encourage their use.
The expansion of the wifi network meant that Newtown would be next, heading out to Berhampore, the whole idea being to bridge the digital divide for our less well off communities. I had already been into a meeting with Citylink and had a model through which it could be funded. I lived in Newtown as a boy, and I know how little we had in terms of the family budget. And, as we saw in lockdown, internet access was very far from being equal among our communities.
I’m not subscribing to ‘That’s easy to say in hindsight,’ because all these ideas were a matter of record, as well as the reasons behind it. I am subscribing to a degree of cherry-picking but when you consider these were my “flagship” ideas, I’m not even being that picky.
To think we could have set all this in motion starting in 2010 and been ready for 2020. I don’t really sell nostalgia if I’m running for office because that would be disingenuous. You’re being asked to vote on the future, and so many politicians are trying to resell you the past. I’m grateful to those voters who got this and put me in third place twice. We have a good mayor now who’s young enough to get it.
Tags: 2010, 2013, 2023, Aotearoa, COVID-19, internet, local government, Mastodon, mayoralty, New Zealand, politics, social media, social networking, Wellington, Wellington City Council, Whanganui-a-Tara
Posted in business, internet, New Zealand, politics, technology, Wellington | No Comments »
03.12.2022
Now that the quartet has been launched, it’s evident that Tesla’s naming strategy is all wrong. This is what they should be called.
On a related note:
Since I haven’t seen the March 15 video now circulating on OnlyKlans, I mean, Twitter, I can’t use the DIA reporting form. But those who have, should.
If it were a New Zealand website doing the distribution, a warning would have been issued at the least; and I bet it would have been blocked by now. The person running the site would probably have been charged. Basically what our government is signalling is that a foreign fascist sympathizer has greater freedoms than the rest of us. And what the opposition parties are signalling is that that’s OK, too, because here’s a real thing that they can sink their teeth into, but they prefer to gaslight over other stuff.
The Christchurch Call website has not been updated since September.
Anyone in politics who actually has some bollocks?
Tags: 2022, Aotearoa, car, humour, law, New Zealand, politics, Tesla, Twitter, typography
Posted in cars, internet, New Zealand, politics, technology, typography | No Comments »
28.11.2022
Salon is on to something.
I know from first-hand experience that those who hold political office are not always the smartest. When you run against others for the same job, it doesnât take long to spot the less intelligent, some buoyed by privilege, others by an unshakeable belief in their invincibility.
Its headline: âIs America’s infatuation with billionaires finally coming to an end?â
Amanda Marcotte begins, âIt has long been evident that Elon Musk is a moron, at least to those willing to see it. Well before the Tesla CEO overpaid for Twitter in the throes of a tantrum, there was a chorus of mostly-ignored people pointing out, repeatedly, that Musk’s mental maturity appeared to have stagnated around the sixth grade.â
After citing a handful of cases where Musk fell short, âThe business and tech press would be startled at his dumb behavior, but within 48 to 72 hours, it was all forgotten and Musk went back to being covered as if he were a genius, if perhaps an eccentric one.â
I only personally know one milliardaire and he was a cut above the rest of us in brains.
But Marcotte notes that Musk, D. J. Trump, Elizabeth Holmes and Sam Bankman-Fried are hardly geniuses, and takes aim at Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, too.
If we can get this into our heads, we might stop a similar worship in this country. Just when did this start? Thatcherism? Rogernomics? Just because someone has made a few bob doesnât make them a political messiah or great leaderâso stop being their fans and start choosing people to support based on merit.
Here in Aotearoa we appear to have two main parties bereft of ideas, with the opposition so desperate it wishes to import the culture wars from the US while gaslighting whenever possible. Neither is particularly palatable to me, and thanks to MMP, Iâm going to be quite happy to look at the next tier, as I have done for more General Elections than not. Greens? TOP? Not ACT.
When I think about some rich guys Iâve had run-ins withâincluding one I had to sue at the start of my career (and beat)âthereâs one thing that ties them together. They have to be slaves to the system, the establishment. They have to play by its rules in order to retain their directorships and social standing. They have to walk the tightrope of convention. They have to conform. Ironically, the more to the right of politics you go here (and the more individual freedom is preached), the more conformity there appears to be. Conformity is valued over merit or honour. This explains Sam Uffindell.
How bloody boring is that? Iâm so deeply grateful, particularly to my family, for giving me the chance to be my own person and walk the freer path that I create. My grandmother, mother and father all happy to support my interests as an infant and letting me draw all over newspapers and magazines. My mother for encouraging me to follow my interests in design. My father for literally working behind the scenes for decades to help build my businesses. Conformity is for suckers. Innovation and societal advancement never came from conformity, and societies are better for it.
Tags: 2022, Aotearoa, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, law, New Zealand, politics
Posted in culture, India, interests, marketing, New Zealand, politics | No Comments »
01.11.2022
Dave Troyâs analysis of the Elon Musk takeover of Twitter makes for interesting reading, since Troy has actually spoken to Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and has a bit more of the inside track than most.
For starters, Troy reminds us that Dorsey trusts Musk, in order to keep Twitter away from Wall Street investors. Dorsey has said this publicly in a Tweet. He believes this acquisition is about ideology, so Musk doesnât care if Twitter doesnât make moneyâor at least, money will come if the technology is opened up and they can charge for other things built on top of it. Getting data on all of us helps Musk in a big way, too.
Troy posits that Musk believes we need to be on other planets, so we shouldnât help the poor in our quest to get off this rock; but another interesting one is that he believes in a multipolar world order, something Vladimir Putin has talked about. Musk believes in rule by technocracy, Troy theorizes, not by politics. He also believes Musk is a sociopath.
All this is quite fascinating to read. Taking Troyâs words on Putin, Musk and Dorsey sharing the same vision:
All seem to think a âmultipolar worldâ is a good thing, because after all, shouldnât Russia get to do its thing and not be bothered by anyone else? Thatâs âfree speechâ and opposes âcancel culture,â right? So yeah, thatâs aligned with Putin. But Putin himself doesnât support free speech; his government censors wildly, but it does support speech that breaks the hegemony of the Western elites. As do Musk and friends. This is internally inconsistent.
Because of these shared values, Troy foresees Musk teaming up with D. J. Trump at Truth Social and Kanye West at Parler to control the information space.
It points to a pretty dark outcome and a polarizing world, but one which has been brewing for a long time.
We could talk about the failure of neoliberal economics and, therefore, the western hegemony. With all the figure-massaging by China when it reports its GDP, thereâs still no denying that the country has risen vastly in mere decades. And Putin has said as much about wanting to fight back against western hegemony.
Itâs incredibly easy to fall back on âthem and usâ as a concept. Dictators might find it easier to make their positions official (even if there is internal dissent that is driven underground), while the west can broadly talk about diversity while not truly breaking ranks with the neoliberal order. Our Blairite government here is positioned as such while having a social veneer (and a modicum of restraint) based on history and market positioning, while the Opposition will make things that much harder and is more blatant at wanting to do so.
I would have once said China had the potential to be an outlier, raising its educational standards and embracing Confucianism, which has its foundations in free thought and liberalism, balanced with preserving a relationship between state and subject. Perhaps with Hu and Wen things could have gone that way. Under Xi Jinping the aims have changed, and at least one China-watcher I know (who knew Xiâs father and knew of Xi from 1982) tell me that they foresaw this.
Iâm not going to make any bold predictions myself, but the world looks like a place that wonât become multipolar but bipolar, and Twitter is one tool that is going to accelerate this trendâbuilding on top of what Facebook and Google have already done by forcing users into silos. Meanwhile, Baidu et al will no doubt reflect the official positions of their governments.
Tags: 2020s, 2022, Aotearoa, Baidu, China, corruption, cult, culture, dictatorship, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, information, Jack Dorsey, Kanye West, neoliberalism, New Zealand, politics, propaganda, Russia, social media, Twitter, USA, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping
Posted in business, China, culture, globalization, internet, New Zealand, politics, technology, USA | No Comments »
28.10.2022
I suppose it shouldnât surprise me that I have a US Library of Congress entry, as a published author, though if I am reading it correctly, it relates to my 2010 mayoral campaign.
Following the links there, I arrived at a Virtual International Authority File but the data there seem to relate to my Wikipedia entries. Disappointing.
Keep going, and thereâs an entry at OCLC, a non-profit library collective, also linking to Wikipedia.
But from there I have a WorldCat identity that OCLC manages, and this is where things get a little more interesting.
Thereâs some 2010 mayoral campaign stuff, five references to academic papers I wrote (nice to see they are âheld by 2 WorldCat member libraries worldwideâ), an early book I wrote, Typography & Branding (though I donât recall having written it in 2002 as they claim), and a book I didnât author but am credited in the colophon as the body typeface familyâs designer, Mainland Island from Wai-te-ata Press.
Iâm flattered that Typography & Branding is held at two Australian locations, the University of Newcastle Auchmuty Library and the Curtin University Library. I hope their students are getting a lot out of this early book of mine.
I admit I like this tag cloud:
Commiserations to my namesake, Jack Yan, on not winning the Toronto mayoral election. I was getting a lot of news hits from Toronto and Ontario, far more than our media here managed back in the day. I also thought he did rather well in the televised debates. We only had one episode of Back Benches in 2010 that wasnât really a debate. But there was a fun quiz, which I wonâsome of us know more about this city than others.
In a very crowded field, Jack managed seventh out of 31, with incumbent John Tory holding on to his gig with 62 per cent of the vote.
I hope he has another crack at it if he feels he has something to offer. I found him a really great guy to deal with.
Tags: 2010, author, book, branding, Canada, database, mayoralty, Ontario, politics, Toronto, typography, USA, Wikipedia
Posted in branding, internet, New Zealand, politics, technology, typography, USA, Wellington | No Comments »
29.09.2022
As we come to the conclusion of New Zealand Chinese Language Week, a review about how inappropriate it was by being the very opposite of inclusive, for those who’d prefer to sit back and listen rather than read one of my blog posts.
You’ll likely catch me on RNZ’s The Detail on Friday, September 30 (PS.: uploaded this morning here). The AM Show changed its mind, so you won’t see me ‘come home to the feeling’ on TV3.
Tags: 2022, Aotearoa, Catherine Churchman, China, Chinese, Chris Tse, culture, freedom of speech, language, New Zealand, New Zealand Chinese Association, podcast, politics, racism, Red China, Richard Leung
Posted in China, culture, Hong Kong, New Zealand, politics | 2 Comments »
14.09.2022
Among all the royal hoop-la, it’s nice to come across this vital 2014 article while on Mastodon.
To the scientists who analysed 1,893 poos, and other waste, thank you for your mahi.
All right, a couple of remarks about the royal coverage. First, I’ve heard from a legitimate news source, words to the effect of ‘It took the Queen’s death to bring William and Harry together.’
No one remembers Prince Philip’s death or the unveiling of the Diana memorial? Things that happened very recently?
The media really do think we are morons without memory sometimes, don’t they?
The other one: ‘There have been 15 US presidents since the Queen has been on the throne.’ I haven’t counted the UK prime ministers (15 is given there, too), but I have counted the presidents. And I get 14.
My friend James heard 12 in another report.
The media really do think we are morons without numeracy skills sometimes, don’t they?
Not just media, but some political parties and governments actually attempt to thrive off theseâand it makes you wonder if you are the only one who has faculties to remember and count.
It is up to Twitter to provide less frustrating coverage:
Dog poo, in amongst all this, has been far more interesting to read about.
Tags: 2022, humour, media, PBS, politics, royalty, Twitter
Posted in culture, humour, internet, media, politics, UK | 2 Comments »
08.09.2022
What a perfect tribute to Boris Johnson. (Note: coarse language.)
I guess he wasn’t the last UK PM after all.
On a happier note, Liz Trussell, who has the Twitter handle of liztruss, has been replying to messages tagging her, including from the Swedish prime minister. Her account is well worth a look.
Tags: 2022, Boris Johnson, humour, politics, Twitter, UK
Posted in internet, politics, UK | No Comments »
06.09.2022
Almost makes you want to run for mayor again.
I had a look at my 2013 manifesto during the weekend and it wasnât half bad. And, with respect to our candidates in Wellington, each of whom I know socially (and politics aside, actually like), it goes into more detail, and is arguably more visionary, than what Iâve seen from them to date.
It was quite uplifting to read this from Stephen Olsen writing in Scoop, covering the 2022 mayoral candidatesâ meeting at St Peterâs Church last night:
To be honest the lack of rigorous thinking made for a lacklustre event. It even had me pining for the 2010 and 2013 Mayoral campaigns of an outsider, Jack Yan, who did reasonable and intelligent things like put forward a detailed manifesto and who did justice to the role of an articulate, knowledgeable and expressive candidate. (A disclaimer being that I was on the Back Jack team of 2010 and a supporting advisor three years later).
It was written without bias, and evaluates each of the three leading candidates.
Stephen concludes:
Tory Whanau did have a few Jack-like moments in calling as forcefully as possible for more democracy, more boldness, more engagement of citizens and more community-based co-design opportunities to rejuvenate Wellington. However for her campaign to get some wind under its wings it will need far more amplitude on those basic but vital notes. Itâs not a time to pull punches.
In both of the elections I contested, I said we could not have politics as usual. I stand by that, because look at the lack of progress between 2013 and 2022 when voters choose politics as usual: rising rates, little change in the industry make-up (which is another way of saying very few high-value jobs have been created as a proportion of the total), which leads to a lack of economic resilience (and things being unaffordable for Wellingtonians). I said as much nine years ago.
Paul and Andy represent the old guard, and are conservative. Tory is a well read womanâI recall seeing Richard Rumeltâs Good Strategy, Bad Strategy in her office, among others, and she is aware of the world outside politics. She is the same age Mark Blumsky was when he was mayor, and the same age I was when I first ran. A good age, young enough to articulate a vision and have the energy to carry it out.
Whomever took a jab at her âinexperienceâ as detailed in Stephenâs article obviously does not know her history or background. That person evidently does not know Wellington well enough, either, or just how well the last 30-something mayor we had improved the place. Maybe their memory’s playing tricks on them now and they’re out of touch. I mightnât have agreed with everything Mark did, and maybe there are some rose-coloured glasses at playâbut I do agree with the digital advancement this city made under him. Anyone miss the wooden bus stops along Courtenay Place? Anyone? Bueller? I thought not.
Our choices this year are Tory boys or Tory in name. Tory Whanau would make a fine mayor and (finally) the cityâs first non-white mayor, too.
It wasnât nostalgia that had me looking up my 2013 manifesto. It was one Jack Yan running for mayor this year. Not me, but the guy in Toronto.
Jackâs finally got his website up and got in touch, in good humour, as he saw the crazy coincidence of not just the name but of running for mayor of oneâs city. I naturally forwarded on the emails I received thanks to mistaken identity. Out of interest, I had a look through what I wrote back then and sent it on out of interest. Just helping a brother out.
He probably doesnât need it, as he has good, comprehensive policies tailored to his city. Thereâs a Tory called Tory running there. Torontonians have way more candidates to choose from. To the folks there, give the guy a chance and check out his website at jack2022.ca.
Tags: 2013, 2022, Aotearoa, book, campaign, campaigning, Canada, endorsement, history, local government, New Zealand, Ontario, politics, Scoop, Toronto, Tory Whanau, Wellington, Whanganui-a-Tara
Posted in leadership, media, New Zealand, politics, Wellington | No Comments »
23.07.2022
Earlier today, Amanda and I had a wonderful time at Te Papa to celebrate the Chinese Languages in Aotearoa programme. My contribution was appearing in a video, that was on this blog last October.
It dawned on me that despite being on YouTube, this really needs to be on the home page of this website, replacing the below.
It just never occurred to me any earlier how ideal the Te Papa video was, and how much it speaks to my whakapapa and my identity. But the penny has dropped now.
I know I still need to update the 2018 intro. It needs to be more profound than what appears in these blog posts.
It should also reduce confusion for visitors trying to find out more about my Toronto mayoral candidate namesake, who I note still does not have a declared website or email address on the that city’s official list.
Tags: 2013, 2021, 2022, Cantonese, history, language, mayoralty, museum, politics, Te Papa, Vimeo, YouTube
Posted in China, culture, Hong Kong, media, New Zealand, Wellington | No Comments »
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