A shadowy group which gathers with but one purpose - to analyse, and occasionally mock, the reign of The Diva of the Ditch, His Worship the Mayor, Michael Laws. Fuelled by scurrilous rumour and innuendo, The Watchers shine the unblinking spotlight of scrutiny on the ambitions of the Man Who Would Be King, of Wanganui and beyond...
Mr/Ms Plod here... You don't seriously expect me to believe that the Bullocks and Westwoods sign up to anything Mr Laws suggests unless it is a) rational b) popular c) nailed down...
5:44 PM, May 05, 2006
It doesn't matter what anyone here thinks. Most of Wanganui accept the council's decisions and move on.
5:45 PM, May 05, 2006
On that much, at least, we agree anonymous.
We have become a nation of mindless rabble incapable of judgment and easily ruled by the illogical notions and faddish devisings of self-appointed social engineers.... Where knowledge and reason fail, the pigs will lurch and waddle on their hind legs, and the other beasts will gawk in admiration and envy.
Richard Mitchell, The Underground Grammarian, Vol. III, No. 3, Mar. 1979.
Comments on this post are now closed.
24 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Mr/Ms Plod here... You don't seriously expect me to believe that the Bullocks and Westwoods sign up to anything Mr Laws suggests unless it is a) rational b) popular c) nailed down... __________________________________
Actually, there is a scenario whereby they'd vote with Mickey up 'til this point: when Council is called upon to choose a contractor, and Dr. Warburton starts signing cheques, perhaps they will require some accounting for the missing $300,000. Perhaps they will require a more substantial pool of assett sales to have been acheived.
Your comparing eggs with apples, anyway, Watchers. No-one is objecting to the idea of a larger swimming pool (well I haven't heard anyone here do so). The objections to Mr. Laws raised here have to do with the incessant politiking that informs everything he does, his manners, and his treatment WDC staff.
Not to mention the breathtaking stupidity of pretending that the new Splash Centre will be cost neutral in its effect on rates. That simply isn't true and its time Laws stopped lying about it.
It will be interesting when the tenders for the pool come in, Will Wanganui support the project if it goes higher than predicted, that lady's letter in the Chron today would seem not.
Reading today’s Sunday Times columns it’s easy to see why Finlay Macdonald was a winner at the Qantas awards and Mickey Mouth was a loser. One writes about pertinent issues in a rational, adult way. The other writes about porn and ‘tits’. Guess whicg?
And as always the mayoral pretender tries to show how smart he is being able to use dirty words, and yet again purports to know how ‘the modern male’ thinks. How can this sad eye-liner wearing freak expect to be taken seriously as representative of almost half the population?
Anonymous said... It will be interesting when the tenders for the pool come in, Will Wanganui support the project if it goes higher than predicted, that lady's letter in the Chron today would seem not. ******** Wasn’t that Angela Stratton originally a member of the Mickey fan club? I seem to remember her singing his praises in letters last year.
She's just another one of the mass of Wanganuians who are going round saying they'll never vote for Mickey and his bunch of liars again.
Sorry this is a bit long but since LawsWatch is going all philosophical with it's thought for teh weekend, you might be interested in this take on “democratic deficit”.
It’s from a Bryan Appleyard article in the London Sunday Times and not the sort of thing you expect to find in the Chronic, but it seems to apply here. Just substitute gangs for the global terrorist threat and think about the conclusion.
Some suggest that this institutional breakdown is now happening in the developed world, in the form of a "democratic deficit" … massively increased political sophistication results in the manipulation, almost hypnotising, of electorates. This has been particularly true in Britain, where politics has been virtualised by new Labour into a series of presentational issues. Such developments show that merely calling a system "democratic" does not necessarily mean it will retain the progressive virtues that have seemed to arise from democracy. Democracy can destroy itself. In addition, with the rise of an unquantifiable global terrorist threat producing defensive transformations of legal systems designed to limit freedom and privacy, the possibility arises of institutional breakdown leading to a new, destructive social order. We are not immune from the totalitarian faults of the past.
I think you're being too hard on Wangavegas, LW. Before Michael Laws arrived we were a cul-de-sac and some of us were happy about that and some were not. The locals are a mixture of conservatives and wannabes and a lot of people live here just because its cheap. That is what attracts pensioners, beneficiaries and artists alike. you can buy a house here for half that of bigger centres or cities. But Wanganui doesn't really want to be a backwater because we're tired of people wondering why we live here or watching our kids take off, never to return. Chas' council, by default, decided to travel the arts highway because there was a view that we could become an arts centre. It was a useful idea except most artists are happy where they are (not Wangavegas) and because the plan is reliant on UCOL who are losing money and want to bail. hat was happening long before Laws ever hit town. I've watched this new council and their alternative and it seems to be in recruiting families. I listened to the mayor once took about the need for more people to "breed". That was when I twigged that the Splash extension, Castlecliff beach, Kowhai Park were part of that "attract the families" dimension. I like that idea now which I've gone from being a sceptic to a provisional Laws supporter. Sure he's a politician but by definition all mayors are because its a political job. Thanks for listening to me, Pete.
"there was a view that we could become an arts centre" ___________________________________
We are an "arts centre", Pete. Why else would people travel especially from Wellington for the Open Studios weekend?
What makes us an (not the only) arts centre? The Sarjeant, for one thing. Whether you like it or not, Wanganui's portion of the National collection is an incredible assett (as evidenced by the government's desire to preserve it and improve the Gallery.) We have access to a range of art-works which are an education and an inspiration to artists. I'm all for increasing Wanganui's population (Colin Whitlock is very eloquent on that point) but I'm also keen for Wanganui to retain its culture, and in particular its cultural diversity. That is one of the things, as New Plymouth's mayor has taken great delight in pointing out, that attracts high earners, and skilled jobs. Don't forget that the "arts students" include a high proportion of graphic designers, for eg. One of them is now one of the 35 or so directors of the Warehouse, for just one example. Think about it.
Or we could just extend Kaitoke and become a prison/pensioner town.
Hi Pete, Castle cliff beach was there before Laws and so was Kowhai park, so I don't get your point and honestly mate, It's a swimming pool and a pretty average one at that. Most towns our size have pools so I don't really think its going to make that much of a difference whether people decide to live here or not.
Kowhai Park, Pete? Do you remember Mickey Mayor almost running from the meeting - wasn't allowed get to the end of his speech - couldn't get out of there fast enough. That was the time, if I can just refresh your memory, when he tried bullshitting the Lions Club about attendance figures. Remember?
Pretty bad start to the grand strategy (as outlined by Pete) - getting caught out telling bare faced porkies to the people who maintain one of the amenities.
Sounds, I don't know, sort of grossly incompetent or something.
ml hasnt done bugger all for wangs unless it is for his own good as for calling wangas a cal-de sac people around here were doing a shit load more long before he arived.his mob may think they haved moved the earth,not .will watch with great intent to realy see the cost of the pool
Mickey Mayor's e-coli today reads, in part, if you can stomach it:
"the estimates are that increased patronage and user charges plus sponsorship will cover any shortfall."
Now, when Laws' lies come home to roost, we know to blame "the estimates". And who made those estimates? Why, Council employees, of course. Just so long as we know where the buck stops eh Mickey? Don't you think there's a possiblity your tangled web might unravel? I can't see there being any orchestrated litany of support for you.
List of Wanganui artists who sell work every time they exhibit - in no particular order:
Liz Coates, Emma Camden, David Murray, The Chronicle Glass 3, Ross M-A, Leigh M-A, Jodie Dalgleish, Prakash Patel, Maiangi Waitai, that phonebook guy that Mickey likes, Joan Morrel, Aaron Gardiner etc. etc... even that Dutton guy sells.
That's not what makes Wanganui an arts centre, though. The Sarjeant helps, though it's more of a symptom than a cause: Whanganui's been a centre of creative excellence for the last 1500 years or so, so perhaps it's in the water.
Who goes inside at 1.37pm on Sunday afternoon & reads this blog & then writes something intended to hurt? Someone incompetent, I guess.
4:42 PM, May 08, 2006 &&&&&&&&&&&
Sounds more like someone with an hour and bit left to wander down from Porridge St to bullshit the punters at the St John's Hill "LTCCP meeting". He might have been better occupied getting his story straight than wearing out his little mayoral pinkies telling porkies on LawsWatch.
Dave Boswell, at 90+, was more convincing than Mickey Mayor.
What I don't understand (one of the many things) is why Mickey can't accept that Wanganu is not only a centre of creative excellence (as are many places). and also a centre of sporting excellence, I mean, there's like how many nationally famous athletes living here, and writers (don't they count as artists?) etc. etc. (not to mention the manufacturing excellence too) but if Mickey is to be believed it can't be all those things, it can only be one: "family town".
So he wants to extend the swimming pool. Don't we all?
So Mickey's got himself a new U.C. even though right now he seems to be calling her the council's "press secretary".
Wonder what her particular talents are for a job that seems not to have been advertised and in fact was filled with indecent haste? Oh that's right, she's part of the embarrassingly awful Wangas breakfast show on Mickey's radio station.
Wonder how long it will take her to forget the small print in her "real" job description and get herself promoted to U.C. to make way for the next bunny.
Oh Mickey Mayor, the lights, the lights are calling, Celebrity, as down the polls you slide, The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying, 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide. But come ye back when we've fixed your damage, Or when the Sarjeant's back on international stage, 'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow, Oh Mickey Mayor, Oh Mickey Mayor, Now you must go.
"e. Open Studios was poorly promoted this year. The cancellation of the Arts Festival was badly handled and this was bad for AOS."
Poorly promoted. But hang on, WDC took over promotion this year. Isn't Mickey Mayor supposed to be a marketing whiz? Smacks of more incompetence to me.
I hope Nygwllhuw and Winc can do better next time. Just what is Mickey good for, anyway?
It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true
that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.David Brin, American author (1950- )
Laws Watch is an evil cabal of single-issue fruitcakes determined to harass the greatest Leader Wanganui has ever had. (Just saving you the trouble of inventing your own invective, Michael).
24 comments:
Mr/Ms Plod here... You don't seriously expect me to believe that the Bullocks and Westwoods sign up to anything Mr Laws suggests unless it is a) rational b) popular c) nailed down...
__________________________________
Actually, there is a scenario whereby they'd vote with Mickey up 'til this point: when Council is called upon to choose a contractor, and Dr. Warburton starts signing cheques, perhaps they will require some accounting for the missing $300,000. Perhaps they will require a more substantial pool of assett sales to have been acheived.
Your comparing eggs with apples, anyway, Watchers. No-one is objecting to the idea of a larger swimming pool (well I haven't heard anyone here do so). The objections to Mr. Laws raised here have to do with the incessant politiking that informs everything he does, his manners, and his treatment WDC staff.
Not to mention the breathtaking stupidity of pretending that the new Splash Centre will be cost neutral in its effect on rates. That simply isn't true and its time Laws stopped lying about it.
It will be interesting when the tenders for the pool come in, Will Wanganui support the project if it goes higher than predicted, that lady's letter in the Chron today would seem not.
Reading today’s Sunday Times columns it’s easy to see why Finlay Macdonald was a winner at the Qantas awards and Mickey Mouth was a loser. One writes about pertinent issues in a rational, adult way. The other writes about porn and ‘tits’. Guess whicg?
And as always the mayoral pretender tries to show how smart he is being able to use dirty words, and yet again purports to know how ‘the modern male’ thinks. How can this sad eye-liner wearing freak expect to be taken seriously as representative of almost half the population?
Angela Stratton? That one letter in the Chron undid all the good work of Stephen Palmer.
Anonymous said...
It will be interesting when the tenders for the pool come in, Will Wanganui support the project if it goes higher than predicted, that lady's letter in the Chron today would seem not.
********
Wasn’t that Angela Stratton originally a member of the Mickey fan club? I seem to remember her singing his praises in letters last year.
She's just another one of the mass of Wanganuians who are going round saying they'll never vote for Mickey and his bunch of liars again.
Who gets up at 6.13am on Saturday morning & reads this blog & then writes something? Shit, some sad people live here.
Sorry this is a bit long but since LawsWatch is going all philosophical with it's thought for teh weekend, you might be interested in this take on “democratic deficit”.
It’s from a Bryan Appleyard article in the London Sunday Times and not the sort of thing you expect to find in the Chronic, but it seems to apply here. Just substitute gangs for the global terrorist threat and think about the conclusion.
Some suggest that this institutional breakdown is now happening in the developed world, in the form of a "democratic deficit" … massively increased political sophistication results in the manipulation, almost hypnotising, of electorates. This has been particularly true in Britain, where politics has been virtualised by new Labour into a series of presentational issues. Such developments show that merely calling a system "democratic" does not necessarily mean it will retain the progressive virtues that have seemed to arise from democracy. Democracy can destroy itself. In addition, with the rise of an unquantifiable global terrorist threat producing defensive transformations of legal systems designed to limit freedom and privacy, the possibility arises of institutional breakdown leading to a new, destructive social order. We are not immune from the totalitarian faults of the past.
I think you're being too hard on Wangavegas, LW. Before Michael Laws arrived we were a cul-de-sac and some of us were happy about that and some were not. The locals are a mixture of conservatives and wannabes and a lot of people live here just because its cheap. That is what attracts pensioners, beneficiaries and artists alike. you can buy a house here for half that of bigger centres or cities.
But Wanganui doesn't really want to be a backwater because we're tired of people wondering why we live here or watching our kids take off, never to return.
Chas' council, by default, decided to travel the arts highway because there was a view that we could become an arts centre. It was a useful idea except most artists are happy where they are (not Wangavegas) and because the plan is reliant on UCOL who are losing money and want to bail. hat was happening long before Laws ever hit town.
I've watched this new council and their alternative and it seems to be in recruiting families. I listened to the mayor once took about the need for more people to "breed". That was when I twigged that the Splash extension, Castlecliff beach, Kowhai Park were part of that "attract the families" dimension. I like that idea now which I've gone from being a sceptic to a provisional Laws supporter. Sure he's a politician but by definition all mayors are because its a political job.
Thanks for listening to me,
Pete.
"Pete" said
"there was a view that we could become an arts centre"
___________________________________
We are an "arts centre", Pete. Why else would people travel especially from Wellington for the Open Studios weekend?
What makes us an (not the only) arts centre? The Sarjeant, for one thing. Whether you like it or not, Wanganui's portion of the National collection is an incredible assett (as evidenced by the government's desire to preserve it and improve the Gallery.) We have access to a range of art-works which are an education and an inspiration to artists. I'm all for increasing Wanganui's population (Colin Whitlock is very eloquent on that point) but I'm also keen for Wanganui to retain its culture, and in particular its cultural diversity. That is one of the things, as New Plymouth's mayor has taken great delight in pointing out, that attracts high earners, and skilled jobs. Don't forget that the "arts students" include a high proportion of graphic designers, for eg. One of them is now one of the 35 or so directors of the Warehouse, for just one example. Think about it.
Or we could just extend Kaitoke and become a prison/pensioner town.
Before Michael Laws arrived we were a cul-de-sac
_________________________________
Bollocks. Possibly self-serving egotistical bollocks.
Or has Laws' narcissism rubbed off on you, "Pete"?
Hi Pete,
Castle cliff beach was there before Laws and so was Kowhai park, so I don't get your point and honestly mate, It's a swimming pool and a pretty average one at that. Most towns our size have pools so I don't really think its going to make that much of a difference whether people decide to live here or not.
Kowhai Park, Pete? Do you remember Mickey Mayor almost running from the meeting - wasn't allowed get to the end of his speech - couldn't get out of there fast enough. That was the time, if I can just refresh your memory, when he tried bullshitting the Lions Club about attendance figures. Remember?
Pretty bad start to the grand strategy (as outlined by Pete) - getting caught out telling bare faced porkies to the people who maintain one of the amenities.
Sounds, I don't know, sort of grossly incompetent or something.
Does anybody else think the chronicle's effort on asset sales this morning was the puff piece from paradise?
ml hasnt done bugger all for wangs unless it is for his own good as for calling wangas a cal-de sac people around here were doing a shit load more long before he arived.his mob may think they haved moved the earth,not .will watch with great intent to realy see the cost of the pool
Anonymous said...
Who gets up at 6.13am on Saturday morning & reads this blog & then writes something? Shit, some sad people live here.
1:37 PM, May 07, 2006
___________________________________
Who goes inside at 1.37pm on Sunday afternoon & reads this blog & then writes something intended to hurt? Someone incompetent, I guess.
Well, the blame game has started:
Mickey Mayor's e-coli today reads, in part, if you can stomach it:
"the estimates are that increased patronage and user charges plus sponsorship will cover any shortfall."
Now, when Laws' lies come home to roost, we know to blame "the estimates". And who made those estimates? Why, Council employees, of course. Just so long as we know where the buck stops eh Mickey? Don't you think there's a possiblity your tangled web might unravel? I can't see there being any orchestrated litany of support for you.
List of Wanganui artists who sell work every time they exhibit - in no particular order:
Liz Coates, Emma Camden, David Murray, The Chronicle Glass 3, Ross M-A, Leigh M-A, Jodie Dalgleish, Prakash Patel, Maiangi Waitai, that phonebook guy that Mickey likes, Joan Morrel, Aaron Gardiner etc. etc... even that Dutton guy sells.
That's not what makes Wanganui an arts centre, though. The Sarjeant helps, though it's more of a symptom than a cause: Whanganui's been a centre of creative excellence for the last 1500 years or so, so perhaps it's in the water.
Who goes inside at 1.37pm on Sunday afternoon & reads this blog & then writes something intended to hurt? Someone incompetent, I guess.
4:42 PM, May 08, 2006
&&&&&&&&&&&
Sounds more like someone with an hour and bit left to wander down from Porridge St to bullshit the punters at the St John's Hill "LTCCP meeting". He might have been better occupied getting his story straight than wearing out his little mayoral pinkies telling porkies on LawsWatch.
Dave Boswell, at 90+, was more convincing than Mickey Mayor.
What I don't understand (one of the many things) is why Mickey can't accept that Wanganu is not only a centre of creative excellence (as are many places). and also a centre of sporting excellence, I mean, there's like how many nationally famous athletes living here, and writers (don't they count as artists?) etc. etc. (not to mention the manufacturing excellence too) but if Mickey is to be believed it can't be all those things, it can only be one: "family town".
So he wants to extend the swimming pool. Don't we all?
So Mickey's got himself a new U.C. even though right now he seems to be calling her the council's "press secretary".
Wonder what her particular talents are for a job that seems not to have been advertised and in fact was filled with indecent haste? Oh that's right, she's part of the embarrassingly awful Wangas breakfast show on Mickey's radio station.
Wonder how long it will take her to forget the small print in her "real" job description and get herself promoted to U.C. to make way for the next bunny.
Oh Mickey Mayor, the lights, the lights are calling,
Celebrity, as down the polls you slide,
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying,
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when we've fixed your damage,
Or when the Sarjeant's back on international stage,
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh Mickey Mayor, Oh Mickey Mayor, Now you must go.
Seamus O'Taplol
From WAG minutes:
"e. Open Studios was poorly promoted this year. The cancellation of the Arts Festival was badly handled and this was bad for AOS."
Poorly promoted. But hang on, WDC took over promotion this year. Isn't Mickey Mayor supposed to be a marketing whiz? Smacks of more incompetence to me.
I hope Nygwllhuw and Winc can do better next time. Just what is Mickey good for, anyway?
Answer to anon 111.22am:
Getting up your nose, dork!
Answer to anon at 1.56 pm:
Well then, next time I need a nose-pick I'll be sure to call him :)
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