There's been a plethora of commentary and speculation of late upon New Zealand's increasingly 'fraught' relationship with China - the Peoples' Republic thereof, that is, as Taiwan, last I heard, still maintains itself as the 'Democratic Republic of China' (if I've got things right), or at least effectively so...however snubbed and otherwise ignored by other nations ever seeking to cozy up to the Smiling Oriental Dragon...
Without any further ado, let's cut to the chase: yes, economist Mike Riddell is spot-on vis-a-vis China ...especially as to the barely-veiled current attempts of a craven, cowardly and increasingly cringeworthy NZ National Party to cozy on up to 'em...in an unhealthy, codependent, sycophantic fashion to boot...a line (too feeble-minded to be credited as 'reasoning') that the so-called 'peoples' radio', RNZ National, has itself tended to take up and espouse/promote (up to recent days at least)...
Indeed, Canterbury University's own Anne-Marie Brady - herself secretly subjected to surreptitious search and seizure (in the sacred precincts of her own home) awhile ago - is a perfect test case of just how dangerous a thing it really is to *snuggle up to the Chinese Dragon...a proposition indeed that makes **Bilbo Baggins' unenviable quest into Smaug the Dragon of the Lonely Mountain's deep, dark hideaway almost look a veritable piece of cake by comparison...
Yes, it's all about genuinely cherishing and honouring our own well-founded values and longstanding traditions, and thus maintaining self-respect...and standing alongside all good folk everywhere for that rather old-fashioned but still valuable concept of ****'human rights' and freedom...
*No, she didn't so snuggle up to the PRC, but NZ already well and truly having done so under H Clark & Co back in 2008...and said process having been put into overdrive under the Key (and English) administrations...I'm merely making the (arguably self-evident) point that the closer one's relationship becomes with Beijing, the more fraught things are likely to get, and indeed have verily become...for the smaller ***'partner', in this case lil ole God's Own...
**As recounted so superbly in that masterpiece of classical epic literature, JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit.
***Of course truly a partner only in name.
****Something former U S President Jimmy Carter was so mercilessly parodied over...as the 'Otago Daily Times *****documented a few years back in what was a very revealing backgrounder to his presidency. Carter - quite justifiably in my view, anyhow - felt (immensely) proud - however much his Republican presidential opponent, the then former two-term Governor of California, Ronald Reagan (and American media generally) depicted/characterized him as effectively being the United States' 'Wimp-in-Chief' - that under his presidential tenure not one person lost ******'their' life.
*****In its well-reputed 'World Focus' Monday supplement, sadly now given ordinary, everyday status within the ODT's general pages.
******Yes, more precisely 'his/her', but 'their' seems to have now passed into everyday vocab. As to the far more substantive point, Carter was presumably including not only the fact that America's overseas-stationed defence/defensive (though more often these days, offence/offensive) forces were not involved then in the taking of any lives, military or civilian - clearly no American-related wars were being fought - but also that nobody was put to death on federal 'death row' under his tenure... - a feat surely worth noting and for which - however completely ignored by the 'informing' media -one can surely excuse him for having been justifiably more than a little proud...
Without any further ado, let's cut to the chase: yes, economist Mike Riddell is spot-on vis-a-vis China ...especially as to the barely-veiled current attempts of a craven, cowardly and increasingly cringeworthy NZ National Party to cozy on up to 'em...in an unhealthy, codependent, sycophantic fashion to boot...a line (too feeble-minded to be credited as 'reasoning') that the so-called 'peoples' radio', RNZ National, has itself tended to take up and espouse/promote (up to recent days at least)...
Indeed, Canterbury University's own Anne-Marie Brady - herself secretly subjected to surreptitious search and seizure (in the sacred precincts of her own home) awhile ago - is a perfect test case of just how dangerous a thing it really is to *snuggle up to the Chinese Dragon...a proposition indeed that makes **Bilbo Baggins' unenviable quest into Smaug the Dragon of the Lonely Mountain's deep, dark hideaway almost look a veritable piece of cake by comparison...
Yes, it's all about genuinely cherishing and honouring our own well-founded values and longstanding traditions, and thus maintaining self-respect...and standing alongside all good folk everywhere for that rather old-fashioned but still valuable concept of ****'human rights' and freedom...
*No, she didn't so snuggle up to the PRC, but NZ already well and truly having done so under H Clark & Co back in 2008...and said process having been put into overdrive under the Key (and English) administrations...I'm merely making the (arguably self-evident) point that the closer one's relationship becomes with Beijing, the more fraught things are likely to get, and indeed have verily become...for the smaller ***'partner', in this case lil ole God's Own...
**As recounted so superbly in that masterpiece of classical epic literature, JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit.
***Of course truly a partner only in name.
****Something former U S President Jimmy Carter was so mercilessly parodied over...as the 'Otago Daily Times *****documented a few years back in what was a very revealing backgrounder to his presidency. Carter - quite justifiably in my view, anyhow - felt (immensely) proud - however much his Republican presidential opponent, the then former two-term Governor of California, Ronald Reagan (and American media generally) depicted/characterized him as effectively being the United States' 'Wimp-in-Chief' - that under his presidential tenure not one person lost ******'their' life.
*****In its well-reputed 'World Focus' Monday supplement, sadly now given ordinary, everyday status within the ODT's general pages.
******Yes, more precisely 'his/her', but 'their' seems to have now passed into everyday vocab. As to the far more substantive point, Carter was presumably including not only the fact that America's overseas-stationed defence/defensive (though more often these days, offence/offensive) forces were not involved then in the taking of any lives, military or civilian - clearly no American-related wars were being fought - but also that nobody was put to death on federal 'death row' under his tenure... - a feat surely worth noting and for which - however completely ignored by the 'informing' media -one can surely excuse him for having been justifiably more than a little proud...
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