Morrissey7.1
Unbelievably, Chris Laidlaw spouted some nonsense in his introductory remarks. I sent him this e-mail…. Dear Chris,In the preamble to your interview with Avner Gvaryahu, you pointed out that the IDF controls every aspect of life in the Occupied Territories—but then you said, incredibly, that “by and large, they do it even-handedly.”That the IDF acts “by and large, even-handedly”, will come as a surprise to anyone who has watched IDF soldiers sit back and do nothing as gangs of heavily armed illegal settlers run amok through Palestinian villages, uprooting crops and cutting down olive trees, as well as perpetrating a host of other outrages.Your claim that the IDF is “by and large, even-handed” served to undermine the testimony of Avner Gvaryahu, even before the interview began.Yours sincerely,Morrissey BreenNorthcote Pointvto7.1.1
How can Chris Laidlaw justify that comment when that appears to be the subject of the interview? Is this what is called prejudgment?- No, I think it’s just a case of saying something—anything—to fill the silence, no matter how vacuous. Chris spent some years at Oxford, then too many years on the diplomatic circuit in the 1970s and 80s, followed by a spell in parliament; vacuous and pompous phrases are a sine qua non in those environments.
He probably didn’t even think about what he was saying, so pat is the formula.Visubversaviper7.1.1.1.1
A very short spell in Parliament (came in with a by-election) during which he managed to piss off most of his electorate workers – hence the loss of the seat in the next General Election.- “….he managed to piss off most of his electorate workers – hence the loss of the seat in the next General Election.”
That sounds really interesting. What did he do to piss them off? Was he “poling the voters” too enthusiastically or something?
Fortran7.1.1.2
vtoLaidlaw is too long in the tooth to do anything relevant – he puts me to sleep, with a beer, on Sunday morning.
RNZ still cannot find anybody intelligent to do the programme.- Laidlaw, like everyone, has his faults. However, he is without doubt highly intelligent, and he thinks deeply about moral questions. He is one of the most informed people in the media, and although I’d like to hear him challenge people a bit more, he does a very good job.
That doesn’t mean he can’t be criticized, though.Tiresias7.1.1.2.1.1
Wasn’t Chris Laidlaw once an All Black?
Doesn’t that entitle him to have his views on anything and everything listened to with deep and profound respect? Doesn’t that entitle him to sleep with you wife should the fancy take him? Doesn’t that, in New Zealand, mean that he sits at God’s Right Hand and should be grovelled to?
- 1.) “Wasn’t Chris Laidlaw once an All Black?”
Yes, he was. From 1963 to 1970. He was renowned for the speed and slickness of his passing, and his clever tactical kicking. Here he is in one of the less edifying moments of his career. (Laidlaw is the one holding the football)….
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrao8j533u1qgfwr0o1_500.jpg
2.) “Doesn’t that entitle him to have his views on anything and everything listened to with deep and profound respect?”
There are some former All Blacks who deserve to be listened to. Few of them, however, speak with much knowledge about anything other than football. Some of them are out and out ratbags: Andy Haden is probably the worst of them.
3.) “Doesn’t that entitle him to sleep with you wife should the fancy take him?”
Yes. But, it must be said, only if the fancy takes her as well. Otherwise you have a Robin Brooke situation on your hands.
4.) “Doesn’t that, in New Zealand, mean that he sits at God’s Right Hand and should be grovelled to?”
Yes.
Sunday 7 January 2018
Chris Laidlaw: The IDF acts “by and large, even-handedly” in the Occupied Territories (Dec. 16, 2012)
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11.12 a.m. Avner Gvaryahu – IDF Soldiers Break the Silence