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Our film subsidy temptation

  • December 22nd, 2013

With his characteristic straight talk, Gareth Morgan at Interest.co.nz tells it like it is on the 'Avatar' film subsidy. As a Wellingtonian though, I'm hopelessly compromised. It is too hard to look a gift horse in the mouth when it might be the only thing keeping the good times rolling, as head offices continue to leach away.

I wonder whether the National Ministers have thought far ahead. From my direct experience many film industry leaders are irrational, irretrievably reactionary and hostile to achievement values.

I'll not forget attending the annual awards ceremony as an MP where 'arts' and theatre speaker after speaker took their turn to worship Helen Clark. Their greasing might have been endured, but they found joy (supported by audience whooping) in going on to show her their love by pouring personal venom on National and its leadership. They had no reason for it, other than to show their tribal affiliation with the envious left.

Avatar's anti-business socialism is a strange cultural beneficiary of a National Party whose principles it despises.

Throughout history those who laud themselves as 'creatives' have sided with whoever despises the values of ordinary people.

Comments

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  • AngryTory
  • December 22nd, 2013
  • 9:59 pm

Well Key’s National is governing consistently to the left of Clark’s Labour. So no surprise they are taking Clark’s film subsidies and doubling them.

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  • Rosy Fenwicke
  • December 24th, 2013
  • 2:48 pm

I am wholeheartedly and not ashamed to be supportive of the arrangements which will see the film industry in NZ remain viable and able to compete with the rest of the world. So many people in Wellington and presumably other centres have been employed or benefited from the presence of a creative, non-polluting, technically advanced, fun, international industry in the last fifteen years, Eyes and wallets have been opened to the growth industry that is entertainment- the new opium of the masses in all its forms.
To allow the expertise, the experience and the infrastructure to wither away for the sake of either right wind political correctness, or left wing labour demands would have been as smart as cutting off our nose.
So YAYYY to the National Government’s ability to see the big picture and to be part of it. Yes to the pragmatism of John Key and Well done to Patsy Reddy for getting the deal done! Roll on fun and laughter and ideas we do and don’t agree with. Isn’t that what art is? Isn’t that what makes us human?
Rosy Fenwicke

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The idea the Morgan can talk properly straight Stephen is absurd. The man is a megalomaniac idiot.
Think Korea, think killing cats, think capital taxes, think aggression against farmers, think I am a rich megalomaniac, think big fat hair lip mouth ,

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