Victor Billot

Author: Victor Billot

  • (Barbed) Wire

    Just listened to one of the tracks from the new Wire album “One of us” – available as a free download. Still brilliant. Contributing to my theory that post punk music groups can (not always) survive middle age better than pre punk music groups.

  • Paths are made by walking

    New Zealand’s leading public intellectual of the Left, Chris Trotter, seems to have been genuinely unsettled by the defeat of Labour in 2008. Toys have been thrown, and targets targeted. In an initial attack of post-election spleen Chris railed against those voters who brought in National as ” . . . the men who just…

  • Alpha Plan video from the archives . . .

  • Stop the Stadium March, Dunedin

  • Campaign trail “08”

    I have been selected to stand for the Alliance Party in the 2008 general election for the Dunedin North electorate. More information as it comes to hand.  I haven’t decided yet to blog on my campaign on my old election blog or just keep it all here. I’m pleased to represent the democratic socialist viewpoint.

  • Red Sun in the West

  • David Kilgour at Arc, 13/9/07

    I ventured out last night to the Arc, which is under “new” management (again.) It’s a good space but has struggled. I’m out of the loop with music at the moment as I have been engaged in different things in the last few years. David Kilgour was playing a solo set along with the duo…

  • Red Moon, Lunar Eclipse

  • Sicko

    Went and saw Michael Moore’s new film Sicko last night. Well worth it – it’s his best yet. A searing indictment on corrupt plutocracy running the modern day USA, as well as an important compare and contrast between the free market system and more social systems in other nations. My concern is that New Zealand…

  • A couple of observations on the state of the world

    On the theme of things “eco”, George Monbiot sums up recent thoughts rather nicely here. He also manages to pin down the blindingly obvious with this post on Unions and the Labour Party in the UK. Some parallels to be drawn with our free trade pushin’  Government?

  • Bailterspace?

    The high ranking BailterSpace have some new mp3s on their MySpace page after many years of silence. My pick is Place of R. Some people like music to drive to. This is music to drive space freighters to.

  • Jack Yan on the downsides and upsides of globalization

    My friend Jack Yan just posted a thought provoking article about globalization and the relationship between economy, business and society on his blog. Jack is speaking at an open to the public session later this year at the Alliance Party conference in Dunedin on these very topics – and based on his above article, it…

  • New film by Alister Barry

    Went to the new documentary from Alister Barry at the Film Festival last night. Alister was there to give a talk and was selling copies of his movies including a new DVD trilogy “The New Right is Wrong” featuring Someone Else’s Country, In a land of plenty and the new one A Civilized Society. All…

  • No Turtles sighted today at beach

    The view north from Warrington Beach this morning: I picked up a copy of Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban at the 24 Hour Regent Book Sale on Friday and finished it today. A grand read. The last book of his I read was the Mouse and His Child, when I was about eight.

  • 35

    Birthday today!