"Our Deregulation Reform Agenda"? I know the Advocate likes to see itself as a feisty little campaigning tabloid, but to have it's own Deregulation Reform Agenda, with capital letters and everything, is jolly impressive.

I'm joking of course. It's an absolute outrage. If mere independent local councilors can deliver press-ready copy, why can't the National Party get their act together? The staff at the Advocate are professional journalists; they have better things to do than translate press releases into the third person. They probably have four or five photos of the mayor to build stories around, an ambulance or three to chase, and a baker's dozen of local businesses receiving prestigious industry awards to churn through in time for Saturday's edition.

I mean, it's the age of the Internet, isn't it? Traditional media have to compete with bloggers, who really just echo content generated elsewhere, whereas struggling local papers like the Advocate have press releases, wire services, and advertorial copy to contend with. Meanwhile the National Party are living in some Woodward and Bernstein time warp where they probably imagine journalists have nothing better to do than original investigative reporting. Just goes to show how out of touch they are.

Update: I see "our Deregulation Reform Agenda" has been amended to "a Deregulation Reform Agenda". Now, your bonus question for extra points: What is a Deregulation Reform Agenda, other than three random, focus-group-tested words smooshed together?

Are they proposing reforming deregulation? That is, conceding that deregulation has been a rotten idea all along, and the time is ripe for re-regulation? That is an Agenda, with a capital "A", almost as appealing as my Sobriety Reform Agenda. Excuse me while I implement it.