Corbyn rides a commie bike!

Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, September 16th, 2015 - 100 comments
Categories: journalism, making shit up, spin, uk politics - Tags: , ,

The subtle and not so subtle demonisation of Jeremy Corbyn by England’s establishment media is going to be something to behold. How about this yesterday in The Times?

The new Labour leader treated himself to a black cab at his home yesterday, abandoning the Chairman Mao-style bicycle his neighbours always see him riding.

A “Chairman Mao-style bicycle” – otherwise known as “a bicycle” – but Corbyn is a commie! Geddit? Do ya geddit??

EXHIBIT A:

corbyn-bicycle

100 comments on “Corbyn rides a commie bike! ”

  1. Morrissey 1

    Keep an eye on Josie Pagani. I bet she’ll be using this trope in the next few weeks.

    • newsense 1.1

      Snap.

      It’s a pity that Kelvin Davis was even remotely linked with Quinn, Pagani and the lot who like to pop up to cry boo at anything Labour do.

      I hope he gives them a wide berth and distances himself from them in the future as a voter and someone who has enjoyed his work on Serco.

  2. tracey 2

    If he were a Tory this would make him an ordinary bloke hankering for his boyhood days of freedom and state housing yokedom.

    Just like all those bikes you see in the Communist footholds of Oxford (note the tell-tale red seats) and Cambridge.

    http://www.baintonbikes.com/ImageFiles/BikeHire.jpg

    Cambridge
    http://www.camcycle.org.uk/cycling2020/images/insecurebikes.jpg

    • Ben Clark 2.1

      David Cameron made a big show of bicycling (as does Boris!), to try to get that common man / in touch with the environment thing going. Of course he got ridiculed for the Govt car crawling slowly along behind him with his briefcase, burning fuel…

      But I don’t think he ever got accused of riding a “Chairman Mao” style bicycle…

  3. cogito 3

    Plenty of commie bikes for sale at The Warehouse.

    Come to think of it, plenty of commie utes on our roads, and commie clothes in our shops, and commie money flooding the Auckland housing market…

  4. millsy 4

    Yes, how dare he save the British tax payer thousands in taxi chits.

  5. mac1 5

    “Labour leader shows respect for rules of the road, self-respect in wearing a helmet and cycling for his health, and respect for the environment.”

    Note the hand position with fingers close to the brake levers, as opposed to that photo of John Key cycling with his colleagues and minders, and the serious focus on the road.

    Note also the tidy clothing and polished shoes.

    The high visibility red rosette is an extra!

  6. rhinocrates 6

    There’s this too:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/15/conservative-party-jeremy-corbyn-youtube-video-taken-down_n_8139950.html?1442327969

    The “Threat to national security” ad has been taken down due to copyright infringement, but as has been pointed out, only after it’s been seen thousands of times.

    IN CTs eyes, they haven’t botched, I’m sure. It’s increasingly common for politicians to grab copyrighted material (Key, Trump etc) without the artist’s consent. We’re going to see more and more hit and run campaigning as the norm. It won’t matter if it’s challenged, because it’s designed for immediate impact and is challenged and taken down when it’s window of effectiveness has passed anyway.

    It’s related to Lyndon Johnson’s pig fucker tactic – accuse someone of fucking pigs not because you can prove it, but because you want to see them denying it.

    Attack ads may be absurd, libellous, in breach of copyright or whatever, but those spreading them simply don’t care – in fact, the more outrageous the better because they are intended to block discussion, not advance it. Complaining about them on those terms is like complaining that water is wet.

    Proverb: Who defines the terms wins the argument.

    You need to find counters that have similarly immediate effect. A good grassroots example is the flood of ridicule that Cameron’s original tweet received, eg: a woman in a garden shed with a colander on her head saying “I’m afraid of the Labour Party. Am I safe here?”

    • tracey 6.1

      But, but, but the Right don’t do negative or attacking politics, cos it just doens’t work 😉

    • James 6.2

      Looks like it is back up.

      https://youtu.be/_hgJokgNJHo

      • Draco T Bastard 6.2.1

        Wonder if that would come under the new digital attack that just got passed by National. It should do as it’s pretty much designed to cause strife and damage to a person.

      • seeker 6.2.2

        Conservatives: all too often a threat to human existence…..

      • newsense 6.2.3

        wow. that was weak. I thought that it would be stronger.

    • BLiP 6.3

      . . . It won’t matter if it’s challenged, because it’s designed for immediate impact and is challenged and taken down when it’s window of effectiveness has passed anyway . . .

      With Crosby/Textor the publicity surrounding the take-down of such material is part of why its done in the first place. Very often, the take-down material perpetuates the meme being injected into public consciousness.

  7. Sabine 7

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwvWtZl2ICY

    I want to ride my bycycle
    I want to ride my bike……..

    such a British thing to do 🙂

  8. dukeofurl 8

    There is the “Flying Pigeon ” brand bicycles which originated in the Mao era, not sure if Corbyn is using one.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Pigeon

  9. save NZ 9

    Judging from his weight I guess he is even more communist and actually walks too! How dare he mingle with the people and not be charging the tax payer for stomach stapling operations which are so popular for MP’s!

  10. Sanctuary 10

    Coming up: How Jeremy Corbyn rides a bike built by child slave labour.

  11. vto 11

    Corbyn rides commie bike.

    Cameron sells bombs to ISIS

    take your pick

    • Atiawa 11.1

      If the people are influenced by what is written about his mode of transport or it’s place of origin or who it may or may not depict then they deserve everything neo-liberalism has to offer. Would left leaning voters in this country be persuaded to vote for John Key if it was common for him to commute to work in a self driven 20 year old Toyota corolla? Would Green party supporters call for a place on the treasury benches if he powered his home & motor vehicle using solar energy? Do we really lack that much faith in our fellow man & woman? Do we place that much current day faith in the persuasion of the pen’s headline?
      It will be Corbyn and his parties ability to take people with them as a result of the message he conveys and whether he and his party have policies and the credibility to resonate with those they crave to represent. Sweet fuck all else will matter.

  12. James 12

    As someone who thinks Corbyn is a joke – Even I think this bike thing is stupid.

  13. Gabby 13

    David Hameron’s slave-made bike is far preferable.

  14. BM 14

    Definitely looks like a bike Mao would ride.

    Is that a little red book in his shirt pocket?

  15. maui 15

    Commie bikes have bar ends on the handle bars reflecting the shape of the sickle, it’s widespread knowledge.

    On another note, he looks far more natural/efficient on a bike than Key and Bridges do when they open cycleways.

  16. Tiger Mountain 16

    I haven’t ridden a bike since school days but still manage to maintain a marxist world view

    on yer commie bike indeed Corbyn–heh! the tabloids are barrel scraping already, whats not to like about a reasonably fit good example for other politicians? don’t pom MPs regularly get caught out for various signs of affluence–moat maintenance, coke snorting, gluttony and sex “rings”?

  17. Sanctuary 17

    I Googled “communist bicycle” and got this –

    http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/wteach/IAYS/the_streets_5100062_zpsd7a6e06e.jpg

    Give me some communism or give me my death, I say!

  18. tracey 18

    Funny how it is ok to use Commie as a slur, notwithstanding the suggestion of Stalinesque brutality, but suggest a rightie is a facist and…..

  19. The lost sheep 20

    The revolution is away. At bicycle speed.

    Labour has slightly narrowed the gap between its poll rating and that of the Conservatives, a new poll shows.
    The ICM survey for the Guardian newspaper shows a six-point lead for the Tories, down from nine points in the previous survey conducted last month.
    The opposition party’s rating increased by one per cent, with the Conservatives themselves down two per cent.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-closes-gap-with-tories-by-three-points-new-poll-finds-10501432.html

  20. Macro 21

    Nothing new here – they did it to Harold Wilson as well.
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/mar/15/comment.labour1

    • Draco T Bastard 21.1

      The conservatives seem to do it to everyone all the time. And then they claim that they’re the party that doesn’t attack people.

      They are, of course, liars.

      • Macro 21.1.1

        The attack on Harold Wilson was particularly nasty and lead to his forced resignation – Mountbatten and others were involved right to the very top! They are despicable and we are now seeing it already with Corbyn.
        The BBC 90 min docu-drama done in 2006 is work a look:
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6v1VxB5Lss

  21. The Real Matthew 22

    It must be hard for you guys coming from a New Zealand media base to deal with opinion media that questions left wing ideals.

    The New Zealand Herald and Fairfax wouldn’t know journalistic independence if it smacked them in the face. By contracting a bevvy of left wing reporters they have compromised the integrity of their publications, becoming little more than mouthpieces for the left.

    When was the last time you say an article critiquing a Green Party policy or a NZ First policy?

    I guess it’s hard to find room when your editorials constantly bash the current government and when you run selective Letters to the Editor that consistently contain factual errors. But hey who cares when they suit the narrative of the newspaper.

    • tracey 22.1

      Feel better?

    • Stuart Munro 22.2

      Yes indeed, getting rid of the moderate centre right Dita De Boni for the notorious commie troll Hosking was the end for the Herald – it’s a red rag now.

      • McFlock 22.2.1

        hush.
        Matthew’s an oppressed mass.

        Matthew is the only one who can see that the Herald’s the sort of commie propaganda that leftists like Ghengiz Khan would approve of.

        • greywarshark 22.2.1.1

          The Real Matthew
          An oppressed mass? Is he an Ironed Man?

          • McFlock 22.2.1.1.1

            Indeed. He’s fed up with being mescalated and castorated by all this leftist PC nonsense. There’s violence inherent in the system, but he doesn’t get to dole out any of it, poor puppy.

        • Stuart Munro 22.2.1.2

          According to http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609610627 , Genghis was unusually democratic – though his heirs were not. He toppled monarchs, but absorbed the huddled masses – sort of like Jeremy Corbyn on an Adyu 😉

          • McFlock 22.2.1.2.1

            lol feel free to pick a more appropriate benchmark, just try to avoid a Godwin 🙂

            • Stuart Munro 22.2.1.2.1.1

              Marcus Crassus is the archetypal tighty righty – clever with the shekels but managed to lose his head to the Parthians – an E team that lost to Rome as regularly as West Coast or frankly The Blues lose to Canterbury…
              Eponymous for the combination of insensitivity and stupidity, Crassus is the original model for hosers like Talley, Murdoch, Trump, and Brownlee.

    • Gabby 22.3

      Are they Faybeeyuns, realmatthew?

    • weka 22.4

      ha ha ha, very funny. The anonymous editorials writers at the Herald are really communists.

    • newsense 22.6

      when was the time they wrote any thing about any policy- instead about Max Key and how the Australian leadership spill is a great thing for Key Snr….it’s the noveau royalty they’re all about

  22. Peter 23

    …. the real concern is how MSM NZ employs similar tactics from the same playbook as The Times

  23. Peter 24

    …. the real concern is how MSM NZ employs similar tactics from the same playbook as The Times

  24. Adrian 25

    Bugger me, even Jeremy Clarkson rides a bike in London. Maybe he’s a closet communist. How clever a cover is that!.

  25. greywarshark 26

    How to use loaded, emotional, cryptic-meaning-laden language!
    Corbyn ‘treated’ himself to a black cab (why the emphasis on black)?
    And the Chairman Mao-like-bike. Who remembers who Chairman Mao is amongst the chattering classes, and what sort of bike, if any, he or his compatriots rode.

    As you say Anthony – very interesting. What a fine choice of words. Is there a workshop, held regularly, teaching how to write this laden-language at journalism school? Do they go to school at all these days to ‘larn that there jornalism’ or is it larned in-house? Is there a special thesaurus giving right-wing politicised versions of our everyday words.

    I have a book produced by Ronald Searle taking a potshot at feminists and their close analysis of the extent of male gender control of language. This seems to be a flowering of the political mania to downgrade the dread Left.

    One word that brought forth Searle’s inspiration was Himalayas becoming Heralayas which was completed with a hairy Sherpa. Mangy became Womangy, Manhandle – Womanhandle, Manhole – Womanhole (which became a shapely pavement metal artwork, instead of a prosaic circle or square).

    I think there is a light-hearted book in the political flights of fancy. Can we please add to this post and use it to pass on each one we hear or read to this collection? And then they can be published as a satirical and amusing milestone of RW villainy and human mendaciousness that Kafka would have enjoyed in his lighter moments.
    edited

  26. McFlock 27

    Damned if I can google an image of Mao riding a bike. Lots of bikes, lots of Mao, none with the two together.

  27. Adrian 28

    About bikes in London. You can virtually get a free 2000 quid bike in London, it’s a scheme where the Gummint, the London Council ( I think ) and your employer and a bit of money out of your wages all chip in so long as you ride it often enough to work.
    And not just a commo Jezza model either, I really fancied a flash Pinarello with all the kit.

  28. McFlock 29

    wow – just had a look at the Telegraph website, and it was absolutely insane. They talked about a speech being a shambles because he skipped a few lines about Thatcher that had been in the released text, and were hysterical that he didn’t sing along to god save the queen.

    But the cherry on top was a thumbnail pic on the front page of Corbyn giving a straight-arm naz1 salute – looked funnyweird, possibly photoshopped, but more likely him in mid-wave. A dick move straight from “A Very British Coup” (the link is to a quick shot of a clip showing what I’m talking about, but the entire youtube clip is an interesting summary of the show if you haven’t seen it).

    They’re completely rabid.

    lol – Waterford Whispers News (an irish satire site) has a similar headline: 5 Reasons Why Jeremy Corbyn Is The Antichrist 🙂

    • Draco T Bastard 29.1

      5) Never watched Downton Abbey. Not once. Not fucking once did he watch the beloved ITV drama. Corbyn has no idea what Anna and Mr. Bates have been through. What a bastard.

      😆 😈

      • lprent 29.1.1

        Hah! Please don’t taunt me. It is the latest soap going through the TV.
        Makes me enjoy cooking. And the idea of a bit of class revolt….

        (I have never seen it before and never wish to again. Makes me realise that I should figure out how to hack the Netflix menu. It needs a hide/ban these routine)

  29. ianmac 30

    And note the upright posture from those upright handlebars. Unfortunately most bikes these days are designed for speedy crouch. Wish my bike allowed me to watch the world go by like that.

    • Sanctuary 30.1

      Apparently that is British style of cycling, unattractively called “sit up and beg”, presumably because you look like an expectant Labrador when cycling that way.

      • Phil 30.1.1

        It also gives cyclists the ability to physically, as well as metaphorically, smugly look down on motorists as they pass by, weaving in and out of traffic, breaking every road rule known to man.

        • maui 30.1.1.1

          And rightly so, if drivers are too lazy to move their bodies anywhere, be a part of the physical world and would rather just sit around going nowhere for long periods.

          • Phil 30.1.1.1.1

            Yes, because we live in a world where the only opportunity for physical exercise is during our commute to and from work, and it could never possibly be the case that driving to work is the best option for an individual.

            *eyeroll*

            • maui 30.1.1.1.1.1

              100 years ago we were fitter, healthier, less polluting, less lazy and more aware of our environs due to not being able to drive. All good reasons to look down on driving. Most of our driving is unneccessary.

        • Sanctuary 30.1.1.2

          I cycle like that, I only interact with motorists when they too close, and too slow to avoid a boot in the door.

        • Draco T Bastard 30.1.1.3

          1. There’s no laws broken
          2. If you’re too stupid to get on your bike and thus get in our way, well, that’s your own fault.

      • greywarshark 30.1.2

        Expectant for food I take it. And if I did, the dog might bite! So might JC?

    • McFlock 30.2

      That posture and his use of normal clothes makes him look like less of a complete arse than many cyclists in NZ.

      The hlemets still need to be improved, though.

  30. Papa tuanuku 31

    Finding these gems should be turned into a game or competition with prizes for the most outrageous

  31. half crown 32

    We all know he’s a commie, as he a nose bleed the other day and HIS BLOOD WAS RED.
    Not blue blooded like the Tories

  32. This sort of stuff risks turning off some of the people it’s aimed at. Sensible people on the right – and yes there are a few – get a tad edgy when the propaganda starts sounding as risible as a CIA plot to assassinate Castro with an exploding cigar.

    The ability of the media to get away with blatant character assassination and outright lies has been lessened because lies can be countered (and mocked) quickly via social media. They could tell outright lies during the miners’ strike about Scargill stealing union money because by the time the voices of reason could be heard, the damage had been done. These days not so much.

    So let them carry on being as perfidious, deranged and mendacious as they like – it shows them up for what they are.

  33. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 34

    Forget about communist. The principal objection to bicycle riding is that it is undignified.

    • Grant 34.1

      “The principal objection to bicycle riding is that it is undignified.”

      Says commenter sporting the extremely dignified handle, ‘Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell’, whilst donning his Sunday-best clown shoes and propeller cap.

    • gnomic 34.2

      Riding a bicycle undignified? Dare one hope this is an attempt at being whimsical?

      The great H.G. Wells reputedly once wrote “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.”

  34. greywarshark 35

    In case you haven’t seen this somewhere else – more shock schlock about JC.
    http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2015/09/15/5-reasons-why-jeremy-corbyn-is-the-antichrist/

  35. Coaster 36

    Ffs, its an older style bike. Whats wrong with riding a bike?,at least he hasnt got cycle pants and fluro lycra on.

  36. Adrian 37

    Coaster, thats what everybody rides in Britian and the Netherlands, you don’t want your head down and arse up in all the traffic and you can’t go that fast anyway. You see the road/race bikes on the weekend out in the country. Best one I saw was a very elegant madame ( about late 60s-70, French of course ) blythly cycling straight through the Place de la Concorde on a Commo Jezza model, 7 lanes all doing mad laps looking for their exit, and she was paid the utmost respect.

  37. NickS 38

    lolwut? That’s just a normal city bike, using bog standard aluminum frame and frame geometry + mid range, solid components.

    The sort of thing you can buy in any shop that stocks push bikes if you want something reliable to get around town really cheaply.

  38. KeepLeft 40

    Just wait until private transport is banned. Then you’ll see more comrades riding bikes like they should. Great stuff!!!

    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 40.1

      Year zero! Can’t wait to have them take my cutlery and send me to the countryside for cultural cleansing.

  39. BenM 41

    Wait, isn’t Boris Johnson a keen cyclist? The darling of the Tories is a closet communist!

  40. AlanBStard 42

    Best transport he can afford!

    (Sent from iPad Pro while riding in the back of my Rolls on the way to a million pound deal).

  41. johnm 43

    Corbyn is a threat to Britain’s national security don’t you know?
    That is the 1%, the corporations, the city of London, the bankster financialisation parasitism, the U$ economic and foreign policy hegemony, the corporate msm, just about anyone who counts!

    he’s dangerous he’s mobilised some of the proles to join the labour Party for pete’s sake! What happened to their manufactured apathy?
    What has fuhrer cameron got to say?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXcaWQwHTFM

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    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    “It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology â€“ the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of DĂŠjĂ  Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
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