Daily Review 17/02/2016

24 comments on “Daily Review 17/02/2016 ”

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1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

   17 February 2016 at 7:11 pm

   A lake vanishes. An election is cancelled. Money changes hands.

   I may have the timeline out of order. Can anyone help?
   • weka 1.1

     17 February 2016 at 7:16 pm

     What are you talking about?
     • BM 1.1.1

       17 February 2016 at 7:18 pm

       Put on your thinking cap weka, it’s not that difficult
       • weka 1.1.1.1

         17 February 2016 at 7:43 pm

         Only if I’ve been reading the same news as OAB I suspect.

         The cancelled election I was reading about today was the Bill going through parliament that will stop Otago and Southlanders from voting in the next local body elections for people to run the Southern DHB.
         • Keith 1.1.1.1.1

           17 February 2016 at 9:00 pm

           You just know damn well that the next hidden National Party policy to break cover under the innocent guise of something else is privatising the health system.

           Just like the unsanctioned – no mandate sell off of State Housing and land that simmered away from the publics attention pre election there are $$$ to be made by those well connected and in the know.
     • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.2

       17 February 2016 at 7:22 pm

       ECAN, Lake Wardell, irrigation, and corruption.
       • Anne 1.1.2.1

         17 February 2016 at 7:35 pm

         Doesn’t Amy Adams own or have shares in a company which has been selected by govt. to build a big irrigation scheme in the Sth. Island?
         • Macro 1.1.2.1.1

           17 February 2016 at 8:29 pm

           Her family own two farms in and area that is part of the controversial Central Plains Water Scheme.
           Nick Smith – who sacked the ECan Board in 2010 has a brother farming in the area who was charged with 21 charges involving environmental issues.
           These Nact MP’s have no moral compass and wouldn’t know a conflict of interest if they fell over one.
           • AmaKiwi 1.1.2.1.1.1

             17 February 2016 at 9:01 pm

             Why couldn’t the Labour and Green MPs make a headline story out of this?
             • Manuka AOR …

               18 February 2016 at 6:23 am

               It’s jaw-droppingly bad – It should be headlines!
               But the media’s been bought and sold and told what to not say, and when to look the other way… They’ve become the whitewashing crew who try to make such things look nice, or at least less offensive, when they do seep into public awareness. Who would say anything: Hoskings? Henry? The ‘Story’ crew who were so shocked!, shocked I tell you, at the way the naughty tppa protesters behaved! Or maybe the pro-nat sycophantic swarm at the Herald. When any of that lot say anything it will be to sweeten the poison while they administer it.
           • Draco T Bastard 1.1.2.1.1.2

             17 February 2016 at 9:47 pm

             It’s simpler just to say that National is inherently corrupt.
         • Rosie 1.1.2.1.2

           17 February 2016 at 9:01 pm

           Amy Adams is a beneficiary of the CPW scheme: Nice work if you can get eh? It’s the National Party way, be self enabling!

           “This one involves Environment Minister Amy Adams and her maze of connections to dairy farming interests and irrigation.

           I’m not saying for one minute that she shouldn’t own dairy farms.

           However, her role as minister for the environment while doing so is nothing short of a farce. I say this with the emphasis squarely on the word “environment”.

           Further than that is the financial benefit she will gain from her holdings in Mid Canterbury being in the area covered by the contentious Central Plains Water (CPW) scheme. Irrigation, in other words. ”

           Racheal Stewart, Taranaki Daily News March 2014

           http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/opinion/9834430/Adams-well-linked-to-land-of-milk-and-money

           From memory it happens that she owns a sheep farm, rather than dairy, so requires a less intensive amount of water as a dairy farm so it’s all ok….

           PS: I see macro has posted the excellent article by scoop on the issue. It has all the relevant info plus a useful conflict of interest flow chart.
           • pat 1.1.2.1.2.1

             17 February 2016 at 10:22 pm

             “From memory it happens that she owns a sheep farm, rather than dairy, so requires a less intensive amount of water as a dairy farm so it’s all ok….”

             and how long will it remain a sheep farm once it has reliable water source…and what will happen to the value of that farm when it goes from drylands to fully irrigated?
   • John Shears 1.2

     17 February 2016 at 9:56 pm

     Wardell Lake most likely named after the proprietor of the Pukaki Hotel back in the 1950’s & pre hydro development days.
     Sad to see it dried up. Could someone explain to Ecan that water finds its own level.
     • marty mars 1.2.1

       17 February 2016 at 10:01 pm

       I didn’t quite understand the article – is there a blockage that could be opened which would allow the water to flow to the lake? and if so surely the powers that be can ascertain or confirm that rather than just bleat – lack of rain blah blah blah
2. Gristle 2

   17 February 2016 at 7:33 pm

   My father-in-law tells stories of when rabbits, possums and flax got his family through the Great Depression. (He will still rides his horse and only did his last cattle drive at the age of 83.). I worry that his experience may soon be repeated as the great Neo-liberal bet fails to deliver anything more than a drip.

   My grandfather participated in both the Boer War and WWI. I worry that great power brinkmanship may soon be repeated. My son is 25.

   My father was a refugee during WWII. There is no need to worry about there being further refugees as the world already has plenty of them.

   Did I here correctly that John Key offered to accept 267 of Australia’s unwanted refugees? I’m sure that there are double deals and PR etc going on and it is probably related to Key not wanting to be caught out on the wrong side of his focus group polling. But it’s better than forcing them to go to Nauru.
3. weka 3

   17 February 2016 at 7:57 pm

   The health system being neoliberalised before our very eyes (although I still think that neoliberal is the wrong term for what NACT are doing, they’ve gone beyond even that).

   Dr Chambers was one of the board members replaced by the commissioner regime last year.

   Now, the Government wants to extend the regime by scrapping the scheduled 2016 election.

   As a board member, Dr Chambers had been “shocked” by how much took place behind closed doors, and that had got worse under the commissioner, he said in his submission.

   He recalled that at meetings the public was “excluded from the room after literally a few minutes of hastily conducted public agenda”.

   The commissioner regime now conducted its business entirely behind closed doors, he said.

   He suggested public consultation under way was largely window dressing for changes that had already been decided.

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/373260/submitters-slate-scrapping-sdhb-election

   An Australasian consulting firm has been awarded a major planning contract for the Dunedin Hospital redevelopment.

   The Sapere Research Group will help the politically appointed Southern Partnership Group to develop the “business case” for the Government to consider.

   The Southern District Health Board and the Ministry of Health announced the move in a joint press release.

   In a nod to the repeated delays in the project, the press release says the group has the skills and experience to “speed up the redevelopment process”.

   The redevelopment centres on the clinical services building, but will look at the entire hospital campus.

   It could take up to a decade, but the partnership group is said to be trying to speed up the timeframe.

   The same firm – Sapere – has written a long-awaited report on the future of health services in the Wakatipu, which the ministry refuses to release.

   The report looks at the possibility of removing Lakes District Hospital

   from direct control of the health board, and into a community health trust.

   The Otago Daily Times has been seeking the report since July.

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/373398/oz-consulting-firm-do-hospital-planning

   The existence of a list of cost-cutting “quick hits” has been disclosed at the Southern District Health Board as it seeks to cull $4.1 million from its budget.

   Chief executive Carole Heatly’s response to a Labour Party information request says the “quick hits” include $863,000 from personnel and $435,000 from clinical supplies.

   All up, the “quick hits” list amounts to more than $1.4 million.

   http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/373400/sdhb-s-hit-list-cut-41m
4. Macro 4

   17 February 2016 at 8:02 pm

   EC Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom on ISDS procedures:

   From the start of my mandate almost a year ago, ISDS has been one of the most controversial issues in my brief. I met and listened to many people and organisations, including NGOs, which voiced a number of concerns about the old, traditional system. It’s clear to me that all these complaints had one common feature – that there is a fundamental and widespread lack of trust by the public in the fairness and impartiality of the old ISDS model. This has significantly affected the public’s acceptance of ISDS and of companies bringing such cases.

   my bold

   So how come we are so desperate to ratify this can of worms?
   • weka 4.1

     17 February 2016 at 8:06 pm

     Because lack of public trust is a PR issue not a democracy one (according those who are pro-TPPA).
5. miravox 5

   17 February 2016 at 9:11 pm

   Channel 4 attempts to educate Brits about the refugee journey

   http://twobillionmiles.com/
6. Muttonbird 6

   17 February 2016 at 9:16 pm

   The Government recognises that some tenants may be reluctant to bring complaints to the Tenancy Tribunal for fear of eviction, despite the RTA prohibiting retaliatory notice, so the Bill includes measures to strengthen protections to prevent this from happening.

   -Nick Smith

   I haven’t been as angry for quote some time as I was when I read this. The fact is this government has no fucking idea what conditions are like on the ground with regards to retaliatory evictions and they know full well tenants in NZ, New Zealand families, are rendered powerless through weak legislation on this issue. Love to know the details of these measures!

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/77006902/nick-smith-warmer-safer-homes-a-government-priority
7. The Chairman 7

   17 February 2016 at 9:20 pm

   Some interesting viewing for those that missed them.

   https://youtu.be/vpag8Iw95vY

   https://youtu.be/rsNqEM7s84E
8. joe90 8

   17 February 2016 at 10:01 pm

   An interview with Cryptome founders John Young and Deborah Natsios.

   In the 18th minute, they issue a scathing rebuke of “celebrity” journalism as practiced, in their opinion, by The Intercept, the publication owned by Pierre Omidyar’s First Look Media. The interview is worth hearing in its entirety, and I urge anyone who’s had questions and concerns about Edward Snowden and his relationship to The Intercept’s founding editors, Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill and Laura Poitras, to listen to it and carefully consider their arguments.

   Why? Because Cryptome raises serious questions that nobody else on the left or in the media want to talk about, including how Omidar has created a business from Snowden’s cache; what exactly Snowden may have been doing while he was working for the CIA prior to his time at NSA (and what else he may have been doing at NSA itself); and why Snowden and The Intercept continue to proselytize for Tor, the anonymization tool, despite its massive funding from the U.S. government, the Pentagon and the national security state.

   One of the most amazing moments comes when the host, Pit Shultz, grows nervous about how his questions are being answered. It’s a sad insight into how the libertarian left responds to any criticism of its heroes and the arrogance and vitriol that’s been thrown to people who’ve raised questions about Snowden, Tor or Omidyar’s operations. To his credit, Shultz soldiers on – but only after Natsios assures him that “robust debate” is crucial to democracy.

   http://timshorrock.com/?p=2354

   ( direct link to the interview – https://soundcloud.com/rebootfm/interview-with-cryptome-2016-02-06 )
9. pat 9

   17 February 2016 at 11:23 pm

   http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/feb/17/automation-may-mean-a-post-work-society-but-we-shouldnt-be-afraid

   agree or disagree at least Mr Mason is aware the current system can’t be fixed….or should that read repaired?

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