Are the Right trying to set up The Greens a scapegoat and Peters as a dangerous trouble-maker, then call on the country to reject the rules around MMP and instead crown National as the Right & True Government?
“The Greens’ environmental policies, on the other hand, would require National to actually seriously challenge farm owners, drilling/mining companies, and other capitalists. Currently the costs of these capitalists’ activities are largely falling on the environment, and therefore on the present and future public. The Greens want to stop these business activities destroying our shared home by preventing and internalising these external costs. They’ll ban some unjustifiably polluting business activities, such as drilling or mining or exploring for more fossil fuels at a time when even burning the fossil fuels already dug up will make the Paris target impossible. They’ll tax other business activities for their pollution—making those who produce the costs pay the costs, instead of externalising them. And they’ll use the tax revenue to clean up the damage and to subsidise farmers and other businesses moving to more sustainable ways of doing business.
Do you really see National doing that? The party whose base is farm owners and other capitalists? The party that think climate change is only an issue for “elites”, and that it’s not a “pressing concern”, and that we should adapt to climate change rather than mitigating it? The party who scaremongered on a small water tax for some big farms that are currently destroying the quality of Aotearoa’s awa and wai?”
That’s just the greens, I can imagine the gnashing of teeth when Labour clamp down on the free loading, property portfolio owning, tax manipulating land lords.
We will need compassion for our capitalist brethren, of right and left persuasion.
Sorry to hog the thread, only, I’m in full research mode right now 🙂
“National’s focus on having a strong economy prevents them from having any interest in what is fundamental to the Greens, which is sustainability and fairness. The challenge in forming this kind of coalition is that there would have to be a shift in the essence of their being.”
Nice. Although I would stay that the Greens want a strong economy where strength comes from sustainability and resiliency, and National want a perpetual growth until it falls over economy
Actually developing the economy costs and thus lowers profits. And it most definitely needs everyone working which would raise wages which also cuts profits.
There is no way for National’s economic management to actually work because everything that needs to be done cuts profits. And National only ever works to maximise profits while cutting costs.
There is a petition going:
“Show your support for the idea of a National/Green govt.” 6,000 signed up.
Reckon they were the desperate Nats?
And another one:
“We don’t support your water tax because:
“You can’t tell us what the impact of the tax will be on food producers, jobs, communities & food prices
You are only taxing……
UPDATE: we have surveyed irrigators and found that a water tax could lead to many arable, sheep and beef farms converting to more intensive farming like dairy and that farmers would reduce spending in rural communities to pay for the tax.”
5,011 signed up. Same folk as in the first petition?
Shall we tell that the Election is over?
lol..all very aspirational and just like current policy settings …Farrar kite flying by request no doubt….only one thing needed to know…..National lie.
Billshit – remember bill lying by omission when Todd declared that there is no recording and Bill each day there watching the misleading and putting his shameful head down? That list is more of that shit behaviour.
Farrar spins propaganda for the National Party for a living. What makes you think any of that list is real?
And even if it was, National can’t be trusted.
But thanks, because I think that list demonstrates very clearly that National don’t want to end poverty or clean up rivers, but they are willing to sell some policy to gain power. So they can keep running a poverty economy and destroying the environment.
Excellent Chris, if you believe any of it, I have a bridge you may like to buy.
Conveniently located in Auckland, many lanes, chance to expand,great views…
All of it? No. Some it? Absolutely, I mean the cycleways alone can be linked to greater tourism possibilities so thats an easy one, predator freer NZ is also easy as its only 65 million, children in poverty well Bill pledged something similar so that wouldn’t take much
All of which would be more than the Greens have achieved in over 20 years
smoke and mirrors…cycleways are already included in nat policy, as is the predator free and the climate target is already not going to met so increasing it just means it wont be met by more…now about that bridge…….
The cycleways? The ones we were promised from the 2009 job summit would create jobs and address the layoffs from GFC? You guys keep letting them retell you they are going to do something, you get excited, they do nothing, and when pushed, repeat it
Does beg the question, would the Greens achieve more in one deal with National then they have over the last 21 years and i think the answer would be yes and that includes when Labour had the opportunity to have the Greens in power and whatever concessions the Greens achieve is good for the country, isn’t it?
Perhaps just encourage National to formulate some effective and sustainable pro-environment policies – good luck with that.
If I had a week to spare I would start compiling a list of the posts/comments extolling the ‘advantages’ of a National-Green alliance: would make an excellent soporific. Nodding off now…
Christchurch Transport Plan
Clean water, great farming
South Taranaki Whale Sanctuary
Turning trash into cash
Wellington Transport Plan
Auckland Transport Plan
Thriving Nature
Protecting drinking water
Empowering NZ
Tourism Levy
Safer, cleaner freight
2015 Climate Action – Yes we can!
Climate Impact Disclosure Statement
Public Finance (Sustainable Development Indicators) Amendment Bill
Clean Groundwater Bill
Regional rail: connecting Manawatū and Hawke’s Bay
No, it doesn’t, though you’d have us believe otherwise; * thinks, shall I drink this goblet of hemlock juice? I’m ever so thirsty and this is the first drink I’ve been offered in ages!
Even if Lab/NZ1 go it alone, whatever they would do on their own would still be better than the “concessions” from the nats. Not the same, but better overall.
The only thing they’ve achieved in 21 years is some insulation in homes, isn’t the point of being in parliament that you get to do some of the things you want to do?
No, the point of being in parliament is that the things you want done get done.
When you don’t care about the credit, they’ve achieved a lot more than that.
The Greens played a significant role in NZ poverty being recognised, counted and now even reduction targets being included as national party election policy. In making water quality an election issue that the nats are the only ones holding back on. In making the housing crisis a recognised problem.
They didn’t do that by accepting “compromises” that included largely what the nats were going to do anyway.
Pffffffft Jacinda wasn’t a feature at the previous election and The Greens done good 🙂 And the election before that, and before that. Chris, your reckons are feeble.
Obviously, making her leader was far more than a cosmetic change, she completely reversed the public dialogue on half a dozen major election issues all by herself.
Credit where credits due she did a pretty impressive job, not quite enough to topple English but from where she started to now was not a bad effort at all
She just needs to shore up on the economy and she’ll be near on unstoppable in 2020
Best and most likely case they go with National, worst case we have Lab/NZFirst/Greens but most likely (of the worst situation) is Lab/NZFirst with a severely neutered Greens, I dunno C & S or something
And yet ended on 36.5%, roughly the same figures David Shearer was polling before he got rolled years ago…..come on, she fizzled out when it came down to it.
Why do you even want the Greens in govt when you voted National and the recent leader considers them looine left wing activists? Is it so you can be on the “winning” team. Greens reasons for not going with Nat is clear. There have been so many posts on it with people like you asking and saying the same things over and over again. By all means disagree with it but doing the online version of holding up your hands and wailing “but why. But why” is redundant.
Start an open mike chat with Wayne. Then you can both say the same thing over and over to each other and see at which number of repetition the Greens say “god chris, you are right”
What about cycleways … don’t really recall what happened the last nine years… perhaps a bit of dishonesty along the way, oh, and poisoned waterways, and “50 K” in poverty
Why would they be satisfied with a few paltry concessions – when the long term game is to keep getting the message out there and to make right-wing ideology unthinkable? (Overton’s window and all that.)
Well thats one way of thinking but while that happens, another 20 years maybe, thats a lot of wasted time
The longest journey may begin with a single step but that step still needs to be taken and even if they didn’t reach an agreement with National it would still mean Labour would have to negotiate with the Greens and not take them for granted
While you are going all Confucius on us try ruminating on the cost of lying to keep power, and how it ruins trust in future relationships required to coexist in govt.
I feel a bit sorry for the Nats and their supporters: short of a majority, no natural support parties left, and increasingly out of touch with reality….
I’ve changed my mind the Greens are fucking hopeless, National shouldn’t even bother.
The best thing going forward is they do Cand P for a Lab/NZ First, that way they’ll drop under 5% in 2020 and then NZ will be rid of the useless pricks and a decent flexible, cross-party like TOP can take its place.
You guys have National derangement syndrome, you’d prefer to suck up and work with a xenophobic ultra-conservative party like NZ First then deal with a party that’s basically continued on from where Helen Clarks Labour left off.
The logical disconnect does my head, It’s so fucking ridiculous, as I said the sooner the Greens are gone the better, you’re just getting in the way of a decent functioning MMP system.
Really though, BM, you sound like a baby diplodocus, left behind in the swamp, bawling, while mummy diplodicus browses the tree tops.
Have you no pride?
And you think that calling them infantile will make Green party members reading your comments want to vote for a coalition agreement with the nats, just to prove how machua they rooly are?
After nine years in government, you guys still think that gaining a coalition partner involves the “negging” date technique so popular among male young nats.
“You guys have National derangement syndrome, you’d prefer to suck up and work with a xenophobic ultra-conservative party like NZ First then deal with a party that’s basically continued on from where Helen Clarks Labour left off.
The logical disconnect does my head, It’s so fucking ridiculous, as I said the sooner the Greens are gone the better, you’re just getting in the way of a decent functioning MMP system.”
Lol, the new Crosby Textor memo. National are basically Helen Clark. The Greens ruin MMP.
Not enough 🙄 🙄 for that.
Pretty sure you’re not supposed to be so tetchy with it though.
The only religious zealotry that has place in an MMP environment is allowed in the National Party as espoused by the double dipper from Dipton Mr. Bill English – especially when it comes to the right of a women to choose. Then of course religious zealotry is a sign of devout piousness and no one is more pious then the double dipper from Dipton, after all confession on Saturday, taking mess on Sunday and then its all good for another week. Right?
Neoliberal economics may be a travesty of religion, but it is the closest thing to a Church that Americans have thesedays, replete with its Inquisition operating out of the universities of Chicago, Harvard and Columbia.
was it not just this year that Blinglish invoked his faith in regards to the ‘criminal’ act of abortion that forces women in this country to literally declare themselves mentally unwell in order to receive an abortion?
As a centre right voter, I admit id prefer for Winston to go with Labour and the Greens, im sick of all his nonsense. Let the three of them try to govern for the next term, oh what fun that will be…..they deserve each other.
No. When you have the chance for power you always take it because you never whats going to happen later and even if what you say comes to pass then NZ will suffer for it.
Just cannot cope with not knowing if you are on the winning team BM? Try to lure them over and then resort to name calling when they dont do what you want?
They have got over the 5% thrrshold every time since 1999.
Surely now that the votes have come in and there is now a waiting period for the overseas vote to come in – then there should be a limbo period where the MSM and other vested interests should be kept out of any news, electronic and newspapers.
Once the completed votes have been counted then that’s the time to sit and wait patiently until a new government can be formed. The way its carrying on is absolutely a disgrace. Maybe the Governor General should step in and inform all the hysteric much rakers to just keep the hell out of it – a government will be formed – let the voters have their say as a democratic society decrees.
There should be no persuading, leaning, goading and deciding what and who should be doing what – the electorate must be absolutely sick to death of it – the MSM seriously needs a rein in. Our family have completely turned off all MSM and now get videos out and watch overseas content online. How many other people have had a guts full of mouthy “no it alls” who spout heaps and know nothing.
I saw them play in pretty much the same spot but facing the other way (and without the camera), must have been 1981. Don’t Point That Thing at Me drifting across the Square, fucking awesome.
Hugh Hefner non-consensually published nudes that endangered Marilyn Monroe's career & then purchased the right to be buried with her corpse— Sady Doyle (@sadydoyle) September 28, 2017
A serious organised criminal group has come to power in Crimea, Ilmi Umerov said after being sentenced to two years in prison. https://t.co/ckrIqSwaYQ— X Soviet (@XSovietNews) September 27, 2017
(Kyiv) – A Russian court in Crimea on September 27, 2017, convicted a prominent Crimean Tatar leader on bogus separatism charges following an unfair trial, Human Rights Watch said today.
The court imposed a two-year prison sentence and banned Ilmi Umerov, the Crimean Tatar leader, from involvement in public activities, which includes contact with the media, for two years. The sentence is harsher than the three-year suspended sentence sought by the prosecution. Russian authorities should take the necessary steps to have Umerov’s two-year prison sentence set aside, and stop persecuting him and other Crimean Tatars for their peaceful opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea.
And the speculation continues, what a crack up this 2-week wait is. As I type the political panel comes on radiolive, hard case, at least Rodney and Chris have a clue, I very much enjoy their segment on Thursday nights.
The real election horror is this seasons American Horror Story, now that’s some twisted trump/clinton based storyline, bravo to the writers
I have recently shifted (retired) back to my childhood and early adult region – the Waikato after 40 years of living in Auckland, in both National and Labour seats, latterly Mt Albert, Waitakere and finally Te Atatu electoral districts. Of course Waikato is just sooooo blue, one could pin a blue rosette to a rabid dog running down Broadway in Matamata and the locals would gladly vote for it. I attended a couple of meetings prior to the election to see what the candidates were made of – it was indeed an interesting exercise. The Nat guy came across as such a self-entitled, arrogant, born to rule Tory, I suspect he has a long career as part of their cabal if he so chooses. The other candidates were an interesting group – they’ll be all the wiser for their experience, if they so decide to have another crack next time, particularly Brooke Loader, who stood for Labour. I hope she recalls that Helen Clark stood in the same electorate, then Piako in 1975 and then went on to greater heights. I read today that the N Z First candidate, who was interesting to observe in his naivety, but total dedication to his party, did not only have that bloody Myrtle tractor run over his foot at that National Party/Farmers’ rally at Morrinsville prior to the election, but has been attacked and mocked about his misfortune at his various farming ventures. I’m not in any shape or form a N Z First supporter, but can’t help feeling for Stu Husband. I recall Ed Hillary stating many years ago – probably at the time he was part of the ‘Citizens for Rowling’ campaign, that we needed a few ‘honest to God politicians’ in Wellington to bring some reality to politics. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/97324748/farmer-candidate-abused-by-my-own-people
Hey there Jilly, thanks for the link, crikey that was an eye opener of a read, so was your post.
One thing I’ve come to realise is that bullying is rife in most sectors of NZ society, put-downs and intimidation usually from those with a lack of knowledge or understanding on particular subjects and its freaking disgusting.
I strongly feel this bullying behaviour as demonstrated by the actions of protesting farmers outlined in your link and a particular political party is one of the factors in our devastatingly high suicide rates.
One of the reasons I lean left is because the opposition parties value people over personal power trips, made clear by how they’ve interacted this election.
“Local Māori and conservationists have claimed the right to access a Northland river today – by driving though the middle of a working dairy farm.
The farm belongs to Northland Regional Council chairman Bill Shepherd.
Northland Environmental Protection Society, Fiona Furrell, opined that …”It gives the only public access to this part of the river; to the waterfalls and the rapids. Kayakers and young people into adventure sports would love it.”
She said in its earlier days the Wairua River and its rapids had been singled out for praise by the American adventurer and sports fisherman Zane Grey.
On the riverbank where his ancestors used to camp and wait for the eels to come down the river in autumn, Mr Ruka eyed the fast-flowing Wairua and choked up a little.
He said all over the country, Māori and Pākehā had been shut out of riversides like this one because of land development …
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
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On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
How worried should we be about the cloud? This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. I currently have a few thousand unread emails languishing in my inbox, mostly old marketing newsletters and piles of unread science journal press releases. I have a similar number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian governments not only have to deal with the virus but also with the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Murakami Wood, Professor of Critical Surveillance and Securities Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa The skyline of Riyadh, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.(Shutterstock) There is a long history of planned city building by both governments ...
The LIVE Recording of A View from Afar podcast will begin today at 12:45pm May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment of ...
The Boil Up’s Lucinda Bennett considers the oyster – from freshness to pearls to the joy of shucking your own. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. In Carmen Maria Machado’s short story ‘Eight Bites’, a woman begins her last supper before bariatric surgery with “a cavalcade ...
Asia Pacific Report A group of 65 Auckland University academics have written an open letter to vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater criticising the institution’s stance over students protesting in solidarity with Palestine. They have called on her administration to “support” the students who were denied permission to establish an “overnight encampment” by ...
The Student Volunteer Army is on the march, generating approximately 1.6 million hours of volunteering from roughly 35,000 secondary school students in just five years. For Rebekah Brown, the pathway to volunteering started with her singing coach. With a passion for the arts, the suggestion to volunteer at Acting Antics, ...
Keeping up with online communication can be exhausting, so Fran Barclay enlisted the help of Meta’s new ‘intelligent assistant’ to respond to all her messages. Could her mates tell the difference? For centuries, technology has ruled the ways in which we communicate. From the dawn of written language, to the ...
Jamie Arbuckle, a councillor who has become an member of parliament, says he has settled into having two roles so comfortably he's going to keep both pay cheques. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
The workplace can be a minefield of bad comms and passive aggression. Kinksters can help you navigate it. A friend and colleague recently gave me a compliment I loved. They told me I’d always been good at emotional communication and making people feel comfortable. “But I feel like it’s really ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
If building one of Auckland’s possible waterfront stadiums was funded privately, it would need to hold a sold-out Ed Sherran concert every weekday for 25 years. That’s Rob Hamlin’s finding – he’s a senior marketing lecturer at the University of Otago. “It’s not going to happen; forget about it,” he ...
Comment: The debate over the future relationship between news and social media is bringing us closer to a long-overdue reckoning. Social media isn’t trying to kill journalism, because social media has never really cared about journalism. Social media is resolutely in the attention business. News propels some attention — perhaps ...
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For the past 12 years, Georgia-Rose Brown has balanced on the brink of making an Olympic Games – but always landed gracefully on the wrong side. Reaching the Olympics is a dream the gymnast has harboured since she was a six-year-old; a dream that would dwindle every four years, yet ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
Asia Pacific Report About 500 people honoured Palestinian journalists in the heart of the New Zealand city of Auckland today for their brave coverage of Israel’s War on Gaza, now in its seventh month with almost 35,000 people killed, mostly women and children. Marking the annual May 3 World Press ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
“It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume.”
‘You will have no lack of water as you walk in Ithilien, but do not drink of any stream that flows from Imlad Morgul, the Valley of Living Death.”
New Zealand’s capital city, Orc Land?
Are the Right trying to set up The Greens a scapegoat and Peters as a dangerous trouble-maker, then call on the country to reject the rules around MMP and instead crown National as the Right & True Government?
Probly.
Yes – expect one of the Nat’s proxies to start a petition about replacing MMP – with the aim getting enough signatures to force a referendum.
“The Greens’ environmental policies, on the other hand, would require National to actually seriously challenge farm owners, drilling/mining companies, and other capitalists. Currently the costs of these capitalists’ activities are largely falling on the environment, and therefore on the present and future public. The Greens want to stop these business activities destroying our shared home by preventing and internalising these external costs. They’ll ban some unjustifiably polluting business activities, such as drilling or mining or exploring for more fossil fuels at a time when even burning the fossil fuels already dug up will make the Paris target impossible. They’ll tax other business activities for their pollution—making those who produce the costs pay the costs, instead of externalising them. And they’ll use the tax revenue to clean up the damage and to subsidise farmers and other businesses moving to more sustainable ways of doing business.
Do you really see National doing that? The party whose base is farm owners and other capitalists? The party that think climate change is only an issue for “elites”, and that it’s not a “pressing concern”, and that we should adapt to climate change rather than mitigating it? The party who scaremongered on a small water tax for some big farms that are currently destroying the quality of Aotearoa’s awa and wai?”
https://cutyourhair.wordpress.com/2017/09/28/blue-green-is-not-going-to-happen-and-its-not-the-greens-fault/
That’s just the greens, I can imagine the gnashing of teeth when Labour clamp down on the free loading, property portfolio owning, tax manipulating land lords.
We will need compassion for our capitalist brethren, of right and left persuasion.
Sorry to hog the thread, only, I’m in full research mode right now 🙂
“National’s focus on having a strong economy prevents them from having any interest in what is fundamental to the Greens, which is sustainability and fairness. The challenge in forming this kind of coalition is that there would have to be a shift in the essence of their being.”
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/could-a-national-greens-coalition-work
Nice. Although I would stay that the Greens want a strong economy where strength comes from sustainability and resiliency, and National want a perpetual growth until it falls over economy
😉
I’m not sure the Gnats are serious about growth – short term profit sure – but they’ve been happy to fake their growth numbers instead of fixing them.
Actually developing the economy costs and thus lowers profits. And it most definitely needs everyone working which would raise wages which also cuts profits.
There is no way for National’s economic management to actually work because everything that needs to be done cuts profits. And National only ever works to maximise profits while cutting costs.
The Nats want us to be using our energy refuting their lies. Why?? What are we not doing.??
Shouldn’t we be reaching out to others on the left and painting a picture of what could be a great coming together of the true majority.??
The forming of a strong community based social and environmental coalition???
Just wondering …. they always have an agenda!! We should stick to ours instead of looking for Wally in their picture.
Yes, indeed, Patricia. Better still, employ some of that latent lampooning skill we all have and give the Natty shills a good thrashing!
There is a petition going:
“Show your support for the idea of a National/Green govt.” 6,000 signed up.
Reckon they were the desperate Nats?
And another one:
“We don’t support your water tax because:
“You can’t tell us what the impact of the tax will be on food producers, jobs, communities & food prices
You are only taxing……
UPDATE: we have surveyed irrigators and found that a water tax could lead to many arable, sheep and beef farms converting to more intensive farming like dairy and that farmers would reduce spending in rural communities to pay for the tax.”
5,011 signed up. Same folk as in the first petition?
Shall we tell that the Election is over?
Time for Action Stations, then …
http://www.actionstation.org.nz/
And more! to counter the Fake, Dirty politics!
Interesting from David Farrar, does he have the ear of anyone…
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/09/what_could_the_greens_get_if_they_went_with_national_not_winston.html
$1 billion over ten years for cycleways
A levy on nitrate pollution
A South Taranaki Whale Sanctuary
A levy on plastic bags
Accelerated timetable for rail to Auckland Airport
Doubling the funding for DOC
$65 million a year more for predator-free NZ
Stricter water quality standards to increase the number of water bodies rated
excellent from 42% to 70%.
A commitment to double the reduction of children in poverty from 50,000 to 100,000
Double the reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 from 11% to 22%
lol..all very aspirational and just like current policy settings …Farrar kite flying by request no doubt….only one thing needed to know…..National lie.
Billshit – remember bill lying by omission when Todd declared that there is no recording and Bill each day there watching the misleading and putting his shameful head down? That list is more of that shit behaviour.
Farrar spins propaganda for the National Party for a living. What makes you think any of that list is real?
And even if it was, National can’t be trusted.
But thanks, because I think that list demonstrates very clearly that National don’t want to end poverty or clean up rivers, but they are willing to sell some policy to gain power. So they can keep running a poverty economy and destroying the environment.
You don’t like my principals.. …well, these are my new ones….
//
Excellent Chris, if you believe any of it, I have a bridge you may like to buy.
Conveniently located in Auckland, many lanes, chance to expand,great views…
All of it? No. Some it? Absolutely, I mean the cycleways alone can be linked to greater tourism possibilities so thats an easy one, predator freer NZ is also easy as its only 65 million, children in poverty well Bill pledged something similar so that wouldn’t take much
All of which would be more than the Greens have achieved in over 20 years
smoke and mirrors…cycleways are already included in nat policy, as is the predator free and the climate target is already not going to met so increasing it just means it wont be met by more…now about that bridge…….
The cycleways? The ones we were promised from the 2009 job summit would create jobs and address the layoffs from GFC? You guys keep letting them retell you they are going to do something, you get excited, they do nothing, and when pushed, repeat it
I am trying to understand why Nats want to be in govt with “loonies” “rent a mob” “communists” etc…
Misses the point by so far. Does he have any idea of what their policies are………
Does he have the ear of anyone?
Only his dysfunctional commentariat.
Even they can see through his pish.
Does beg the question, would the Greens achieve more in one deal with National then they have over the last 21 years and i think the answer would be yes and that includes when Labour had the opportunity to have the Greens in power and whatever concessions the Greens achieve is good for the country, isn’t it?
The Green party would indeed ‘achieve’ much more – their self-destruction for a start.
Perhaps just nodd off. M. Kram
Perhaps just encourage National to formulate some effective and sustainable pro-environment policies – good luck with that.
If I had a week to spare I would start compiling a list of the posts/comments extolling the ‘advantages’ of a National-Green alliance: would make an excellent soporific. Nodding off now…
You have a couple of weeks, so No pressure.
Sleep well.
It’d probably result in the self destruction of the National Party as well. and probably before the Green Party.
Seriously, can you see Judith Collins and Anne Tolley going along wiht the Green Party’s social objectives? Living wage? Changing WINZ culture?
The bright spark who put together a National government supported by the Green Party would be rolled by lunchtime….
Green Party social objectives are what the Nat-Green proponents are expecting the Greens to drop.
Ah, well, of course no problem getting the Nats to take up the Green Party environment policies if the GP give up the social policies.
Includes:
Christchurch Transport Plan
Clean water, great farming
South Taranaki Whale Sanctuary
Turning trash into cash
Wellington Transport Plan
Auckland Transport Plan
Thriving Nature
Protecting drinking water
Empowering NZ
Tourism Levy
Safer, cleaner freight
2015 Climate Action – Yes we can!
Climate Impact Disclosure Statement
Public Finance (Sustainable Development Indicators) Amendment Bill
Clean Groundwater Bill
Regional rail: connecting Manawatū and Hawke’s Bay
What part of NO do Nats and their cheerleaders not understand? But, I guess they probably are just trying to follow the lead of the ponytail puller.
Nats, please attend: No means NO.
Now go sort out your own policies, and do your own negotiations with NZ First, or its off to the opposition benches for you!
No. All that would happen is that the Greens would be destroyed.
But that’s probably what you and National want.
BTW, The Greens have achieved quite a bit over their lifetime.
That Nats even have some slightly Green ideas is because the Green Party existed for over 20 years.
No, it doesn’t, though you’d have us believe otherwise; * thinks, shall I drink this goblet of hemlock juice? I’m ever so thirsty and this is the first drink I’ve been offered in ages!
So rather then gain some concessions with National its better to hope Winston invites them in?
Even if Lab/NZ1 go it alone, whatever they would do on their own would still be better than the “concessions” from the nats. Not the same, but better overall.
The only thing they’ve achieved in 21 years is some insulation in homes, isn’t the point of being in parliament that you get to do some of the things you want to do?
No, the point of being in parliament is that the things you want done get done.
When you don’t care about the credit, they’ve achieved a lot more than that.
The Greens played a significant role in NZ poverty being recognised, counted and now even reduction targets being included as national party election policy. In making water quality an election issue that the nats are the only ones holding back on. In making the housing crisis a recognised problem.
They didn’t do that by accepting “compromises” that included largely what the nats were going to do anyway.
With all due respect, bollix, the only reason they’re to the forefront is Jacinda Ardern, not the Greens.
Pffffffft Jacinda wasn’t a feature at the previous election and The Greens done good 🙂 And the election before that, and before that. Chris, your reckons are feeble.
Piffle to your pfft, the Greens only do well when Labour does poorly
The Greens have been in Parliament for yonks.
They’re regulars.
Wow. She did that all by herself?
Obviously, making her leader was far more than a cosmetic change, she completely reversed the public dialogue on half a dozen major election issues all by herself.
Credit where credits due she did a pretty impressive job, not quite enough to topple English but from where she started to now was not a bad effort at all
She just needs to shore up on the economy and she’ll be near on unstoppable in 2020
We’ll see what nz1 does first.
Best and most likely case they go with National, worst case we have Lab/NZFirst/Greens but most likely (of the worst situation) is Lab/NZFirst with a severely neutered Greens, I dunno C & S or something
lol reverse that for my perspective.
There’s only a few options. I suppose another one is if he decides to abstain from all C&S, but argue from issue to issue.
I don’t think even Winston would go that far
shhh don’t jinx it lol
And yet ended on 36.5%, roughly the same figures David Shearer was polling before he got rolled years ago…..come on, she fizzled out when it came down to it.
Well yes but Labour were looking at historic low levels and then (7?) weeks later the numbers are back up
Even as a National voter I can still say she did a pretty good job
Why do you even want the Greens in govt when you voted National and the recent leader considers them looine left wing activists? Is it so you can be on the “winning” team. Greens reasons for not going with Nat is clear. There have been so many posts on it with people like you asking and saying the same things over and over again. By all means disagree with it but doing the online version of holding up your hands and wailing “but why. But why” is redundant.
Start an open mike chat with Wayne. Then you can both say the same thing over and over to each other and see at which number of repetition the Greens say “god chris, you are right”
If Shearer had boosted his party’s polling by 12% or more from when he took over as leader, He’d be prime minister to this day.
I always thought they ditched him too early
nah. The fish trick killed him.
Didn’t Grant Robertson have something to do with that?
I figured it was more that his office panicked because of the incessant bitching of the self-loathing labourites of the time.
Fuck it’s nice to see a strong, stable Labour party under a popular leader again.
Bit early to say that yet I reckon, if Winston chooses National I can see a few knives being drawn behind Jacinda.
In two months she delivered the best polls in years.
Blinglish, on the other hand…
Nope
Last Polls of Shearer’s leadership
Roy Morgan 12–25 Aug 2013
Lab 31.5
Fairfax Media Ipsos 10–15 Aug 2013
Lab 31.6
Roy Morgan 29 Jul – 11 Aug 2013
Lab 34
Colmar Brunton 27–31 Jul 2013
Lab 33
Roy Morgan 15–28 Jul 2013
Lab 29
Reid Research 9–14 Jul 2013
Lab 31
Roy Morgan 1–14 Jul 2013
Lab 31
Roy Morgan 17–30 Jun 2013
Lab 31.5
Herald-DigiPoll 12–23 Jun 2013
Lab 30.9
What about cycleways … don’t really recall what happened the last nine years… perhaps a bit of dishonesty along the way, oh, and poisoned waterways, and “50 K” in poverty
Why would they be satisfied with a few paltry concessions – when the long term game is to keep getting the message out there and to make right-wing ideology unthinkable? (Overton’s window and all that.)
Well thats one way of thinking but while that happens, another 20 years maybe, thats a lot of wasted time
The longest journey may begin with a single step but that step still needs to be taken and even if they didn’t reach an agreement with National it would still mean Labour would have to negotiate with the Greens and not take them for granted
While you are going all Confucius on us try ruminating on the cost of lying to keep power, and how it ruins trust in future relationships required to coexist in govt.
Rather than align with proven liars and enemies of Green principles, try our luck with Winston?
Yes. Alright.
Cheers, chris73.
Make it so.
Another scene from the *brighter future* we were promised.
https://twitter.com/NZStuff/status/913285427603181569
I feel a bit sorry for the Nats and their supporters: short of a majority, no natural support parties left, and increasingly out of touch with reality….
I’ve changed my mind the Greens are fucking hopeless, National shouldn’t even bother.
The best thing going forward is they do Cand P for a Lab/NZ First, that way they’ll drop under 5% in 2020 and then NZ will be rid of the useless pricks and a decent flexible, cross-party like TOP can take its place.
And then that’s the kind of response that happens when the harasser finally realises No does mean No – abuse follows.
Oh, and btw, NO
🙂
Yep – textbook and ugly
+111
Nothing to do with harassing it’s just realisation what a fruitless effort it would be trying to deal with the Greens.
Religous zealotry has no place in an MMP environment, sooner the Green disappear from the NZ political scene the better.
Roll on 2020.,
You are not “trying to deal with the Greens”.
You are trying to demean and undermine them. No wonder you are constantly being shown the door.
You guys have National derangement syndrome, you’d prefer to suck up and work with a xenophobic ultra-conservative party like NZ First then deal with a party that’s basically continued on from where Helen Clarks Labour left off.
The logical disconnect does my head, It’s so fucking ridiculous, as I said the sooner the Greens are gone the better, you’re just getting in the way of a decent functioning MMP system.
Really though, BM, you sound like a baby diplodocus, left behind in the swamp, bawling, while mummy diplodicus browses the tree tops.
Have you no pride?
Good honesty for a change – your plans are broken and you never gave a shit anyway – hint – we ALL knew it lol
But when you lot try to negotiate a coalition deal with that very same “xenophobic ultra-conservative party”, that’s cool?
Maybe you’d prefer going back to the polls?
It’s about trying to work with what you’ve got.
Greens don’t seem to even remotely understand what MMP is all about.
Almost 25 five years in and the Greens haven’t got past the equivalent of toilet training, it’s embarrassing.
‘How much is he asking? Tell him he’s dreaming…’
It’s about values mate, you just don’t want to get that.
The Greens Are Still Here.
Eat It.
And you think that calling them infantile will make Green party members reading your comments want to vote for a coalition agreement with the nats, just to prove how machua they rooly are?
After nine years in government, you guys still think that gaining a coalition partner involves the “negging” date technique so popular among male young nats.
Hey, hey hey we’re not all PUAs thank you very much
At least I learnt a new word tonight
“Negging”
Work with what you’ve got BM = 0.7% Seymour
“You guys have National derangement syndrome, you’d prefer to suck up and work with a xenophobic ultra-conservative party like NZ First then deal with a party that’s basically continued on from where Helen Clarks Labour left off.
The logical disconnect does my head, It’s so fucking ridiculous, as I said the sooner the Greens are gone the better, you’re just getting in the way of a decent functioning MMP system.”
Lol, the new Crosby Textor memo. National are basically Helen Clark. The Greens ruin MMP.
Not enough 🙄 🙄 for that.
Pretty sure you’re not supposed to be so tetchy with it though.
Yep he’s definately gone early on these lines – Paula is still trying to flatter them lol
😆
LOL how quickly the facade of reason unravels… and they Wonder why Greens dont trust them
Wah wah why wont people do what I want wah wah I need to win wah wah I hate youwah wah
Shaw said English was welcome to call him … Odd way of showing someone the door.
He’s a gennelmin, inny.
The only religious zealotry that has place in an MMP environment is allowed in the National Party as espoused by the double dipper from Dipton Mr. Bill English – especially when it comes to the right of a women to choose. Then of course religious zealotry is a sign of devout piousness and no one is more pious then the double dipper from Dipton, after all confession on Saturday, taking mess on Sunday and then its all good for another week. Right?
Good grief BM ask for better talking points.
Actually, t’is the post 1980s version of free market, small government capitalism (often referred to as neoliberalism) that has all the features of faith-based religion:
was it not just this year that Blinglish invoked his faith in regards to the ‘criminal’ act of abortion that forces women in this country to literally declare themselves mentally unwell in order to receive an abortion?
…what a fruitless effort it would be trying to deal with the Greens.
Religous zealotry has no place in an MMP environment…
What’s wrong with you assholes? We’re offering beads and blankets, for fuck’s sake! Don’t you hicks recognise a good deal when someone offers you one?
Lets not forgot the syphilis and typhoid in the blankets.
Heh, that’s pretty spot on.
LOL
As a centre right voter, I admit id prefer for Winston to go with Labour and the Greens, im sick of all his nonsense. Let the three of them try to govern for the next term, oh what fun that will be…..they deserve each other.
No. When you have the chance for power you always take it because you never whats going to happen later and even if what you say comes to pass then NZ will suffer for it.
No im off the National-NZF bandwagon let the left deal with him.
It hasnt even been a week. Maybe go and do some gardening or play with the kids. NAT supporters really are no good at patience or the long game.
Mostly they hate not knowing if they are on the winning side.
BM: “I’ve changed my mind the Greens are fucking hopeless”
Classic!” I’ve changed my mind” – ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Poor BM, he’s not getting what he wanted and feeling all upset with the Greens for not giving it to him.
Just cannot cope with not knowing if you are on the winning team BM? Try to lure them over and then resort to name calling when they dont do what you want?
They have got over the 5% thrrshold every time since 1999.
Hey! Where are those pandas we were promised???
coming on the same ship as the hospital and all those bridges.
You guys are cracking me up…
Isnt it good that those who run the country have more patience and stability than these voters… oh wait
Surely now that the votes have come in and there is now a waiting period for the overseas vote to come in – then there should be a limbo period where the MSM and other vested interests should be kept out of any news, electronic and newspapers.
Once the completed votes have been counted then that’s the time to sit and wait patiently until a new government can be formed. The way its carrying on is absolutely a disgrace. Maybe the Governor General should step in and inform all the hysteric much rakers to just keep the hell out of it – a government will be formed – let the voters have their say as a democratic society decrees.
There should be no persuading, leaning, goading and deciding what and who should be doing what – the electorate must be absolutely sick to death of it – the MSM seriously needs a rein in. Our family have completely turned off all MSM and now get videos out and watch overseas content online. How many other people have had a guts full of mouthy “no it alls” who spout heaps and know nothing.
Hear hear. Just wait and all will be revealed.
Stop making sense Kate. These here Nat voters just wanna know if they voted for the winning team.
Silver Scrolls 2017.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201860259/live-silver-scrolls-2017
Happening now in Dunners.
30 + years of iconic music. “The Clean” are being inducted into the Hall of Fame,
Legends!
And we’ve come a long since!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201860240/silver-scrolls-five-women-finalists-vie-for-award
I saw them play in pretty much the same spot but facing the other way (and without the camera), must have been 1981. Don’t Point That Thing at Me drifting across the Square, fucking awesome.
Great post, with links, up on Public Address.. if you haven’t seen it..
https://publicaddress.net/hardnews/music-god-save-the-clean/
Spenser Rapone is ruffling feathers…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKrOairVwAA6Ukn.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKtIOQ4W4AAu304.jpg
cheers Joe, I enjoy your contributions.
Creeper’s final creep.
“He was the greatest living feminist” Hugh Hefner on Hugh Hefner
When the Kremlin invades your country,
(Kyiv) – A Russian court in Crimea on September 27, 2017, convicted a prominent Crimean Tatar leader on bogus separatism charges following an unfair trial, Human Rights Watch said today.
The court imposed a two-year prison sentence and banned Ilmi Umerov, the Crimean Tatar leader, from involvement in public activities, which includes contact with the media, for two years. The sentence is harsher than the three-year suspended sentence sought by the prosecution. Russian authorities should take the necessary steps to have Umerov’s two-year prison sentence set aside, and stop persecuting him and other Crimean Tatars for their peaceful opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/27/crimea-crimean-tatar-leader-convicted-spurious-charges
And the speculation continues, what a crack up this 2-week wait is. As I type the political panel comes on radiolive, hard case, at least Rodney and Chris have a clue, I very much enjoy their segment on Thursday nights.
The real election horror is this seasons American Horror Story, now that’s some twisted trump/clinton based storyline, bravo to the writers
I have recently shifted (retired) back to my childhood and early adult region – the Waikato after 40 years of living in Auckland, in both National and Labour seats, latterly Mt Albert, Waitakere and finally Te Atatu electoral districts. Of course Waikato is just sooooo blue, one could pin a blue rosette to a rabid dog running down Broadway in Matamata and the locals would gladly vote for it. I attended a couple of meetings prior to the election to see what the candidates were made of – it was indeed an interesting exercise. The Nat guy came across as such a self-entitled, arrogant, born to rule Tory, I suspect he has a long career as part of their cabal if he so chooses. The other candidates were an interesting group – they’ll be all the wiser for their experience, if they so decide to have another crack next time, particularly Brooke Loader, who stood for Labour. I hope she recalls that Helen Clark stood in the same electorate, then Piako in 1975 and then went on to greater heights. I read today that the N Z First candidate, who was interesting to observe in his naivety, but total dedication to his party, did not only have that bloody Myrtle tractor run over his foot at that National Party/Farmers’ rally at Morrinsville prior to the election, but has been attacked and mocked about his misfortune at his various farming ventures. I’m not in any shape or form a N Z First supporter, but can’t help feeling for Stu Husband. I recall Ed Hillary stating many years ago – probably at the time he was part of the ‘Citizens for Rowling’ campaign, that we needed a few ‘honest to God politicians’ in Wellington to bring some reality to politics.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/97324748/farmer-candidate-abused-by-my-own-people
Hey there Jilly, thanks for the link, crikey that was an eye opener of a read, so was your post.
One thing I’ve come to realise is that bullying is rife in most sectors of NZ society, put-downs and intimidation usually from those with a lack of knowledge or understanding on particular subjects and its freaking disgusting.
I strongly feel this bullying behaviour as demonstrated by the actions of protesting farmers outlined in your link and a particular political party is one of the factors in our devastatingly high suicide rates.
One of the reasons I lean left is because the opposition parties value people over personal power trips, made clear by how they’ve interacted this election.
Thanks for this. And lol@ rabid dog
“Local Māori and conservationists have claimed the right to access a Northland river today – by driving though the middle of a working dairy farm.
The farm belongs to Northland Regional Council chairman Bill Shepherd.
Northland Environmental Protection Society, Fiona Furrell, opined that …”It gives the only public access to this part of the river; to the waterfalls and the rapids. Kayakers and young people into adventure sports would love it.”
She said in its earlier days the Wairua River and its rapids had been singled out for praise by the American adventurer and sports fisherman Zane Grey.
On the riverbank where his ancestors used to camp and wait for the eels to come down the river in autumn, Mr Ruka eyed the fast-flowing Wairua and choked up a little.
He said all over the country, Māori and Pākehā had been shut out of riversides like this one because of land development …
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/340472/northland-hapu-and-conservationists-fight-for-river-access