Do Armstrongs dream of electric sheep?

Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, September 14th, 2013 - 83 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, labour - Tags:

John Armstrong gets it right: David Cunliffe’s going to win tomorrow and if he doesn’t it will only be because the caucus has stymied the will of the members, which will kill Labour. But he also gets it really wrong. Armstrong cooks up a conspiracy where Cunliffe’s job is to win the election, then Robertson will roll him.

It’s almost as if, in the middle of Labour’s first democratic leadership selection process, he’s forgotten that Labour now has a democratic leadership selection process.

How would Armstrong’s scenario work? Cunliffe beats Key; for some reason, newly-minted ministers can think of nothing more fun than to then vote no confidence in the guy who just led them to victory; then, for no particular reason, the party votes against the guy they chose, who has just won an election, to select Robertson, the guy who’s just stabbed their favourite in the back.

That’s batshit crazy, John. Just batshit. There’s no way the membership is going to vote out a leader that they selected after he has succeeded in becoming Prime Minister.

The only thing that lets Armstrong come up with such preposterous scenarios is he has the elitist’s snobbishness about democracy. He thinks that the rabble shouldn’t be allowed a say in politics (he opposes referendums as much as he does democratic elections for party leaders) and politics should be the rule of a benign elected dictator. So, he naturally casts democracy as instability, when, in fact, it’s the opposite.

Labour’s leadership selection process will make its leadership more stable – no more midnight backstabbing coups, because any plotters will have to take their case to the membership and win, which will only be possible if you come to the race with clean hands.

83 comments on “Do Armstrongs dream of electric sheep? ”

  1. I’d like to see the caucus portion of future leadership ballots be reduced from its 40% weighting, ideally down to zero. That would cut GR and ABC off at the knees (should they still be there post DC).
    All being equal and all, an mp’s vote should have no more relevance than any other party member.
    If coups are to come and go, at least lets have the full, democratic support of the whole party before we get a Rudd/Gillard/Rudd event.

    Edit.
    And love the topic title. PKD was one of fave sci-fi authors. If you can work Ganymede slime mould in some time, I’d be mightily impressed. 😆

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      ” ideally down to zero. ”

      Haha don’t hold back now!!!

      • The Al1en 1.1.1

        😆

        Down to zero, implying their vote is worth one, just like yours and any other party member.

        80% members – 20% unions will do.

        • geoff 1.1.1.1

          I tried to think of objection to this but I couldn’t ;P

          • lurgee 1.1.1.1.1

            I agree the caucus vote is too big, but I think as they are the people that have to actually work with the leader and because it is their jobs which – to a significant extent – depend on the leader, and as they may have a better idea than membership what is actually going to be deliverable, I don’t think it is wrong that their votes carry extra weight. As I pointed out elsewhere, it is easy to make nice sounding promises that play well with the membership, but which can’t actually be delivered. I’ll give you all golden speedboats if you vote for me!

            It’s a bit like a co-operative organisation, with votes shared between members and employees. You won’t object to the workers having a bigger say than the members, as they are the ones directly involved in making the co-operative more successful? it’s checks and balances. The membership might choose to lay off the workers to increase their dividend …

            30 / 50 / 20?

            25 / 50 / 25?

            Anyway, it was nice of David Shearer to set up this system to allow the average joe member to have some say.

            • Daveo 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Um, Shearer had no role in setting up the democratic leadership elections. This was a party process and Shearer was, if anything, a catalyst for why we had to do it

            • Matthew Whitehead 1.1.1.1.1.2

              Caucus will have disproportionate impact on the vote even if they have no extra weight when compared to a regular party member, because if they are chosen well, they will be opinion leaders within the party, and can make good arguments as to which leaders they would prefer and why, while still being tactful of all candidates. And if they aren’t, perhaps they shouldn’t be in parliament in the first place.

        • Hami Shearlie 1.1.1.2

          I’ve been saying the same thing myself – Caucus will have to prove through this election, that they are worthy of 40 percent of the vote – in other words, that they will listen and abide by the wishes of the members of the party! If this doesn’t happen, then I would imagine many will desert the party, and the ones left will cut the Caucus percent of the vote to NIL! After all, in the real world which most of us inhabit, who gets to choose their boss??

          • lurgee 1.1.1.2.1

            “After all, in the real world which most of us inhabit, who gets to choose their boss??”

            Not sure that’s the most sensible reason I’ve ever heard. If we are going to be repeating the precedents of the capitalist mode, what is the point in trying?

          • lurgee 1.1.1.2.2

            And if we’re going to follow your argument a bit further, there shouldn’t be an election at all. The leader should be appointed by some shadowy Board and we just have to hope they have the best interests of the party at heart and the wisdom to make the right choice.

    • Lanthanide 1.2

      “I’d like to see the caucus portion of future leadership ballots be reduced from its 40% weighting, ideally down to zero”

      That’s a truly terrible idea. The fact of the matter is, caucus has to work with the leader, day in, day out. Caucus members are the people who really, truly know what the leader is like at doing their job – which is why Kevin Rudd got chucked from office, allowing Julia Gillard to narrowly win the next election (which otherwise they would certainly have lost).

      Just imagine if it was the wider party that had voted in Shearer, against the wishes of those in caucus?

      • Colonial Viper 1.2.1

        Just imagine if it was the wider party that had voted in Shearer, against the wishes of those in caucus?

        Dude. You’re trying to justify a position by using the exact opposite of what actually happened. In other words, very recent reality disagrees with you.

        • Lanthanide 1.2.1.1

          “Dude. You’re trying to justify a position by using the exact opposite of what actually happened. In other words, very recent reality disagrees with you.”

          Shearer supposedly had the support of his caucus, when really it was only just over half.

          Can you imagine a leader being chosen that had the support of 0 people in the caucus?

        • lurgee 1.2.1.2

          I think the point is valid. What if the membership voted in some total idiot, a Rudd-like sociopath or a nice-but-not-very-good chap like Sheaerer (but give him six more months, the polls are moving in the right direction) because they won a appeal to the membership, through bribery, fearmongering, demagougery or whatever?

      • QoT 1.2.2

        is why Kevin Rudd got chucked from office, allowing Julia Gillard to narrowly win the next election

        … and then pretty much the same caucus decided to chuck out Gillard in order to lose the election after that. I’m not sure you’re making the case you think you are.

        (Noting of course that while Australian Labor didn’t get *quite* as trounced as people seemed to be expecting, I’ve not seen any commentators say that Rudd is the reason.)

        • Lanthanide 1.2.2.1

          My point relies on the polling showing that they would have lost the 2010 election with Rudd as the leader, which they subsequently won because caucus, knowing what Rudd was like and that he was a nasty piece of work, chucked him out and subsequently squeaked over the line.

          Maybe if they’d kept Rudd in the job in 2010 they would have won anyway, possibly with a bigger margin, but we can’t know that.

          The idea of the party caucus having absolutely no say in who the leader is just doesn’t make any sense at all.

          • QoT 1.2.2.1.1

            But your point also relies on the caucus having the wisdom and foresight to know Rudd was a nasty piece of work … then forgetting this fact.

    • Rogue Trooper 1.3

      where do they get these headlines? The Aeon Flux?

  2. Treetop 2

    The Shearer/Robertson/ABC style is what is wrong with the Labour party.

    Show me the Cunliffe style, cause I aint seen it fail yet.

    I have thought about how I will feel if Cunliffe does not get the leadership tomorrow. My leaves will be wilted and my branches will droop.

  3. Sable 3

    Yes the mainstream media prove yet again they are half-wits, not really news is it? Will be glad when the Labour leadership business is out of the way so we can talk about something other than David Cunliffe.

    • Colonial Viper 3.1

      Problem is, if Cunliffe wins, I think the MSM preoccupation with attacking him is going to steadily increase, not decrease.

      • Treetop 3.1.1

        Negative reinforcement does have some benefits.

        Cunliffe has had to stand up to the caucas of the Labour party and he has not crumbled. I reckon that Jones will be very loyal to Cunliffe and others like Lees-Galloway also will be.

        Sorting the chaff from the wheat will be the leaders first job.

  4. gobsmacked 4

    Having read the article, I think Eddie is highlighting a fairly minor flaw. Armstrong makes a cogent case for Cunliffe, and his criticism of TV3’s behaviour is a gem. Press gallery journos don’t usually come down hard on fellow hacks, so good on him for calling out Gower & co.

    • Blue 4.1

      Exactly. I was grateful for Armstrong’s last paragraph, because up until that point he had given a well-reasoned argument and taken a wonderfully catty swipe at his former colleague, Paddy Gower.

      He had to throw the last batshit crazy bit in there or we’d all think he’d lost his mojo.

  5. QoT 5

    It’s almost as if, in the middle of Labour’s first democratic leadership selection process, he’s forgotten that Labour now has a democratic leadership selection process.

    This line is perfection.

  6. Sosoo 6

    John Armstrong wrote:

    Or at least it will if TV3 stops exhibiting a Victorian-era style prurient obsession with Robertson’s sexuality which verges on the homophobic. The channel has seemed to think it has been given some God-given right to manipulate the result of the contest

    Yes, some of us had noticed this.

    • tc 6.1

      Maybe jono is feeling left behind in the manipulation stakes.

    • newsense 6.2

      ehh…sorry dude didn’t see you’d beaten me to the punch. Should we send him a card to tell him we want to be besties after all ya think? hmmm

  7. ianmac 7

    Imperator Fish has a very important point to make. If my pick wins then democracy is great. If my pick doesn’t win I am going to squeal long and loud and make the winner’s life a misery. I will collapse the Party and destroy, destroy destroy.
    Actually he didn’t say all that but I am sure that is what he is getting at in:
    http://imperatorfish.com/2013/09/13/a-call-for-unity/

    • Colonial Viper 7.1

      What kind of democracy are you talking about here? The kind where the votes of 34 caucus members equals the votes of 5,000-10,000 party members, perhaps?

    • geoff 7.2

      Well if Cunliffe doesn’t win I can say with some confidence that I will squeal long and loud and……vote Green.

      • Lanthanide 7.2.1

        I’ve been wavering between Greens and Labour with Shearer at the helm. Labour really suits my politics more but I don’t think a poor performing party like Labour should be rewarded.

        If Robertson wins, it will be a case of wait-and-see, but I really don’t see him producing a party significantly different than Shearer managed.

      • Boadicea 7.2.2

        The Greens are NOT a left wing party. The greens are a middle class white party with a environmentalist agenda.

        Labour could exploded if the idiots who have screwed up for the past five years manage to hold onto power.
        What real Labour people have to then do is decide whether the party is redeemable by internal action or whether a New Labour Party has to be formed.
        The solution does not lie in the Green Party.

        • karol 7.2.2.1

          The Greens are NOT a left wing party. The greens are a middle class white party with a environmentalist agenda

          Lately they’ve been looking more left wing than Labour, and they are no more middle class, than Labour. Turei comes from a working class background. They have promoted building state houses more than parliamentary Labour and focusing more on poverty, without splitting into deserving & undeserving poor. And they have been looking to recruit more Maori and Pasifika, like Marama Davidson.

          • Mary 7.2.2.1.1

            “They have promoted building state houses more than parliamentary Labour and focusing more on poverty, without splitting into deserving & undeserving poor.”

            Precisely. And this is the big difference between Mana/Green on the one hand, and Labour on the other. This is why the true left need to hammer and hammer the fact that Labour will do the poor no favours. Doing this will not give votes to the right – it will shift support from Labour to Mana/Green therefore will strengthen the chances of the poor getting a better deal from a Labour-led coalition. This simply involves mounting an assault on Labour’s position on social security – nothing else necessarily (despite a few areas certainly being in need of at least a bit of fine-tuning, like housing, for instance). Social security is Labour’s weak link so must be attacked.

            In fact, I’m sure many in Labour would like this because a mean-on-the-poor-Labour takes votes from National so combined with the true left supporting Mana/Green would result in a Labour-led government with a strong left pull via a heavy Mana/Green presence.

            Regardless of anything, Labour must be called on its abandonment of the poor.

            • Boadicea 7.2.2.1.1.1

              And tomorrow the Labour Party will be shaken out its half decade TORPOR.

              • karol

                I hope so. But I still will vote Green/Mana Party (+ Cunliffe electorate) to try to keep Labour on the left track.

                I will need to be assured over a longish period that Labour is returning to its core values.

                • Tim

                  … exactly what I’ll be doing. It’s kind of like an ABC / right wing “trust but verify” thing – they can hardly object to that. And by 2017, hopefully the buggers (ABCers, and neo-libs) will all be gone from the Labour Party

            • Rogue Trooper 7.2.2.1.1.2

              interesting Mary

        • weka 7.2.2.2

          “The Greens are NOT a left wing party. The greens are a middle class white party with a environmentalist agenda.”

          Being middle class, white and an environmentalist doesn’t inherently exclude one from being left wing. It’s depressing as fuck that I have to point that out.

          (btw I don’t agree with your characterisation of the GP).

    • gobsmacked 7.3

      Meh. Scott can be funny and sharp, or he can he as heavy-handed as the Hulk caressing an ant. This time it’s the latter.

      I’ll be really glad when this contest is over and we can start commenting on how ACTUAL people are behaving in support (or not) of the ACTUAL leader, rather than inventing doomsday scenarios of straw.

      What actually happened was … Shearer was hopeless, and people noticed, including – in the end – the caucus who had installed him. Everyone except the terminally deluded could see that.

      Cunliffe or Robertson will be better at the job. Probably much better. Therefore, they’ll have more support. Simple cause and effect.

      Most Labour supporters’ agenda is to win the election. It’s only the ones who blab to Gower and Garner who have other priorities.

      • felix 7.3.1

        +1.

        Either candidate will do a better job than mumblefuck and the vast majority of supporters will understand this.

    • Anne 7.4

      Scott Yorke is really a cartoonist in satirical clothing and I love it. He brings tears of laughter to my eyes. Outrageous, naughty, and above all insightful of human behaviour.

    • QoT 7.5

      It might have been a good post if he’d ditched the cute little “lol it’s only Cunliffe supporters who will be sore losers” “twist” there. Look, I managed to make exactly the same point without being a partisan shithead, which is kind of the entire problem.

      • Anne 7.5.1

        Don’t you think he might have been also laughing at himself as a Cunliffe supporter QoT?

        • QoT 7.5.1.1

          Some people have taken that reading, but as I don’t follow his blog I had no idea who he supported.

          • Anne 7.5.1.1.1

            He did fairly strongly insinuate he was voting for Cunliffe at the start of the contest.

            Put it this way, he went to some length to tell readers that he was going to listen to the candidates with an open mind and he would assess them fairly and objectively blah… blah… blah. The only difficulty was: he punctuated every paragraph with a complimentary photo of David Cunliffe against a cloudless blue sky. I took it he had already made up his mind and intended to be as biased as hell and totally lacking in objectivity. I have seen nothing since to cause me to change my mind. 🙂

            • QoT 7.5.1.1.1.1

              The only difficulty was: he punctuated every paragraph with a complimentary photo of David Cunliffe against a cloudless blue sky.

              Well, yes … because he’s a satirical blogger, so it’s safe to assume everything he writes is taking the piss.

    • David H 7.6

      But if Robertson gets in Key himself will have a field day. You won’t need the angry members. Remember he’s postponed a Junket for Tuesdays Question time for Cunliffe. But I reckon they should NOT ask Key a question on Tuesday, just to put him in his place.

      • miravox 7.6.1

        “Remember he’s postponed a Junket for Tuesdays Question time for Cunliffe.”

        Apparently not. That’s just Key spinning a line again. The trip timing was announced 10 days before Shearer resigned, according to Stuff.

  8. North 8

    New rules, new style, news news news. Good for Labour !

    The MSM however, threatened as they are by a process which thwarts their defining of “the game” and their being indispensable to it, are doing their damnedest to paint the process as rubbish.

    What’s the bet that every one of them will claim after the event that they picked it first ?

    How vividly I remember when Winston took the foreign affairs spot under Helen. The MSM was like – “Well, we’re just not putting up with this, we just won’t accept Mr Baubles Peters in foreign affairs !”

    Who came out on top there ? A bunch of dickhead wee yuppies, or Winston ?

    Ekshilly I’m looking forward to Cunliffe doing his own interpretation of Winston in his dealing’s with the press and TV, not across the board, just here and there as absolutely necessary. Most of them aren’t very bright really which when coupled with their weirdly arrogant posing makes them very vulnerable.

  9. newsense 9

    “Or at least it will if TV3 stops exhibiting a Victorian-era style prurient obsession with Robertson’s sexuality which verges on the homophobic. The channel has seemed to think it has been given some God-given right to manipulate the result of the contest. Its self-appointed role as kingmaker is an insult to the intelligence of the Labour activists who are well capable of making up their minds without TV3’s advice.”

    Look he’s trying to make up and getting in a bit of rival media bashing…!

  10. neoleftie 10

    If the next labour leader pull off the election without too much coalitional bargaining and collateral damage and constraints then that leader will be almost untouchable combined with a loyal deputy and solid support from membership, party, and unions…untouchable I say.

    From wha I hear labour will have a female deputy so mahuta look good. Solid, working mum, well respected in maoridom.
    Anyway bring on Sunday I say.

    • Lanthanide 10.1

      The deputy is chosen by the caucus as a group. Given the ruckus Cunliffe caused by running as a double-ticket with Mahuta last time, and her subsequent complete invisibility, it seems very unlikely she’ll get another chance at that spot.

      I doubt Ardern is going to get it either, and honestly doesn’t deserve it. I’m still picking a Cunliffe win with GR as deputy.

      • weka 10.1.1

        I think DC has said that Mahuta is taking time out to be with her baby.

        • lurgee 10.1.1.1

          ‘Spending more time with her family’ you mean?

          I think the ‘reunited’ message will involve whoever gets second place will be deputy, and will get a hefty portfolio to show it isn’t just tokenism.

  11. weka 11

    Anyone know when will the new Labour leader be announced?

  12. irascible 12

    Armstrong must’ve been dining with Ralston who, on TV3 tonight, declared that the democratic act of electing the Party leader was not one the membership or affiliates should be involved with.
    Both “commentators” appear to be bewildered with the concept of democracy… comes of being kept in the dark and fed by the PinoKeyo spinners I reckon.

    • GregJ 12.1

      It’s because the media and particularly the Gallery have lost their “insider” status – a status which has made them lazy & uncritical. Where once they could have made a story on information from their caucus “sources” now they are being kept at arms length by members & affiliates who have no interest in their dog-whistling, cynical crafting of narratives & corporate media shilling. There has been almost no decent & thoughtful political analysis by anyone in the mainstream media on the Leadership race (Colin James & Gordon Campbell being the exceptions). The heavy lifting on political coverage is now being done in the blogosphere & alternative media.

    • North 12.2

      That was appalling from Ralston.

      Forget about the “Wellington Beltway”. At least its practitioners are accountable in measure.

      There is virtually no accountability for the “Auckland Media Beltway”.

      The beltway inhabited by numerous half-pissed goodish wine swillers slutting themselves around the leafy suburbs. Snobs toting self-styled omnipresence.

      Risible Fart Estate.

  13. just saying 13

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/9161763/The-secret-diary-of-Grant-Robertson

    In the absense of an ‘open mike’ for today, this seems the most appropriate spot.
    A belly-laugh-out-loud -‘Secret Diary of Grant Robertson’. Makes me wonder it Steve Braunias is a commenter or a lurker round these parts….
    Wee teaser:

    WEDNESDAY
    O Thorndon! O political beltway of Wellington. How I’ve missed it! It’s so good to be back with people you can trust. Who needs humanity when you have caucus?

    We sat around and analysed latest polling. There was good news and bad news.

    The bad news was that 79 per cent of New Zealanders thought I was inexperienced, shifty, kind of creepy, a bit of a toerag, and probably a really sore loser.

    The good news was that caucus couldn’t care less what 79 per cent of New Zealanders think about anything.

    THURSDAY

    We revised earlier estimates and concluded that caucus couldn’t care less what 100 per cent of New Zealanders think about anything

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

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