“..Amy Adams – A rebuttal on Medicinal Cannabis..” (ed:..if you were wondering just how reactionary/ignorant this govt is on cannabis – wonder no more..justice minister amy adams goes all retro – claiming pot leads to ‘p’..)
“..the minister of Justice – Amy Adams – responded:..
‘..I have seen no evidence that supports the benefits for decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis – for medicinal purposes or otherwise – outweighing the harm it causes to society.
The potential harms from smoking cannabis are well documented –
– and I have no plans to soften the Government’s stance on what is commonly considered a gateway drug to more harmful substances such as P..”
(cont..)
(ed:..so there you have it..ignorance on a fucken stick..)
I think it won’t be long before the wilful ignorance of the likes of Adams will no longer wash. Once the first short and medium term studies of how decriminalisation has changed drug use in the USA come through we’ll have compelling evidence of whether or not it’s harmed the local communities. As I recall the situation in Portugal, the answer is that it hasn’t significantly changed the wider population’s use of recreational drugs. Those that want to smoke, do. Those that don’t, don’t.
Certainly, any change that cuts gangs out of the supply change is likely to be good for our community.
Pot would be less likely to lead to harder stuff if you could get it from a nice clean outlet and not have to deal with some of the dodgy scum bags that like to make there money the illegal way.
tho’ there are/have been some ‘nice’ pot-dealers/smugglers..
“..Howard Marks benefit gig leaves audience on a high..
..Event was chance for fans of former drug smuggler known as Mr Nice –
– to pay homage –
– and raise funds for his cancer treatment.
The whippet-thin punk poet John Cooper Clarke – observing that this was ‘not an entirely happy occasion’- told a disbelieving and appreciative audience:
‘I’ve been piling on the pounds since I stopped taking drugs’.
This had led in Manchester – ‘where taking drugs is compulsory”’– to cries of ‘get back on drugs – you fat fuck!’ – and a poem with that title..”
(cont..)
(ed:..i read his ‘mr nice’ book just recently…and while the stories he has to tell are interesting..
..he was screaming out for a strict editor..as it was a bit of a chore to read..)
That relates to a post by Shane Le Brun over a month ago. If you want to read it without having to trying and decipher Phil’s hieroglyphics here’s Shane’s post:
Great way to work on something of common and important interest Phil.
Shane’s actually doing a lot of hard work on it, and networking well, and getting his message out there a bit more successfully than you I suspect. He’s willing to work with anyone on a common cause.
i can’t actually define any single reason for this wall-to-wall ignorance..
..but if singling out outside/self-interested forces..that we already know have an inordinate amount of influence over politicians..
..look no further than the booze-pushers..
..they are in full-on patch-protection mode…
..’cos they know..(and as colorado proves..) that the ending of cannabis prohibition wd mean the loss of a lot of the customers for their poisonous/addictive swill..
and don’t forget…alcohol is responsible for more violence against women – than the taliban..
..legalise..! – regulate..! – tax..!..
..and i think adams..against strong competition from her colleagues..
..walks away with the-most-pig-ignorant-politician-award..
Phillip Ure – I think you have missed the elephant in the room with cannabis. That is with the current policy, the police can be as racist as they like – and have the best cover ever. “Think of the children”
I think Adams and her ilk are nothing but white supremacists. They use P.C language – but lets face facts – they hate the poor and deeper than that, they hate brown people because they are poor.
What did Malcolm X say about racism, being normalised to the point we…
Prohibition also helps the prison industrial complex.
Prisons are now part of the money making body politic of private corporations, and the one thing they need is prisoners – so we, the tax payer can make them rich.
Even the so called state run prisons – have so many private contractors – it’s a joke. A cruel vicious joke of power of the state being transferred to private corporation – who they use and abuse this power to their own ends.
Cannabis, is the simplest and most effective manor to fill up prisons, it also helps our racist system to hand out corporate welfare to the private sector.
I for one, am happy they are not doing this on the sly any more. It is much easier to see the prison industrial complex for what it is. And the racists who keep it in place.
The Left has abandoned most of its bases of institutional and financial power. In NZ it seems to be entirely fixated on taking government back, which only ever lasts for a few years.
Why do I mention Portugal – well folks just in case you don’t know – you can take psychedelics there as well. Oh and look – it’s not falling apart, the country is not collapsing, people are friendly, happy and healthy. Bugger me, no one is on a crazed drug trip killing people – who would have though.
On the violence side you might be interested in this little anecdote , my cousins brought a pub in Scotland in the 80s they reckon it was a mad house with the amount of scrapping the Scots got up to not only in the pub but they’d get boozed and go to the next village for a battle, then hash arrived and and they mall owed right out I spent a couple of years there and the only time I saw a punch thrown was during a hash drought.
I doubt that, bw. Drug companies would be more likely to take advantage of the situation to sell tincture of cannabis or something like that which could be patented.
My theory is that law enforcement are behind it. They want an excuse to be able to pull over young brown blokes whenever they feel like it. The war on drugs gives them this. Before the war on terror came along, legal powers to search and seize were almost always based on drug offences. Now that cops and spies can get what they want by whispering “terrorists” in Andrew Little’s ear, maybe they will back off more on the drugs. Many ex-police already have.
If she’s against medicinal cannabis on the grounds that it leads to harder drugs, she should also be against medicinal morphine on the grounds that it is a harder drug. I think all NAct supporters should sign declarations that they will not accept any strong analgesics. I can hear them screaming in the surgical wards already. It is a surprisingly pleasant sound.
If she’s against medicinal cannabis on the grounds that it leads to harder drugs, she should also be against medicinal morphine on the grounds that it is a harder drug.
Yeah, and also against codeine as a “gateway drug.”
the amendment was prompted by concerns about the “appropriateness” of coroners investigating the deaths of soldiers in Afghanistan. Eight New Zealand soldiers were killed on duty in that conflict. Now coroners will only be allowed to investigate a soldier’s death if the Attorney-General allows for it by determining the public interest and impact on New Zealand’s security.
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said the changes wouldn’t include self-inflicted deaths or training accidents but refused to comment further as the bill was before a select committee.
Brownlee concocting non-existent protocols to avoid having to answer questions. Yeah, we totes honour the dead around here.
Accurate reporting of the circumstances of a soldier’s death might breach security – the appropriate person to determine that is the coroner, after hearing evidence.
When the National Party realises that its bloodlust cannot be hidden this way, will grief itself be outlawed?
+ 1 yes grief will be outlawed because it might breach security – direct censorship is just around the corner because ‘the walls have ears’, ‘the enemy is everywhere they can even look like you and me’, ‘trust no one and tell the authorities immediately’ …
I think that a certain large government has tried to limit public displays of grief by flying home defence corpses at night. I seem to remember that from the Vietnam time. Someone else may remember exactly.
I thought that this section of the article gives the clearest vision of what will happen if this bill passes:
Former army medic Sarah Erb, whose partner, Corporal Luke Tamatea, was killed in Afghanistan in 2012 when his Humvee was destroyed by a roadside bomb, said the coroner’s report into his death had helped her and his mother get answers and gain closure.
“Without that report we’d feel quite ripped off, I think. That’s our loved one and we should know what has happened.”
There was an inquiry by the military into Tamatea’s death but she didn’t receive any information back from it.
At present a coroner can open an inquiry into a military death and can issue a suppression order if there are details that may risk national security.
That bit about national security concerns being already provided for by coroner’s suppression orders is particularly telling.
This is about National’s security, not national security.
The NZDF supported the amendment and said it strikes a balance “between independent investigation and ensuring judicial scrutiny did not encroach into “matters of the state”.
I thought this bit was worrying. Does the NZDF advocate for the state to be above judicial scrutiny? If so, this is a continuation down the path the current government is leading this country.
Here’s a question: how do we know if a death is self-inflicted unless there’s a coroner’s report? Do we just allow NZDF to go “oh no, that was totally security-related, nothing to see here”?
The timing of this is pretty transparent. As for “The NZDF supported the amendment and said it strikes a balance “between independent investigation and ensuring judicial scrutiny did not encroach into “matters of the state”.” Wow. The state should be free from judicial scrutiny? The march to complete authoritarianism is really astonishing me with its pace. First the NZDF, next will anyone killed by ngati poaka be denied a coronial investigation?
Pegida rally in Newcastle, UK flops. Despite the assurances of the organisers that the racist, neo-fascist organisation is not racist or neo-fascist, the pictures tell the story.
They are not unopposed, although the opposition does tend to come from the far left. I know people who have been to Christchurch a few times to give the racist asswipes a hard time.
You always seem to duck for cover when challenged to back up your rhetoric. And you’re off topic on this thread.
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world. I thought even you would have worked out something obvious like that. Why weren’t you at the counter protest?
But I’ve backed Newcastle Unites from here. Have you/
Thanks for the reminder about your deliberate dishonesty.
And thanks for the opportunities to keep demonstrating your dishonesty. So far you’ve managed to keep that out of your authoring (that’s been promising) but you’ll find it’s difficult to keep the two separate – lying at one level will end up impacting on another.
[lprent: Indeed. What a pain in the arse thing to see on moderation sweep at the end of hot day.
I really don’t like people attacking my authors for any reason. But I really find it objectionable to see it when the idiot critic (ie you) neither links to an example of whatever they are moaning about nor explains what it is so that I can look at the issue. That is lying by omission in my book – something that in my mind characterises your usual writing style.
Don’t ever target my authors again with unsubstantiated and unlinked smearing as a tactic. To me that appears to be what you are doing here. It takes us too much work to get them up and running to let some foolish dickhead use them for target practice.
Yes he wound you up. Complain to me or in general. Don’t target authors personally because I really really need them more than I need you.
The next time that I see you do this kind of deliberate targeting, I will boot you off for a year.
But banned one month only because TRP was winding you up. ]
none so dim eh pete – and now your abuse of an author here – funny how you’ll still get the content for your vanity blog from this site tho eh – dishonest and racist – you really are an enjoyable idiot 🙂
Just think though of the story of The Triffids. They were plants that everyone knew had dangerous abilities but as they were interesting people were allowed to cultivate them although with instructions on how to stop their full negative development.
When people became vulnerable the plants were ready to strike with their poisoned tendrils, and they would suck people’s blood or something. Watch who you play with kids.
I made it clear you’re a liar as a commenter, not as an author and re-emphasise that. A persistent liar that pre-dates your authoring. You can’t hide behind a higher status for your low commenting.
[That is a distinction that I do not recognise. Tone it down – MS]
Please can we have some clarity on this: is it just Racist George who can now abuse authors, so long as he “tones it down”? Or can we all join in?
I note that Racist George has not resiled from his abuse of TRP, let alone apologised.
[The policy says “Abusing the sysop or post writers on their own site (should say post) – including telling us how to run our site or what we should write. This is viewed as self-evident stupidity, and should be added as a category to the Darwin Awards.”
Another part of the policy says “Generally wasting a moderators time is just not a good idea. We’re there to deal with isolated problems. People persistently sucking up our voluntary time won’t like the results.”
So I am not sure if 1 applies to Pete but 2 is becoming more and more relevant.
Besides I am softer than some of the other authors. If lprent was to deal with this I suspect the result would be more summary – MS]
Are you saying the someone who happens to be an author can say whatever they like as a commenter completely unrelated to any of their posts and not be challenged?
TRP hasn’t denied being dishonest over the years, he just seems to be trying to protect his abusiveness from some sort of privileged position.
[See my comment above Pete. Although this is Open Mike you are wasting moderators time – MS]
That’s the second time today you’ve called me a liar here, Pete. MS asked you to tone it down, which is a reasonable request, and you have chosen to repeat the abuse.
“TRP hasn’t denied being dishonest over the years”
That is why you are so loathed in real life as well as the interwebz. You feel able to abuse people and get away with it. TRP is NOT dishonest and my reading of his comments over the years (many many of which I disagree with and even oppose) is that they are brutally honest. TRP says what he thinks and does not lie imo. Not like you tho pete – you are a fucken disgrace – a sad loser/stalker who can’t fill his vanity bog with anything other than other peoples work, a mr nobody trying to validate himself and failing time after time after time.
I might think te reo putake is a Chardonnay Socialist. But I’d never thought in any argument I’ve had with him, he was a liar.
Is it that you Pete George are a racist who dislikes being handed your racism back to you, on a plate?
Pete George – do you even realise you are a racist?
Because te reo putake may part of the labour faithful, and a fluffy socialist – but he is not a liar nor is he a bigot like you Mr George.
Reflection is a wonderful thing Pete – maybe if many people are pointing out you are a racist – you might want to take some time to reflect that you are.
Take your time – it’s a process, and it is something grown ups have to confront and deal with. There will be tears and recriminations. I however, am hopeful you will see the process through.
I quoted your own words entirely accurately. I’m sure you’re pissed off at being hoist by your own petard, but accusing me of dishonesty and conflating that with my author status is not acceptable behaviour here.
pete you could have answered the question a million ways – you chose your answer which unwittingly revealed your truth – YOU said it, no one else – own it ffs, TRP was not dishonest but you are disingenuous in trying to squirm out of your own bloody words.
A griefer is a player in a multiplayer video game who deliberately irritates and harasses other players within the game, using aspects of the game in unintended ways. A griefer derives pleasure primarily or exclusively from the act of annoying other users, and as such is a particular nuisance in online gaming communities, since griefers often cannot be deterred by penalties related to in-game goals.
Because it was on the other side of the world. I thought even you would have worked out something obvious like that.”
That is what you said – you even said to OAB that it was obvious!!! YOU said it lol and now you don’t like it lol – write a post about that dirty racist liar pete george then pete, he’s giving you a bad name.
” I’m sure you’re pissed off at being hoist by your own petard” are your own words.
Did you apply them to the wrong person?
Did you jump to a conclusion on a part of my comment? And even that part didn’t say what you accused (without quoting).
“Because it was on the other side of the world” (my words) is nowhere near the same as “Only distance prevents racist Pete from marching with the fascists.” (your words)
That you originally made an incorrect claim may have been carelessness, but that you continue to try and claim it looks like deliberate dishonesty. So my original assessment looks like a reasonable one to have made.
Learn to live with it, Pete, I imagine you’re going to be reminded about your words pretty regularly.
That works both ways. I think it's fairly typical of how you have often operated as a commenter but it's a good example to have on record.
Te Reo Putake (I won’t use your name here) 1 March 2015.
[Stephanie: Damn straight you won’t. You’ve been around here more than long enough to know that trying to “out” people who use pseudonyms is a bad idea, and making smarmy threats like that, while protesting that you’re just being ~reasonable~, only proves what a sad little bully you are.]
That’s up to you, but from you it wouldn’t bother me at all,, it’s what you do. If you use it you will be repeating dishonesty, which can only look very deliberate now. You know, something like a persistent liar.
Just checked and the words haven’t magically disappeared, Pete. So you’re stuck with what you wrote. Obviously, you’ve already shown yourself to be a racist, so the admission, accidental as it may have been, fits entirely with what we already know about you.
That you are still try to weasel out also confirms another aspect of your character; moral and intellectual cowardice.
Yes my works are still there. All of them, not just the ones you have made things up about.
This is what I said:
Because it was on the other side of the world. I thought even you would have worked out something obvious like that. Why weren’t you at the counter protest?
But I’ve backed Newcastle Unites from here. Have you?
That clearly shows I support Newcastles Unites, not Pegida.
You’ve been busted and still persist with deliberate use of incorrect claims.
And you keep demonstrating you’re not honest enough to admit it.
I’ve been attached dishonestly here many times so once more doesn’t make any difference to me. It’s more likely to bite you on the bum.
I note that at the time of writing, Racist George has still not “supported” Newcastle Unite. He quickly put up a hurried cut-n-paste this morning, which merely suggests that they try and get along with the fascists.
Edit: his racist attacks on tangata whenua are far more revealing of his true sympathies.
But I really find it objectionable to see it when the idiot critic (ie you) neither links to an example of whatever they are moaning about nor explains what it is so that I can look at the issue. That is lying by omission in my book – something that in my mind characterises your usual writing style.
I’ve explained here a number of times – and have specifically pointed that it was TRP lying by omission. Which he has continued to do.
He claimed to have quoted me but hadn’t, and then when called on that repeatedly part quoted me, lying by omitting the whole quote.
If you support that sort of tactic from one of your authors then so be it, it’s your blog.
Don’t ever target my authors again with unsubstantiated and unlinked smearing as a tactic. To me that appears to be what you are doing here.
It’s pretty obvious that this began and continued with TRP “with unsubstantiated and unlinked smearing as a tactic” and continuing doing that.
If you don’t allow any response to that sort of tactic you’re being as bad as Bradbury and Slater in the way you censor out things that show up your crap.
That’s a bit sad isn’t it, especially after you claiming the high ground on comment control in your spat with Bradbury.
Yes he wound you up. Complain to me or in general. Don’t target authors personally because I really really need them more than I need you.
FFS. He and others try to wind me up all the time. As if you hadn’t noticed. And then get wound up when I call you on it. You sound wound up now. Tch tch.
The next time that I see you do this kind of deliberate targeting, I will boot you off for a year.
You’re accusing me of deliberate targeting. Very funny. But somehow I suspect you don’t see the joke.
But banned one month only because TRP was winding you up. ]
I’m not questioning that, I’m happy to have a month off. TRP et al with have to find someone else to try and wind up.
Cheers.
[lprent: I am fetching this out of a very neglected spam queue full of our latest spambot and philu.
As I (think) I probably said. I don’t have time to trace every previous discussion and I lack the ability to read minds remotely. So I look at the comment based what is in it and have a brief look at the conversation around it. Which is why TRP got a public warning and a private discussion about future behaviour. Which is a bit unusual because I generally rap knuckles on authors using the back channels.
But treat authors differently. Link to supporting info when having a go at them because the balance of the moderation shifts for them. I don’t treat them as commentators anymore simply because we need to retain them to write conversation starters for this site. With authors I balance my need to retain authors against ‘fairness’. But the supporting information had better be in the comments I am looking at because I won’t go looking for it. I simply don’t have time with the numbers of comments that flow through here. ]
Always. Unless I’m debating with Gosman. Or English Breakfast. Or PR, or Gormless, or CV, or The Murphey, or BK, or in point of publicly documented fact, everyone but you.
That’s because I regard you as beneath contempt, Racist George.
Oh, look something St PG supports and doesn’t oppose ?
Given the Beige Ones track record..
I just wonder when he states he supports Newcastle Unites, I just ponder if he’s buggered up again in his usually close shave to 4th place power manner?
He probably means he supports, Newcastle United, a very mediocre English Football team, who’s owner is only interested in generating revenue , publicity for himself & business interests and leaves the ambitions & aspirations of the team on the sidelines to embrace mediocrity.
There does seem to be more than a passing similarity between the Beige Bladder One of Dunedin and Mike Ashley of Newcastle United.
Have you signed the “Not In Our Name” petition PG shrinks?& shown some backbone support rather than your usual array of turd polishing misnomers?
+1 Israel benefits with media attention being focused else where on the Iraqi, Iran, Syria etc.
ps. Glad you got some off that pony, dour staying run from the back, the jock had to knock a few over to get into the clear. Tri with the 2 class/form horses paid over an ernie rutherford. 🙂
There was a good story to the winner Mongolian Khan. A friend of mine from Cambridge (broke-in a filly that I bred) battles away pre training horses. He sees something in this colt that nobody wanted, buys him cheap and syndicated & manages it for a Asian group to race.
So yesterday the local captain’s of industry, who spend hundreds of thousands on a yearling tb, have to watch a horse with an unfashionable pedigree that sold for nicks win NZ’s premier 700 k, 3 year old race. Got to love it.
Ahhh very nice background indeed. Listened to the race on trackside and at the start I thought to myself – good god that Skinny has recommended a lame! But I kept the faith lol. BTW I have no background in racing, but you sounded like you knew what you were talking about and so i would seem. Chur bro 🙂
edit – oh yeah OK nice move on the tri – that would have been worth a few bucks in a side bet
yes sorry i didnt bet on your tip…but was busy….looked like a goodie
incidentally there is a very engrossing realist tv first series called ‘Luck’ about horse racing in LA together with the whole jockey /owner/trainer culture and associated crime….but it was pulled before the second series because of concerns for horse welfare…some argued it could have been an advocate for horse welfare and should continue…others argued it was part of the problem….
however that aside , if you can put it aside….. watching a great horse run and clean up the field is wonderful…can recommend that series
Horses are part of mans heritage, if it all turns pear shaped the majestic horse will be there along with the loyal dog.
A friend our mine who I helped in a small advisory role to plot a path to win an Auckland, and then the following years Melbourne Cup with a mare called Jezabeel. He spent time in the States, learning a few technics from legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Sounds a lot cleaner here drug and corruption wise.
The racing industry employs over 20,000 people, and unlike SkyCity casino the money gets spread around here, rather than transferred straight to Australia.
Key got a soft run by Corin Dan coached into answering patsy questions. Meanwhile Peters gets a much harder time but holds his own, managing to shake his hangover.
And Goff is making a meal of it with silly clichés. I would far rather have heard Little fronting, oh well better than a Goff & Shearer combo.
Key got a soft run by Corin Dan coached into answering patsy questions.
You might be right there, I wouldn’t know. His emasculation of the English language grates on me so much I have to turn the TV off.
But I don’t agree about Phil Goff. I think he did a good job rubbishing the Key govt’s stance on ISIS, and then listing the alternative options that would make a real difference in the Middle East. He also showed Key up for the liar he is when it came to Labour’s record on the former Iraq/Afghanistan incursions.
But why do they use these useless so-called political scientists? Dr Jennifer (whatever her surname is) came across as an ignoramus – especially about Peter’s Northland background. She needs to swot up on her NZ political history. The only one who is any good is Dr. Jon Johannsen who seems to have transferred to The Nation.
115 Russian media outlets banned by Ukranian Kiev authorities; Al Jazeera team removed from country, dozens of journalists stopped from entry into Ukraine
It’s almost like these US allies don’t believe in press freedom.
Possibly. But you can also get CNN, BBC and Fox News in Russia. Russians can see John McCain visiting Kiev, or Cameron promising to send soldiers to the Ukraine like anyone else can.
And the more the west villifies Putin and Russia in general, the more the west brings its military forces to the Russian door step, the more the west tries to hurt the Russian economy, the more nationalistic Russians are going to get, and the more they will support Putin. Whose popularity ratings are as high as they have ever been.
What sort of rose tinted glasses was James Massola wearing I wonder during his parachute visit. Please James, start a campaign to import the great oikonic Jonkey to your shores!
It would be difficult to point to any spectacle more disgusting than the British establishment in one of its periodical fits of morality. Unfortunately, anyone who “consumes” the mass media is subjected to an unceasing flow of this “morality” day in and day out, week after week, month after month.
In the last few years, British politicians and their assiduous media parrots have enthusiastically expressed support for killers like Chris Kyle (R.I.P.), Prince Harry, AKA “The Big H” and Mohammed Emwazi, AKA “Jihadi John”.
Recently, however, things have changed. The support for The Big H and the American Sniper has continued, but the verbal support for Jihadi John has not; the sudden shift occurred after he and his comrades-in-arms progressed from killing Syrian untermenschen to killing Britons, Japanese and Americans. Some of the most choleric responses have come from those moral paragons at British Sky Broadcasting….
KAY BURLEY: Let me ask you straight off the bat: What level of harassment by the security services here in the United Kingdom justifies beheadings?
CERIE BULLIVANT: It’s not about justifying anything. Nobody here is apologizing or trying to make an excuse for what happened. We’re talking about the causes of it. For years now in the British discourse on this issue, we’ve failed to look at the causes of radicalization in an honest manner. The conveyor belt theory that’s been pushed time and time again has been proven, academically speaking, incorrect. It has no empirical evidence, yet every single time one of these horrific attacks happens, the people who perpetrate it quote foreign policy as the key pusher. They quote harassment in domestic policy as factors. And we keep ignoring that, and it’s not about justifying it, it’s about looking at the causes of it so that we can make everybody safer here and abroad.
KAY BURLEY: How do you feel about the beheading?
CERIE BULLIVANT: I, I’m—to be frank, I’m appalled that you would ask me that question. Muslims are human beings as well—
KAY BURLEY: Don’t be, don’t be appalled. Just answer the question if you would please, sir.
CERIE BULLIVANT: I, I am. Muslims are human beings as well. We are shocked when we see beheadings, we are shocked when we see barrel bombs. We shouldn’t have to justify our humanity by saying that I am shocked by something as brutal as this. I campaigned both publicly and behind the scenes for the release of Alan Henning, so your question is inherently Islamophopic and racist.
KAY BURLEY: Nonsense! Get over yourself! Who’s responsible for these beheadings?
CERIE BULLIVANT: The man who cut off their heads, and, if you take that back a step, the people who potentially helped in his radicalization—in this case, the security services.
KAY BURLEY: So you feel that the security services here in the United Kingdom are in some way or in some part responsible for the beheadings now being carried out by Jihadi John and others?
CERIE BULLIVANT: Everybody has agency for their own actions, and everybody, regardless of where they are and who they are, should be held accountable by the law, by due process, for any sort of torture that they do and any sort of killings without due process that they take. That is a blanket statement for all people in all times.
KAY BURLEY: So are you saying that the security services are in some way responsible for these beheadings, was my question.
CERIE BULLIVANT: What I said is that we have to look at all of the history of all these things as well. If you try and take these issues in a vacuum, then you’re not going to be able to analyze how they happened and try to get to some sort of understanding of how to stop them happening again.
KAY BURLEY: Okay, so do you feel that in some way the security services are in some way from the United Kingdom are responsible for the beheadings carried out by Jihadi John?
CERIE BULLIVANT: I feel—I’ll give you the answer that you’ve asked me three times, I feel that the security services have, time and again, harassed people and pushed them and that has played a part in the radicalization of this man. Now he is responsible for his own actions; they are partly responsible for putting him in that position.
KAY BURLEY: Do you condemn his actions?
CERIE BULLIVANT: I’ve already said— I’m sorry, I’m not answering that question. It’s a ridiculous question. I’ve already gone through this, and dealt with it.
Removes earpiece, and exits stage left. Cut to Kay Burley in studio, silent, smirking…..
KAY BURLEY:[chirpily] Joining us now from Central London is Shiraz M—
Galloway, a rare voice of sanity and alternative thinking in the UK, where the largest 4 parties all lie in thrall to crony capitalism and are owned by multinationals and the banks.
The Labour Party in the UK can’t even put up a candidate to oppose him in Bradford.
Cheers, Moz, a great transcript! Having done a few, I know what a grind they are to get accurate* George Galloway attended the anti-fascist rally in Newcastle overnight, though I haven’t spotted a report of what he said yet.
*A small point, it’s usual to reduce the names to initials after the first use (ie KB and CB). Saves a lot of typing time.
Cheers, Moz, a great transcript! Having done a few, I know what a grind they are to get accurate.
Thanks very much, Te Reo.
A small point, it’s usual to reduce the names to initials after the first use (ie KB and CB).
Oh yes—the ol’ Playboy Interview convention. The only part of the magazine I used to read.
Saves a lot of typing time.
I just cut and paste the names, together with the HTML mark-up conventions, so time and effort is not a problem in this case. However, I have wondered about the look of it, and whether initials might be better. In this case, one name is considerably longer than the other, so it’s clearer and easier to differentiate on the page. That’s why I left it like that this time.
Just a wee reminder that you have until 4pm tomorrow, Monday 2 March 2015, to make a submission to the Local Government Commission (LGC), on the Draft Wellington Reorganisation Proposal.
(Wellington ‘Supercity’).
You don’t have to reside in the Greater Wellington Region in order to make a submission on this ‘Draft’ proposal
So this is a golden opportunity for people in the Auckland region, who are the only ones to have actually experienced a (forced) ‘Supercity’ amalgamation – to ‘have a say’ on how it’s been working for YOU?
…… and as I listen to RNZ Sunday – the Panel discussion “Troops to Iraq” …. Do I think NZDF ‘top brass’ or Natzi aligned pollies will ‘listen’ (and gain some ‘learnings’).
Shit.Uphill.Push me thinks.
I imagine the podcast will be ready soon. They can of course then reflect, but their guts will already have been spread far and wide (or rather the GUTS of others)
ekshully, I’ll have to suspend their discussion – Dateline London is on so I’ll come back to them. Seems to me tho’ it’d have been nice if the discussion had occurred (and listened to) before JK’s decision to commit
Can anyone give an answer (speculative, of course) as to why TV3 repeated on this morning’s television its Re-Think programme from last year which had Mike Sabin as part of the panel discussing sexual assault ? Why did TV3 repeat this ? Why didn’t they pull it out of the series – given what is generally known/speculated about him ? Were they doing this deliberately to remind people about him – given there is a by-election happening now, in the north ? ? ? I just can’t figure it out !
Excellent article from. Paul Little in the Herald today.
An excerpt
“The announcement that we will send whatever it is we are sending came with some of the worst histrionics we have seen from a Prime Minister, as John Key found his inner Wolf of Wall St and sent froth across the floor of the house in Andrew Little’s general direction.
“….. We are all well advised to get some guts. Guts are good things to have. It would take guts, for instance, to stand up to pressure from the United States and do what is right instead of what is expedient.
But then we would risk losing membership of that wonderful club, which Key earlier and accurately described as the reason we had to do this.”
Key didnt have the guts to put it to a democratic vote in New Zealand parliament…and the USA didn’t have to guts to put it before a democratic vote at the United Nations
so what we have is an illegal intervention – Chomsky:
“And to solve the mess, the US again decided to act against the international law, building an anti-ISIS coalition that is “meaningless, apart from being illegal.”
“A law-abiding state would go to the Security Council, ask for a declaration by the Security Council of a threat to peace, and request the Security Council to organize direct response to it. And that could be done. The US could then participate in it, but so could Iran,” which is a major military force and would probably wipe out ISIS in no time, if it was allowed to join the fight on the ground, Chomsky believes”….
Ralston and Sainsbury are sick speculating on such an unsubstantiated rumour (Ralston has been ‘hearing’ for weeks). It looks like straight out propaganda for NACT to try and get people to support the war.
PG is also sick for linkwhoring this. Not really a surprise that he takes part in the rumourmongering (given his DP apologism) instead of having a political analysis of what Ralston is doing.
While we’re speculating, this too from the sewer –
.
Paul G. Buchanan (315 comments) says:
February 28th, 2015 at 8:09 pm
SPC. As a sidebar: You may have noticed Mr. Key backtracking today on The Nation on the issue of the SAS. Last week he told Duncan Gardner on air that not a single SAS soldier was overseas and certainly not in Iraq. That, of course, is nonsense since at any given time there are SAS personnel detached as liaisons to allied special forces units and they regularly train abroad. At the end of the Nation interview with Patrick Gower today he said that his advice was there might be a few in the theatre but not as a group, and the press needed to check with NZDF Chief on the specifics. So much for the “zero deployed” claim.
There are credible reports that SAS personnel are in theatre conducting operations even if not based in Iraq, and that they have been doing so for a few months. That should be unsurprising given that is what they train for and need to keep their live fire skills honed at all times, to say nothing of the fact that they work closely with the UK, Australian and Canadian SAS forces who are now deployed in search and destroy and air strike targeting missions against IS assets. That makes all the more remarkable Mr. Key’s dishonest claims about them. Perhaps he thinks that if he does not admit their involvement IS will believe that it is not at war with NZ because the latter is only in a training and support role. Yeah right.
I agree Weka. Shame on Ralston for introducing the rumour into the public domain and shame on PG for repeating and linking to it. The rumour has circulated amongst media circles for a while and apparently does not involve a journalist. The government asked the media to keep silent less they further risk the life of the purported hostage, whose nationality may or may not be known to the captors.
If the rumours are true, then that is the only, yet very valid reason why the government has been so misleading and obtuse about deploying NZDF personnel in Iraq and the nature of their role there, especially if it is/was exploring back channels to secure the person’s release. But so far we do not know the true story.
On this one I support total media and government silence until the facts are confirmed, and my comment here is simply a reminder of what is at stake for those otherwise inclined to engage in unconfirmed speculation without regard for consequences.
Thank-you Paul, I agree that’s very important. Hard to know what can happen now given what Ralston has done.
If the rumours are true, then that is the only, yet very valid reason why the government has been so misleading and obtuse about deploying NZDF personnel in Iraq and the nature of their role there, especially if it is/was exploring back channels to secure the person’s release. But so far we do not know the true story.
Meaning, they want to send troops anyway but are being cagey about details because of a mission that should be secret? I take it you don’t mean that if it weren’t for the mission they wouldn’t send anyone.
I think that the mission was determined quite a while ago, at least since the meeting of coalition defence chiefs outside of Washington in mid October. The government was going to obfuscate anyway, but if indeed a kiwi hostage has been taken then it gives the government legitimate reason not to talk abut the inevitable deployment until negotiations had proven successful or not (assuming that negotiations were in fact undertaken directly or using third parties). As things stand now it appears the government’s hand has been forced for whatever reason, which does not auger well for the person involved if in fact s/he is being held captive.
I shall now refrain from further comment on the issue.
yep I heard that they just about had one ready to go and he was in – but then he did something which put them off – something he had posted that upset someone important.
The rumours about Mike Sabin are commentable upon because (a) there are documented issues with Sabin that partially match the rumours, and (b) multiple sources have reported the rumours from where Sabin lives i.e. it’s people who know him who are talking about this (NZ a small place and all that).
Then there’s the huge political differences.
It surprises me not in the least that you can’t tell the difference between that and what Ralston is doing. You really are clueless when it comes to understanding evidence and meaning.
My first criterion is to require there to be the possibility that it is true. And no I don’t normally spread rumours unless I have reason to believe they are true.
Only last week you were admonishing people here for posting stuff without evidence, now you seem to be saying if all you have is rumour but you think it is in the public interest, spread it?
Are you getting exited about the idea that a Journalist from NZ might be beheaded or burned or other wise killed?
I have the feeling that secretly all the stenographers in NZ including the wannabe stenographers could not wish for something more arousing.
My the hours of TV gushing….they could milk it for hours. Of course they would feel all very very sorry.
Pathetic bunch these beige grey shades of human beings.
I think the guy probably deserves 48 hours in stocks in a town square with rotten fruit and household refuse thrown at him. Hell, he could do it as a fundraiser for needy Kiwi kids. Beheading, not so much.
That happened to John Banks last year. Poor bugger. Take a look!
The issue was that Bracanov believed he was not guilty of the assault because he thought Banks deserved to have manure thrown over him.
He said he would do it again and said the judge was “not human” for finding him guilty.
During the trial the judge watched a recording of a police interview with Bracanov where he explained how he hid behind a car, waiting to throw the manure over Banks outside the High Court in Auckland on May 19 last year.
The 79-year-old said he got the manure from a paddock at Mangere Bridge in South Auckland, and watered it down.
Bracanov said he believed Banks owed him $8,000 because he was fined $10,000 in 1992 for throwing manure on a visiting royal Rolls Royce but should have only been fined $2,000. Banks was police minister at the time.
Five years later Bracanov had another run in with Mr Banks, this time on radio. He says, as a talkback radio host, the politician hung up on Bracanov while he was expressing his anti-royalist views.
“I was criticising the royals and he cut me off. That’s no good.”
Braconov now promises his days of manure-throwing are over.
“I’m done. That’s it, no more.”
“I’ve been waiting 22 years for revenge. And I’ve done it,” he said.
Bracanov came to court in his slippers and before the trial began, clearly restated his not guilty plea on the charge of common assault.
The judge reminded Bracanov he could appeal the decision.
See video of horse poo, two reports and some pictures here:
The National candidate for Northland.
A public servant.
I thought the public service was supposed to be apolitical.
Public servants have to seek approval from their executive in Wellington
if they are anyway involved in local politics. Usually asked to vacate their
positions. Not so apparently with this one. But then that’s the Nats, isn’t it.
Apparently been aligned to the Party for years.
Looks like the Nat’s went for small town business over farmers, probably assuming their vote is a given. Expect Peters to exsploit the crap out of the forgotten farmers in hock to Aussie banks, broken dusty roads clogged with logging trucks.
Another interesting thing is the executives who knew about Sabin and put him up again last year, obviously still hold the power base by choosing a party man elector and close neighbor of Sabin’s.
“Public servants have to seek approval from their executive in Wellington
if they are anyway involved in local politics. Usually asked to vacate their
positions. Not so apparently with this one.”
Mark Osborne works for the Far North council, not the civil service. He has stepped down with immediate effect from that job according to the Northern Advocate. Though presumably he’ll return if (when?) he loses.
On a related matter, I’m looking forward to reading the posts and comments on KB and WO saying Osborne has no mandate because he only won the nomination by a couple of votes. Because that’s what they said about Andrew Little and we know they’re nothing if not consistent down in the sewer.
On a related matter, I’m looking forward to reading the posts and comments on KB and WO saying Osborne has no mandate because he only won the nomination by a couple of votes.
How does that compare to how Willow-Jean Prime was selected? Winston?
The final selection (and mandate) for electorate candidates is made by the voters.
How do Willow and peters relate to the attacks made on how little was selected which was raised by TRP and which you quoted back, without addressing and twisted to your own end?
Well its hardly likely he will be losing and returning to the council with the ‘old first past the post’ Labour Party campaign going on. And Labour can not be critical of him abandoning the people who voted for him to council. Well not when you consider Prime uses the stone jumping tactic ‘except in her first term on council’.
He’s not on the council, Skinny, he works for the council. Asset manager, as I recall.
And, technically, it’s NZF that are treating it as FPP by coming in late when a credible candidate had already been announced. And don’t get me started on electorates and FPP anyway! They are FPP elections. Even in the general elections, where MMP simply added 50 list seats to 60 FPP seats.
Any racing tips for this arvo? Popping down the local for pool practice shortly. Might be tempted to have a flutter 😉
It doesn’t really matter Peters will now attack both of them and take votes of the pair of them. He may stand a better chance of winning, nah the last thing he would want is having to do some work in an electorate, far too cushy being a list MP, tho too be fair he is leader.
I was told Duquesa has been set for the Auckland Cup (mid week) for some time and will appreciate the firm track, opposed to others that will be feeling the summer tracks. Its mother won a Melbourne Cup so has a blue blood pedigree. I would be concerned about the monkeys on top who are guilty of adopting stop start tactics, something you wouldn’t get away with in Hong Kong
or England. Anyway it was given ‘just a run’ yesterday which should negate getting on the bit if those tatics are employed. It is a handicap and comes in low in the weights. The female jockey’s father Pete Johnson had a great record in the race and in racing history often repeats. An early bet @ fixed odds of $20 to win & $5 place it is worth a bob each way, you won’t get these lucrative odds race day. Pay to scope the weather forecast, would not want a rain effected track.
Public servants are allowed to stand for political office. I was a Labour list candidate in 1999 and at the time I was working for what was the Employment Tribunal. I was required to take lave for thecampaign period. You don’t lose your political rights when you work for the Government.
The pace that has become second nature to us places little value on the slow time of transferring ancestral knowledge and wisdom that are actually key to our transition into a just and sustainable society. In this haste, many of the lessons from those who’ve come before us and those who continue to live by the planet’s natural cycles are intentionally disappeared.
5000 years of recorded history tells us that capital (money, land, means of production) accumulation by the few results in the collapse of society and yet we keep doing it. Would we keep doing so if that knowledge hadn’t been lost?
Cocaine is the drug of choice among Sydney executives and banksters. Quite a lot is consumed at business lunches and dinners. When Kiwis who partake return home, P might be the best they can get. Both drugs can cause drastic weight loss, so that those involved can easily end up looking like Mike Hoskings.
But “amusing you” is not the same as “originality”, is it?
Using the words that have the dictionary definitions of the meaning you intend to communicate is an essential element of a comment’s clarity. Assuming you didn’t just shift the goalposts to back away from an unfounded accusation of plagiarism, of course.
1. You are forced to assume undignified positions.
2. You get covered in mud.
3. You’re left with the suspicion that the pig enjoyed it.
4. Nobody cares.
According to the DSM 5, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterised by:
A. Significant impairments in personality functioning manifested by:
1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):
a. Identity: Excessive reference to others for self-definition and self-esteem regulation; exaggerated self-appraisal may be inflated or deflated, or vacillate between extremes; emotional regulation mirrors fluctuations in self-esteem.
b. Self-direction: Goal-setting is based on gaining approval from others; personal standards are unreasonably high in order to see oneself as exceptional, or too low based on a sense of entitlement; often unaware of own motivations.
AND
2. Impairments in interpersonal functioning (a or b):
a. Empathy: Impaired ability to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others; excessively attuned to reactions of others, but only if perceived as relevant to self; over- or underestimate of own effect on others.
b. Intimacy: Relationships largely superficial and exist to serve self-esteem regulation; mutuality constrained by little genuine interest in others’ experiences and predominance of a need for personal gain
B. Pathological personality traits in the following domain:
Antagonism, characterized by:
A. Grandiosity: Feelings of entitlement, either overt or covert; self-centeredness; firmly holding to the belief that one is better than others; condescending toward others.
B. Attention seeking: Excessive attempts to attract and be the focus of the attention of others; admiration seeking.
C. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are relatively stable across time and consistent across situations.
D. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are not better understood as normative for the individual’s developmental stage or socio-cultural environment.
E. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are not solely due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., severe head trauma).
Would people please ignore PG? His behaviour is pathological, he never argues sincerely or in good faith but compulsively. It’s purely about point scoring for him and every response is a point for him, so it’s just shadow boxing – or wrestling with a pig.
Also it is tedious and to read and trivialises genuinely important topics (except when interesting facts about marine biology pop up).
You’re only feeding his illness, he is irrelevant and therefore there is no purpose or anything to gain. For your own mental well-being, surely you have something better to do?
I think he’s an arch trole and we are stuck with him until he fucks up or does one of the moderators’ head in. Lynn has been pretty clear that PG is getting leeway because of the need to not moderate out of dislike, and because of the way people gang up on Pete (I think I got that last bit right). Ironic eh?
It’s one of the few aspects of Lynn’s moderation style that I fundamentally disagree with. (If you put a trole in a room full of people, very limited moderation, and dnftt doesn’t work, what else is going to happen but people do whatever they can to manage the situation? That doesn’t make them a mob).
Yes. Sometimes many people can be right at once. Seen same problem on the rare occasions badly-motivated commenters infest Public Address, but at least some learning is going on. PG didn’t last long.
didn’t we have to scroll pages and pages with you and mcflock?
petes lies are building so high and unstable that they fall over themselves, not just in laughter but because of their internal inconsistencies and that is good
there are plenty of people I scroll past – it is a very very easy thing to do, like really easy
Pete blah Pete blah …. I think the comments below here are a Pete-free zone. Funny I have heard no report of a Pete bug entering the country and eating up suceptible juicy blogs. This one must have got in under the radar.
I scrolled past the psychicatric diagnosing in Rhinocrates’ comment. Not only is there absolutely no way to know if PG or anyone here has a particular mental health diagnosis (short of self-disclosure), but talking about the problems PG causes in mental health terms just stigmatises people dealing with mental health issues.
I do suspect Aspergers as I’ve said to Pete – but it’s the *behaviour* that needs to be focused on. Doesn’t really matter why. The impact on community health is enough reason to take corrective action.
Yeah, I’ve been ignoring that (he’s got a pingpack at the bottom of the page).
If you have to link, can you please use http://www.donotlink.com/ ? Otherwise it feeds the trole and gives him more clicks so he can pretend he has relevancy beyond his troling.
btw, online guessing diagnoses about people’s neuro-atypicalness or not is not ok IMO. It’s really not relevant to the point you were making, and it affects other people who get prejudices directed at them. You can make pointed comment about PG’s behaviour, plenty of material there 🙂
“You’re only feeding his illness, he is irrelevant and therefore there is no purpose or anything to gain. For your own mental well-being, surely you have something better to do?”
Who is feeding whose illness Rhinocrates?
It looks to be an absolute textbook case of mutual dependence to me. Everybody involved is fulfilling some personal need.
Mental health? Whew. Like LPrent hath proclaimed, everyone is a bit nuts here.
The more time you spend here the more nuts you are IMO!
I bet that is based on US research where cattle are kept in feedlots and raised on grain. Hardly a model of sustainability. Neither is switching to Monsanto-fied mono culture soy and wheat based diet.
Of course how animals are raised affects the carbon footprint. It also affects the health of the people eating the meat, as does other things they eat and do. This is why some cultures that eat large amounts of meat in traditional forms have healthy outcomes.
There, I think I covered the two points in your comment: carbon footprinting and health effects of eating meat.
See if you can actually address the points instead of resorting immediately to ad hominems.
Now you’re lying about me as well as using ad hominems and not addressing the points 🙄 🙄
“..and you did notice they said ‘all meat’.”
wow, you really are dimwitted. You think they did separate research on people eating grassfed or organic or wild meat? How about you provide some links then.
btw, it’s pretty easy to prove that meat (and animal fat) per se are not the problem (which is why you will always struggle with the facts when you argue with me).
“How can people who gorge on fat and rarely see a vegetable be healthier than we are?”
That article covers all the points I’ve raised in this conversation, and references the science (it’s not really a paradox though, it’s just better science and intelligence applied to food).
You should stop being such a hypocrite in uncritically trusting an organisation like the USDA when you like to pretend you are otherwise such a non-conformist.
another ad hominem, now there’s a surprise. It’s fine that you are a vegan fundamentalist. But it’s naff that you are on a political forum and can’t even mount a half decent argument.
So addressing the issues and posting opinion, facts and links is passive agressive? Riiight.
What you can’t cope with is me or anyone who disagrees with your fundamentalism and can argue the argument without resorting to the pathetic, low level debate skills that you employ (ad hominems, lies, avoidance, dimiwttedness). That last sentence is not passive, it’s active.
The Mother Jones article you link to is a mixed bag, it gets some bits right and others wrong. The main problem is that it doesn’t take a critical view of what it’s reporting and instead finds the links it wants to support its base position (the impending USDA report). That’s why I went and found some science based reporting that easily counters the bits about meat and fat. It’s not a hard leap from there to see that what the USDA does is flawed.
Anyone else reading this can check out Gary Taubes’ work, both on the fat/cholesterol myth, and on why science when translated into public health can be seriously flawed. Start with his article in the NYT “what if it’s all been a big fat lie”.
And just to be clear, this isn’t even a meat vs veg argument. It’s pointing out that your argument is flawed. Being vegan is fine. Using crap science reporting to support your view that all people should be vegan is stupid, and so expect to be called on it.
The really really stupid thing about what you do is undermining people who would in fact eat less meat but shy away from being veg or vegan. If they follow your advice they will go low fat and end up with the range of health problems associated with that. Many of those people will simply revert back to what they were eating before because it’s not worth the side effects. That includes people who do go veg/vegan but get shit advice on how to do that well (hence the relatively small number of long term vegans).
In my opinion, the Labour Party should campaign hard on the issues, but Labour Party supporters should VOTE strategically in order to ensure that National does NOT retain Northland.
That way National will be left with 59 MPs out of 121, which on some issues will make them a ‘lame duck’ Government.
The ‘Right’ understand strategic voting.
In my view, it’s time for the ‘Left’ to follow suit.
Grey Power speaking up would be good. We are the ones who have security to do so, helping those without the nous or who have little security or freedom to protest. Grey-haired people caring for the young and struggling. Good. Only some of the elderly or retired, are incapable of walking in a protest or thinking seriously about something other than their own diet, pension, rates rebates, transport discount, book club, mild exercises, next bus trip with friends and other diversions.
CR+100…. thanks for that…Abby Martin is very, very good …and that show is a no holds barred, or subjects barred, series of interviews ( it must have been exhausting for her over three years!)
…. I need to to catch up on back issues…hope rt keeps a list ( just been watching an interview with Eva Golinger on Venezuela….oil reserves and shades of the Middle East de-stabilisation)
Har,har. Just saw key in interview with c damn saying of course he will be visiting the troops in Iraq, with a journalist! He said he would not send troops into an area that he would not go into himself. Earnestly! Wow, does he have guts!!! Still rolling around the floor laughing. He’s losing the plot. They haven’t even gone and he’s got his cameos out. Pillock.
jUST A NOTE ON THE NORTHLAND ELECTION the more parties that stand the better after all its a Democracy and to reduce Nationals bloated majority would be synonymous with relieving bloat in cows the old fashioned way “a knife in the guts ” cos Jez wayne something needs to wake the place up to this totalitarian regime or police state which is so self congratulatory with its photoshop photo ops of just how much they have kept the north like a piece of history so that people can see what it was like in 1840 when the treaty was signed
Boot National so hard up the backside that they wont be able to seat them selves forever
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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 ...
“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 ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
.“$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 ...
“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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 → ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track 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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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, ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
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 Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
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The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
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“..Amy Adams – A rebuttal on Medicinal Cannabis..” (ed:..if you were wondering just how reactionary/ignorant this govt is on cannabis – wonder no more..justice minister amy adams goes all retro – claiming pot leads to ‘p’..)
“..the minister of Justice – Amy Adams – responded:..
‘..I have seen no evidence that supports the benefits for decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis – for medicinal purposes or otherwise – outweighing the harm it causes to society.
The potential harms from smoking cannabis are well documented –
– and I have no plans to soften the Government’s stance on what is commonly considered a gateway drug to more harmful substances such as P..”
(cont..)
(ed:..so there you have it..ignorance on a fucken stick..)
http://whoar.co.nz/2015/amy-adams-a-rebuttal-on-medicinal-cannabis-ed-were-you-wondering-just-how-reactionaryignorant-tgis-govt-is-on-cannabis-wonder-no-more-justice-minister-amy-adams-goes-all-retro-clai/
I think it won’t be long before the wilful ignorance of the likes of Adams will no longer wash. Once the first short and medium term studies of how decriminalisation has changed drug use in the USA come through we’ll have compelling evidence of whether or not it’s harmed the local communities. As I recall the situation in Portugal, the answer is that it hasn’t significantly changed the wider population’s use of recreational drugs. Those that want to smoke, do. Those that don’t, don’t.
Certainly, any change that cuts gangs out of the supply change is likely to be good for our community.
perhaps adams cd provide us with footage of the (now) ‘p’-addicts littering the streets of colorado..?
..i am frankly astonished she/this govt. is still peddling the gateway-myth..
..and is willfully ignoring all the evidence to hand..
..(and aren’t fucken rightwingers meant to be all about ‘personal-freedoms!’..
..and ‘getting the govt out of peoples’ lives!’..?..)
..and i wish the mainstream-media wd start doing their fucken job..
..and calling/questioning this complete and utter bullshit..
..when the facts/results in colorado are drops in crime/domestic-violence/alcohol-consumption..
..and no jump in the number of ‘p’-addicts..
..a huge wedge of facts..
..that fly in the face of adams’ lies/misinformation..
..so c’mon media..!
..w.t.f. r u afraid of..?
..mainstream-polling shows 87% of new zealanders want the madness of cannabis prohibition to end..
..w.t.f r both the politicians and the media afraid of..?
..why is this a third-rail for them both..?
..when it is clear that both are lagging far behind the will of most of the people..
Pot would be less likely to lead to harder stuff if you could get it from a nice clean outlet and not have to deal with some of the dodgy scum bags that like to make there money the illegal way.
aye..!
tho’ there are/have been some ‘nice’ pot-dealers/smugglers..
“..Howard Marks benefit gig leaves audience on a high..
..Event was chance for fans of former drug smuggler known as Mr Nice –
– to pay homage –
– and raise funds for his cancer treatment.
The whippet-thin punk poet John Cooper Clarke – observing that this was ‘not an entirely happy occasion’- told a disbelieving and appreciative audience:
‘I’ve been piling on the pounds since I stopped taking drugs’.
This had led in Manchester – ‘where taking drugs is compulsory”’– to cries of ‘get back on drugs – you fat fuck!’ – and a poem with that title..”
(cont..)
(ed:..i read his ‘mr nice’ book just recently…and while the stories he has to tell are interesting..
..he was screaming out for a strict editor..as it was a bit of a chore to read..)
http://whoar.co.nz/2015/howard-marks-benefit-gig-leaves-audience-on-a-high/
That relates to a post by Shane Le Brun over a month ago. If you want to read it without having to trying and decipher Phil’s hieroglyphics here’s Shane’s post:
https://mmj4chronicpain.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/amy-adams-rebuttal/
yes..and perhaps shd tell shane..that this is the sort of material he should be shouting from the roof-tops..
..’cos up until now..who knew..?
..you fucken wanker…
Great way to work on something of common and important interest Phil.
Shane’s actually doing a lot of hard work on it, and networking well, and getting his message out there a bit more successfully than you I suspect. He’s willing to work with anyone on a common cause.
is he you..?
Don’t be a dope. We both openly identify ourselves.
is this him..?
https://www.facebook.com/m1013828?ref=eyJzaWQiOiIwLjAyMTg2MjUyMDI0MzgyODYyIiwicXMiOiJKVFZDSlRJeVUyaGhibVVsTWpCTVpTVXlNRUp5ZFc0bE1qSWxOVVEiLCJndiI6Ijk0YWQwYTU1MTZkN2E4ZDdhOGFlZmIyZjgzYWFmMmU4ZTQyNGIyNTYifQ
I believe so. Well done.
Could it be possible that drug companies are against med pot and be leaning on the government to stop med pot being ok’d .?
i can’t actually define any single reason for this wall-to-wall ignorance..
..but if singling out outside/self-interested forces..that we already know have an inordinate amount of influence over politicians..
..look no further than the booze-pushers..
..they are in full-on patch-protection mode…
..’cos they know..(and as colorado proves..) that the ending of cannabis prohibition wd mean the loss of a lot of the customers for their poisonous/addictive swill..
and don’t forget…alcohol is responsible for more violence against women – than the taliban..
..legalise..! – regulate..! – tax..!..
..and i think adams..against strong competition from her colleagues..
..walks away with the-most-pig-ignorant-politician-award..
Phillip Ure – I think you have missed the elephant in the room with cannabis. That is with the current policy, the police can be as racist as they like – and have the best cover ever. “Think of the children”
I think Adams and her ilk are nothing but white supremacists. They use P.C language – but lets face facts – they hate the poor and deeper than that, they hate brown people because they are poor.
What did Malcolm X say about racism, being normalised to the point we…
that racist-tinge to this prohibition-policy..and the out-of-kilter effect on maori from prohibition..
.imprisonment etc..
..not to mention the roadblocks/helicopter-raids each/every year on northland (esp…)
..all of these irrefutable-facts are why i am so puzzled that the likes of harawira/minto are so reactionary on cannabis..
..and why the fuck can’t such politically-aware animals see/understand what is right before their eyes..?
..and to the extent they have become forces for prohibition/repression..
..that is also..as u note.. very much racist in nature..
..and why they are hand-in-glove with the likes of fucken amy adams..(!)
..w.t.f. r they thinking..?
Prohibition also helps the prison industrial complex.
Prisons are now part of the money making body politic of private corporations, and the one thing they need is prisoners – so we, the tax payer can make them rich.
Even the so called state run prisons – have so many private contractors – it’s a joke. A cruel vicious joke of power of the state being transferred to private corporation – who they use and abuse this power to their own ends.
Cannabis, is the simplest and most effective manor to fill up prisons, it also helps our racist system to hand out corporate welfare to the private sector.
I for one, am happy they are not doing this on the sly any more. It is much easier to see the prison industrial complex for what it is. And the racists who keep it in place.
Privatisation of the prison sector is creating an industry of neo-slavery for profit.
What’s this neo Colonial Rawshark? Seriously, when the elites stopped fearing working people – they just jumped back to their old tricks.
Slavery is the old chestnut they love, free labour – to make them even richer.
Also it makes them feel even more superior and good about themselves – the slimy bastards.
Do one thing a day, to remind the elites – why they should fear working people.
Should be one, of many calls to power – for the left.
I stand corrected.
The Left has abandoned most of its bases of institutional and financial power. In NZ it seems to be entirely fixated on taking government back, which only ever lasts for a few years.
Yeah, almost a fetish from some.
That politics is no more than a game of elections.
Rather than a fight for the economics which will make peoples lives better.
don’t forget that the deal the govt signed with these fucken parasites..
..guarantees them a certain number of prisoners – to fill their jails..
..to the extent the govt has to pay them a financial penalty should they fail to supply them with these bodies..
..so..moving (all) drugs from justice to health..
..legalising/regulating/taxing pot..
(..and of course..emptying the prisons of those already incarcerated for victimless-crimes…
..would cost the govt heaps..)
..that is another question i wd like the mainstream-media to start asking..
..’are yr guarantees to the private-prison industry – stilling yr hand on moving towards cannabis-law-reform..?
..and how much would that be likely to cost the government?..
..should you end cannabis prohibition and free those incarcerated..?’..
and of course – it is not just about pot..
“..How Psychedelics Might Transform the Human Mind and Lead Humanity Towards Intellectual and Artistic Heights..
..Psychedelics are undergoing a revival of interest –
– but where do we go from here?
A leading thinker offers a four-stage preview..”
(cont..)
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/psychedelic-renaissance-here-eternity
My friends who live in Portugal, love it.
They call it the safest they have felt in years.
Why do I mention Portugal – well folks just in case you don’t know – you can take psychedelics there as well. Oh and look – it’s not falling apart, the country is not collapsing, people are friendly, happy and healthy. Bugger me, no one is on a crazed drug trip killing people – who would have though.
Oh and safe – did I mention people feeling safe…
i don’t take them now..
..but i have no regrets about the industrial-strength pschedelics i have taken..
..(one favourite moment..in national park on hawkesbury river in n.s.w.aust..
..standing on one side of the river..
..and the opposing hills/bush turning into golden rivulets..
..that ran down into the river…
..and a led zeppelin concert..where i wasn’t actually aware i was at a concert..
..there was just this killer soundtrack to what was going on..
..and every now and then i noticed this stage in the distance..with marrionette-like figures on it..
..that i didn’t actually connect with that killer-soundtrack to the visuals of my psychedelic-journey..
..whoar..!
..(i have a huge grin-on here..just remembering it..)
On the violence side you might be interested in this little anecdote , my cousins brought a pub in Scotland in the 80s they reckon it was a mad house with the amount of scrapping the Scots got up to not only in the pub but they’d get boozed and go to the next village for a battle, then hash arrived and and they mall owed right out I spent a couple of years there and the only time I saw a punch thrown was during a hash drought.
I doubt that, bw. Drug companies would be more likely to take advantage of the situation to sell tincture of cannabis or something like that which could be patented.
My theory is that law enforcement are behind it. They want an excuse to be able to pull over young brown blokes whenever they feel like it. The war on drugs gives them this. Before the war on terror came along, legal powers to search and seize were almost always based on drug offences. Now that cops and spies can get what they want by whispering “terrorists” in Andrew Little’s ear, maybe they will back off more on the drugs. Many ex-police already have.
If she’s against medicinal cannabis on the grounds that it leads to harder drugs, she should also be against medicinal morphine on the grounds that it is a harder drug. I think all NAct supporters should sign declarations that they will not accept any strong analgesics. I can hear them screaming in the surgical wards already. It is a surprisingly pleasant sound.
Yeah, and also against codeine as a “gateway drug.”
You have to be fucking kidding me.
Brownlee concocting non-existent protocols to avoid having to answer questions. Yeah, we totes honour the dead around here.
Begs the question: who is the enemy?
Timed so the law is ready for the reinvasion of Iraq.
Accurate reporting of the circumstances of a soldier’s death might breach security – the appropriate person to determine that is the coroner, after hearing evidence.
When the National Party realises that its bloodlust cannot be hidden this way, will grief itself be outlawed?
I’m guessing coroners are civil servants too difficult to control. Too many of them, and a profession with a high degree of integrity.
+ 1 yes grief will be outlawed because it might breach security – direct censorship is just around the corner because ‘the walls have ears’, ‘the enemy is everywhere they can even look like you and me’, ‘trust no one and tell the authorities immediately’ …
I think that a certain large government has tried to limit public displays of grief by flying home defence corpses at night. I seem to remember that from the Vietnam time. Someone else may remember exactly.
I thought that this section of the article gives the clearest vision of what will happen if this bill passes:
That bit about national security concerns being already provided for by coroner’s suppression orders is particularly telling.
This is about National’s security, not national security.
I thought this bit was worrying. Does the NZDF advocate for the state to be above judicial scrutiny? If so, this is a continuation down the path the current government is leading this country.
The state has four branches. The judiciary is one of them. The NZDF is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
And yes, it’s a damning indictment of their brainless authoritarian ideology.
It worked for Fiji.
Democratic instincts do not get rewarded in the NZDF. The higher officers are often those least capable of any intelligent thought.
Here’s a question: how do we know if a death is self-inflicted unless there’s a coroner’s report? Do we just allow NZDF to go “oh no, that was totally security-related, nothing to see here”?
^ this
The timing of this is pretty transparent. As for “The NZDF supported the amendment and said it strikes a balance “between independent investigation and ensuring judicial scrutiny did not encroach into “matters of the state”.” Wow. The state should be free from judicial scrutiny? The march to complete authoritarianism is really astonishing me with its pace. First the NZDF, next will anyone killed by ngati poaka be denied a coronial investigation?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxHRsD48L0#t=86
Enjoy this from Tourettes at Splore …”John Keys Sons a DJ”
Been thinking that it is strangely time to paraphrase Muldoon:
“Tony Abbott’s visit to John Key raised the IQ of both Prime Ministers offices”.
+100
Pegida rally in Newcastle, UK flops. Despite the assurances of the organisers that the racist, neo-fascist organisation is not racist or neo-fascist, the pictures tell the story.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/28/newcastle-pegida-marchers-vastly-outnumbered-by-counter-protests
They all dress like Racist George.
heh..!..
..beige – the colour of evil…
..but the good news from that story..
..is that the anti-march protestors outnumbered the beige-brigade..
And yet here in NZ Kyle Chapman and his merry bone-head crew march unopposed in Christchurch every year
“Casey invites all pro-Whites and pro-White groups to join him at the European Heritage march this year.
The message this year is UNITY.
Assemble at 11 am near Chch Central, March 21”
(from http://www.nationalfront.org.nz/?p=2007 )
They are not unopposed, although the opposition does tend to come from the far left. I know people who have been to Christchurch a few times to give the racist asswipes a hard time.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/emotions-high-as-group-confronts-white-pride-march-2013032316
That good to hear !
More bad choices by National Party followers. They will refuse to accept any personal responsibility.
Do you meant they won’t take personal responsibility for people who won’t or can’t take personal responsibility for themselves?
Another view on it: Rodney Hide: Mann up and take responsibility
What personal responsibility do you have for those who have to be “very watchful on what we spend” OAB?
No, I mean none of your false interpretations, Racist George, and I haven’t the slightest inclination to explain it to you.
Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?
You always seem to duck for cover when challenged to back up your rhetoric. And you’re off topic on this thread.
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world. I thought even you would have worked out something obvious like that. Why weren’t you at the counter protest?
But I’ve backed Newcastle Unites from here. Have you/
Wow! Only distance prevents racist Pete from marching with the fascists. Thanks for the unintended honesty, schmuck.
[lprent: It is a valid point. But FFS phrase the responses better. I don’t like cleaning up reaction messes. ]
😀
Thanks for the reminder about your deliberate dishonesty.
And thanks for the opportunities to keep demonstrating your dishonesty. So far you’ve managed to keep that out of your authoring (that’s been promising) but you’ll find it’s difficult to keep the two separate – lying at one level will end up impacting on another.
[lprent: Indeed. What a pain in the arse thing to see on moderation sweep at the end of hot day.
I really don’t like people attacking my authors for any reason. But I really find it objectionable to see it when the idiot critic (ie you) neither links to an example of whatever they are moaning about nor explains what it is so that I can look at the issue. That is lying by omission in my book – something that in my mind characterises your usual writing style.
Don’t ever target my authors again with unsubstantiated and unlinked smearing as a tactic. To me that appears to be what you are doing here. It takes us too much work to get them up and running to let some foolish dickhead use them for target practice.
Yes he wound you up. Complain to me or in general. Don’t target authors personally because I really really need them more than I need you.
The next time that I see you do this kind of deliberate targeting, I will boot you off for a year.
But banned one month only because TRP was winding you up. ]
“And thanks for the opportunities to keep demonstrating your dishonesty. So far you’ve managed to keep that out of your authoring”
not like you eh pete – your dishonesty is well known – as well as your nasty side.
Ironies abound today marty. Eh.
this wasn’t ironic, it was hilarious
none so dim eh pete – and now your abuse of an author here – funny how you’ll still get the content for your vanity blog from this site tho eh – dishonest and racist – you really are an enjoyable idiot 🙂
Just think though of the story of The Triffids. They were plants that everyone knew had dangerous abilities but as they were interesting people were allowed to cultivate them although with instructions on how to stop their full negative development.
When people became vulnerable the plants were ready to strike with their poisoned tendrils, and they would suck people’s blood or something. Watch who you play with kids.
Pete, I pointed out your own words. If there is dishonesty involved, it can only have come from you. Shall we call it a fraudian slip?
You acknowledge I’m an author, yet you call me a liar. The TS policy is pretty clear about abuse of authors. Would you please withdraw and apologise.
I made it clear you’re a liar as a commenter, not as an author and re-emphasise that. A persistent liar that pre-dates your authoring. You can’t hide behind a higher status for your low commenting.
[That is a distinction that I do not recognise. Tone it down – MS]
“Tone it down”.
Please can we have some clarity on this: is it just Racist George who can now abuse authors, so long as he “tones it down”? Or can we all join in?
I note that Racist George has not resiled from his abuse of TRP, let alone apologised.
[The policy says “Abusing the sysop or post writers on their own site (should say post) – including telling us how to run our site or what we should write. This is viewed as self-evident stupidity, and should be added as a category to the Darwin Awards.”
Another part of the policy says “Generally wasting a moderators time is just not a good idea. We’re there to deal with isolated problems. People persistently sucking up our voluntary time won’t like the results.”
So I am not sure if 1 applies to Pete but 2 is becoming more and more relevant.
Besides I am softer than some of the other authors. If lprent was to deal with this I suspect the result would be more summary – MS]
” I suspect the result would be more summary “. Some heads just ask to be chopped off.
Some clarity would be good MS.
Are you saying the someone who happens to be an author can say whatever they like as a commenter completely unrelated to any of their posts and not be challenged?
TRP hasn’t denied being dishonest over the years, he just seems to be trying to protect his abusiveness from some sort of privileged position.
[See my comment above Pete. Although this is Open Mike you are wasting moderators time – MS]
That’s the second time today you’ve called me a liar here, Pete. MS asked you to tone it down, which is a reasonable request, and you have chosen to repeat the abuse.
“TRP hasn’t denied being dishonest over the years”
That is why you are so loathed in real life as well as the interwebz. You feel able to abuse people and get away with it. TRP is NOT dishonest and my reading of his comments over the years (many many of which I disagree with and even oppose) is that they are brutally honest. TRP says what he thinks and does not lie imo. Not like you tho pete – you are a fucken disgrace – a sad loser/stalker who can’t fill his vanity bog with anything other than other peoples work, a mr nobody trying to validate himself and failing time after time after time.
That looks like blatant dishonesty, unless TRP doesn’t understand what “But I’ve backed Newcastle Unites from here” means.
Wow Pete George – Just wow.
I might think te reo putake is a Chardonnay Socialist. But I’d never thought in any argument I’ve had with him, he was a liar.
Is it that you Pete George are a racist who dislikes being handed your racism back to you, on a plate?
Pete George – do you even realise you are a racist?
Because te reo putake may part of the labour faithful, and a fluffy socialist – but he is not a liar nor is he a bigot like you Mr George.
Reflection is a wonderful thing Pete – maybe if many people are pointing out you are a racist – you might want to take some time to reflect that you are.
Take your time – it’s a process, and it is something grown ups have to confront and deal with. There will be tears and recriminations. I however, am hopeful you will see the process through.
That’s the third time, Pete.
I quoted your own words entirely accurately. I’m sure you’re pissed off at being hoist by your own petard, but accusing me of dishonesty and conflating that with my author status is not acceptable behaviour here.
TRP: “I quoted your own words entirely accurately. ”
As far as I can see that’s incorrect. I can’t see where you’ve quoted my words at all.
pete you could have answered the question a million ways – you chose your answer which unwittingly revealed your truth – YOU said it, no one else – own it ffs, TRP was not dishonest but you are disingenuous in trying to squirm out of your own bloody words.
edit – TRP quoted your words ffs what are you on?
Marty, Pete’s trying to play the pedantry card.
Pete: “Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world.
Me: Wow! Only distance prevents racist Pete from marching with the fascists.
He’d love to think nitpicking and resorting to accusations of dishonesty will hide his accidental admission, but it won’t. The damage is done.
You’re wrong too marty. Can you point out where TRP quoted me?
He said “Only distance prevents racist Pete from marching with the fascists.”. I said nothing about marching in support of Pegida.
This looks like a typical case of ignorant, sloppy or dishonest assumptions. At best.
TRP – the reports suggests that many people were there that opposed Pegida, they didn’t support them by 4 to 1.
You haven’t shown where you quoted me.
Fourth time you’ve accused me of dishonesty, Pete.
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world.
Your own words, Pete.
If you’d wanted to oppose them, you would have wanted to be at the Newcastle Unites counter rally. Can you see the subtle difference?
I also said quite clearly “But I’ve backed Newcastle Unites from here.”
Do you admit you may have jumped to a conclusion too quickly?
You still haven’t shown here you quoted me as you claimed.
A griefer is a player in a multiplayer video game who deliberately irritates and harasses other players within the game, using aspects of the game in unintended ways. A griefer derives pleasure primarily or exclusively from the act of annoying other users, and as such is a particular nuisance in online gaming communities, since griefers often cannot be deterred by penalties related to in-game goals.
““Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world. I thought even you would have worked out something obvious like that.”
That is what you said – you even said to OAB that it was obvious!!! YOU said it lol and now you don’t like it lol – write a post about that dirty racist liar pete george then pete, he’s giving you a bad name.
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world.
Your words, Pete.
” I’m sure you’re pissed off at being hoist by your own petard” are your own words.
Did you apply them to the wrong person?
Did you jump to a conclusion on a part of my comment? And even that part didn’t say what you accused (without quoting).
“Because it was on the other side of the world” (my words) is nowhere near the same as “Only distance prevents racist Pete from marching with the fascists.” (your words)
you said it was obvious you weren’t at the rally because of distance – that is what you said
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world.
Your words, Pete. Weasel all you like, they’re still your words.
And your words were “Only distance prevents racist Pete from marching with the fascists.” That’s very different.
No difference at all, unless you’re trying to say it wasn’t a march.
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world.
Pete George, 1 April 2015.
Learn to live with it, Pete, I imagine you’re going to be reminded about your words pretty regularly 😉
ps I think I may have come up with a new pejorative for you. Howdya fancy being Petegida from here on in?
That you originally made an incorrect claim may have been carelessness, but that you continue to try and claim it looks like deliberate dishonesty. So my original assessment looks like a reasonable one to have made.
That works both ways. I think it's fairly typical of how you have often operated as a commenter but it's a good example to have on record.
Te Reo Putake (I won’t use your name here) 1 March 2015.
[Stephanie: Damn straight you won’t. You’ve been around here more than long enough to know that trying to “out” people who use pseudonyms is a bad idea, and making smarmy threats like that, while protesting that you’re just being ~reasonable~, only proves what a sad little bully you are.]
That’s up to you, but from you it wouldn’t bother me at all,, it’s what you do. If you use it you will be repeating dishonesty, which can only look very deliberate now. You know, something like a persistent liar.
“Why weren’t you at the Pegida rally?”
Because it was on the other side of the world.
Pete George.
Just checked and the words haven’t magically disappeared, Pete. So you’re stuck with what you wrote. Obviously, you’ve already shown yourself to be a racist, so the admission, accidental as it may have been, fits entirely with what we already know about you.
That you are still try to weasel out also confirms another aspect of your character; moral and intellectual cowardice.
Yes my works are still there. All of them, not just the ones you have made things up about.
This is what I said:
That clearly shows I support Newcastles Unites, not Pegida.
You’ve been busted and still persist with deliberate use of incorrect claims.
And you keep demonstrating you’re not honest enough to admit it.
I’ve been attached dishonestly here many times so once more doesn’t make any difference to me. It’s more likely to bite you on the bum.
I note that at the time of writing, Racist George has still not “supported” Newcastle Unite. He quickly put up a hurried cut-n-paste this morning, which merely suggests that they try and get along with the fascists.
Edit: his racist attacks on tangata whenua are far more revealing of his true sympathies.
Can I exercise a right of reply?
I’ve explained here a number of times – and have specifically pointed that it was TRP lying by omission. Which he has continued to do.
He claimed to have quoted me but hadn’t, and then when called on that repeatedly part quoted me, lying by omitting the whole quote.
If you support that sort of tactic from one of your authors then so be it, it’s your blog.
It’s pretty obvious that this began and continued with TRP “with unsubstantiated and unlinked smearing as a tactic” and continuing doing that.
If you don’t allow any response to that sort of tactic you’re being as bad as Bradbury and Slater in the way you censor out things that show up your crap.
That’s a bit sad isn’t it, especially after you claiming the high ground on comment control in your spat with Bradbury.
FFS. He and others try to wind me up all the time. As if you hadn’t noticed. And then get wound up when I call you on it. You sound wound up now. Tch tch.
You’re accusing me of deliberate targeting. Very funny. But somehow I suspect you don’t see the joke.
I’m not questioning that, I’m happy to have a month off. TRP et al with have to find someone else to try and wind up.
Cheers.
[lprent: I am fetching this out of a very neglected spam queue full of our latest spambot and philu.
As I (think) I probably said. I don’t have time to trace every previous discussion and I lack the ability to read minds remotely. So I look at the comment based what is in it and have a brief look at the conversation around it. Which is why TRP got a public warning and a private discussion about future behaviour. Which is a bit unusual because I generally rap knuckles on authors using the back channels.
But treat authors differently. Link to supporting info when having a go at them because the balance of the moderation shifts for them. I don’t treat them as commentators anymore simply because we need to retain them to write conversation starters for this site. With authors I balance my need to retain authors against ‘fairness’. But the supporting information had better be in the comments I am looking at because I won’t go looking for it. I simply don’t have time with the numbers of comments that flow through here. ]
“lying at one level will end up impacting on another.” Like the PM, Collins, Brownlee, Tolley, Joyce and Bennett.
lol
The truth is so truthful
Pete a self confessed Chelsea supporter.
No wonder he is always trying to push us of the tracks
Always. Unless I’m debating with Gosman. Or English Breakfast. Or PR, or Gormless, or CV, or The Murphey, or BK, or in point of publicly documented fact, everyone but you.
That’s because I regard you as beneath contempt, Racist George.
Joke? You rarely debate anyone.
Voles are tiny beige furry things with small brains that tunnel through dirt and occasionally appear in daylight.
They are celebrated musically in the popular song:
O Vole Mio.
A louse’s color varies from pale beige to dark gray; however, if feeding on blood, it may become considerably darker.
What colour is this louse?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Fahrenholzia_pinnata.JPG
LOL!
Its colour is an amalgamation of the colours of Nat’s blue+ACT’s yellow+UF’s purple which strangely often turns beige!
How am I doing?
Black and blue, right?
What a bunch of dicks you lot are.
Twisting words to suit your own means. Don’t pack a sissy next time Paddy G does it then.
Grow up dick heads
😆
This started with Racist George’s attempt to twist my words: my comment at 6, his response at 6.1.
He fell right into the obvious trap I set for him in return, and the community had a little fun at his expense.
I think you protesteth too much, lady.
I think you’re asking too much.
Oh, look something St PG supports and doesn’t oppose ?
Given the Beige Ones track record..
I just wonder when he states he supports Newcastle Unites, I just ponder if he’s buggered up again in his usually close shave to 4th place power manner?
He probably means he supports, Newcastle United, a very mediocre English Football team, who’s owner is only interested in generating revenue , publicity for himself & business interests and leaves the ambitions & aspirations of the team on the sidelines to embrace mediocrity.
There does seem to be more than a passing similarity between the Beige Bladder One of Dunedin and Mike Ashley of Newcastle United.
Have you signed the “Not In Our Name” petition PG shrinks?& shown some backbone support rather than your usual array of turd polishing misnomers?
The personal responsibility of voting in National who then put in place policies that increase poverty while giving the rich even more.
Not just voting them in: actively supporting a vile hate-based approach to misfortune, in the face of all evidence and expert advice.
Yeah, Rodney Hide. His poverty of thought has given him a fat head.
who decides what is in the ‘publics interest’?
Gerry Brownlee, apparently.
Now there is a contradiction in terms, if I ever heard one.
US and Israel now drilling for oil and gas in the Golan Heights
Typical Israeli/US corporate policy to thieve resources from others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEpNA47av74
+1 Israel benefits with media attention being focused else where on the Iraqi, Iran, Syria etc.
ps. Glad you got some off that pony, dour staying run from the back, the jock had to knock a few over to get into the clear. Tri with the 2 class/form horses paid over an ernie rutherford. 🙂
There was a good story to the winner Mongolian Khan. A friend of mine from Cambridge (broke-in a filly that I bred) battles away pre training horses. He sees something in this colt that nobody wanted, buys him cheap and syndicated & manages it for a Asian group to race.
So yesterday the local captain’s of industry, who spend hundreds of thousands on a yearling tb, have to watch a horse with an unfashionable pedigree that sold for nicks win NZ’s premier 700 k, 3 year old race. Got to love it.
Ahhh very nice background indeed. Listened to the race on trackside and at the start I thought to myself – good god that Skinny has recommended a lame! But I kept the faith lol. BTW I have no background in racing, but you sounded like you knew what you were talking about and so i would seem. Chur bro 🙂
edit – oh yeah OK nice move on the tri – that would have been worth a few bucks in a side bet
yes sorry i didnt bet on your tip…but was busy….looked like a goodie
incidentally there is a very engrossing realist tv first series called ‘Luck’ about horse racing in LA together with the whole jockey /owner/trainer culture and associated crime….but it was pulled before the second series because of concerns for horse welfare…some argued it could have been an advocate for horse welfare and should continue…others argued it was part of the problem….
however that aside , if you can put it aside….. watching a great horse run and clean up the field is wonderful…can recommend that series
Horses are part of mans heritage, if it all turns pear shaped the majestic horse will be there along with the loyal dog.
A friend our mine who I helped in a small advisory role to plot a path to win an Auckland, and then the following years Melbourne Cup with a mare called Jezabeel. He spent time in the States, learning a few technics from legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Sounds a lot cleaner here drug and corruption wise.
The racing industry employs over 20,000 people, and unlike SkyCity casino the money gets spread around here, rather than transferred straight to Australia.
yes agree…horse racing generally good clean fun ….but casinos spread the crime and gambling problems
+100…thanks for that link…
key is giving a skin-crawling performance on q & a..
..trying to justify his spear-carrying for the americans..
and w.t.f. is the news/tele-prompter reader doing hosting q & a..?
..as expected..without that tele-prompter – he is fucken hapless/hopeless/way out of his depth….
..was he really the best they could find..?
and now the tailors’ dummy is trying to do an interview…
.he really should stick to his strengths..
..and go back to doing traffic-reports..
PU .. not as skin-crawling as Mike Sabin on TV3’s excellent Re-Think. I guess it must be a replay, but TV3 really can do better.
( Saw it as I flicked on to see if Nation was on yet … Sabin sickens me.)
peters is doing well..
..has just increased his chances for winning by a marked degree..
the political science person on the panel is beyond hopeless..
Key got a soft run by Corin Dan coached into answering patsy questions. Meanwhile Peters gets a much harder time but holds his own, managing to shake his hangover.
And Goff is making a meal of it with silly clichés. I would far rather have heard Little fronting, oh well better than a Goff & Shearer combo.
aye..!
..little should have been there..
..goffs’ hands are too blood-stained..
..apart from anything else..
also interesting to hear the almost unanimous view..
..that labour should pull out..
..and give peters his free run..
Key got a soft run by Corin Dan coached into answering patsy questions.
You might be right there, I wouldn’t know. His emasculation of the English language grates on me so much I have to turn the TV off.
But I don’t agree about Phil Goff. I think he did a good job rubbishing the Key govt’s stance on ISIS, and then listing the alternative options that would make a real difference in the Middle East. He also showed Key up for the liar he is when it came to Labour’s record on the former Iraq/Afghanistan incursions.
But why do they use these useless so-called political scientists? Dr Jennifer (whatever her surname is) came across as an ignoramus – especially about Peter’s Northland background. She needs to swot up on her NZ political history. The only one who is any good is Dr. Jon Johannsen who seems to have transferred to The Nation.
115 Russian media outlets banned by Ukranian Kiev authorities; Al Jazeera team removed from country, dozens of journalists stopped from entry into Ukraine
It’s almost like these US allies don’t believe in press freedom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcZOTR3-pvM
Colonial Rawshark, that generally is the sign something very bad is about to be going down.
+100…disgraceful treatment of journalists!
You know that Russia also has a terrible record in press freedom, right?
Yes, but they’ve come along way in the last 30 years 😛
Whereas the USA has been sliding backwards all that time 😈
“Yes, but they’ve come along way in the last 30 years”
Ok, but you do know Russia still has a terrible, and worsening record in press freedom, right?
Yeah, its still pretty bad…
and getting worse
Possibly. But you can also get CNN, BBC and Fox News in Russia. Russians can see John McCain visiting Kiev, or Cameron promising to send soldiers to the Ukraine like anyone else can.
And the more the west villifies Putin and Russia in general, the more the west brings its military forces to the Russian door step, the more the west tries to hurt the Russian economy, the more nationalistic Russians are going to get, and the more they will support Putin. Whose popularity ratings are as high as they have ever been.
http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-could-learn-some-lessons-from-john-key-20150228-13rilf.html
What sort of rose tinted glasses was James Massola wearing I wonder during his parachute visit. Please James, start a campaign to import the great oikonic Jonkey to your shores!
As Massola says it was frightfully good of John Key to usher through the same sex marriage Bill. Wow!
how about we say if they like him so much – they can have him..?..
..would that work..?
Cerie Bullivant of CAGE walks off after yet
another television hack acts like a Soviet-style prosecutor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMEb-xd4PiI&feature=youtu.be
It would be difficult to point to any spectacle more disgusting than the British establishment in one of its periodical fits of morality. Unfortunately, anyone who “consumes” the mass media is subjected to an unceasing flow of this “morality” day in and day out, week after week, month after month.
In the last few years, British politicians and their assiduous media parrots have enthusiastically expressed support for killers like Chris Kyle (R.I.P.), Prince Harry, AKA “The Big H” and Mohammed Emwazi, AKA “Jihadi John”.
Recently, however, things have changed. The support for The Big H and the American Sniper has continued, but the verbal support for Jihadi John has not; the sudden shift occurred after he and his comrades-in-arms progressed from killing Syrian untermenschen to killing Britons, Japanese and Americans. Some of the most choleric responses have come from those moral paragons at British Sky Broadcasting….
KAY BURLEY: Let me ask you straight off the bat: What level of harassment by the security services here in the United Kingdom justifies beheadings?
CERIE BULLIVANT: It’s not about justifying anything. Nobody here is apologizing or trying to make an excuse for what happened. We’re talking about the causes of it. For years now in the British discourse on this issue, we’ve failed to look at the causes of radicalization in an honest manner. The conveyor belt theory that’s been pushed time and time again has been proven, academically speaking, incorrect. It has no empirical evidence, yet every single time one of these horrific attacks happens, the people who perpetrate it quote foreign policy as the key pusher. They quote harassment in domestic policy as factors. And we keep ignoring that, and it’s not about justifying it, it’s about looking at the causes of it so that we can make everybody safer here and abroad.
KAY BURLEY: How do you feel about the beheading?
CERIE BULLIVANT: I, I’m—to be frank, I’m appalled that you would ask me that question. Muslims are human beings as well—
KAY BURLEY: Don’t be, don’t be appalled. Just answer the question if you would please, sir.
CERIE BULLIVANT: I, I am. Muslims are human beings as well. We are shocked when we see beheadings, we are shocked when we see barrel bombs. We shouldn’t have to justify our humanity by saying that I am shocked by something as brutal as this. I campaigned both publicly and behind the scenes for the release of Alan Henning, so your question is inherently Islamophopic and racist.
KAY BURLEY: Nonsense! Get over yourself! Who’s responsible for these beheadings?
CERIE BULLIVANT: The man who cut off their heads, and, if you take that back a step, the people who potentially helped in his radicalization—in this case, the security services.
KAY BURLEY: So you feel that the security services here in the United Kingdom are in some way or in some part responsible for the beheadings now being carried out by Jihadi John and others?
CERIE BULLIVANT: Everybody has agency for their own actions, and everybody, regardless of where they are and who they are, should be held accountable by the law, by due process, for any sort of torture that they do and any sort of killings without due process that they take. That is a blanket statement for all people in all times.
KAY BURLEY: So are you saying that the security services are in some way responsible for these beheadings, was my question.
CERIE BULLIVANT: What I said is that we have to look at all of the history of all these things as well. If you try and take these issues in a vacuum, then you’re not going to be able to analyze how they happened and try to get to some sort of understanding of how to stop them happening again.
KAY BURLEY: Okay, so do you feel that in some way the security services are in some way from the United Kingdom are responsible for the beheadings carried out by Jihadi John?
CERIE BULLIVANT: I feel—I’ll give you the answer that you’ve asked me three times, I feel that the security services have, time and again, harassed people and pushed them and that has played a part in the radicalization of this man. Now he is responsible for his own actions; they are partly responsible for putting him in that position.
KAY BURLEY: Do you condemn his actions?
CERIE BULLIVANT: I’ve already said— I’m sorry, I’m not answering that question. It’s a ridiculous question. I’ve already gone through this, and dealt with it.
Removes earpiece, and exits stage left. Cut to Kay Burley in studio, silent, smirking…..
KAY BURLEY: [chirpily] Joining us now from Central London is Shiraz M—
END OF TRANSCRIPT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMEb-xd4PiI&feature=youtu.be
Disgraceful interview.
It was SKY news, Murdoch’s propaganda mouthpiece.
The BBC is equally bad. Remember the ambush and persecution of George Galloway last month…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guAjF0csFI0
Galloway, a rare voice of sanity and alternative thinking in the UK, where the largest 4 parties all lie in thrall to crony capitalism and are owned by multinationals and the banks.
The Labour Party in the UK can’t even put up a candidate to oppose him in Bradford.
Cheers, Moz, a great transcript! Having done a few, I know what a grind they are to get accurate* George Galloway attended the anti-fascist rally in Newcastle overnight, though I haven’t spotted a report of what he said yet.
*A small point, it’s usual to reduce the names to initials after the first use (ie KB and CB). Saves a lot of typing time.
Cheers, Moz, a great transcript! Having done a few, I know what a grind they are to get accurate.
Thanks very much, Te Reo.
A small point, it’s usual to reduce the names to initials after the first use (ie KB and CB).
Oh yes—the ol’ Playboy Interview convention. The only part of the magazine I used to read.
Saves a lot of typing time.
I just cut and paste the names, together with the HTML mark-up conventions, so time and effort is not a problem in this case. However, I have wondered about the look of it, and whether initials might be better. In this case, one name is considerably longer than the other, so it’s clearer and easier to differentiate on the page. That’s why I left it like that this time.
Hi folks!
Just a wee reminder that you have until 4pm tomorrow, Monday 2 March 2015, to make a submission to the Local Government Commission (LGC), on the Draft Wellington Reorganisation Proposal.
(Wellington ‘Supercity’).
You don’t have to reside in the Greater Wellington Region in order to make a submission on this ‘Draft’ proposal
So this is a golden opportunity for people in the Auckland region, who are the only ones to have actually experienced a (forced) ‘Supercity’ amalgamation – to ‘have a say’ on how it’s been working for YOU?
You can email submissions to:
submissions@lgc.govt.nz
I strongly recommend you SEIZE THE MOMENT while you still have the chance!
Be good to share this information if you can to anyone else you know who might be interested?
Kind regards
Penny Bright
Thank you for a short, relevant post.
…… and as I listen to RNZ Sunday – the Panel discussion “Troops to Iraq” …. Do I think NZDF ‘top brass’ or Natzi aligned pollies will ‘listen’ (and gain some ‘learnings’).
Shit.Uphill.Push me thinks.
I imagine the podcast will be ready soon. They can of course then reflect, but their guts will already have been spread far and wide (or rather the GUTS of others)
ekshully, I’ll have to suspend their discussion – Dateline London is on so I’ll come back to them. Seems to me tho’ it’d have been nice if the discussion had occurred (and listened to) before JK’s decision to commit
Can anyone give an answer (speculative, of course) as to why TV3 repeated on this morning’s television its Re-Think programme from last year which had Mike Sabin as part of the panel discussing sexual assault ? Why did TV3 repeat this ? Why didn’t they pull it out of the series – given what is generally known/speculated about him ? Were they doing this deliberately to remind people about him – given there is a by-election happening now, in the north ? ? ? I just can’t figure it out !
…and why did National send him to take part in the first place? A simple misunderstanding? A sort of authoritarian sadist in-joke?
Yeah – hadn’t thought about that aspect OAB. Maybe he had the invite to go on, and didn’t tell anyone in the Nat Govt.
Excellent article from. Paul Little in the Herald today.
An excerpt
“The announcement that we will send whatever it is we are sending came with some of the worst histrionics we have seen from a Prime Minister, as John Key found his inner Wolf of Wall St and sent froth across the floor of the house in Andrew Little’s general direction.
“….. We are all well advised to get some guts. Guts are good things to have. It would take guts, for instance, to stand up to pressure from the United States and do what is right instead of what is expedient.
But then we would risk losing membership of that wonderful club, which Key earlier and accurately described as the reason we had to do this.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11409780
Said it last few years, we are being run by a golf club, not a government
Key didnt have the guts to put it to a democratic vote in New Zealand parliament…and the USA didn’t have to guts to put it before a democratic vote at the United Nations
so what we have is an illegal intervention – Chomsky:
“And to solve the mess, the US again decided to act against the international law, building an anti-ISIS coalition that is “meaningless, apart from being illegal.”
“A law-abiding state would go to the Security Council, ask for a declaration by the Security Council of a threat to peace, and request the Security Council to organize direct response to it. And that could be done. The US could then participate in it, but so could Iran,” which is a major military force and would probably wipe out ISIS in no time, if it was allowed to join the fight on the ground, Chomsky believes”….
http://rt.com/news/203055-us-russia-war-chomsky/
Another chilling, depraved moment from American television, 2012
Hard to work out who is most disgusting here: the psychopath being interviewed, the crawling, simpering host, or the braying audience….
“American Sniper” Chris Kyle Interview – CONAN on TBS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiVDtNjORbY
It is depressing to see what we have become.
No wonder so many parts of the world do not like us.
On RadioLive this morning Bill Ralston talked about a rumour that ISIS have “a Kiwi journalist in their hands”.
If true that will ramp up both sides of the deployment argument.
Transcript: Do ISIS have a Kiwi journalist hostage?
How about you come up with some proof before posting this sort of allegation. Ralston is the last person that I would believe with this sort of claim.
the donotlink http://www.donotlink.com/framed?648614
Ralston and Sainsbury are sick speculating on such an unsubstantiated rumour (Ralston has been ‘hearing’ for weeks). It looks like straight out propaganda for NACT to try and get people to support the war.
PG is also sick for linkwhoring this. Not really a surprise that he takes part in the rumourmongering (given his DP apologism) instead of having a political analysis of what Ralston is doing.
While we’re speculating, this too from the sewer –
.
Paul G. Buchanan (315 comments) says:
February 28th, 2015 at 8:09 pm
SPC. As a sidebar: You may have noticed Mr. Key backtracking today on The Nation on the issue of the SAS. Last week he told Duncan Gardner on air that not a single SAS soldier was overseas and certainly not in Iraq. That, of course, is nonsense since at any given time there are SAS personnel detached as liaisons to allied special forces units and they regularly train abroad. At the end of the Nation interview with Patrick Gower today he said that his advice was there might be a few in the theatre but not as a group, and the press needed to check with NZDF Chief on the specifics. So much for the “zero deployed” claim.
There are credible reports that SAS personnel are in theatre conducting operations even if not based in Iraq, and that they have been doing so for a few months. That should be unsurprising given that is what they train for and need to keep their live fire skills honed at all times, to say nothing of the fact that they work closely with the UK, Australian and Canadian SAS forces who are now deployed in search and destroy and air strike targeting missions against IS assets. That makes all the more remarkable Mr. Key’s dishonest claims about them. Perhaps he thinks that if he does not admit their involvement IS will believe that it is not at war with NZ because the latter is only in a training and support role. Yeah right.
http://www.donotlink.com/framed?648626
(scroll down, donotlink doesn’t display single comments)
I agree Weka. Shame on Ralston for introducing the rumour into the public domain and shame on PG for repeating and linking to it. The rumour has circulated amongst media circles for a while and apparently does not involve a journalist. The government asked the media to keep silent less they further risk the life of the purported hostage, whose nationality may or may not be known to the captors.
If the rumours are true, then that is the only, yet very valid reason why the government has been so misleading and obtuse about deploying NZDF personnel in Iraq and the nature of their role there, especially if it is/was exploring back channels to secure the person’s release. But so far we do not know the true story.
On this one I support total media and government silence until the facts are confirmed, and my comment here is simply a reminder of what is at stake for those otherwise inclined to engage in unconfirmed speculation without regard for consequences.
Thank-you Paul, I agree that’s very important. Hard to know what can happen now given what Ralston has done.
If the rumours are true, then that is the only, yet very valid reason why the government has been so misleading and obtuse about deploying NZDF personnel in Iraq and the nature of their role there, especially if it is/was exploring back channels to secure the person’s release. But so far we do not know the true story.
Meaning, they want to send troops anyway but are being cagey about details because of a mission that should be secret? I take it you don’t mean that if it weren’t for the mission they wouldn’t send anyone.
Weka:
I think that the mission was determined quite a while ago, at least since the meeting of coalition defence chiefs outside of Washington in mid October. The government was going to obfuscate anyway, but if indeed a kiwi hostage has been taken then it gives the government legitimate reason not to talk abut the inevitable deployment until negotiations had proven successful or not (assuming that negotiations were in fact undertaken directly or using third parties). As things stand now it appears the government’s hand has been forced for whatever reason, which does not auger well for the person involved if in fact s/he is being held captive.
I shall now refrain from further comment on the issue.
thanks, that’s very clear and much appreciated.
Thanks for your comments paul. Much appreciated.
There’s all sorts of rumours talked about, for example Mike Sabin. Would you never mention a rumour that you thought was of public interest?
I heard that you just spread rumors for your gnat mates because you want an appointment.
I’ve been hearing that for weeks, we should take this very seriously.
yep I heard that they just about had one ready to go and he was in – but then he did something which put them off – something he had posted that upset someone important.
The rumours about Mike Sabin are commentable upon because (a) there are documented issues with Sabin that partially match the rumours, and (b) multiple sources have reported the rumours from where Sabin lives i.e. it’s people who know him who are talking about this (NZ a small place and all that).
Then there’s the huge political differences.
It surprises me not in the least that you can’t tell the difference between that and what Ralston is doing. You really are clueless when it comes to understanding evidence and meaning.
My first criterion is to require there to be the possibility that it is true. And no I don’t normally spread rumours unless I have reason to believe they are true.
Only last week you were admonishing people here for posting stuff without evidence, now you seem to be saying if all you have is rumour but you think it is in the public interest, spread it?
It’s cruel to goad the banned 😀
Our Media are hostages of the right wing military machine.
And Pete you are a hostage of Narcism.
Are you getting exited about the idea that a Journalist from NZ might be beheaded or burned or other wise killed?
I have the feeling that secretly all the stenographers in NZ including the wannabe stenographers could not wish for something more arousing.
My the hours of TV gushing….they could milk it for hours. Of course they would feel all very very sorry.
Pathetic bunch these beige grey shades of human beings.
ISIS have “a Kiwi journalist in their hands”.
I’d laugh if it was Paul Henry.
I think the guy probably deserves 48 hours in stocks in a town square with rotten fruit and household refuse thrown at him. Hell, he could do it as a fundraiser for needy Kiwi kids. Beheading, not so much.
“household refuse thrown at him”
That happened to John Banks last year. Poor bugger. Take a look!
The issue was that Bracanov believed he was not guilty of the assault because he thought Banks deserved to have manure thrown over him.
He said he would do it again and said the judge was “not human” for finding him guilty.
During the trial the judge watched a recording of a police interview with Bracanov where he explained how he hid behind a car, waiting to throw the manure over Banks outside the High Court in Auckland on May 19 last year.
The 79-year-old said he got the manure from a paddock at Mangere Bridge in South Auckland, and watered it down.
Bracanov said he believed Banks owed him $8,000 because he was fined $10,000 in 1992 for throwing manure on a visiting royal Rolls Royce but should have only been fined $2,000. Banks was police minister at the time.
Five years later Bracanov had another run in with Mr Banks, this time on radio. He says, as a talkback radio host, the politician hung up on Bracanov while he was expressing his anti-royalist views.
“I was criticising the royals and he cut me off. That’s no good.”
Braconov now promises his days of manure-throwing are over.
“I’m done. That’s it, no more.”
“I’ve been waiting 22 years for revenge. And I’ve done it,” he said.
Bracanov came to court in his slippers and before the trial began, clearly restated his not guilty plea on the charge of common assault.
The judge reminded Bracanov he could appeal the decision.
See video of horse poo, two reports and some pictures here:
VIDEO OF MANURE THROWING HERE : (Short, 34 Sec )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU46_HMmziw
Reports and pictures here:
[1] http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/66825187/castislav-sam-bracanov-fined-400-for-throwing-horse-poo-on-john-banks
[2] http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/manure-thrower-guilty-of-assault-2015030214#axzz3TCHQqm22
!!!!!
Cheers for that, lol!
Looking at that video, I felt I was kind of getting a faint whiff of that horse poo. Not kidding! Try it and smell it yourself!
Did you have a similar experience?
I wonder if he still uses that expensive suit of his or has given it away to some poor homeless soul or even perhaps to the old Sam Bracanov himself!
I would, like the Bishop’s candle sticks in Les Misérables.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpDbvlAI_A0
Just an observation.
The National candidate for Northland.
A public servant.
I thought the public service was supposed to be apolitical.
Public servants have to seek approval from their executive in Wellington
if they are anyway involved in local politics. Usually asked to vacate their
positions. Not so apparently with this one. But then that’s the Nats, isn’t it.
Apparently been aligned to the Party for years.
Looks like the Nat’s went for small town business over farmers, probably assuming their vote is a given. Expect Peters to exsploit the crap out of the forgotten farmers in hock to Aussie banks, broken dusty roads clogged with logging trucks.
Another interesting thing is the executives who knew about Sabin and put him up again last year, obviously still hold the power base by choosing a party man elector and close neighbor of Sabin’s.
m.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11409684
Was your famrer tip not backed by Lush and Slater?
I won’t know I do not read anything they spin. However it did go to a fourth vote. I
posted stuff about on open mike today.
Has Mr Osborne used North District Council resources to further his political career?.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10035790/TVNZ-resources-used-in-campaigning
same with media? Paul Henry?
“Public servants have to seek approval from their executive in Wellington
if they are anyway involved in local politics. Usually asked to vacate their
positions. Not so apparently with this one.”
Mark Osborne works for the Far North council, not the civil service. He has stepped down with immediate effect from that job according to the Northern Advocate. Though presumably he’ll return if (when?) he loses.
On a related matter, I’m looking forward to reading the posts and comments on KB and WO saying Osborne has no mandate because he only won the nomination by a couple of votes. Because that’s what they said about Andrew Little and we know they’re nothing if not consistent down in the sewer.
How does that compare to how Willow-Jean Prime was selected? Winston?
The final selection (and mandate) for electorate candidates is made by the voters.
*whoosh*
Dirty Racist doesn’t want to say anything to upset his mentors.
How do Willow and peters relate to the attacks made on how little was selected which was raised by TRP and which you quoted back, without addressing and twisted to your own end?
Pete got his ‘n’th ban yesterday 😀
ahhhh
Well its hardly likely he will be losing and returning to the council with the ‘old first past the post’ Labour Party campaign going on. And Labour can not be critical of him abandoning the people who voted for him to council. Well not when you consider Prime uses the stone jumping tactic ‘except in her first term on council’.
He’s not on the council, Skinny, he works for the council. Asset manager, as I recall.
And, technically, it’s NZF that are treating it as FPP by coming in late when a credible candidate had already been announced. And don’t get me started on electorates and FPP anyway! They are FPP elections. Even in the general elections, where MMP simply added 50 list seats to 60 FPP seats.
Any racing tips for this arvo? Popping down the local for pool practice shortly. Might be tempted to have a flutter 😉
It doesn’t really matter Peters will now attack both of them and take votes of the pair of them. He may stand a better chance of winning, nah the last thing he would want is having to do some work in an electorate, far too cushy being a list MP, tho too be fair he is leader.
I was told Duquesa has been set for the Auckland Cup (mid week) for some time and will appreciate the firm track, opposed to others that will be feeling the summer tracks. Its mother won a Melbourne Cup so has a blue blood pedigree. I would be concerned about the monkeys on top who are guilty of adopting stop start tactics, something you wouldn’t get away with in Hong Kong
or England. Anyway it was given ‘just a run’ yesterday which should negate getting on the bit if those tatics are employed. It is a handicap and comes in low in the weights. The female jockey’s father Pete Johnson had a great record in the race and in racing history often repeats. An early bet @ fixed odds of $20 to win & $5 place it is worth a bob each way, you won’t get these lucrative odds race day. Pay to scope the weather forecast, would not want a rain effected track.
Cheers, Skinny, I’ll have a punt on Duquesa. Got a decent return on the English footy overnight, so I’ll invest the winnings and see what happens.
Public servants are allowed to stand for political office. I was a Labour list candidate in 1999 and at the time I was working for what was the Employment Tribunal. I was required to take lave for thecampaign period. You don’t lose your political rights when you work for the Government.
Somewhat confirms my point. I guess that the Nats can no longer cry that the public service is full of Lefties though…
Hell, you only ever needed to look to treasury for that 🙂
They’ve never let facts get in the way of a good myth, though.
No to NZ intervention in Iraq (our rulers are part of the problem not part of the solution):
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/no-to-all-western-military-intervention-in-the-middle-east/
Phil
Haven’t the western powers already caused enough destruction there?
No to NZ intervention in Iraq (our rulers are part of the problem not part of the solution):
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/no-to-all-western-military-intervention-in-the-middle-east/
Phil
https://www.facebook.com/events/398918773622627
Tonight 7pm @ keys dwelling….
I think Key would like a bit of Sunday jazz/brass take a bugle, and play a loud rendition of The Last Post. 🙂
The Crises Are Urgent, So Let’s Slow Down
5000 years of recorded history tells us that capital (money, land, means of production) accumulation by the few results in the collapse of society and yet we keep doing it. Would we keep doing so if that knowledge hadn’t been lost?
More than “lost”, it seems to me that alternative ways of life and living have been systematically destroyed by the capitalist/oligarchic juggernaut.
And, for amusement value, this:
And now you know that the UK’s financial policies are truly out there.
“One of Chancellor George Osborne’s senior advisers on economic policy has been captured on video smoking crack cocaine in a drugs den.”
Ha nice one.
My wifes favourite saying when one of these economic prats start to prattle their pet economic theorems, is, “crap he must be on something”
There is a saying somewhere about , “many a true word or something.
Cocaine is the drug of choice among Sydney executives and banksters. Quite a lot is consumed at business lunches and dinners. When Kiwis who partake return home, P might be the best they can get. Both drugs can cause drastic weight loss, so that those involved can easily end up looking like Mike Hoskings.
lol
between pete and ure (I should have known it wasn’t just dope), it’s been a pretty funny day on open mike
and how many brains cells have you killed with booze..?
..the ‘healthy-drug’..eh..?
..heh..!
Few enough that I can still write a coherent sentence.
that’s clearly debatable..
..especially if quality of composition is factored in..
..i have noticed u r quite au fait with simplistic-slogans/cliches..tho’..
..so well done! with that..!
You’re critiquing someone else on their clarity of prose?
..wow.. eh..
care to link us to something original u have ever done/said on here..?
..and u r so fucken whiney…
You’re accusing me of plagiarism? Easy enough to prove: take a comment of mine and compare it with the source you think I stole it from.
hah..!..i am just noting you have never ever said anything of the slightest import/interest/amusement..
..you just snipe and whine…
But “amusing you” is not the same as “originality”, is it?
Using the words that have the dictionary definitions of the meaning you intend to communicate is an essential element of a comment’s clarity. Assuming you didn’t just shift the goalposts to back away from an unfounded accusation of plagiarism, of course.
Reasons not to wrestle with a pig:
1. You are forced to assume undignified positions.
2. You get covered in mud.
3. You’re left with the suspicion that the pig enjoyed it.
4. Nobody cares.
According to the DSM 5, Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterised by:
A. Significant impairments in personality functioning manifested by:
1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):
a. Identity: Excessive reference to others for self-definition and self-esteem regulation; exaggerated self-appraisal may be inflated or deflated, or vacillate between extremes; emotional regulation mirrors fluctuations in self-esteem.
b. Self-direction: Goal-setting is based on gaining approval from others; personal standards are unreasonably high in order to see oneself as exceptional, or too low based on a sense of entitlement; often unaware of own motivations.
AND
2. Impairments in interpersonal functioning (a or b):
a. Empathy: Impaired ability to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others; excessively attuned to reactions of others, but only if perceived as relevant to self; over- or underestimate of own effect on others.
b. Intimacy: Relationships largely superficial and exist to serve self-esteem regulation; mutuality constrained by little genuine interest in others’ experiences and predominance of a need for personal gain
B. Pathological personality traits in the following domain:
Antagonism, characterized by:
A. Grandiosity: Feelings of entitlement, either overt or covert; self-centeredness; firmly holding to the belief that one is better than others; condescending toward others.
B. Attention seeking: Excessive attempts to attract and be the focus of the attention of others; admiration seeking.
C. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are relatively stable across time and consistent across situations.
D. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are not better understood as normative for the individual’s developmental stage or socio-cultural environment.
E. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual’s personality trait expression are not solely due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., severe head trauma).
Would people please ignore PG? His behaviour is pathological, he never argues sincerely or in good faith but compulsively. It’s purely about point scoring for him and every response is a point for him, so it’s just shadow boxing – or wrestling with a pig.
Also it is tedious and to read and trivialises genuinely important topics (except when interesting facts about marine biology pop up).
You’re only feeding his illness, he is irrelevant and therefore there is no purpose or anything to gain. For your own mental well-being, surely you have something better to do?
Ignoring only works if most or all people do it. At the same time.
I like the pig metaphor though.
True :/
So how do you feel about Vampyroteuthis infernalis then?
I think he’s an arch trole and we are stuck with him until he fucks up or does one of the moderators’ head in. Lynn has been pretty clear that PG is getting leeway because of the need to not moderate out of dislike, and because of the way people gang up on Pete (I think I got that last bit right). Ironic eh?
You did get that last bit right. Strange logic but there you go.
It’s one of the few aspects of Lynn’s moderation style that I fundamentally disagree with. (If you put a trole in a room full of people, very limited moderation, and dnftt doesn’t work, what else is going to happen but people do whatever they can to manage the situation? That doesn’t make them a mob).
Yes. Sometimes many people can be right at once. Seen same problem on the rare occasions badly-motivated commenters infest Public Address, but at least some learning is going on. PG didn’t last long.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01032015/#comment-977600 😉
Just caught up. What a relief.
+100
I don’t think you can say he has an illness
didn’t we have to scroll pages and pages with you and mcflock?
petes lies are building so high and unstable that they fall over themselves, not just in laughter but because of their internal inconsistencies and that is good
there are plenty of people I scroll past – it is a very very easy thing to do, like really easy
Pete blah Pete blah …. I think the comments below here are a Pete-free zone. Funny I have heard no report of a Pete bug entering the country and eating up suceptible juicy blogs. This one must have got in under the radar.
“I don’t think you can say he has an illness”
I scrolled past the psychicatric diagnosing in Rhinocrates’ comment. Not only is there absolutely no way to know if PG or anyone here has a particular mental health diagnosis (short of self-disclosure), but talking about the problems PG causes in mental health terms just stigmatises people dealing with mental health issues.
I agree
Yes, most mentally ill people aren’t as annoying. Takes some effort.
Most people with mental health of any kind aren’t as annoying 😉
I do suspect Aspergers as I’ve said to Pete – but it’s the *behaviour* that needs to be focused on. Doesn’t really matter why. The impact on community health is enough reason to take corrective action.
Ah I see upthread that he has finally crossed the line enough. Thank you @lprent.
Aw, how sweet. Pete is annoyed with me:
http://yournz.org/2015/03/01/ive-been-diagnosed-with-aspergers/
Sample earlier coversation:
http://thestandard.org.nz/if-the-voice-fits/#comment-945087
Yeah, I’ve been ignoring that (he’s got a pingpack at the bottom of the page).
If you have to link, can you please use http://www.donotlink.com/ ? Otherwise it feeds the trole and gives him more clicks so he can pretend he has relevancy beyond his troling.
btw, online guessing diagnoses about people’s neuro-atypicalness or not is not ok IMO. It’s really not relevant to the point you were making, and it affects other people who get prejudices directed at them. You can make pointed comment about PG’s behaviour, plenty of material there 🙂
REALLY like the pig metaphor and the rest made interesting reading too. Fits someone I know to a ‘t’.
‘pig-wrestling’ is useful shorthand.
“You’re only feeding his illness, he is irrelevant and therefore there is no purpose or anything to gain. For your own mental well-being, surely you have something better to do?”
Who is feeding whose illness Rhinocrates?
It looks to be an absolute textbook case of mutual dependence to me. Everybody involved is fulfilling some personal need.
Mental health? Whew. Like LPrent hath proclaimed, everyone is a bit nuts here.
The more time you spend here the more nuts you are IMO!
“..Is the Government About to Warn America Against Meat?..
..But this year – for the first time –
– the committee might caution against over-consumption of all kinds of meat —
– and not just for health reasons –
– but also because of meat’s environmental footprint..”
(cont..)
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/02/salt-sugar-chicken-what-look-upcoming-dietary-guidelines-report
I bet that is based on US research where cattle are kept in feedlots and raised on grain. Hardly a model of sustainability. Neither is switching to Monsanto-fied mono culture soy and wheat based diet.
yr obsessive focus on that one aspect of this issue..
..and yr subsequent dismissal of this whole issue..
..based on that one aspect..
..displays nothing more than a mono-mind..
Still can’t argue the facts eh phil?
Of course how animals are raised affects the carbon footprint. It also affects the health of the people eating the meat, as does other things they eat and do. This is why some cultures that eat large amounts of meat in traditional forms have healthy outcomes.
There, I think I covered the two points in your comment: carbon footprinting and health effects of eating meat.
See if you can actually address the points instead of resorting immediately to ad hominems.
i wd actually prefer to just studiously ignore you..
..so i will continue to do that..
..and why don’t you email the usda..and tell them they have got it all wrong..?
..and you did notice they said ‘all meat’.
..how does that fit with yr mono-focus on grass-fed beef..?
..grass-fed pigs are ok..?
..grass-fed chooks..
..and of course..animal-welfare means diddly-squat to you..eh..?
..as i said..a mono-obsessed mind..q.e.d..
..u r now back on ‘ignore’..
is that how you ignore me? 🙄
Now you’re lying about me as well as using ad hominems and not addressing the points 🙄 🙄
“..and you did notice they said ‘all meat’.”
wow, you really are dimwitted. You think they did separate research on people eating grassfed or organic or wild meat? How about you provide some links then.
🙄
btw, it’s pretty easy to prove that meat (and animal fat) per se are not the problem (which is why you will always struggle with the facts when you argue with me).
“How can people who gorge on fat and rarely see a vegetable be healthier than we are?”
http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/inuit-paradox
That article covers all the points I’ve raised in this conversation, and references the science (it’s not really a paradox though, it’s just better science and intelligence applied to food).
u should forward it to the usda..
..i am sure they will do an immediate u-turn,,
You should stop being such a hypocrite in uncritically trusting an organisation like the USDA when you like to pretend you are otherwise such a non-conformist.
You still can’t address the facts phil 🙄
in so so many ways..
..u r so similar to the beige-one..
(..and a warning 4 u…u cd b approaching peak-emoticon..eh..?..)
another ad hominem, now there’s a surprise. It’s fine that you are a vegan fundamentalist. But it’s naff that you are on a political forum and can’t even mount a half decent argument.
still channeling the beige-one..eh..?
..and do you really/seriously think yr ongoing/serial passive-aggressive tactics aren’t a form of ad hom..?
“still channeling the beige-one..eh..?”
What is wrong with beige? Just one of the fifty shades of grǽg, yes?
p.g has done irrepairable damage to what was a fine/proud colour..
So addressing the issues and posting opinion, facts and links is passive agressive? Riiight.
What you can’t cope with is me or anyone who disagrees with your fundamentalism and can argue the argument without resorting to the pathetic, low level debate skills that you employ (ad hominems, lies, avoidance, dimiwttedness). That last sentence is not passive, it’s active.
The Mother Jones article you link to is a mixed bag, it gets some bits right and others wrong. The main problem is that it doesn’t take a critical view of what it’s reporting and instead finds the links it wants to support its base position (the impending USDA report). That’s why I went and found some science based reporting that easily counters the bits about meat and fat. It’s not a hard leap from there to see that what the USDA does is flawed.
Anyone else reading this can check out Gary Taubes’ work, both on the fat/cholesterol myth, and on why science when translated into public health can be seriously flawed. Start with his article in the NYT “what if it’s all been a big fat lie”.
And just to be clear, this isn’t even a meat vs veg argument. It’s pointing out that your argument is flawed. Being vegan is fine. Using crap science reporting to support your view that all people should be vegan is stupid, and so expect to be called on it.
The really really stupid thing about what you do is undermining people who would in fact eat less meat but shy away from being veg or vegan. If they follow your advice they will go low fat and end up with the range of health problems associated with that. Many of those people will simply revert back to what they were eating before because it’s not worth the side effects. That includes people who do go veg/vegan but get shit advice on how to do that well (hence the relatively small number of long term vegans).
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html
http://garytaubes.com/works/articles/
In my opinion, the Labour Party should campaign hard on the issues, but Labour Party supporters should VOTE strategically in order to ensure that National does NOT retain Northland.
That way National will be left with 59 MPs out of 121, which on some issues will make them a ‘lame duck’ Government.
The ‘Right’ understand strategic voting.
In my view, it’s time for the ‘Left’ to follow suit.
“It’s commonsense” (as it were 🙂
Kind regards
Penny Bright
A piece about Grey Power in Hastings making a call against TPPA and holding a rally as part of the Day of Protest on 7 March. (Note all over NZ for all ages.)
http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/rally-against-tppa-in-hastings/
Is your place in this list? Seems fairly comprehensive coverage of NZ
http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/7-march/
Grey Power speaking up would be good. We are the ones who have security to do so, helping those without the nous or who have little security or freedom to protest. Grey-haired people caring for the young and struggling. Good. Only some of the elderly or retired, are incapable of walking in a protest or thinking seriously about something other than their own diet, pension, rates rebates, transport discount, book club, mild exercises, next bus trip with friends and other diversions.
Abby Martin’s final “Breaking the Set” episode. She’s off to engage in various investigative journalism projects, by the sounds of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLVMKuZHbug#t=34
I will miss that show
CR+100…. thanks for that…Abby Martin is very, very good …and that show is a no holds barred, or subjects barred, series of interviews ( it must have been exhausting for her over three years!)
…. I need to to catch up on back issues…hope rt keeps a list ( just been watching an interview with Eva Golinger on Venezuela….oil reserves and shades of the Middle East de-stabilisation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AcrvknLEU
….hope Abby Martin goes on to something equally good after a rest!…
Har,har. Just saw key in interview with c damn saying of course he will be visiting the troops in Iraq, with a journalist! He said he would not send troops into an area that he would not go into himself. Earnestly! Wow, does he have guts!!! Still rolling around the floor laughing. He’s losing the plot. They haven’t even gone and he’s got his cameos out. Pillock.
Really NZ needs an aircraft carrier so Key can declare victory safely from the deck like George W.
At last – a month free of PG. How much column space and time has that
once United Future hopeful but now Nat convert occupied/wasted on this site?
A Nat convert? Is that how we describe coming clean about one’s self interested careerism nowadays?
jUST A NOTE ON THE NORTHLAND ELECTION the more parties that stand the better after all its a Democracy and to reduce Nationals bloated majority would be synonymous with relieving bloat in cows the old fashioned way “a knife in the guts ” cos Jez wayne something needs to wake the place up to this totalitarian regime or police state which is so self congratulatory with its photoshop photo ops of just how much they have kept the north like a piece of history so that people can see what it was like in 1840 when the treaty was signed
Boot National so hard up the backside that they wont be able to seat them selves forever
I’ve worked out why Key’s golf handicap is so low. he follows professional players and submits their cards…
A half day at the cricket on Saturday, following Ko on Sunday… how busy he is…
Maersk CEO warns real economic growth is going to disappoint
China, Russia, Brazil all expected to do worse than expected. Forget about gamed equity markets and ‘financial engineering’, this man sees what is being physically moved around the world.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-01/worlds-largest-container-shipper-warns-global-trade-slowing-down
“They’ve correctly predicted 200 of the last 2 recessions”.
😆
LOL