There’s another column from Kerre floating round on the Herald as well, a long sickening ‘gush’ over Slippery the Prime Minister,(apparently Kerre just happened to bump into Him while She was in training for a marathon,(pfft),and He was strolling round Auckland with the wife in tow doing a normal bloke routine,(that description by Kerre smacked so much of the ‘truth’ that i had a vision of John Armstrong leaning over Her shoulder whispering words of encouragement into Her ear, or more to the point wheezing the actual script of the article to be printed out of fast failing lungs),
Put together with all the political commentary from the Heralds lineup of ‘wing-nut’ spin merchants this week i get a sense of a troop of Baboons becoming unsettled in their tree top home by the smell of approaching danger breaking into fits of insanely wild screeching all the while defecating/urinating uncontrollably in a paroxysm of fear driven terror,
”Took a knife to a gunfight”,how tired and old can you get,Kerre shows all the intellectual depth of a puddle of Baboons urine, and, with Her having joined the screeching of the troop you would have to wonder if Bryce now has a little competition for Armstrong’s job once the latter has drawn His last gasp…
Chris73. If you want a more realistic response to the accusations of castles and clothes then have a look at this. Fascinating lifestyle.:
“Yesterday, the Green Party co-leader tentatively opened her doors to our photographer – and revealed a wardrobe filled with more blue than green. “I quite like blue,” she laughed…….
“Well, this visit clears up a few things. The two-bedroom “castle” is made from stone and corrugated iron. Old fridges serve as cupboards and doorways; a large truck tyre has been turned into a window frame in the master bedroom. A new pizza oven, made from mud, straw and sand, rests on a stack of tyres.”
ianmac, great link to a well written story, lives in a castle indeed, why wouldn’t Mets dress to impress, most of us given the wages to do so would probably have a far more expensive means of dressing,
Does the Childrens Commissioner dress in sack-cloth to deliver reports on the state of New Zealand Children, it is shear hypocrisy for Tolley,Collins and Slippery the Prime Minister to attack Metiria over Her chosen lifestyle with such absolute Lies,
Hopefully the television channels pick up on this story which has in all probability already cost National big time proving to a wider audience just how ugly their fear driven attacks upon the Green Party are…
The point is she is skating on thin ice wailing about poverty (and greenhouse emissions) when she clearly consumes huge quantities of food herself and spends conspicuous amounts of money on clothes. Then when she gets mildly called out she cries racist. Really?
This has not cost National big time at all. I’ll call back in and see how you are doing when the next polls come out. Although I am sure you will have someone to blames. The media, the CE of Housing New Zealand. Maybe the Electricity Authority.
SSLands, your latest attack on Metiria Turei, unless you would care to provide a modicum of proof, is simply more ‘wing-nuts’ lies,
You are barely coherent this morning has the hang-over effected your ability to construct a lucid comment,not that any of the other utter rubbish you spew forth is much better,
Yes please, F off until the publication of the next ‘opinion poll’, you wont be missed, perhaps i could ask LPrent to give you a hand in your stated intention to desist from commenting until that next poll is published…
“You are barely coherent this morning has the hang-over effected your ability to construct a lucid comment,not that any of the other utter rubbish you spew forth is much better,”
SSLands, is that right, well then i would suggest you are suffering stress or you have brain damage of some form, perhaps you should have it checked befor it turns into a disease of the mind…
Readers are invited to note srylands’ use of language:
– Metiria is “wailing” about political issues
– Metiria is fat so her opinions don’t matter
– Metiria spends “conspicuous” amounts on clothes (the linked article above to the contrary)
– She was only “mildly called out” so what’s the fuss about
– She “cries racist” because that’s what manipulative brown people do
Yep, no sexism nor racism to be seen here, folks. Carry on.
Especially when he frames it in contrast to issues of land, manu whenua, and colonisation, in this way:
“[It is] high time iwi leaders stopped obsessing over the ownership of earth, wind and fire and showed more ownership over the miserable record of the violence culture afflicting our young men,” said Jones, who hails from Northland’s Ngapuhi iwi.
He pointed to the attack on German tourists in Whakatane in December which left a 19-year-old man with missing teeth as well as cuts and bruises and an 18-year-old woman with facial and arm injuries including fractures.
“But isn’t Shane Jones just reinforcing negative stereotypes and prejudices about Maori men?”
No. It highlights that Maori leadership is working to reduce violence in their communities. Maori are disproportionately represented in the violent stats as everyone knows. Working to fix that is a good thing not enforcing a stereotype or prejudices.
Working to reduce violence in one’s own communities is an excellent thing to do. But Jones is whistling hard for his dog here. And his timing is telling: along with the way he opposes the anti-violence message to core issues associated with Waitangi Day.
Precisely, Karol. The guy’s an idiot and a liability to Labour. They need to cut him loose. If they want an excuse get a journalist to ask him to name one thing he has in common with the Labour Party and there they’ll have it.
Shane Jones, He who replaces waffle interspersed with words in the nature of 12 or more letters in an attempt to portray Himself as the ‘Oxford scholar’ should know better,
Statistics will show that such young Maori as those highlighted have little knowledge and/or connection with their particular Marae and in fact live in exactly the same manner as their Pakeha counterparts,
Maori no longer live surrounding a particular Marae, something that seems to have escaped Shane, and, Maori are now spread far and wide where they may reside in any rohe on the motu and most of what goes on at a Marae level these days is simply preaching to the converted so how Jones intends the voice of Iwi leaders in Te Tai Tokerau to be taken notice of, or even heard,in say Whanga-nui-a-tara is beyond me…
BM, all of those numbers and sometimes higher depending upon the definition you apply to ”actively involved in their Marae”,
There are many un-noticed an un-reported Marae based and inter-Marae based sporting competitions that the participants in have as their only strong connection to a Marae,(apart from Tangi),
Just as there are many sports teams in the wider community that a particular Marae favors in terms of participation by it’s members without there being an actual Marae connection,
i have spent a couple of spare weeks working on carvings at Marae while mostly accept for discussions in the family,(which might or might not have a wider reach), and, stopping ‘in’ on the odd occasion,usually in the wee small hours,for a spot of karakia is my ‘connection’,
It was more of a question regarding your comment about Shane Jones being out of touch and his comment not being relevant to how Maori live these days.
I could be completely wrong here but If you compared Maori who are more actively involved( not just turning up for a tangi every so often) in their Marae with Maori who are not, I’d say the bad statistics such as violence and crime would be way down and probably on par with most other ethnicities.
Which I then wondered if a person who moved from one tribal areal into another could join up to their local Marae even though they’re from a different tribe.?
If they can’t I do wonder if Maori Marae need to get together and maybe form Marae affiliations so Maori from other tribal areas have a place to go and feel involved in the local Maori community.
BM, in some places this occurs but you have to remember that Marae and those who ‘belong’ are basically a family institution with a history going back centuries,
On a deeper level it would then be hard for those who do not have knowledge of this history to join in but in the area of say sports, some cultural events and Marae based training activities friends of the wider whanau are welcome to join in, much of this depends upon how ‘active’ a particular Marae is, some mostly in a more urban setting have and are becoming again the focal point of tribal activity,
What your really asking is for Marae,(an extended family),to take ownership of problems which they are in no way part of, a bit like asking you to take ownership of a particular homeless street kid with offending problems you have little or no prior knowledge of,
What do you reckon the % of Pākehā would be who are actively involved in community organisations? 10%, 20%,50% ?
Depending on past actions, anyone (Māori, Pākehā, or Tauiwi) can cruise along to the local Marae and get involved. The tikanga (protocol) of doing so can be complex however. I find my lack of fluency in te reo greatly inhibits my ability to participate, especially down here in Kai Tahu country where the dialect is different to the Northland one that has become the standard.
The important things to remember are respect and humility; so I’d advise you to stay far away.
Pakeha and Tau iwi are welcome also, on any Marae I have visited.
Like any community group there are protocols and customs.
Just like the local yacht club or Rotary.
Not as complicated as the Masons, though.
You won’t get into any trouble if you genuinely try to confirm to them.
Ask a local.
And. Also like any community group, if you are willing to pick up a tea towel or a hammer you will become Tangata Whenua very quickly.
Quite a few of us on the left have suggested that he move to National but none of us agree that he’s quite smart. Has to do with right-wingers being stupid in general.
When I say Shane Jones is a very smart man I mean he stands out from the rest of the talentless bunch at Labour, he is for drilling and mining and would prefer his people in high paying work than being unemployed. I think Yea Nah Cunliffe is still a bob each way on mining.
Maybe I’m missing some nuance. But it read to me as a straight forward appeal to bring people and community into a frame that has exclusively sat around concerns of material acquisition. Reinforcing stereotypes? no. Acknowledging shortcomings within the culture of iwi leadership? yes.
It’s partly the timing – coming up to Waitangi day where the issues for many MOR NZers are those Maori going on about land rights, the Treaty etc. And partly the way he expressed it. Jones didn’t say it’s about materialism, obut something more vague – “ownership of earth, wind and fire” – serves as a dog whistle for those against Waitangi settlements – and along with such a mind set goes a stereotype of criminally inclined, violent Maori.
I see Sealord Jones’s statements exactly the way you do, Karol. He’s saying “Shut up about the Treaty, the dispossession, and focus on what concerns pakeha bigots about Maoridom.” He’s serving himself once again as he plays his kupapa role in the politics of Te Tai Tokerau.
No he is just highlighting the unfortunate fact that maori males are way over represented in family (and all) violence and crime stats.
He is also highlighting the unfortunate fact that a deafening silence is all you hear from leadership in maoridom in regards to maori crime and violence however if anyone dare disturb a taniwha there are hikoi and hui up and down the country denouncing the same.
Comment not fully posted – the weasel words are here:
‘…..headmaster Al Kirk stands by his hard line on outstanding fees, saying the 15 students who were removed from class on Thursday and another 15 yesterday were not done so to be humiliated, but parents were more likely to pay if their sons were inconvenienced. He insists that this not a form of punishment for the students.
“I have done this every two years for the last eight years. I am amiable with [the students] and there is no animosity. I emphasise that they have done nothing wrong,” Mr Kirk said.’
Wonder what the fucked old bully Mr Al Kirk thought about the rapists who raped a girl but still insist that it wasn’t rape because they weren’t violent. Same thing.
This fucked old bully Mr Al Kirk is meant to be an educator. He is not Baycorp. He and the self-importants on the board of trustees who seemingly empower him should be sacked immediately.
A better solution would be for Head Master Al Kirk to start up a fund whereby the past pupils association or the public could donate to assist (in a discreet way) the students from financially strapped homes so that they can participate in extracurricular activities or get help with stationery or uniform requirements.
I have had a complete gutsful of people who have no understanding of how hard it is for those who are struggling financially and who can just stand by and offer criticism. perhaps the Northern Advocate can start to advocate by setting up a fund.
Repeat what I wrote earlier when I saw this, the man is queuing to first in line for one of John Key’s principal leaders – a nice little bonus of $50,000 thanks. F**k the kids, or the local community – the man needs a right bullocking !!
What is it with some school principals? I mean, the obvious abuse of power aside, how do they get to run schools when they clearly have no fucking idea how schoolkids think and react?
Here’s a really depressing statistic Mike Treen found. Using a broader definition of jobless, he says that in the late 1990s about 75 per cent of jobless received a benefit. Today it’s less than 20 per cent. He estimates more than $1billion a year is withheld from the poorest. Little surprise then that at the same time we are told the economy is rosy churches and voluntary social services are overwhelmed by the poor begging for charity.
That’s interesting stuff from McCarten,(and Mike Treen), it would have been helpful tho for Matt to have posted a link,(if there is one), to a more detailed view of Treen’s work and how He arrived at this conclusion,
i am not doubting the veracity of what Mike Treen has to say but without the details this will quickly be forgotten as just another small distraction on a Sunday…
This was was a stark eye-opener to me.
That’s over 100,000 massively suffering people – made more sense of the huge percentiles of their children in poverty in this country.
Very important Daily Blog post from Wayne Hope, on the transnational elite that is the core of the rulers of our 21st century world.
This elite has at its core transnational corporations, especially those of speculative finance:
Or, to put this question another way, how do the rulers of the world rule? They do it through a loose network of power which William Robinson has called the transnational state. It incorporates policy development organisations such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Trilateral Commission (TC), the Bilderberg group, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBSCD) and, of course, the World Economic Forum (WEF). Together, these organisations constitute a cultural milieu of financiers and corporate executives who, selectively, invite in major government leaders, non-government organistions (NGOs), leading intellectuals and `try hard ` celebrities such as Sting and Bono.
It is such a loose network of power that I referred to in several posts on “networks of influence”. It’s not a carefull orchestrated conspiracy, but something far harder to counter: people involved in a range of intersecting networks all working in their own ways to get and use power, wealth and influence.
If you add in the US Federal Reserve along with the hand in that particular glove the American Mega-Banks you have the template for how 30 years of Neo-Liberalism was able to permeate across the political and societal landscape, sweeping all befor it to gain an ascendency it still holds today…
I’ll be looking forward to his next post. How do communities fight back?
It seems to me that most people’s lack of free time nowadays, the way life is structured so that work almost never ends, is a big factor here. It’s probably a factor in the rise of “clicktivism” – people have their computers on and can dip into sites like this without using up too much time.
You seem to be implying that this is something that Cunliffe could say.
A more appropriate quote from Mahatma Gandhi might be
“I have been known as a crank, faddist, madman. Evidently the reputation is well deserved. For wherever I go, I draw to myself cranks, faddists and madmen”
Does that remind you of some of the Cunliffe supporters?
No, you don’t actually. It’s the mocker who after winning the initial point scoring loses his credibility when people actually begin to listen to the mocked.
Hmm.
One would have to say that there isn’t a politician in the country who has very much credence then. At least among the ones that the public has heard of.
Among the “secret diary” versions he has published are ones about:
Colin Craig, Winston Peters, John Palino, David Cunliffe, Grant Robrttson, John Key and Peter Dunne.
Those were only the ones on the first screen of the google results from
“steve braunias secret diary of stuff”.
+1 lol yes they are really scraping the barrel having to resort to linking to satirical pieces – is that all they’ve got?
No arguments attacking the great policies coming out of the left-wing – simply false ‘flags’, and jackets (their version of addressing ‘material’ problems I guess). No, simply ‘ooh someone is making fun of Cunliffe – he must, therefore, be finished [:roll:]
Also another interesting ‘opinion piece’ [Stuff, 29 December 2013] about writing those ‘Secret Diaries’ from Steve Braunias, from which I quote:
“OPINION: It was a vintage year for low farce and high foolishness in New Zealand public life, for shameful acts and disgraceful behaviour, for sheer stupidity and evil doing, and I was very grateful…”
“…John Key and David Shearer tied for most appearances in the Secret Diary, with three each. Poor old Shearer! Twitchy and equivocal, he ended up jumping the snapper.
Key held on to power, and continued to resemble a moral and intellectual vacuum. I usually wrote diaries about his head floating away. I guess I felt about bad it, because I dreamed I ran into him, and lied, “Listen, deep down, I’ve got a lot of respect for you.” He stormed off. I respected him for it… “
Humour is great (and that piece about Cunliffe was funny!)
This morning I was watching Max Keiser and I highly recommend the show but on his site another video caught my eyes. The video called: Jump you fuckers and it is a song dedicated to the masters of the universe also known as the London city/Wall street bankster crowd.
This song is not for the faint of hart. In fact it’s brutal so if you don’t like swearing and wishing the pox on an entire group of people no matter how much they deserve it this song is not for you.
But if you feel the need to blast the bastards with a song that tells them what you think give it a go! I firmly held John Key in my mind when I listened to it and it gave me great joy!
Wow The TV3 poll results are fascinating. National slumped to 42% Labour 35% and Greens 11%. Certainly seems like The Cunliffe bribe has fooled enough people. Looks like there is no way that John Key can be Prime Minister. Labour/Greens still need Winston to come on board as last cab.
And I am so going to enjoy being at the airport to wave Key to his home in Hawaii. Cunliffe promised new leadership, brought in a whole tide of fresh supporters (some of whom will refresh caucus), got explicit support from the entire Ratana movement, and understands really clearly who needs to vote in order to change the government.
Key’s supporters can stay seduced by his smiles, his royal visits, the great sheen of the fawning and uncritical media, and will all weep at the end.
Anyone surprised by the personal attacks this week? Cunliffe just launched a policy with far greater sweet spot power than simply trying to bribe the teachers union. He just told everyone Labour loves your family, but using a nice deep code. National saw how positive it was trending, and had to mount a full and hard attack.
Watch the secret tidal change of major donors slipping over to the other side when they can see how fast and hard the tide is running out on National, below the surface.
I was quite happy to have a crack at Labour if this poll was catastrophic, and I am very pleased to see how confounded I have been.
Fisiani, come over to the side good, while there’s still time.
Trust me, if Key thinks he’s going to lose, Airforce One will be winging it’s way out in the early hours of the morning. I’m picking a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday’s Honours List, just in case. He might even resign in the last week if the polls are against him, handing over to whoever, so he can F.O. Remember, he only likes “winners.”
Lots of water to run under the bridge befor the vote, lots more policy announcements to come from Labour and the Green party,
48% in a Parliament without an overhang should be enough to form a Government, things are looking to be on a reasonable track this far out from the actual day,
TV3 polls aint known for being kind to Labour, and many, including the rumor mill from downtown Wellington, who usually can be relied upon to ‘know’ something, have been since well befor the Policy announcements from both Labour and the Green’s in the past coupe of weeks, saying that National are polling in the low 40’s,
Fisiani can call people fools all He likes, and, if He considers Labour’s ‘Best Start’ to be a bribe He must then acknowledge the National Party’s ‘tax switch’ as a bribe as well,
Yell it from the roof-tops Fisiani, ”the people are stupid” should be the battle cry of you and Slippery the Prime Minister for the 2014 election, your pretty much odds on for another 9 in Opposition as it is, might as well make it a certainty…
Please stop capitalising personal pronouns. “He” makes you look ridiculous.
The tax rebalancing was good policy designed to promote markets and self responsibility. The baby bribe is bad policy designed to entrench welfare dependency.
Please stop commenting as each one makes you look ever the more a ‘wing-nut’, Soooo making the poorest sections of society pay more of their income in GST while offering no counter to rising prices of an ongoing nature and the payment of yet more GST as those prices rise promotes self responsibility,
The heights to which your un-genius intellect will soar in search of bullshit knows no bounds and i am sure if the forces of gravity were not to be a factor of our little planet said intellect would simply travel the universe searching for the source of the one true piece of bullshit,
What is this welfare dependency you speak of, the facts show that very few people as a % of the total recipients of welfare that have an entrenched dependence on the provision of welfare, in the great scheme of things most spend a while on a benefit and then move into the workforce…
The tax rebalancing was good policy designed to promote markets and self responsibility.
You really have drunk the Kool-Aid. Nacts tax re-balancing was to make the rich richer and the poor poorer and that’s exactly what it’s done. It’s also left a massive hole in the governments accounts – just like it was supposed to – so that the government would have even more excuse for massive borrowing and austerity.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation has estimated that more than 60% of the 5.7 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost over the last decade were because of rising imports of manufactured goods. The Peterson Institute of International Economics estimates that 39% of the increase in U.S. income inequality is because of this imbalanced trade.
Yet Washington keeps negotiating so-called free-trade agreements that seem to open the U.S. market while leaving others relatively closed. A major reason for this is the classic economists’ argument that the generally lower consumer prices that may arise from imports will exceed the more limited wage losses that may occur in a few specific industries, and therefore, on balance, free trade will always and everywhere be a win-win arrangement. In other words, despite the millions of jobs lost as a result of the rising U.S. trade imbalance, the overall U.S. economy is supposed to be better off today than 10 years ago because of lower prices for consumers. The argument is that the wage losses occur only in a limited number of industries, while the lower prices are available to the entire population.
This simplistic analysis is incomplete and wrong. Its key assumption is that the economy is at full employment. In such a situation, workers who lost jobs in a few industries would lose wages only for a limited period until they found new jobs at the same wages as the old jobs. Thus there would be no overall downward pressure on wages and only limited and temporary wage losses for a relatively small part of the labor force, while the whole population would be benefiting from lower consumer prices.
Well, it seems it is out with the old, and in with the new.
According to Audrey Young (even though the formal announcement is not due until 3pm), Whyte is the new Act leader, and Seymour will be the Act candidate for the Epsom seat. Meaning that they have split the roles; and dumped Boscawen.
fucksake, ACT have yet another idiot who fumbles the “skeletons in the closet” question.
When your current MP is being prosecuted, and former MPs have committed identity fraud and who knows what else, the correct answer is “NO” – not “depends on what you call skeletons”
But when Nutt, a former chief drug advisor to the UK, raises the question of what Moss’s case can teach us about the dangers of smoking pot, his response is unequivocal: “I think the answer is nothing.”
Nutt isn’t being cold – he’s being realistic. “Taking any amount of cannabis,” he writes, “like all drugs, like so many activities, puts some stresses on the body.”
To suggest that a single incident – in which, it bears repeating, Moss smoked less than a joint’s-worth of marijuana – should ever be weighed seriously against weed’s history as a drug with no immediately lethal consequences is not only unreasonable, it distracts from more meaningful discussions about the actual dangers posed by drugs, illicit or otherwise:
It would seem that some people are getting terrified of the legalisation that is spreading around the world.
I’m wondering why there is a TV3 poll tonight – only the tail end of their polling would have covered the Labour announcement last Monday, (and Akl holiday weekend), but fully includes the effect of the National announcement
Gower keeps calling it (this single poll) a ‘game changer’, so we’ll see
But if you were going to time your six-weekly poll in a way to downplay the chances of one party after the ‘states’ of the nation, this would be it
There was a review on radionz of film 12 years a Slave. A freeman was grabbed from New York I think, because he was black and was delivered to the South to be a salave, and it took him 12 years to get away.
It was impressed on me the other day when I looked up the term shanghai-ing which I understood was the kidnapping of any unwary man to form part of a ship’s crew, how this was another type of slavery. Black slavery was done en masse, factory style, and for profit in a business chain where was money made at each node in the chain. The black slaves were goods later to be labour, but not as precious as supplying the correct number of crew before a voyage. So there couldn’t be the same ‘wastage’ as with the black slaves who were crammed into ships with lots of trauma, sickness, and death that decimated their numbers.
The ones ‘impressed’ or press-ganged’ for crew were needed bodily on the spot. They were needed to work as crew so could not be allowed to die with such disinterest. And the British Royal Navy were the biggest perpetrators as they attempted to fill the crews for their battleships in their sea war maneouvres. Brit businessmen also were big on transporting and dealing in black slaves. So the mix of cruelty and desire for profitable business is deep n the English mix.
Now Cameron and his ‘white shirts’ are reversing the social welfare and human rights advances so laboured over and sacrificed for, which has been used as exemplars of a modern better world. It is frightening to think of how low they can go, rationalising as to TINA all the way.
Has new boy Whyte bailed from the corrupt RWNJ Manning Foundation because the kitchen is getting too hot?.
The mayor said the third potential illegal activity exposed in the video concerns the home builders’ involvement with the Manning Centre, a conservative think-tank founded by former head of the Reform Party of Canada Preston Manning.
The Calgary-based centre is offering a training program for municipal election candidates with “market-oriented ideas and principles.”
In the video, Wenzel talks about how his company, and 11 others, are each giving the Manning Centre a $100,000 donation.
According to Nenshi, the Manning Centre’s dual status as a charity and a tax exempt non-profit prevents it from accepting such donations.
Dr Jamie Whyte: extremist libertarian and a worshipper at the altar of personal greed as the perfect driver for human advancement. For example:
Many of those occupying Wall Street and the City of London object to corporate greed. Yet greed is usually harmless……my greed is beneficial to others. It inspires me to come up with valuable things to offer them.
On the other hand – the good Doctor J says he has a great contempt for pragmatism:
I have a great contempt for pragmatism…..about
doing what gets [you] elected rather than doing what is right. Doing what keeps [you] in power. It is only because I care about truth and reason that I expose [this] nonsense and get riled about it.
Boscowan was actually pitching to keep the two roles together, not separate. So they did not swallow his pitch.
It also appears (according to the Herald) that Boscowan told the Act Board yesterday that he was resigning as Act President and was reconsidering his position in respect of financial support of the party. He will no longer be fundraising for them, but would remain a member.
..for anyone wanting to read the thoughts of this new hope of the far-right..
..and who he worked for:..
“..See a full list of FCPP’s publications on global warming here (almost all of them are highly skeptical, and many are authored by well-known climate change deniers)..”
..another climatechange denier aims for parliament..
..is that really what we want/need..?
..at this particular point in time..?
..when are they having a public-meeting..?
..i feel like taking the heckling-muscles out for a workout..
They would know each from their work in Canada as well as NZ, I guess.
It would be interesting if this an orchestrated buy-in to NZ politics (not the first time for NAct with the Brash-Banks fiasco, for example)… a little like, maybe, the attempted buy-in to Austrian politics by Austrian-Canadian Frank Stronach autoparts manufacturer Magna International? and whose daughter Belinda* was in the Conservative government there.
Hmm, these Canadian-based neo-libs certainly get around… I wonder if they know each other?
* although she seems to have had a change of heart and is now a liberal, back at Magna International and is a philanthropist after a falling out with Harper.
However, is the comment at 16.1 about Jamie Whyte or David Seymour? I can’t find anything else to show Whyte worked in Canada, just the UK? So maybe that link is out… still doesn’t change the ‘who knows who’ and ‘who’s paying’ questions though.
John Key will not have a “cup of tea” He will simply explain how MMP works and that to avoid a Greens led government stopping all progress a National led government has to be elected. He will explain that the key to this lies in just three constituencies. Epsom, Ohariu and East Coast Bays. He will explain that National supporters should give their party votes to National but cast their constituency votes for Seymour, Dunne and Craig. That will ensure that no one will think that a vote for ACT, UF or the Conservatives will be wasted. This will maximise the Centre owned by National.
yes ha ha. You know nothing. After 12 months of being convinced that we were stuck with a Greebour nightmare, I am convinced that a National led Government is a near certainty for another 3 years.
Yet another Clown comment SSLand, ipredict is a site for the stupid who think that by rearranging the % of the vote as a prediction of the election outcome doing so will make it come true,
Wishful thinking taken to it’s logical conclusion in other words, oh and that logical conclusion???, a fool and His money are soon parted which fits you to a T…
Do the arithmetic 47%+ 2%+1%+4% =54% which equates to 64/120 MP’s + MP 3 MP’s = 67/120 Thus giving dissension room for either the Cons or the MP over specific issues since they will seldom share points of view.
”ipredict’s prediction power was evident in the last election”,except laughably having got NZfirst totally wrong, i actually was of a belief that the NZFirst % of the vote was being deliberately manipulated, by who for obvious reasons i will not name,
Know anything about such manipulations Hooton???, i tracked what i seen as the manipulations for a number of months leading into the 2011election and using what i seen as manipulation of the NZFirst figures commenting on another site at the time was able to accurately predict that parties result,
Where did Fish-head get His numbers Matty??? out of His posterior of course, here i was assuming you knew of this because you appear at times to get your information from the same place…
The best thing about that spin, Matthew, is how we’re meant to think it’s “amazing” that iPredict was more accurate three months out than one month out for National’s party vote.
This would be what we on Planet Earth refer to as “luck”.
If you want less people on lonterm unemployment Dpb benefits Don’ t vote National going back to 1900 right wing govts have had more unemployment.
National and National lead govts have had more on these benefits and for much longer .
NZ statistics 1990 to 2000 National had over 6.5% unemployed averaging nearly 2 years on benefit Labour lead govt 3.5% unemployment with at an average of less than 6 months on benefits.
So by your own logic you would be pushing to get rid of the bludgers party.
What would make you even dispose Nactional even more is the picking winners BS nactionals broken promise of corporae welfare handef to media movie and mining moguls Nactionals friends!
Here are some views expressed in articles he’s written:
“Of course demand for GPs is too high — a visit costs zero – A moderate fee will deter people with sniffles” – 17th March 2010
“Base bankers’ pay on market’s bump and grind – Lap dancers’ financial arrangements could be a model for remuneration in investment banks and cut scope for criticism” – 28th September 2009
“Strip the Bank of England of its power – Leaving a team of ‘wise men’ to set interest rates is absurd. Market forces will always do it better” – 2nd July 2009
“The economy’s not dying. It’s poorly – What will really harm our future wealth is a hyperactive state which takes on too much power” – 15th April 2009
“The market is destructive. Good – Brown and Obama declare they love free trade. So why don’t they follow the logic of their thinking?” – 18th March 2009
“Business is not responsible for social justice – My company’s only cause is to make a profit “- 12th March 2009
“Perfect day to blow up the nanny state – The cost of protecting children from death is too high when it means that millions lose the chance of enjoying themselves” – 5th November 2008
“Nobody knows the importance of everything – When it comes to spending money on behalf of other people, no one can get it right. So no one should try” – 21st August 2008
Some consolation – at least it’s now official. If after 2014 Key governs only on account of electoral jack up with ACT we’ll truly be governed according to the imperatives of foreigners.
I can’t figure out whether your acceptance of them reinforces my view that they’re morally bankrupt and idiotic aphorisms, or that it simply reinforces my view that you’re a morally bankrupt idiot.
Yes, but you’re a far-right extremist with very, very fringe views shared by an almost immeasurably small percentage of voters (according to all available polling data) and you have no understanding of the culture and society of New Zealand, a country you’ve only visited via Wikipedia and GoogleMaps.
Thanks, SSlands, for confirming that you are a nastier piece of work than I had ever imagined. The cost of keeping you and your like away from my grandkids will never be too high.
Schrillglands time to use your private health insurance ACTparty support down by .8% to Zero.
Free straight jackets supplied to delusional rwnjs.
Crosby taxdodgers must be scrapping the bottom of a very empty barrel to pay an Airhead like you.
As I am not sure whether anyone else here has taken not of some highly revealing information that Chris Trotter has made available on The Daily Blog, I will just in case post this here:
Inform yourself about the “Committee For Auckland”, the who knows who selected boys and girls club, that “advises”, “inspires” and guides Auckland Council (the mayor, counsellors and their staff).
Go through it, and you will start to understand, why we have what we have, and why “democracy” is in the Super City nothing but a total farce. I would claim it is a FARCE in the whole country of New Zealand.
Some info of the key stakeholders and business bosses that make up the leadership within that Committee:
“Independent”, yeah right, like the MSM (mainstream media) journalists cheer-leading Key and the Nats into office again. Look also at their “Communications Manager” and her background (in corporate media)!!!
So how “independent” is Len Brown from big business then???
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
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Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
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Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
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The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
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In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
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This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11195478
– Kerre calls it as it is
Oh dear, back to the bubbles….
There’s another column from Kerre floating round on the Herald as well, a long sickening ‘gush’ over Slippery the Prime Minister,(apparently Kerre just happened to bump into Him while She was in training for a marathon,(pfft),and He was strolling round Auckland with the wife in tow doing a normal bloke routine,(that description by Kerre smacked so much of the ‘truth’ that i had a vision of John Armstrong leaning over Her shoulder whispering words of encouragement into Her ear, or more to the point wheezing the actual script of the article to be printed out of fast failing lungs),
Put together with all the political commentary from the Heralds lineup of ‘wing-nut’ spin merchants this week i get a sense of a troop of Baboons becoming unsettled in their tree top home by the smell of approaching danger breaking into fits of insanely wild screeching all the while defecating/urinating uncontrollably in a paroxysm of fear driven terror,
”Took a knife to a gunfight”,how tired and old can you get,Kerre shows all the intellectual depth of a puddle of Baboons urine, and, with Her having joined the screeching of the troop you would have to wonder if Bryce now has a little competition for Armstrong’s job once the latter has drawn His last gasp…
As McIvor nee Woodham always does – predictably facile – weirdly unintelligent – a media scrubber earning her crust.
@ north..
..’ouch!’…but true..
..phillip ure..
Chris73. If you want a more realistic response to the accusations of castles and clothes then have a look at this. Fascinating lifestyle.:
“Yesterday, the Green Party co-leader tentatively opened her doors to our photographer – and revealed a wardrobe filled with more blue than green. “I quite like blue,” she laughed…….
“Well, this visit clears up a few things. The two-bedroom “castle” is made from stone and corrugated iron. Old fridges serve as cupboards and doorways; a large truck tyre has been turned into a window frame in the master bedroom. A new pizza oven, made from mud, straw and sand, rests on a stack of tyres.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11195535
ianmac, great link to a well written story, lives in a castle indeed, why wouldn’t Mets dress to impress, most of us given the wages to do so would probably have a far more expensive means of dressing,
Does the Childrens Commissioner dress in sack-cloth to deliver reports on the state of New Zealand Children, it is shear hypocrisy for Tolley,Collins and Slippery the Prime Minister to attack Metiria over Her chosen lifestyle with such absolute Lies,
Hopefully the television channels pick up on this story which has in all probability already cost National big time proving to a wider audience just how ugly their fear driven attacks upon the Green Party are…
The point is she is skating on thin ice wailing about poverty (and greenhouse emissions) when she clearly consumes huge quantities of food herself and spends conspicuous amounts of money on clothes. Then when she gets mildly called out she cries racist. Really?
This has not cost National big time at all. I’ll call back in and see how you are doing when the next polls come out. Although I am sure you will have someone to blames. The media, the CE of Housing New Zealand. Maybe the Electricity Authority.
SSLands, your latest attack on Metiria Turei, unless you would care to provide a modicum of proof, is simply more ‘wing-nuts’ lies,
You are barely coherent this morning has the hang-over effected your ability to construct a lucid comment,not that any of the other utter rubbish you spew forth is much better,
Yes please, F off until the publication of the next ‘opinion poll’, you wont be missed, perhaps i could ask LPrent to give you a hand in your stated intention to desist from commenting until that next poll is published…
“You are barely coherent this morning has the hang-over effected your ability to construct a lucid comment,not that any of the other utter rubbish you spew forth is much better,”
No, I never consume alcohol, or any other drugs.
Maybe you should. You’d be less of a fuckwit.
Just plain rude as usual. Good manners go a long way you know.
Oh fuck off you pretentious git.
Charming
Took you a long time to answer/sober up, shrinkglands!!
CV
Why do we have this ‘charming’ twerp here anyway? He’s not as useful as the caretaker Argus Filch at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and not as popular.
Good manners? Your policies kill children. Go fuck yourself with your “good manners”.
SSLands, is that right, well then i would suggest you are suffering stress or you have brain damage of some form, perhaps you should have it checked befor it turns into a disease of the mind…
Intoxicated by the whiff of future riches
Readers are invited to note srylands’ use of language:
– Metiria is “wailing” about political issues
– Metiria is fat so her opinions don’t matter
– Metiria spends “conspicuous” amounts on clothes (the linked article above to the contrary)
– She was only “mildly called out” so what’s the fuss about
– She “cries racist” because that’s what manipulative brown people do
Yep, no sexism nor racism to be seen here, folks. Carry on.
+1
and the silence from srylands is deafening
@ bad..
..i don’t think it has hurt national..
..tureis’ racism-call was ‘the boy crying wolf’…
..and way way off the mark..
..(it was a hypocrisy/’nasty-natty’-smear..)
….and she did herself no favours..with those racism allegations..
..(and i know it is only a herald online poll..
..but that only 2% of respondents think tureis’ racism-call was correct..
..must tell her/say something..
..surely..?
..(and also..surely..granny-print-tolley and helmet-hair/80’s power-dresser collins criticising anothers’ dress-sense..
..is both very funny..and beyond irony..)
..phillip ure..
I’ve no problem with people saying Tolleys comments were dumb or whatever other term you want but it wasn’t racist
How lame of Material to play the race card. Taking a knife to a gun fight sums it up well.
You would defend anything.
The nasty Nat party showing it’s true colours.
NM
More; taking a gun to a knife fight.
If you regard Kerre McIvor as a journalist worth quoting, that says a lot about you.
What journalist ? Where ? A tired flibbitigibbert hack I see.
@north..
..have you seen the offerings from shelley bridgeman..?
..whoar..!..
..bridgeman makes woodham read like tolstoy laced/leavened with wodehouse..
(..which if so..would be a tasty/interesting mix..)
..phillip ure..
It’s important to address male violence in all communities. But isn’t Shane Jones just reinforcing negative stereotypes and prejudices about Maori men?
Especially when he frames it in contrast to issues of land, manu whenua, and colonisation, in this way:
“But isn’t Shane Jones just reinforcing negative stereotypes and prejudices about Maori men?”
No. It highlights that Maori leadership is working to reduce violence in their communities. Maori are disproportionately represented in the violent stats as everyone knows. Working to fix that is a good thing not enforcing a stereotype or prejudices.
Working to reduce violence in one’s own communities is an excellent thing to do. But Jones is whistling hard for his dog here. And his timing is telling: along with the way he opposes the anti-violence message to core issues associated with Waitangi Day.
Precisely, Karol. The guy’s an idiot and a liability to Labour. They need to cut him loose. If they want an excuse get a journalist to ask him to name one thing he has in common with the Labour Party and there they’ll have it.
What has ethnicity got to do with it? Other than being a right wing dog whistle for bigots to drool over that is?
Shane Jones, He who replaces waffle interspersed with words in the nature of 12 or more letters in an attempt to portray Himself as the ‘Oxford scholar’ should know better,
Statistics will show that such young Maori as those highlighted have little knowledge and/or connection with their particular Marae and in fact live in exactly the same manner as their Pakeha counterparts,
Maori no longer live surrounding a particular Marae, something that seems to have escaped Shane, and, Maori are now spread far and wide where they may reside in any rohe on the motu and most of what goes on at a Marae level these days is simply preaching to the converted so how Jones intends the voice of Iwi leaders in Te Tai Tokerau to be taken notice of, or even heard,in say Whanga-nui-a-tara is beyond me…
Out of curiosity what do you reckon the % of Maori would be who are actively involved in their tribe/ marae?
10%, 20%,50% ?
Also can someone from a different tribal area cruise along to the local Marae and get involved?
BM, all of those numbers and sometimes higher depending upon the definition you apply to ”actively involved in their Marae”,
There are many un-noticed an un-reported Marae based and inter-Marae based sporting competitions that the participants in have as their only strong connection to a Marae,(apart from Tangi),
Just as there are many sports teams in the wider community that a particular Marae favors in terms of participation by it’s members without there being an actual Marae connection,
i have spent a couple of spare weeks working on carvings at Marae while mostly accept for discussions in the family,(which might or might not have a wider reach), and, stopping ‘in’ on the odd occasion,usually in the wee small hours,for a spot of karakia is my ‘connection’,
Why do you ask…
It was more of a question regarding your comment about Shane Jones being out of touch and his comment not being relevant to how Maori live these days.
I could be completely wrong here but If you compared Maori who are more actively involved( not just turning up for a tangi every so often) in their Marae with Maori who are not, I’d say the bad statistics such as violence and crime would be way down and probably on par with most other ethnicities.
Which I then wondered if a person who moved from one tribal areal into another could join up to their local Marae even though they’re from a different tribe.?
If they can’t I do wonder if Maori Marae need to get together and maybe form Marae affiliations so Maori from other tribal areas have a place to go and feel involved in the local Maori community.
BM, in some places this occurs but you have to remember that Marae and those who ‘belong’ are basically a family institution with a history going back centuries,
On a deeper level it would then be hard for those who do not have knowledge of this history to join in but in the area of say sports, some cultural events and Marae based training activities friends of the wider whanau are welcome to join in, much of this depends upon how ‘active’ a particular Marae is, some mostly in a more urban setting have and are becoming again the focal point of tribal activity,
What your really asking is for Marae,(an extended family),to take ownership of problems which they are in no way part of, a bit like asking you to take ownership of a particular homeless street kid with offending problems you have little or no prior knowledge of,
Would you???…
as a pakeha..(we who have nothing..in that sense..)
…i have marae-envy…
..and would like to see similar community-based/focused set-ups most places…
.(possible name:..’parae’..?..)
..seriously tho’..!..
..phillip ure..
BM
What do you reckon the % of Pākehā would be who are actively involved in community organisations? 10%, 20%,50% ?
Depending on past actions, anyone (Māori, Pākehā, or Tauiwi) can cruise along to the local Marae and get involved. The tikanga (protocol) of doing so can be complex however. I find my lack of fluency in te reo greatly inhibits my ability to participate, especially down here in Kai Tahu country where the dialect is different to the Northland one that has become the standard.
The important things to remember are respect and humility; so I’d advise you to stay far away.
To answer your question. Yes.
Pakeha and Tau iwi are welcome also, on any Marae I have visited.
Like any community group there are protocols and customs.
Just like the local yacht club or Rotary.
Not as complicated as the Masons, though.
You won’t get into any trouble if you genuinely try to confirm to them.
Ask a local.
And. Also like any community group, if you are willing to pick up a tea towel or a hammer you will become Tangata Whenua very quickly.
or the Northern Club when I was a practicing solicitor. On two occasions settlement meetings were held there so I couldn’t attend. Women only.
I didn’t practice in the 1880’s, I practised in the early 1990’s…
Shane Jones is a very smart man. Has anyone told him he is in the wrong party?
bloody hell..!..i’m agreeing with the velcro-kid/naki-man..
..(second sentence only..)
..phillip ure..
Quite a few of us on the left have suggested that he move to National but none of us agree that he’s quite smart. Has to do with right-wingers being stupid in general.
When I say Shane Jones is a very smart man I mean he stands out from the rest of the talentless bunch at Labour, he is for drilling and mining and would prefer his people in high paying work than being unemployed. I think Yea Nah Cunliffe is still a bob each way on mining.
Right-wingers are less intelligent than left wingers, says study
And you just proved that by continuing to believe that a few jobs digging up our wealth and selling it will make us richer.
Yes.
Maybe I’m missing some nuance. But it read to me as a straight forward appeal to bring people and community into a frame that has exclusively sat around concerns of material acquisition. Reinforcing stereotypes? no. Acknowledging shortcomings within the culture of iwi leadership? yes.
It’s partly the timing – coming up to Waitangi day where the issues for many MOR NZers are those Maori going on about land rights, the Treaty etc. And partly the way he expressed it. Jones didn’t say it’s about materialism, obut something more vague – “ownership of earth, wind and fire” – serves as a dog whistle for those against Waitangi settlements – and along with such a mind set goes a stereotype of criminally inclined, violent Maori.
I see Sealord Jones’s statements exactly the way you do, Karol. He’s saying “Shut up about the Treaty, the dispossession, and focus on what concerns pakeha bigots about Maoridom.” He’s serving himself once again as he plays his kupapa role in the politics of Te Tai Tokerau.
No he is just highlighting the unfortunate fact that maori males are way over represented in family (and all) violence and crime stats.
He is also highlighting the unfortunate fact that a deafening silence is all you hear from leadership in maoridom in regards to maori crime and violence however if anyone dare disturb a taniwha there are hikoi and hui up and down the country denouncing the same.
What has ethnicity got to do with it? Come on Jimmie enlighten us.
@ oan..
..jones is reaching out to/affirming to/dog-whistling to..
..the pakeha working class racist underbelly..
..confirming their prejudices/sneers..
..and painting himself to them..
..as a maori who will ‘sort out’ ‘the maori’.. in general..
..jones is smart enough to know the potency of that message..
..to that working class racist underbelly..
..it’s as simple as that..
..oan..
..eh..?
..phillip ure..
I was wondering how Jimmie justifies it.
Nah they just aren’t as keen to arrest the white bullies
karol
He done all right. Not everyone comes up to our high standard.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11195207
So we’re meant to congratulate this fucked old bully Mr Al Kirk the principal of Whangarei Boys High School because he’s “unrepentant” are we ???
And what are these weasel words from the same fucked old bully ?
Oh, he was just causing some “inconvenience” to the pupils, in order to put pressure on the parents.
Comment not fully posted – the weasel words are here:
‘…..headmaster Al Kirk stands by his hard line on outstanding fees, saying the 15 students who were removed from class on Thursday and another 15 yesterday were not done so to be humiliated, but parents were more likely to pay if their sons were inconvenienced. He insists that this not a form of punishment for the students.
“I have done this every two years for the last eight years. I am amiable with [the students] and there is no animosity. I emphasise that they have done nothing wrong,” Mr Kirk said.’
Wonder what the fucked old bully Mr Al Kirk thought about the rapists who raped a girl but still insist that it wasn’t rape because they weren’t violent. Same thing.
This fucked old bully Mr Al Kirk is meant to be an educator. He is not Baycorp. He and the self-importants on the board of trustees who seemingly empower him should be sacked immediately.
A better solution would be for Head Master Al Kirk to start up a fund whereby the past pupils association or the public could donate to assist (in a discreet way) the students from financially strapped homes so that they can participate in extracurricular activities or get help with stationery or uniform requirements.
I have had a complete gutsful of people who have no understanding of how hard it is for those who are struggling financially and who can just stand by and offer criticism. perhaps the Northern Advocate can start to advocate by setting up a fund.
Yeah good suggestion TV but that wouldn’t answer the big fish bully in his little pond fiefdom. Unrepentant ? What a fucking disgrace.
Repeat what I wrote earlier when I saw this, the man is queuing to first in line for one of John Key’s principal leaders – a nice little bonus of $50,000 thanks. F**k the kids, or the local community – the man needs a right bullocking !!
The word rape is lining up to be another word coming under Godwin’s law.
He needs to be fired ASAP.
What is it with some school principals? I mean, the obvious abuse of power aside, how do they get to run schools when they clearly have no fucking idea how schoolkids think and react?
I’m reminded of Pukekohe High principal Ian McKinnon’s complete hand-waving away of sexual assault in his schoolyard: http://ideologicallyimpure.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/principal-ian-mckinnon-accepts-bullying-as-normal-a-joke/
I had the honour of being expelled from WBHS. One of the best things that ever happened to me.
myself..and quite a few others..
..are getting a bit pissy about how..with the ongoing wave internationally of ‘normal’isation of cannabis laws..
..at a time when they should have put down their bongs/stood up/and spoken out..loudly..
..our local ‘drug-warriors’ have all impressed with/by their stunned-silences..
..are they just thinking/acting thru their wallets..?
http://whoar.co.nz/2014/clinic-on-high-alert-comment-and-what-has-happened-to-the-new-zealand-drug-warriors-too-busy-raking-it-in-from-pushing-legal-highs/
phillip ure..
Matt McCarten on the dodgy unemployment stats (courtesy of Mike Treen’s research).
That’s interesting stuff from McCarten,(and Mike Treen), it would have been helpful tho for Matt to have posted a link,(if there is one), to a more detailed view of Treen’s work and how He arrived at this conclusion,
i am not doubting the veracity of what Mike Treen has to say but without the details this will quickly be forgotten as just another small distraction on a Sunday…
link to Mike Treen’s article
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/01/30/billions-of-dollars-stolen-from-the-unemployed/
@ tm..
..i’ve linked to that treen-piece before..
..i think i will do so again..
..phillip ure..
This was was a stark eye-opener to me.
That’s over 100,000 massively suffering people – made more sense of the huge percentiles of their children in poverty in this country.
The recent Census showed that over 100,000 adults were unemployed. I think that is right from memory.
Very important Daily Blog post from Wayne Hope, on the transnational elite that is the core of the rulers of our 21st century world.
This elite has at its core transnational corporations, especially those of speculative finance:
It is such a loose network of power that I referred to in several posts on “networks of influence”. It’s not a carefull orchestrated conspiracy, but something far harder to counter: people involved in a range of intersecting networks all working in their own ways to get and use power, wealth and influence.
If you add in the US Federal Reserve along with the hand in that particular glove the American Mega-Banks you have the template for how 30 years of Neo-Liberalism was able to permeate across the political and societal landscape, sweeping all befor it to gain an ascendency it still holds today…
Empires strike back. And win.
I’ll be looking forward to his next post. How do communities fight back?
It seems to me that most people’s lack of free time nowadays, the way life is structured so that work almost never ends, is a big factor here. It’s probably a factor in the rise of “clicktivism” – people have their computers on and can dip into sites like this without using up too much time.
how progressives..in general..and labour/cunnliffe..in particular..
..are ‘getting it wrong’..
http://whoar.co.nz/2014/how-the-progressives-have-got-it-wrong-and-if-they-dont-start-to-get-it-right-the-conservatives-will-maintain-the-upperhand/
phillip ure..
I wish there was a like button for comments.
AND…I just linked through to your blog. Never realized Whoar was your blog.
Even more like now!
chrs 4 the kind words re whoar..
..and that article is a killer/must-read..
..(for all in labour..for all who label themselves as ‘progressives’..)
..eh..?
..phillip ure..
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/9672142/The-secret-diary-of-David-Cunliffe
When you are mocked you lose all credibility
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi
You seem to be implying that this is something that Cunliffe could say.
A more appropriate quote from Mahatma Gandhi might be
“I have been known as a crank, faddist, madman. Evidently the reputation is well deserved. For wherever I go, I draw to myself cranks, faddists and madmen”
Does that remind you of some of the Cunliffe supporters?
Was Gandhi referring to his supporters though?
No, you don’t actually. It’s the mocker who after winning the initial point scoring loses his credibility when people actually begin to listen to the mocked.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/9650607/The-secret-diary-of-John-Key
26 January 2014
When you are mocked you lose all credibility.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi
*Disclaimer, I used to listen to a fair bit of Genesis so I won’t hold that against Cunliffe
add to this Dunne, Banks et al….and Supper’s Ready is my absolute favourite
I always liked Duchess and Home By The Sea 2
could someone alert iprent to the fact the site has been/is being attacked by ‘genesis’/phil collins spam-bots..
..and that it’s getting pretty ugly down here..
..(shudder..!..)
phillip ure..
and that braunias-piece on cunnliffe is funny..
“….I want to begin with an anecdote that humanises me as an ordinary New Zealander.
I had a bit of time to kill one morning over summer –
– so I decided to climb Mt Everest.
It was icy in places – but I wrapped myself in the scarf I used to wear as a student at Otago University.
The smell of the wool brought back priceless memories.
Memories of rocking out at parties to the sounds of Genesis.
Those were the days!
Or were they?
As I stood on the peak of the world’s highest mountain listening to Sessudio on my iPod –
– I felt then what I felt in Dunedin: cold.
You might say “Well – David – that’s your problem.”
But it’s also New Zealand’s problem..”
(heh..!..it goes on..)
phillip ure..
Yeah, not the best idea fisiani’s ever had.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=steve+braunias+secret+diary
when you are ‘fisani’..you lose all credibility..
phillip ure..
Freudian in the extreme FussyAnnie.
Hmm.
One would have to say that there isn’t a politician in the country who has very much credence then. At least among the ones that the public has heard of.
Among the “secret diary” versions he has published are ones about:
Colin Craig, Winston Peters, John Palino, David Cunliffe, Grant Robrttson, John Key and Peter Dunne.
Those were only the ones on the first screen of the google results from
“steve braunias secret diary of stuff”.
Looks like the Tories don’t have any actual arguments..just insults.
+1 lol yes they are really scraping the barrel having to resort to linking to satirical pieces – is that all they’ve got?
No arguments attacking the great policies coming out of the left-wing – simply false ‘flags’, and jackets (their version of addressing ‘material’ problems I guess). No, simply ‘ooh someone is making fun of Cunliffe – he must, therefore, be finished [:roll:]
Veutoviper already linked to one – here is another
Also another interesting ‘opinion piece’ [Stuff, 29 December 2013] about writing those ‘Secret Diaries’ from Steve Braunias, from which I quote:
Humour is great (and that piece about Cunliffe was funny!)
Thanks Steve Braunias, & keep up the good work!
Yes indeed, fake Warrior. They’ve already done John Key and most of the others that serve mainly to inspire man love in you.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/9650607/The-secret-diary-of-John-Key
This morning I was watching Max Keiser and I highly recommend the show but on his site another video caught my eyes. The video called: Jump you fuckers and it is a song dedicated to the masters of the universe also known as the London city/Wall street bankster crowd.
This song is not for the faint of hart. In fact it’s brutal so if you don’t like swearing and wishing the pox on an entire group of people no matter how much they deserve it this song is not for you.
But if you feel the need to blast the bastards with a song that tells them what you think give it a go! I firmly held John Key in my mind when I listened to it and it gave me great joy!
Adopting SlaterPornSpeak – “Do The World A Favour……..And Jump You Fuckers !”
Wow The TV3 poll results are fascinating. National slumped to 42% Labour 35% and Greens 11%. Certainly seems like The Cunliffe bribe has fooled enough people. Looks like there is no way that John Key can be Prime Minister. Labour/Greens still need Winston to come on board as last cab.
And I am so going to enjoy being at the airport to wave Key to his home in Hawaii. Cunliffe promised new leadership, brought in a whole tide of fresh supporters (some of whom will refresh caucus), got explicit support from the entire Ratana movement, and understands really clearly who needs to vote in order to change the government.
Key’s supporters can stay seduced by his smiles, his royal visits, the great sheen of the fawning and uncritical media, and will all weep at the end.
Anyone surprised by the personal attacks this week? Cunliffe just launched a policy with far greater sweet spot power than simply trying to bribe the teachers union. He just told everyone Labour loves your family, but using a nice deep code. National saw how positive it was trending, and had to mount a full and hard attack.
Watch the secret tidal change of major donors slipping over to the other side when they can see how fast and hard the tide is running out on National, below the surface.
I was quite happy to have a crack at Labour if this poll was catastrophic, and I am very pleased to see how confounded I have been.
Fisiani, come over to the side good, while there’s still time.
Trust me, if Key thinks he’s going to lose, Airforce One will be winging it’s way out in the early hours of the morning. I’m picking a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday’s Honours List, just in case. He might even resign in the last week if the polls are against him, handing over to whoever, so he can F.O. Remember, he only likes “winners.”
Which poll was that fisiani? Recent was it?
Lots of water to run under the bridge befor the vote, lots more policy announcements to come from Labour and the Green party,
48% in a Parliament without an overhang should be enough to form a Government, things are looking to be on a reasonable track this far out from the actual day,
TV3 polls aint known for being kind to Labour, and many, including the rumor mill from downtown Wellington, who usually can be relied upon to ‘know’ something, have been since well befor the Policy announcements from both Labour and the Green’s in the past coupe of weeks, saying that National are polling in the low 40’s,
Fisiani can call people fools all He likes, and, if He considers Labour’s ‘Best Start’ to be a bribe He must then acknowledge the National Party’s ‘tax switch’ as a bribe as well,
Yell it from the roof-tops Fisiani, ”the people are stupid” should be the battle cry of you and Slippery the Prime Minister for the 2014 election, your pretty much odds on for another 9 in Opposition as it is, might as well make it a certainty…
Please stop capitalising personal pronouns. “He” makes you look ridiculous.
The tax rebalancing was good policy designed to promote markets and self responsibility. The baby bribe is bad policy designed to entrench welfare dependency.
How can you not see the difference?
Please stop commenting as each one makes you look ever the more a ‘wing-nut’, Soooo making the poorest sections of society pay more of their income in GST while offering no counter to rising prices of an ongoing nature and the payment of yet more GST as those prices rise promotes self responsibility,
The heights to which your un-genius intellect will soar in search of bullshit knows no bounds and i am sure if the forces of gravity were not to be a factor of our little planet said intellect would simply travel the universe searching for the source of the one true piece of bullshit,
What is this welfare dependency you speak of, the facts show that very few people as a % of the total recipients of welfare that have an entrenched dependence on the provision of welfare, in the great scheme of things most spend a while on a benefit and then move into the workforce…
Please return to kiwiblog.
please just stop.
You really have drunk the Kool-Aid. Nacts tax re-balancing was to make the rich richer and the poor poorer and that’s exactly what it’s done. It’s also left a massive hole in the governments accounts – just like it was supposed to – so that the government would have even more excuse for massive borrowing and austerity.
The penny’s dropping.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation has estimated that more than 60% of the 5.7 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost over the last decade were because of rising imports of manufactured goods. The Peterson Institute of International Economics estimates that 39% of the increase in U.S. income inequality is because of this imbalanced trade.
Yet Washington keeps negotiating so-called free-trade agreements that seem to open the U.S. market while leaving others relatively closed. A major reason for this is the classic economists’ argument that the generally lower consumer prices that may arise from imports will exceed the more limited wage losses that may occur in a few specific industries, and therefore, on balance, free trade will always and everywhere be a win-win arrangement. In other words, despite the millions of jobs lost as a result of the rising U.S. trade imbalance, the overall U.S. economy is supposed to be better off today than 10 years ago because of lower prices for consumers. The argument is that the wage losses occur only in a limited number of industries, while the lower prices are available to the entire population.
This simplistic analysis is incomplete and wrong. Its key assumption is that the economy is at full employment. In such a situation, workers who lost jobs in a few industries would lose wages only for a limited period until they found new jobs at the same wages as the old jobs. Thus there would be no overall downward pressure on wages and only limited and temporary wage losses for a relatively small part of the labor force, while the whole population would be benefiting from lower consumer prices.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-prestowitz-sotu-trade-deficit-20140130,0,1832709.story
Well, it seems it is out with the old, and in with the new.
According to Audrey Young (even though the formal announcement is not due until 3pm), Whyte is the new Act leader, and Seymour will be the Act candidate for the Epsom seat. Meaning that they have split the roles; and dumped Boscawen.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11195695
fucksake, ACT have yet another idiot who fumbles the “skeletons in the closet” question.
When your current MP is being prosecuted, and former MPs have committed identity fraud and who knows what else, the correct answer is “NO” – not “depends on what you call skeletons”
What can we actually learn from the UK’s first marijuana ‘overdose’?
It would seem that some people are getting terrified of the legalisation that is spreading around the world.
I’m wondering why there is a TV3 poll tonight – only the tail end of their polling would have covered the Labour announcement last Monday, (and Akl holiday weekend), but fully includes the effect of the National announcement
Gower keeps calling it (this single poll) a ‘game changer’, so we’ll see
But if you were going to time your six-weekly poll in a way to downplay the chances of one party after the ‘states’ of the nation, this would be it
There was a review on radionz of film 12 years a Slave. A freeman was grabbed from New York I think, because he was black and was delivered to the South to be a salave, and it took him 12 years to get away.
It was impressed on me the other day when I looked up the term shanghai-ing which I understood was the kidnapping of any unwary man to form part of a ship’s crew, how this was another type of slavery. Black slavery was done en masse, factory style, and for profit in a business chain where was money made at each node in the chain. The black slaves were goods later to be labour, but not as precious as supplying the correct number of crew before a voyage. So there couldn’t be the same ‘wastage’ as with the black slaves who were crammed into ships with lots of trauma, sickness, and death that decimated their numbers.
The ones ‘impressed’ or press-ganged’ for crew were needed bodily on the spot. They were needed to work as crew so could not be allowed to die with such disinterest. And the British Royal Navy were the biggest perpetrators as they attempted to fill the crews for their battleships in their sea war maneouvres. Brit businessmen also were big on transporting and dealing in black slaves. So the mix of cruelty and desire for profitable business is deep n the English mix.
Now Cameron and his ‘white shirts’ are reversing the social welfare and human rights advances so laboured over and sacrificed for, which has been used as exemplars of a modern better world. It is frightening to think of how low they can go, rationalising as to TINA all the way.
boscowan has been given the boot from act..
..he got nothing..
..whyte is party president..
..seymour(?) is the candidate..
..they obviously swallowed boscowans’ pitch on the need for two roles..
..just sidelined him in their choosing..
..(his automoton-like appearance on the campbell show this week wouldn’t have helped his case..)
phillip ure..
Has new boy Whyte bailed from the
corruptRWNJ Manning Foundation because the kitchen is getting too hot?.The mayor said the third potential illegal activity exposed in the video concerns the home builders’ involvement with the Manning Centre, a conservative think-tank founded by former head of the Reform Party of Canada Preston Manning.
The Calgary-based centre is offering a training program for municipal election candidates with “market-oriented ideas and principles.”
In the video, Wenzel talks about how his company, and 11 others, are each giving the Manning Centre a $100,000 donation.
According to Nenshi, the Manning Centre’s dual status as a charity and a tax exempt non-profit prevents it from accepting such donations.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-home-builder-admits-illegal-activity-in-video-mayor-says-1.1308214
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/preston-manning-breaks-silence-on-home-builders-video-1.1384888
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/municipal-election/naheed-nenshi-surprised-by-manning-foundation-findings-1.1931535
More from the Cobden Centre’s Jamie Whyte Mises Institute to the core
No wonder
Dr Jamie Whyte: extremist libertarian and a worshipper at the altar of personal greed as the perfect driver for human advancement. For example:
http://www.cobdencentre.org/author/jamie/
On the other hand – the good Doctor J says he has a great contempt for pragmatism:
http://www.freeradical.co.nz/pdf/issue72/freeradical72.pdf – page 8
So I very much look forward to him ensuring that no political deals are done on Epsom
Boscowan was actually pitching to keep the two roles together, not separate. So they did not swallow his pitch.
It also appears (according to the Herald) that Boscowan told the Act Board yesterday that he was resigning as Act President and was reconsidering his position in respect of financial support of the party. He will no longer be fundraising for them, but would remain a member.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11195695
So presumably the decisions were virtually made yesterday, with Boscowan the loser.
a news report claimed he has put a quarter of a million dollars of his own money..
..into act..
..whoar..!
‘holy monies pissed down the drain..!..batman..!..’
phillip ure..
David Seymour and the mob he worked for.
https://www.fcpp.org/news/author/david-seymour-85?search_api_views_fulltext=david%20seymour
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Frontier_Centre_for_Public_Policy
http://www.desmogblog.com/frontier-centre-public-policy
@ joe 90..
..those are some good links there..joe 90..
..for anyone wanting to read the thoughts of this new hope of the far-right..
..and who he worked for:..
“..See a full list of FCPP’s publications on global warming here (almost all of them are highly skeptical, and many are authored by well-known climate change deniers)..”
..another climatechange denier aims for parliament..
..is that really what we want/need..?
..at this particular point in time..?
..when are they having a public-meeting..?
..i feel like taking the heckling-muscles out for a workout..
..he’ll do..
..phillip ure..
So Seymour went from the independent [sic] Frontier Center to the Manning Foundation where Jamie Whyte worked?
They would know each from their work in Canada as well as NZ, I guess.
It would be interesting if this an orchestrated buy-in to NZ politics (not the first time for NAct with the Brash-Banks fiasco, for example)… a little like, maybe, the attempted buy-in to Austrian politics by Austrian-Canadian Frank Stronach autoparts manufacturer Magna International? and whose daughter Belinda* was in the Conservative government there.
Hmm, these Canadian-based neo-libs certainly get around… I wonder if they know each other?
* although she seems to have had a change of heart and is now a liberal, back at Magna International and is a philanthropist after a falling out with Harper.
So who’s paying them now?.
Very good question… is Act dumping Boscawen for two people who can’t bring money with them? That doesn’t sound like Act.
However, is the comment at 16.1 about Jamie Whyte or David Seymour? I can’t find anything else to show Whyte worked in Canada, just the UK? So maybe that link is out… still doesn’t change the ‘who knows who’ and ‘who’s paying’ questions though.
Yeah, Seymour. The dicombobulation was strong yesterday.
John Key will not have a “cup of tea” He will simply explain how MMP works and that to avoid a Greens led government stopping all progress a National led government has to be elected. He will explain that the key to this lies in just three constituencies. Epsom, Ohariu and East Coast Bays. He will explain that National supporters should give their party votes to National but cast their constituency votes for Seymour, Dunne and Craig. That will ensure that no one will think that a vote for ACT, UF or the Conservatives will be wasted. This will maximise the Centre owned by National.
Fish-head, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, it’s going to be quite a big Opposition then, Ha Ha Ha…
yes ha ha. You know nothing. After 12 months of being convinced that we were stuck with a Greebour nightmare, I am convinced that a National led Government is a near certainty for another 3 years.
The money agrees with me.
https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=contract_detail&contract=PM.2014.NATIONAL
bad12 – I suggest you take 6 months rest and get on the meds again.
Money doesn’t vote, sspylands.
Yet another Clown comment SSLand, ipredict is a site for the stupid who think that by rearranging the % of the vote as a prediction of the election outcome doing so will make it come true,
Wishful thinking taken to it’s logical conclusion in other words, oh and that logical conclusion???, a fool and His money are soon parted which fits you to a T…
srylands, please stop saying “we” and “our” when referring to New Zealand related matters.
Do the arithmetic 47%+ 2%+1%+4% =54% which equates to 64/120 MP’s + MP 3 MP’s = 67/120 Thus giving dissension room for either the Cons or the MP over specific issues since they will seldom share points of view.
47% for national?
Big call at this stage….
I don’t think it knows the difference between percentages and seats…
I don’t know where the numbers fisiani quotes have come from. The current iPredict numbers are available in the links below, and are quite different.
iPredict’s prediction power was evident in the last election, certainly compared with polls: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1111/S00739/ipredict-accuracy-blitzes-traditional-polls.htm
that’s super. /sarc
”ipredict’s prediction power was evident in the last election”,except laughably having got NZfirst totally wrong, i actually was of a belief that the NZFirst % of the vote was being deliberately manipulated, by who for obvious reasons i will not name,
Know anything about such manipulations Hooton???, i tracked what i seen as the manipulations for a number of months leading into the 2011election and using what i seen as manipulation of the NZFirst figures commenting on another site at the time was able to accurately predict that parties result,
Where did Fish-head get His numbers Matty??? out of His posterior of course, here i was assuming you knew of this because you appear at times to get your information from the same place…
The best thing about that spin, Matthew, is how we’re meant to think it’s “amazing” that iPredict was more accurate three months out than one month out for National’s party vote.
This would be what we on Planet Earth refer to as “luck”.
Fish-head, please stop, the laughter,(at you),might cause in my chest a coronary of significant nature…
iPredict is currently forecasting 43.1% for National and a combined 42.3% for Labour/Green: see https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=browse&cat=321
Small party forecasts are here: https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=browse&cat=377
Overall advantage is currently (quite narrowly) with National: https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=browse&cat=319
Seryalyerand fishyanal
If you want less people on lonterm unemployment Dpb benefits Don’ t vote National going back to 1900 right wing govts have had more unemployment.
National and National lead govts have had more on these benefits and for much longer .
NZ statistics 1990 to 2000 National had over 6.5% unemployed averaging nearly 2 years on benefit Labour lead govt 3.5% unemployment with at an average of less than 6 months on benefits.
So by your own logic you would be pushing to get rid of the bludgers party.
What would make you even dispose Nactional even more is the picking winners BS nactionals broken promise of corporae welfare handef to media movie and mining moguls Nactionals friends!
Ah, “Philosopher” Whyte.
Here are some views expressed in articles he’s written:
“Of course demand for GPs is too high — a visit costs zero – A moderate fee will deter people with sniffles” – 17th March 2010
“Base bankers’ pay on market’s bump and grind – Lap dancers’ financial arrangements could be a model for remuneration in investment banks and cut scope for criticism” – 28th September 2009
“Strip the Bank of England of its power – Leaving a team of ‘wise men’ to set interest rates is absurd. Market forces will always do it better” – 2nd July 2009
“The economy’s not dying. It’s poorly – What will really harm our future wealth is a hyperactive state which takes on too much power” – 15th April 2009
“The market is destructive. Good – Brown and Obama declare they love free trade. So why don’t they follow the logic of their thinking?” – 18th March 2009
“Business is not responsible for social justice – My company’s only cause is to make a profit “- 12th March 2009
“Perfect day to blow up the nanny state – The cost of protecting children from death is too high when it means that millions lose the chance of enjoying themselves” – 5th November 2008
“Nobody knows the importance of everything – When it comes to spending money on behalf of other people, no one can get it right. So no one should try” – 21st August 2008
Some consolation – at least it’s now official. If after 2014 Key governs only on account of electoral jack up with ACT we’ll truly be governed according to the imperatives of foreigners.
Acknowledgment: not read any of the articles which are listed at http://www.whocomments.org/wiki/Jamie_Whyte. They’re behind a Sunday Times log-in or paywall.
The kaupapa seems pretty clear however.
They read like perfectly sensible views to me.
I can’t figure out whether your acceptance of them reinforces my view that they’re morally bankrupt and idiotic aphorisms, or that it simply reinforces my view that you’re a morally bankrupt idiot.
Yes, but you’re a far-right extremist with very, very fringe views shared by an almost immeasurably small percentage of voters (according to all available polling data) and you have no understanding of the culture and society of New Zealand, a country you’ve only visited via Wikipedia and GoogleMaps.
Thanks, SSlands, for confirming that you are a nastier piece of work than I had ever imagined. The cost of keeping you and your like away from my grandkids will never be too high.
These lines read as if may be part of a film like one on at present Elysium – mad complex life games with no value for no apparent human purpose.
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Childhood poverty creates longterm welfare depedency.
National the party that creates poverty.
Schrillglands time to use your private health insurance ACTparty support down by .8% to Zero.
Free straight jackets supplied to delusional rwnjs.
Crosby taxdodgers must be scrapping the bottom of a very empty barrel to pay an Airhead like you.
As I am not sure whether anyone else here has taken not of some highly revealing information that Chris Trotter has made available on The Daily Blog, I will just in case post this here:
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/01/31/falls-the-shadow-everything-you-didnt-know-about-the-committee-for-auckland/
Inform yourself about the “Committee For Auckland”, the who knows who selected boys and girls club, that “advises”, “inspires” and guides Auckland Council (the mayor, counsellors and their staff).
Go through it, and you will start to understand, why we have what we have, and why “democracy” is in the Super City nothing but a total farce. I would claim it is a FARCE in the whole country of New Zealand.
Some info of the key stakeholders and business bosses that make up the leadership within that Committee:
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/about/staff-and-governance/executive-team
http://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/about/staff-and-governance/committee-for-auckland-limited-board
“Independent”, yeah right, like the MSM (mainstream media) journalists cheer-leading Key and the Nats into office again. Look also at their “Communications Manager” and her background (in corporate media)!!!
So how “independent” is Len Brown from big business then???