So Weasel Pete has pulled out of the Presidential Primary race–nice one with hundreds of thousands of early votes already cast–no chance for those voters to transfer their vote, and Buttigeig supporters second pick was substantially…Sanders.
It was not the “right” time, it was the tactical time to spoil as many potential Sanders votes as possible. He would not have lost money, his organisation was intact, he has let his supporters down.
Of course it was positive having a gay man able to stand on the platform, would not have happened even 10 years ago, but “Mayor Pete” has a sneaky pysops background that he obviously uses in politics. And Ms Warren seems to be going down, it is perhaps the “right” time for her to stop–but she is staying in for now to again herd Bernie votes, her supporters second preference too is largely Sanders.
And now Klobuchar is gone and will endorse Biden. The Democratic party establishment has decided that Biden is now viable and the donors have been giving their instructions to marginal candidates like Pete and Amy. Sh*t fight about to get double dirty.
You got any evidence for your assertion that " Buttigeig supporters second pick was substantially…Sanders "? The numbers I've seen are that Sanders was second choice for around 20% of Buttigieg supporters. While that may be a plurality due to Buttigieg supporters evenly spreading among the other candidates for their second choice, it's not "substantially" going to Sanders.
Of the polls I've seen on second choices, pretty much all second choice distributions were kinda evenly spread across the field. The only standout first choice-second choice pairings were Sanders-Warren and Biden-Bloomberg. But even among those pairings the second choice preference were only a weak pluralities, not a majority as you might expect if voters were choosing on policies and ideologies.
My brother got a cochlear implant about 8 years ago; it transformed his life. I remember sitting at lunch with him one day, and when I grabbed a biscuit from it's packet, he winces and says "I never knew a plastic bag could be so damned noisy!"
Not a lot of people know they were invented and developed here in Brisbane; one of the really good things Australia has done for the world.
There is some controversy in the deaf community about the way the cochlear implant disrupts their rather remarkably vibrant and interesting community, but on the whole most people who get one don’t hand them back in. I’m not sure if funding is the big limitation, or patient suitability around a greater uptake. They aren’t cheap and the follow up adjustments and maintenance require skill techies to get right … but it is certainly incredibly good value for money from a purely expenditure pov.
You would think that this close to Super Tuesday that candidates would make their decision after Tuesday, not a couple of days before. Buttigeig and Klobuchar must think it essential that their voters are freed to make other choices. However Buttigeig did not indicate who that person should be.
So it is fundamentally down to Sanders and Biden. Warren and Bloomberg have no chance.
Naturally Standardnistas will prefer Sanders. But I reckon Trump would beat Sanders in most circumstances. Of course Trump might also beat Biden, especially if Biden preformed badly in the debates.
As always, there's Congress to consider as well. I think it's entirely plausible that Sanders could win election to the Oval Office entirely out of disgust with Darth Drumpf, but there would also be a resurgence in split-ticket voting to ensure the Senate and maybe even the House would be in Repug hands. Specifically to tie Bernie's hands.
Not quite sure what you are talking about here pal…" Naturally Standardnistas will prefer Sanders. But I reckon Trump would beat Sanders in most circumstances. Of course Trump might also beat Biden, especially if Biden preformed badly in the debates."
1. Sanders has been showing he beats Trump in nearly all nation wide polls for at least 12 months..
2. Biden under most circumstances can't string a coherent sentence together and often looks like a deer caught in the headlights on stage..against Trump (really!) you can't deny he is a very good off the cuff debater, will in short order make Biden look lie the senile old man that he actually is.
I would put up links od Biden displaying obvious signs of senility, but why bother, anyone with even the slightest bit of self honestly would be aware of this sad fact already.
Trump – Biden would be a competition between two quite inarticulate people. Sanders can at least string an argument together, although that may not help win debates for him.
Personally I wouldn't write off trump so dismissively, have you actually watched some of his full off the cuff interviews or speeches, and not just the sound bites feed to us by our liberal media?
I have and I can tell you he can be really funny, super quick witted and play an audience like a pro.
Only a fool underestimates the strength of their enemy.
Yes, careless word, I agree. He has smart repartee honed down well. He's just so random at times when he is unscripted that you wonder if he knows what he's saying next. But for sure when there is an audience he changes gear. He's playing to his base in most of these situations. In fact in debates he's framing responses with his base in mind all the time when there are cameras present. That's what makes him so cunning. Yesterday I watched one of his 2020 election adverts, a full 5 minutes. It was chilling – very effective; railing against the same elite he’s part of, yet making himself sound like a champion for the other 99%
And that's why Bernie is the only contender who could match him in debates in my opinion. He's the legitimate caretaker of the 99% not the fake.
Yes I completely agree that Sanders is the only one who could best him in a debate, however what I am not sure about is whether the establishment DNC/Media would not rather lose to Trump than win with Sanders, the equivalent centrist liberals in the UK showed that that is an option they are prepared to take to defend their liberal ideology and power structures.
Ditching just before Super Tuesday is maximises the favours you get from the winner, especially if you endorse the candidate who wins. If you're sure you're not going to get anywhere, bowing out with grace means people still like you. Cabinet posts, party posts, funding for other campaigns, that sort of thing.
The trick is to maximise your benefit to them – bow out too early, you were a timewasting nobody. Bow out too late, you were an arsehole who harmed the winner by delaying the inevitable and running a damaging campaign.
Bloomberg will probably ditch after ST, if he gets pummelled enough. Sure, he's set aside $Xbillion for the campaign regardless, but I reckon even he knows he's screwed. It just needs to be spelled out for him clearly.
You could be right, it is looking a lot like the DNC party faithful are circling the wagons around Biden at the expense of Bloomberg..man the whole centrist thing has turned into a real freak show, it would be quite funny to watch if the stakes for the rest of the world weren't so high.
Biden was always the safe option – lifelong democrat, strongly associated with their previous successful president.
However, Jeb Bush started in a similar position.
Bloomberg basically makes no bones about substituting popular support for cash. I think he's discovered the limit of the hubris of wealth, and fundamentally misunderstood why dolt45 got the nom in 2016.
.."However, Jeb Bush started in a similar position." yeah and Bush wasn't obviously suffering from some sort of age related mental deterioration, which bizarrely (sort of like the kings new clothes) no one in the US media wants to tackle out right…like I said earlier, the moderate DNC runners are starting to look like a real freak show….but then I guess it's anyone but Bernie at this point for them…they would probably run a dead dog now if push came to shove!
Man what a weird reply, I mean what the fuck has that got to do with anything I said?, are you saying that you can't see that Biden is obviously suffering some sort of age related cognitive deterioration?
You should think before you type maybe, or are you like Trump..just operating straight from your lizard brain, well that is what that reply reads like anyway.
are you saying that you can't see that Biden is obviously suffering some sort of age related cognitive deterioration?
I'm saying exactly that. Is he the sharpest tack in the box? Possibly not. Is he suffering from any defect other than being in the public eye for maybe twelve hours a day during a pretty tough campaign road trip? Possibly not.
But, and let me be clear on this, even if I thought Biden were suffering from some for of long term cognitive impairment, I'd still trust Biden's recollections and perceptions over yours any day of the week.
Wow that is actually quite amazing to me that you can't see something so obvious, but maybe you haven't had much to do with old people?….anyway I can tell you this, I spend about five years travelling around New Zealand tracking down old cycle racers and interviewing them.
The age group ranged from about 65-95 yo, over that time I became very familiar with the different stages of mental deterioration in old men, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that Biden is not in good mental shape.
In fact two of my friends I made over those years have only recently passed away, both from dementia, a very sad condition thats for sure.
BTW I have no idea why you keep keep on saying "I'd still trust Biden's recollections and perceptions over yours any day of the week." grow up man, can't we have a serious conversation without dropping that kind of stupid shit into it?…why do that?
Aren't you the guy that posted just a day or two ago about how articulate and witty Don Dementia is?
Y'know, the dude that comes out with stuff like this when asked about a coronavirus response:
I think the financial markets are very upset when they look at the Democrat candidates standing on that stage make fools out of themselves, and they say, "If we ever have a president like this" — and there's always a possibility, it's an election, you know, who knows what happens? I think we're going to win, I think we're going to win by a lot — but when they look at statements made by the people standing behind those podiums, I think that has a huge effect.
You're making shit up based on media reports in a pretty hard campaign that's only going to get worse. I get that you don't like Biden, but either you know you're going out on a limb with your diagnosis or you have so much cognitive bias you genuinely can't imagine why someone might not see any basis for your assessment. Either way, I'd believe him over you.
Why make it personal? You made it personal when you chose to use something that affects many people and their families just for some interwebs pointscoring. And I'm really, really toning it down.
Edit: yeah, I say shit about dolt45. He’s a bullshitter. What I tend to avoid is diagnosing him and then finding it incomprehensible that someone might disagree with my internet reckons. That’s what you did in this thread.
"But, and let me be clear on this, even if I thought Biden were suffering from some for [sic] of long term cognitive impairment, I'd still trust Biden's recollections and perceptions over yours any day of the week."
That reply, with all it implies, is disappointingly personal. 'Smart' and 'blinkered' are not mutually exclusive.
"I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others." (1787) Benjamin Franklin
Just grabbing a moment while Gosman is not hogging a hundred lines or two,
I am amazed at how many homes have been built – and are being built – between Wellington and Northland.
The normal Kiwis have set about meeting the housing crisis from the moment the present Government opened for business. Merely two years past.
Sir John Key built ONE SINGLE HOUSE in his nine years of flag mongering. Sir William English built nothing other than attending to his southland sooky staff.
During the same period of time Fletchers Ltd, have shat their britches backwards and forwards. As well as setting fire to A Convention Centre. Hopeless.
And Fonterra handed out a fabulous 8.32 Million $ for a year of slow work by a slow Dutchman.
There would have been no Housing crisis if Key and English and the Beautiful Paula had done a bit of work.
Nine lazy dumb years – given to us by Act and Smational.
I have seen some of the (so called) affordable home that have just been built around the corner from me here in Marewa, they are without doubt the shittest looking homes that I have ever seen built in New Zealand, squashed together like sardine cans, I would give them 12-18 months before they look like the ghetto that they will inevitably become…oh yeah and you need to pay $350,000 + interest to have the privilege to own one of those pieces of shit just to add insult to injury.
The irony is that these piece of shit homes are built right beside existing state homes from the 1950's-60's that are only just starting to have their tile roofs replaced after 70 years of service, there is no way these (so called) "affordable houses" will even still be standing in 70 years.
But that is Free market Liberalism for you…always always short-termism , no long term vision what so ever…and to think some people think these same idiots can help stem climate change, what a sad position we now find ourselves in, Labour, whom are pointless and no one really knows what they stand for or believe, but I am supposed to get excited because they are better than National…that's how low the bar is now for Labour, please just be better than the other political party of fucking psychopaths..
Class: The Little Word the Elites Want You to Forget
Chris Hedges;
"Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, Alexis de Tocqueville, Adam Smith and Karl Marx grounded their philosophies in the understanding that there is a natural antagonism between the rich and the rest of us. The interests of the rich are not our interests. The truths of the rich are not our truths. The lives of the rich are not our lives. Great wealth not only breeds contempt for those who do not have it but it empowers oligarchs to pay armies of lawyers, publicists, politicians, judges, academics and journalists to censure and control public debate and stifle dissent"
David is all over the place today. You could probably count on one hand the times he has used a swear word on his forum over the past 5 years but today he said, "the fucking Prime Minister".
This was because Jacinda Ardern won't sack Shane Jones for racist comments about Indian students.
But then two posts later Farrar uses quotes from Jones with which to attack the government on light rail. He’d forgiven Jones already, or perhaps it was just convenient…
Farrar doesn't want Jones sacked for making racist comments. Farrar doesn't call Jacinda Ardern the 'fucking Prime Minister" because she won't sack Shane Jones for racist comments.
Farrar wants them all sacked and all looking bad because they are in power and National isn't. Using that particular language?
You can count on the fingers of one foot the number of times I've ever used certain language about Farrar. Farrar is just being a fucking drama queen.
Do not build Houses- Implies the great Nationalist Adrian Thornton
He knowingly promotes Act and National – who built nothing! Other than 1 house.
Absolutely nothing. – Key – English – Paula – Each of them Failures.
You are a man of great wealth Adrian – why don't You build great houses. !
Cut the F…ck- and Shit – and yuck. Thanks
[If you address a specific comment, please use the reply button. In any case, you’re barking up the wrong tree and way off the mark with your personal attack. Please tone it down and an apology wouldn’t go astray – Incognito]
It sets out some of the reasons for the problems (largely the increase in immigrants from the Key/English Government, while doing as little as possible about housing and transport), but I am concerned that the possibility is even being considered of adopting a "PPP" structure for a large project. There have been enough PPPs fall over that it should be a requirement that the government keeps on its books for any PPP a contingent liability with a realistic probability of being called to cover the costs of taking over a project. The article sets out why a PPP is effectively a means to transfer money from government to a private supplier. We have a number of large construction projects to compare; nine years of National treating everything as a means of creating private profit. The expressways have not all been unqualified successes – problems with surfaces mean that work on the Kapiti coast is still continuing. By contrast, the urgent need to restore the coastal highway from Kaikoura to Marlborough happened too quickly for such a heavy contractual process – much of the engineering was worked out as the project developed; much was on a labour and materials basis, and it was much closer to an old MoW type of project contractually; and worked better than most had expected.
If our government cannot afford a project, they can even less afford to borrow at higher cost to pay someone else large profits to do it for us. For Labour to criticise such rorts in future, it is important that they not índulge themselves – a future right wing government would see that as an endorsement by the left for subsidising overseas companies . . ..
Given that COVID-19 spread is unavoidable now & the elderly are going to be hit particularly hard (more likely to be infected / more susceptible to a severe case requiring hospitalisation / and, unfortunately, more likely to die from the disease) …
May be time to start encouraging the over-60s to voluntarily stay at home / "self-isolate" for the next 2 or so months (while ensuring in a well-organised, methodical way that they have enough food & other essential supplies available for this period).
Cut down the number of severe cases / chances of hospitals being overwhelmed / needless death.
At least wait until there is a local outbreak – 2 months in isolation then 6 months of the actual outbreak will drive people batty with cabin fever, if they're used to getting out and about.
.
Already seeing the very early stages of an outbreak here … hate to say it but we might expect the first death to occur in 3-4 weeks time (based on the average days elapsed between first confirmed case-to- first death in those Countries that have already experienced an outbreak) … will probably reach a peak somewhere between mid-April & mid-May – the point when hospitals / medical services / supplies are in greatest danger of being overwhelmed … unless we can slow its progress with far more urgent & decisive action than we've seen to date.
People with the virus are highly infectious during the initial 1-2 week pre-symptomatic stage + 80% go on to experience relatively mild symptoms (a segment will be completely asymptomatic) = silent spread going on as we speak. Look at the experience of other Countries … the idea that we only have one or two people infected and that this thing has been fully contained in New Zealand … borders on the ludicrous.
It's the 20% who experience a more severe / acute illness that we need to worry about … and they are disproportionately older & (or) have co-morbidities like diabetes, chronic lung disease, hypertension & heart disease. It could be that the outbreak only becomes fully visible when unusually large numbers of (mainly older) people start presenting to hospitals with acute respiratory distress syndrome. It won't take much for hospitals to be overwhelmed & unable to cope with demand … & then we'll see much greater mortality.
Western Countries in general have been far too lackadaisical … reactive rather than proactive. The complete lack of foresight & urgency has been astonishing to witness.
That medical services would be easily overwhelmed is apparent but the question remains what is the alternative expectation?
There is no realistic chance of excluding this new virus from NZ even if we attempted a full lockdown of the border, which would itself cause far more social and health problems than the virus….it will run its course. we will do what we can and yes, some will likely die…as happens every day.
Governments (or the human race) are (is) not omnipotent despite what we like to believe.
Thanks, joe90. The age range and the comorbidity factors make more sense than a blanket elderly prognosis. More males die as they smoke more. Comorbidity factors of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, acute respiratory problems, hypertension, all are at play. And age has its weight, but then I wonder how many of these factors also are more prevalent with age. So, thanks again.
High Risk COVID-19 Demographics (for infection / severe or acute form / death):
Older (over 60 … & esp over 80)
Co-morbidities like diabetes, chronic lung disease, hypertension & heart disease.
Male (not for initial infection but possibly for severe form & death … appears to be roughly 60/40 M vs F)
Smoker (possibly)
I mean, the odds are still clearly in favour of a good outcome for those in these demographics infected with the virus – I don't want to alarm anyone – but, as you might expect, a larger minority will experience poorer outcomes compared to younger / healthier cohorts.
Note: By "needless death" … I simply meant lives that would otherwise be saved if hospitals (under the potential scenario discussed) weren't suddenly overwhelmed with demand.
All things considered, the M/F population is remarkably balanced for over 50s in China. It's the younger generations that got unbalanced by their vicious policies.
It has been suggested that I should apologise to you for my comment in which I raised the big rise in Housing in the past two years.
You were of the view that the new houses where you have been and seen are "Fucking Shit" and will not survive for very long.
I do apolologise for offending you in any way that I did. I did draw attention to the fact that the National Government did not build but one house in nine years of Office.
I withdraw my idea that you might care to build a really good house. I apologise for that too.
Finally, I was Banned by Incognito for a whole six months and I am out of touch. Prior to that Ban my record was not perfect, but well enough received.
As I see it – Building Houses now is much more imperative right now – than chatting about Housing built many decades ago.
Please advise me if that is wrongful. May I repeat my Apology and withdraw any thing that offended you.
I appreciate your "here and now" sense of reality.
As for me, I did try to practice walking on egg shells during my Banning, while the Standard flew across the Seven Oceans, and across every Nation of the Globe – as well as the great Great possessions of the Trump Organ.
For me – I like The Standard to work through the "here and now" of New Zealand needs and Targets.
Weka – seems to me to keep close to what we can do – and how we might better achieve our Targets. A recent NZ Farming Article was very good.
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As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
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The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
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So Weasel Pete has pulled out of the Presidential Primary race–nice one with hundreds of thousands of early votes already cast–no chance for those voters to transfer their vote, and Buttigeig supporters second pick was substantially…Sanders.
It was not the “right” time, it was the tactical time to spoil as many potential Sanders votes as possible. He would not have lost money, his organisation was intact, he has let his supporters down.
Of course it was positive having a gay man able to stand on the platform, would not have happened even 10 years ago, but “Mayor Pete” has a sneaky pysops background that he obviously uses in politics. And Ms Warren seems to be going down, it is perhaps the “right” time for her to stop–but she is staying in for now to again herd Bernie votes, her supporters second preference too is largely Sanders.
What a contest.
And now Klobuchar is gone and will endorse Biden. The Democratic party establishment has decided that Biden is now viable and the donors have been giving their instructions to marginal candidates like Pete and Amy. Sh*t fight about to get double dirty.
You got any evidence for your assertion that " Buttigeig supporters second pick was substantially…Sanders "? The numbers I've seen are that Sanders was second choice for around 20% of Buttigieg supporters. While that may be a plurality due to Buttigieg supporters evenly spreading among the other candidates for their second choice, it's not "substantially" going to Sanders.
Of the polls I've seen on second choices, pretty much all second choice distributions were kinda evenly spread across the field. The only standout first choice-second choice pairings were Sanders-Warren and Biden-Bloomberg. But even among those pairings the second choice preference were only a weak pluralities, not a majority as you might expect if voters were choosing on policies and ideologies.
https://morningconsult.com/2020-democratic-primary/
Ricky got his implant! So happy for him :_
And BIG thank you to the anonymous donor x
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2020/03/living-in-silence/
My brother got a cochlear implant about 8 years ago; it transformed his life. I remember sitting at lunch with him one day, and when I grabbed a biscuit from it's packet, he winces and says "I never knew a plastic bag could be so damned noisy!"
Not a lot of people know they were invented and developed here in Brisbane; one of the really good things Australia has done for the world.
There is some controversy in the deaf community about the way the cochlear implant disrupts their rather remarkably vibrant and interesting community, but on the whole most people who get one don’t hand them back in. I’m not sure if funding is the big limitation, or patient suitability around a greater uptake. They aren’t cheap and the follow up adjustments and maintenance require skill techies to get right … but it is certainly incredibly good value for money from a purely expenditure pov.
Funding. And our thanks to Aus for wi-fi as well.
You would think that this close to Super Tuesday that candidates would make their decision after Tuesday, not a couple of days before. Buttigeig and Klobuchar must think it essential that their voters are freed to make other choices. However Buttigeig did not indicate who that person should be.
So it is fundamentally down to Sanders and Biden. Warren and Bloomberg have no chance.
Naturally Standardnistas will prefer Sanders. But I reckon Trump would beat Sanders in most circumstances. Of course Trump might also beat Biden, especially if Biden preformed badly in the debates.
As always, there's Congress to consider as well. I think it's entirely plausible that Sanders could win election to the Oval Office entirely out of disgust with Darth Drumpf, but there would also be a resurgence in split-ticket voting to ensure the Senate and maybe even the House would be in Repug hands. Specifically to tie Bernie's hands.
Not quite sure what you are talking about here pal…" Naturally Standardnistas will prefer Sanders. But I reckon Trump would beat Sanders in most circumstances. Of course Trump might also beat Biden, especially if Biden preformed badly in the debates."
1. Sanders has been showing he beats Trump in nearly all nation wide polls for at least 12 months..
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_sanders-6250.html
2. Biden under most circumstances can't string a coherent sentence together and often looks like a deer caught in the headlights on stage..against Trump (really!) you can't deny he is a very good off the cuff debater, will in short order make Biden look lie the senile old man that he actually is.
I would put up links od Biden displaying obvious signs of senility, but why bother, anyone with even the slightest bit of self honestly would be aware of this sad fact already.
Trump – Biden would be a competition between two quite inarticulate people. Sanders can at least string an argument together, although that may not help win debates for him.
Personally I wouldn't write off trump so dismissively, have you actually watched some of his full off the cuff interviews or speeches, and not just the sound bites feed to us by our liberal media?
I have and I can tell you he can be really funny, super quick witted and play an audience like a pro.
Only a fool underestimates the strength of their enemy.
Yes, careless word, I agree. He has smart repartee honed down well. He's just so random at times when he is unscripted that you wonder if he knows what he's saying next. But for sure when there is an audience he changes gear. He's playing to his base in most of these situations. In fact in debates he's framing responses with his base in mind all the time when there are cameras present. That's what makes him so cunning. Yesterday I watched one of his 2020 election adverts, a full 5 minutes. It was chilling – very effective; railing against the same elite he’s part of, yet making himself sound like a champion for the other 99%
And that's why Bernie is the only contender who could match him in debates in my opinion. He's the legitimate caretaker of the 99% not the fake.
Yes I completely agree that Sanders is the only one who could best him in a debate, however what I am not sure about is whether the establishment DNC/Media would not rather lose to Trump than win with Sanders, the equivalent centrist liberals in the UK showed that that is an option they are prepared to take to defend their liberal ideology and power structures.
How great that the American President is really funny, super quick witted and plays an audience like a pro.
How sad the qualities a country and the world needs from an American President are not those ones.
Of course, that goes without saying.
Ditching just before Super Tuesday is maximises the favours you get from the winner, especially if you endorse the candidate who wins. If you're sure you're not going to get anywhere, bowing out with grace means people still like you. Cabinet posts, party posts, funding for other campaigns, that sort of thing.
The trick is to maximise your benefit to them – bow out too early, you were a timewasting nobody. Bow out too late, you were an arsehole who harmed the winner by delaying the inevitable and running a damaging campaign.
Bloomberg will probably ditch after ST, if he gets pummelled enough. Sure, he's set aside $Xbillion for the campaign regardless, but I reckon even he knows he's screwed. It just needs to be spelled out for him clearly.
You could be right, it is looking a lot like the DNC party faithful are circling the wagons around Biden at the expense of Bloomberg..man the whole centrist thing has turned into a real freak show, it would be quite funny to watch if the stakes for the rest of the world weren't so high.
Biden was always the safe option – lifelong democrat, strongly associated with their previous successful president.
However, Jeb Bush started in a similar position.
Bloomberg basically makes no bones about substituting popular support for cash. I think he's discovered the limit of the hubris of wealth, and fundamentally misunderstood why dolt45 got the nom in 2016.
.."However, Jeb Bush started in a similar position." yeah and Bush wasn't obviously suffering from some sort of age related mental deterioration, which bizarrely (sort of like the kings new clothes) no one in the US media wants to tackle out right…like I said earlier, the moderate DNC runners are starting to look like a real freak show….but then I guess it's anyone but Bernie at this point for them…they would probably run a dead dog now if push came to shove!
I'd never vote for him in a primary, but I'd trust Biden's recollections and perceptions over yours any day of the week.
Man what a weird reply, I mean what the fuck has that got to do with anything I said?, are you saying that you can't see that Biden is obviously suffering some sort of age related cognitive deterioration?
You should think before you type maybe, or are you like Trump..just operating straight from your lizard brain, well that is what that reply reads like anyway.
I'm saying exactly that. Is he the sharpest tack in the box? Possibly not. Is he suffering from any defect other than being in the public eye for maybe twelve hours a day during a pretty tough campaign road trip? Possibly not.
But, and let me be clear on this, even if I thought Biden were suffering from some for of long term cognitive impairment, I'd still trust Biden's recollections and perceptions over yours any day of the week.
Wow that is actually quite amazing to me that you can't see something so obvious, but maybe you haven't had much to do with old people?….anyway I can tell you this, I spend about five years travelling around New Zealand tracking down old cycle racers and interviewing them.
The age group ranged from about 65-95 yo, over that time I became very familiar with the different stages of mental deterioration in old men, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that Biden is not in good mental shape.
In fact two of my friends I made over those years have only recently passed away, both from dementia, a very sad condition thats for sure.
BTW I have no idea why you keep keep on saying "I'd still trust Biden's recollections and perceptions over yours any day of the week." grow up man, can't we have a serious conversation without dropping that kind of stupid shit into it?…why do that?
Aren't you the guy that posted just a day or two ago about how articulate and witty Don Dementia is?
Y'know, the dude that comes out with stuff like this when asked about a coronavirus response:
edit: also https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/20/as-a-foreign-reporter-visiting-the-us-i-was-stunned-by-trumps-press-conference
I don't care what experience you think you have.
You're making shit up based on media reports in a pretty hard campaign that's only going to get worse. I get that you don't like Biden, but either you know you're going out on a limb with your diagnosis or you have so much cognitive bias you genuinely can't imagine why someone might not see any basis for your assessment. Either way, I'd believe him over you.
Why make it personal? You made it personal when you chose to use something that affects many people and their families just for some interwebs pointscoring. And I'm really, really toning it down.
Edit: yeah, I say shit about dolt45. He’s a bullshitter. What I tend to avoid is diagnosing him and then finding it incomprehensible that someone might disagree with my internet reckons. That’s what you did in this thread.
That reply, with all it implies, is disappointingly personal. 'Smart' and 'blinkered' are not mutually exclusive.
OK, change "Biden" to "Sanders" in the previous few comments and then look at who is "blinkered".
"Blinkered is as blinkered does."
I certainly can see Buttigeig being Secretary of State in a Biden administration. And that could position him well in a future presidential contest.
Buttigieg as Secretary of State? What do you see in his background and qualifications that would make him suitable for that?
About the only thing even vaguely foreign-policy related I'm aware of is his tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Getting the Job Done
Just grabbing a moment while Gosman is not hogging a hundred lines or two,
I am amazed at how many homes have been built – and are being built – between Wellington and Northland.
The normal Kiwis have set about meeting the housing crisis from the moment the present Government opened for business. Merely two years past.
Sir John Key built ONE SINGLE HOUSE in his nine years of flag mongering. Sir William English built nothing other than attending to his southland sooky staff.
During the same period of time Fletchers Ltd, have shat their britches backwards and forwards. As well as setting fire to A Convention Centre. Hopeless.
And Fonterra handed out a fabulous 8.32 Million $ for a year of slow work by a slow Dutchman.
There would have been no Housing crisis if Key and English and the Beautiful Paula had done a bit of work.
Nine lazy dumb years – given to us by Act and Smational.
I have seen some of the (so called) affordable home that have just been built around the corner from me here in Marewa, they are without doubt the shittest looking homes that I have ever seen built in New Zealand, squashed together like sardine cans, I would give them 12-18 months before they look like the ghetto that they will inevitably become…oh yeah and you need to pay $350,000 + interest to have the privilege to own one of those pieces of shit just to add insult to injury.
The irony is that these piece of shit homes are built right beside existing state homes from the 1950's-60's that are only just starting to have their tile roofs replaced after 70 years of service, there is no way these (so called) "affordable houses" will even still be standing in 70 years.
But that is Free market Liberalism for you…always always short-termism , no long term vision what so ever…and to think some people think these same idiots can help stem climate change, what a sad position we now find ourselves in, Labour, whom are pointless and no one really knows what they stand for or believe, but I am supposed to get excited because they are better than National…that's how low the bar is now for Labour, please just be better than the other political party of fucking psychopaths..
Yes, this race-to-the-bottom, market driven, housing shenanagins is the best argument for a reboot of Ministry of Works.
Have the state build and manage housing stock.
Makes so much sense, unless there were a bunch of landlords overseeing things…..
Yep you hit the nail right on the head there…."Makes so much sense, unless there were a bunch of landlords overseeing things….."
Klobuchar out and endorsing Biden.
Class: The Little Word the Elites Want You to Forget
Chris Hedges;
"Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, Alexis de Tocqueville, Adam Smith and Karl Marx grounded their philosophies in the understanding that there is a natural antagonism between the rich and the rest of us. The interests of the rich are not our interests. The truths of the rich are not our truths. The lives of the rich are not our lives. Great wealth not only breeds contempt for those who do not have it but it empowers oligarchs to pay armies of lawyers, publicists, politicians, judges, academics and journalists to censure and control public debate and stifle dissent"
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/class-the-little-word-the-elites-want-you-to-forget/
Farrar watch:
David is all over the place today. You could probably count on one hand the times he has used a swear word on his forum over the past 5 years but today he said, "the fucking Prime Minister".
This was because Jacinda Ardern won't sack Shane Jones for racist comments about Indian students.
But then two posts later Farrar uses quotes from Jones with which to attack the government on light rail. He’d forgiven Jones already, or perhaps it was just convenient…
You can't have it both ways, David!
Farrar doesn't want Jones sacked for making racist comments. Farrar doesn't call Jacinda Ardern the 'fucking Prime Minister" because she won't sack Shane Jones for racist comments.
Farrar wants them all sacked and all looking bad because they are in power and National isn't. Using that particular language?
You can count on the fingers of one foot the number of times I've ever used certain language about Farrar. Farrar is just being a fucking drama queen.
Professional gymnast. Whichever way the money and power flow..
Do not build Houses- Implies the great Nationalist Adrian Thornton
He knowingly promotes Act and National – who built nothing! Other than 1 house.
Absolutely nothing. – Key – English – Paula – Each of them Failures.
You are a man of great wealth Adrian – why don't You build great houses. !
Cut the F…ck- and Shit – and yuck. Thanks
[If you address a specific comment, please use the reply button. In any case, you’re barking up the wrong tree and way off the mark with your personal attack. Please tone it down and an apology wouldn’t go astray – Incognito]
Settle down. Adrian is nothing of the sort. Just read his comments better.
See my Moderation note @ 11:38 AM.
Auckland public transport has been a problem for years, and options for 'solving' the problems are not easy to resolve. This is a good article:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119863249/government-splits-three-ways-on-light-rail-as-more-details-emerge-of-dramatic-super-fund-plan
It sets out some of the reasons for the problems (largely the increase in immigrants from the Key/English Government, while doing as little as possible about housing and transport), but I am concerned that the possibility is even being considered of adopting a "PPP" structure for a large project. There have been enough PPPs fall over that it should be a requirement that the government keeps on its books for any PPP a contingent liability with a realistic probability of being called to cover the costs of taking over a project. The article sets out why a PPP is effectively a means to transfer money from government to a private supplier. We have a number of large construction projects to compare; nine years of National treating everything as a means of creating private profit. The expressways have not all been unqualified successes – problems with surfaces mean that work on the Kapiti coast is still continuing. By contrast, the urgent need to restore the coastal highway from Kaikoura to Marlborough happened too quickly for such a heavy contractual process – much of the engineering was worked out as the project developed; much was on a labour and materials basis, and it was much closer to an old MoW type of project contractually; and worked better than most had expected.
If our government cannot afford a project, they can even less afford to borrow at higher cost to pay someone else large profits to do it for us. For Labour to criticise such rorts in future, it is important that they not índulge themselves – a future right wing government would see that as an endorsement by the left for subsidising overseas companies . . ..
Given that COVID-19 spread is unavoidable now & the elderly are going to be hit particularly hard (more likely to be infected / more susceptible to a severe case requiring hospitalisation / and, unfortunately, more likely to die from the disease) …
May be time to start encouraging the over-60s to voluntarily stay at home / "self-isolate" for the next 2 or so months (while ensuring in a well-organised, methodical way that they have enough food & other essential supplies available for this period).
Cut down the number of severe cases / chances of hospitals being overwhelmed / needless death.
At least wait until there is a local outbreak – 2 months in isolation then 6 months of the actual outbreak will drive people batty with cabin fever, if they're used to getting out and about.
.
Already seeing the very early stages of an outbreak here … hate to say it but we might expect the first death to occur in 3-4 weeks time (based on the average days elapsed between first confirmed case-to- first death in those Countries that have already experienced an outbreak) … will probably reach a peak somewhere between mid-April & mid-May – the point when hospitals / medical services / supplies are in greatest danger of being overwhelmed … unless we can slow its progress with far more urgent & decisive action than we've seen to date.
People with the virus are highly infectious during the initial 1-2 week pre-symptomatic stage + 80% go on to experience relatively mild symptoms (a segment will be completely asymptomatic) = silent spread going on as we speak. Look at the experience of other Countries … the idea that we only have one or two people infected and that this thing has been fully contained in New Zealand … borders on the ludicrous.
It's the 20% who experience a more severe / acute illness that we need to worry about … and they are disproportionately older & (or) have co-morbidities like diabetes, chronic lung disease, hypertension & heart disease. It could be that the outbreak only becomes fully visible when unusually large numbers of (mainly older) people start presenting to hospitals with acute respiratory distress syndrome. It won't take much for hospitals to be overwhelmed & unable to cope with demand … & then we'll see much greater mortality.
Western Countries in general have been far too lackadaisical … reactive rather than proactive. The complete lack of foresight & urgency has been astonishing to witness.
That medical services would be easily overwhelmed is apparent but the question remains what is the alternative expectation?
There is no realistic chance of excluding this new virus from NZ even if we attempted a full lockdown of the border, which would itself cause far more social and health problems than the virus….it will run its course. we will do what we can and yes, some will likely die…as happens every day.
Governments (or the human race) are (is) not omnipotent despite what we like to believe.
The concern has to be more than just age, surely?
What are the factors that put some people at more risk of 'needless death' from this virus?
"More likely". How much more? And why?
Has Grey Power responded to these recent events?
Have gerontologists or geriatricians pronounced?
Medical scientist with a background in developing anti-viral drugs.
https://twitter.com/DrDenaGrayson/status/1234119990128893953
This is a 30 minute video. Any written responses which can be re-read, excerpted, and are edited for unnecessary wording?
In 30 minutes I can read chapters of books. Videos are a less than satisfactory source of information.
Thanks, though.
I've been following this site.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Thanks, joe90. The age range and the comorbidity factors make more sense than a blanket elderly prognosis. More males die as they smoke more. Comorbidity factors of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, acute respiratory problems, hypertension, all are at play. And age has its weight, but then I wonder how many of these factors also are more prevalent with age. So, thanks again.
High Risk COVID-19 Demographics (for infection / severe or acute form / death):
Older (over 60 … & esp over 80)
Co-morbidities like diabetes, chronic lung disease, hypertension & heart disease.
Male (not for initial infection but possibly for severe form & death … appears to be roughly 60/40 M vs F)
Smoker (possibly)
I mean, the odds are still clearly in favour of a good outcome for those in these demographics infected with the virus – I don't want to alarm anyone – but, as you might expect, a larger minority will experience poorer outcomes compared to younger / healthier cohorts.
Note: By "needless death" … I simply meant lives that would otherwise be saved if hospitals (under the potential scenario discussed) weren't suddenly overwhelmed with demand.
Bear in mind that gender ratio might be skewed by Chinese population demographics.
All things considered, the M/F population is remarkably balanced for over 50s in China. It's the younger generations that got unbalanced by their vicious policies.
https://www.populationpyramid.net/china/2019/
Yet another example of why the change of government really mattered …
Pregnant women no longer criminals in NZ – another step closer
It's not only about votes in Parliament. It's about setting the agenda.
PMs English and Bridges would never have gone there.
Yeah, compared to them Key was bold. He was inspirational, he was a true leader. He went to the flag.
Well I hope this guy gets a hefty sentence. What a cruel bastard.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12313564
To: Adrian Thornton
It has been suggested that I should apologise to you for my comment in which I raised the big rise in Housing in the past two years.
You were of the view that the new houses where you have been and seen are "Fucking Shit" and will not survive for very long.
I do apolologise for offending you in any way that I did. I did draw attention to the fact that the National Government did not build but one house in nine years of Office.
I withdraw my idea that you might care to build a really good house. I apologise for that too.
Finally, I was Banned by Incognito for a whole six months and I am out of touch. Prior to that Ban my record was not perfect, but well enough received.
As I see it – Building Houses now is much more imperative right now – than chatting about Housing built many decades ago.
Please advise me if that is wrongful. May I repeat my Apology and withdraw any thing that offended you.
Nice work, OT.
I'm not much of an apologiser so you've done better than I would have been able to.
Thanks Muttonbird.
I appreciate your "here and now" sense of reality.
As for me, I did try to practice walking on egg shells during my Banning, while the Standard flew across the Seven Oceans, and across every Nation of the Globe – as well as the great Great possessions of the Trump Organ.
For me – I like The Standard to work through the "here and now" of New Zealand needs and Targets.
Weka – seems to me to keep close to what we can do – and how we might better achieve our Targets. A recent NZ Farming Article was very good.
Doing something for the sake of it….the markets further demonstrate their irrationality
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/03/reserve-bank-of-australia-cuts-interest-rates-to-record-low-05-amid-coronavirus-concerns
Covid 19 impacts will not be addressed by a rate cut….it is a supply issue
Inquiry into the Treasury’s Budget related Information Security Systems
Finding summary: the 2019 Budget leak was 100% Treasury's fault.
"When what has occurred is revealed, Grant Robertson will need to resign." (Simon Bridges, May 28).
Hello? Simon? Still there? Hello? Why the silence now?
Opposition 101: If you shout "Resign", you should really mean it. Otherwise you just spend your credibility for no gain.
Simon's homework: read Boy Who Cried Wolf.
You're right, Grant Robertson looks bloody silly now
So why aren't National demanding he resign?
Stupid then, or wrong now, take your pick.