Russia is the second largest arms exporter in the world. Every permanent member of the UN Security Council is in the top 10. As far as international law can ban warfare, it has already. Sadly, that’s not enough.
I heard some chap rabbiting on nat radio last week about the legal parameters of war. It was sickening, and it takes a lot to turn mine stomach.. He was going on as if it is acceptable to wipe out large swathes of humanity in certain circumstances using certain means. It was so way up in the clouds it was bizarre. It got me to thinking that war is absolutely the lowest form of human conduct, which everybody knows but for some reason most people accept.
People seem to accept state murder of other state’s citizens – code for killing being acceptable.
It leaves me sick.
New Zealand should stand up and lead the world in banning all forms of warfare, like it did by going nuclear-free.
Particularly liked the reference to Andorra – “Despite not ever having a true organized military, the tiny country of Andorra was bold enough to declare war on Germany in 1914 and join the so called Great War. With a 10-man strong army, the country did not do much and was not taken seriously.
What is worse is that most of the recent conflicts that New Zealand has been involved with have not been legally declared wars. Vietnam was not a declared war for instance which if I remember correctly caused problems with servicemen that were active in that conflict getting disability allowances etc when they returned because under the war pension act they had technically not been to war. Long tine ago now but there was a lot of angry service people trying to get benefits and being given the run around by the Government of the day.
Today, no where. But the military always has to prepare 10 years ahead, and I am guessing that the Pacific is going to be a pretty tense place down the track.
Not if we ban warfare now. It might help. Nothing to lose.
Why don’t you want to do such a thing? Do you support the ban on chemical warfare? Where do you draw the line? Why bother going nuclear free? Why is it so hard to stick a flower in the barrel of a tank? Eh?
@CV…so you would agree with the American gun lobby that it is a citazen’s right to have a gun….just to be prepared 10 years ahead …. in case…. 10 years down the track….when it could be a pretty tense place
…just arguing here and I probably agree with you ….but in theory while these arguments are convincing … in practice people/politicians make mistakes and it can make a situation worse
Thanks Pop, appreciate your effort (I know I get on your goat sometimes..).
But the reason outlined in your post is a rehash of the arguments up and around this already. The how of such a ban is the secondary question, not the primary one. We need to answer the primary one first, before assessing the how, the when, the what-ifs, etc etc.
Just like it is with banning nuclear in NZ.
Just like it is with banning homicide.
Just like it is with banning chemical warfare.
Surely you can see the potential in such a ban. Whether it is workable or not is not the issue, just as is so with all other bans. It is a head space, an aim, a lofty high humanitarian goal. Something we can aspire to. And when humans do this sort of thing humanity gets towed along behind to an extent.
And in the alternative,,, to not so ban is to impliedly condone and employ warfare, in the same manner than debanning homicide or chemical warfare would be such.
I don’t understand why this is so hard.
It has been done with chemical. We did it with nuclear. Lets go the whole hog.
edit: and I do recall that pact now, from dim distant studies…
I’d say it’s worth trying. I’m not sure how it could be done in the immediate future, but wars aren’t good for anything. We’d all be better off without them.
Terrific Leadership Contest meeting in Whangarei last night. All three potential Leaders in good spirits and talking good policy ideas. Over 200 people in audience – heaps of new members signed up.
This is a good sign for resurgence in Labour Party.
It was painful to watch Key bleating about the $68 million he said it would cost the government to implement Labour’s “Living Wage” policy for public employees.
So that’s 0.07% of the annual government budget to give New Zealanders a living wage. Not a very high price to pay to help improve the conditions of the working poor.
That’s if you believe Key’s figures, which I don’t, as opposed to Cunliffe’s $25 million which makes it 0.025%.
For comparison, Key’s just spent $100 million of our money flogging off a decent asset that most of us don’t want sold.
It is exactly like Key and Brownlee refusing to top up the red zoners $12.5million in Christchurch while going about spending $300million on a stadium for rich rugby players to run around on a few times a month.
This shows this government’s priorities.
Rugby is prioritised over people’s homes
Sharebrokers commissions are prioritised over paying above a slave wage for cleaners.
“It was painful to watch Key bleating about the $68 million he said it would cost the government to implement Labour’s “Living Wage” policy for public employees.”
The $68m is for extending it to direct government employees only, it doesn’t include contractors such as cleaners in hospitals.
I would think that there aren’t all that many directly-employed government workers earning less tahn $18.40, which is why the wage figure is only $68m.
Well said Steve. As well as getting their figures wrong sometimes, they make a huge noise about costs that are trivial in the big picture (your example above)that would benefit society, but brush big bad unnecessary costs (ditto your comparison)under the carpet. It’s a very lumpy carpet they’ve got there.
And yes, it is painful. I wish there was some way for Key to vanish, to be forced to resign for some reason, so all this pain could end. (not just the bleating sounds)It would have to happen after the new Labour Leader has been elected though.
Cunliffe, and the Membership at large, are too nice to Grant Robertson.
Grant Robertson is a core part of what has been wrong with the Labour Party for the past five years. Robertson is a core member of the narrow group that created division in the party to protect their own careers. Robertson shaped the shambles that has been Shearer’s Leader’s office for the past 18 months. Shearer/King/Mallard/Robertson attacked the membership and Cunliffe for DARING to vote in favour of more democracy at the Ellerslie Conference.
Robertson has not changed his spots. He is still a natural hoarder of power in the bank office. His instincts are to pay lip service only to the members.
To elect Robertson is to ask for a continuation of the mis-rule of the past five years.
Cunliffe has nothing to apologise for. Robertson is the one that should be called to account.
BS he’s a pathetic human being. I know him personally. He’s a decent guy and deeply committed to justice and fairness for all. Personal attacks like this are just stupid.
@ Tigger ….no matter what you think of Robertson…..if Labour wants to win next year against Key ……Robertson as Leader will not cut the mustard with the average New Zealand voter!!!!….and that is that!
….anyone who says otherwise is self-deluded or mischievous….and is laying Labour and New Zealand out for another Key and Nact win.
Cunliffe is the only Leadership option…. and luckily he is the best option by a long way
@ Alanz….well if Robertson has been a mover and shaker in the ABC club…IMO I think he should be able to take ‘personal attacks’….because that is what has been concertedly dealt to Cunliffe over along period of time ….and quite unwarrantedly and one could be kind in saying they were “pathetic”…certainly pathetic for the Labour Party.
Calling someone a pathetic human being is not a personal attack, in this instance, it is a statement of fact.
I Have first hand interactions with many pathetic human beings who trawl the halls of parliament, with Robertson, being one them. I also have daily interactions with pathetic human beings, but the conversation was not about anyone else.
Your experience, and opinion is fine tigger, and my experience and opinion, different from yours, that’s fine, just don’t pretend it was a personal attack, it is my personal opinion, based on my experiences, and based on what is patently obvious about the feeble personality that man has, you can apply the same to Jones, equally pathetic!
….Rhinocrates …who is in Robertson’s Wellington Central electorate is very disparaging and cutting of Robertson ….and it rings true to me …I met a few of the Robertson machaevellian ‘types’ myself while in the Public Service in Wellington( generally in the wannabe upper echelons, that is how they got there…But this is not to disparage the PS in general)…..and I personally think Louise Wall would be better as Deputy, more attractive to the NZ 50% woman vote and more loyal to Cunliffe
….and Robertson would make a very good Minister of Something…well out of the way
Lolz @ Chris Trotter, the final words of that piece on today’s daily blog are a grand tribute to the use of the English language in all its complexity,
Indeed, when exhausted from talking sense and providing evidence to the Neo-liberal orthodoxy which has shafted the lower end of the economic demographic for the past 30 years in the final analysis as Chris Trotter suggests, we should simply resort to telling them all, go f**k yourself”…
“The Blogosphere will play a significant part in the next election…it’s the Wild West of Journalism…blah, blah,…”- Brian Edwards, looking very sharp on te tele. hee hee.
meanwhile, back in ‘Nam, Charlie’s cutting the wires, no more plagiarizing the press down the paddies.
Have a great day! 🙂
Heh. face is in the book ; learn a lot of interesting stuff there at times, if managed well. Man, do they have some persistent algorithms to ‘hook’ users in to being online if they are unaware of the seduction at play. “Said the spider to the fly…”
So, Seamus Heaney has texted The final Given Note.
Re that Jones’ boy,
22:1 Be tactful and you remain whole; bend and you remain straight. The hollow is filled, the old is renewed. Economy is gain, Excess is confusion..
22:5 Is it empty talk, the old saying that tact keeps you whole? When truthfulness is complete, it still resorts to this.
If one applies at a WINZ interview for assistance with C.V preparation, they can approve a ‘grant’ that pays a ‘consultant to do so. (the charge was $135 for C.V, comes with a data stick in addition to hard-copy and $67 for a ‘cover letter’). Very Helpful!
Mr Jones has got past a corruption allegation and that porn issue.
“Around Aotearoa, I’ve always found that I’ve been very popular with women. I’ve never been at the top of the hit parade with feminists. But the woman I want to appeal to are the women that read the Women’s Weekly, not Germaine Greer,”
He wants to create jobs with more drilling and mining.
“Let’s cut to the chase – I’d rather have the young people of the North with a shovel in their hand [rather than] running around picking locks.”
“I’m not the greatest person for political correctness. But the politically correct thing to do is win power,”
Ew. Just ew.
Paddy Gower ends his glowing ‘the underdog is on fire’ piece with “Jones is the only one who looks real.” Are you joking? I had to wipe myself down after watching the video.
Shane Jones please go join the NAct party where you obviously belong.
Chris Trotter says;
“The Old Guard of Labour’s caucus (Phil Goff, Annette King, Trevor Mallard) realising how much the new Electoral College was likely to undermine their ability to control the direction of the party, did nothing to discourage the media’s misperception of Cunliffe’s intentions. They were desperate to keep David Shearer in place until the reins of government were securely in his (their?) hands.
They were right to be worried. The new system is revolutionary. To grasp just how revolutionary, consider how effectively it would have prevented the takeover of the Labour Party by Roger Douglas and his cronies.”
Read more reason NEVER to let Grant Robertson near the levers of power.
Listening to JIm on RNZ yesterday afternoon and the Swedish road safety dude said there were far too many road signs????
There only used to be one: KEEP LEFT but the chumps in the national party could not handle that and now there is a whole industry telling people what to do and they never do it!
Aye aye, Cap’n. But the worst bloody thing of all is driving thru the night, vision in sync with the conditions, you head for a corner to be stupifyingly blinded by your own lights being reflected back double from the hightech fucking sign pointing to the direction that you should be taking that you haven’t got a hope in hell of making as you need a seeing eye dog for the next 50ks.
“YOU said that.”
Can this train-wreck of a programme get any worse? The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 3 September 2013
Jim Mora, Mai Chen, Steve McCabe
Often the most interesting part of Jim Mora’s Panel is the fifteen-minute pre-show segment, when the guests are asked to comment on various articles plucked off the internet, grandly billed as “What the World’s Talking About”. Since they don’t have the time to think at length about many of these items, they often don’t say much of any value. They do, however, occasionally reveal a lot about themselves. Regular Panelist Stephen Franks, for instance, a legal counsel for and supporter of those bloodthirsty knife-killing enthusiasts the S.S. Trust, is fond of pontificating about the “wicked” behavior of lower class criminals. Someone else who used to guest regularly was Dr. Michael Bassett, who over the years has degenerated into a muttering, scowling old jackal; on one infamous occasion he crazily snarled that Nicky Hager was a “holocaust-denier”. Another curmudgeonly old fool who used to appear regularly on the Panel is Garth “Gaga” George, who one day learnedly opined that the Australians in the RAMSI task force were “the very worst kind of Australian”. It was on the Panel pre-show that Chris Trotter delivered his windy admonition against those who dared to question the wisdom or morality of the Florida jury that acquitted the killer of Trayvon Martin, where Rosemary McLeod sniffed contemptuously that “those people [Egyptians] don’t WANT democracy”, and dear old Gordon MacLauchlan declared in all seriousness: “Python is brilliant! It leaves Cheers for dead.”
So it’s not unusual to hear stuff on the Panel that’s pompous, silly, stupid, unintentionally funny or (in the case of Bassett and Franks) downright depraved. But when it comes to sheer bloody hypocrisy, mealy-mouthedness and cowardice, it’s hard to go past Jim Mora himself. Look how he behaved during today’s pre-show segment…..
NOELLE McCARTHY: John Kerry says there is definite proof because there are chemical residues in the hair and clothing of the victims, but that’s not good enough for Russia and China! JIM MORA: People are asking how is it so different from killing entire wedding parties with drone strikes. NOELLE McCARTHY: Hmmmm. STEVE McCABE: Personally I can’t see why chemical weapons are so much worse than those other weapons. MORA:[mocking tone] Well it’s a RED LINE that was crossed! STEVE McCABE: It’s a pity the United States did not draw a red line in Vietnam.
A couple of seconds of awkward silence…..
MORA: You mean with Agent Orange?
Further awkward silence….
NOELLE McCARTHY: Hmmmm. MORA: A couple of e-mailers have said what about when Saddam gassed the Kurds in 1988? STEVE McCABE: That was back when Saddam was still our mate. So it was okay.
More Depravity on Radio NZ: On the Radio NZ sports news at 5:30 p.m., Stephen Hewson read out an item about a St. Kilda footballer setting fire to a dwarf entertainer at a “Mad Monday” booze-up. The item included a voice grab of the dwarf, known as “Mr. Big”, describing the footballer’s actions as “just criminal.” At the end of the item, Hewson snickered, snorted and guffawed and said “Back to you Mary”.
i think mccabe might get dropped from the panel-guest-list for that saddam-one..(tho’ it is hardly a controversial observation..nor was the agent orange one..)
..and aside from all the war-mongering lies/pieties from america..
..the hypocrisies are fucken eyewatering..
..america poisoned whole fucken countries..
..and either themselves or thru their sattelite-states (like nz) america continues to rain death down on innocent-civilians worldwide..
..they and their mercenary-states/acolytes are the war-criminals of our times..
@ phillip Ure …even better set up the kids with the $7.2 million trust ….and bring the bodies out…..using unwanted Kapiti Coast Motorway kitty money…..ie ditch the Motorway and bring the bodies out
Key wants nothing to do with The Marshall Islands nuclear testing debacle but is trigger happy with North Korea and Syria.
The muppet is just a puppet!
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Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
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Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
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 ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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So who’s up for it?
Ban conventional and nuclear warfare in the same manner that chemical warfare is banned.
It is just an extension of the smacking ban after all.
‘
Can’t ban conventional warfare – the entire US economy would grind to a halt in less than a week.
and Russia’s
Russia will be fine. US, China and the UK, I’m not so sure.
Russia is the second largest arms exporter in the world. Every permanent member of the UN Security Council is in the top 10. As far as international law can ban warfare, it has already. Sadly, that’s not enough.
Thanks. Per capita it looks to me like Russia is way ahead of the US as an arms exporter.
I heard some chap rabbiting on nat radio last week about the legal parameters of war. It was sickening, and it takes a lot to turn mine stomach.. He was going on as if it is acceptable to wipe out large swathes of humanity in certain circumstances using certain means. It was so way up in the clouds it was bizarre. It got me to thinking that war is absolutely the lowest form of human conduct, which everybody knows but for some reason most people accept.
People seem to accept state murder of other state’s citizens – code for killing being acceptable.
It leaves me sick.
New Zealand should stand up and lead the world in banning all forms of warfare, like it did by going nuclear-free.
All forms.
+1.
Worthwhile reading for the interest value in the same vein: 10 countries without military forces.
Particularly liked the reference to Andorra – “Despite not ever having a true organized military, the tiny country of Andorra was bold enough to declare war on Germany in 1914 and join the so called Great War. With a 10-man strong army, the country did not do much and was not taken seriously.
What is worse is that most of the recent conflicts that New Zealand has been involved with have not been legally declared wars. Vietnam was not a declared war for instance which if I remember correctly caused problems with servicemen that were active in that conflict getting disability allowances etc when they returned because under the war pension act they had technically not been to war. Long tine ago now but there was a lot of angry service people trying to get benefits and being given the run around by the Government of the day.
And what would you do about those that would seek to attack us?
Draco, surely you realise that you should never answer the premier question with answers to the secondary questions.
First, ban all such warfare. Second, work out how to make that happen, among other things.
So, how about it? Are you in? Looks like you might be the only taker which leaves me pretty disappointed in Les Standardistas.
Like, Draco, I am a supporter of a strong multi-role NZDF, including both offensive and defensive warfighting capabilities.
Sure, me too (on my limited understanding), but you are ignoring the call to a full ban on its use….
@CV…where is NZDF offensive warfighting justified?
Today, no where. But the military always has to prepare 10 years ahead, and I am guessing that the Pacific is going to be a pretty tense place down the track.
Not if we ban warfare now. It might help. Nothing to lose.
Why don’t you want to do such a thing? Do you support the ban on chemical warfare? Where do you draw the line? Why bother going nuclear free? Why is it so hard to stick a flower in the barrel of a tank? Eh?
I think it’ll be as successful as banning homicide…
homicide is banned and it prevents more homicides.
chemical warfare is banned and it prevents more chemical warfare.
you keep avoiding the issue and sliding off it. I know you can see its clarity…. Why are you avoiding saying “I would support banning all warfare”?
@CV…so you would agree with the American gun lobby that it is a citazen’s right to have a gun….just to be prepared 10 years ahead …. in case…. 10 years down the track….when it could be a pretty tense place
…just arguing here and I probably agree with you ….but in theory while these arguments are convincing … in practice people/politicians make mistakes and it can make a situation worse
+1vto…those who attack us is a separate question…then we are defending
24 hours !
And this is sort of why I don’t think that would work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact
Thanks Pop, appreciate your effort (I know I get on your goat sometimes..).
But the reason outlined in your post is a rehash of the arguments up and around this already. The how of such a ban is the secondary question, not the primary one. We need to answer the primary one first, before assessing the how, the when, the what-ifs, etc etc.
Just like it is with banning nuclear in NZ.
Just like it is with banning homicide.
Just like it is with banning chemical warfare.
Surely you can see the potential in such a ban. Whether it is workable or not is not the issue, just as is so with all other bans. It is a head space, an aim, a lofty high humanitarian goal. Something we can aspire to. And when humans do this sort of thing humanity gets towed along behind to an extent.
And in the alternative,,, to not so ban is to impliedly condone and employ warfare, in the same manner than debanning homicide or chemical warfare would be such.
I don’t understand why this is so hard.
It has been done with chemical. We did it with nuclear. Lets go the whole hog.
edit: and I do recall that pact now, from dim distant studies…
I’d say it’s worth trying. I’m not sure how it could be done in the immediate future, but wars aren’t good for anything. We’d all be better off without them.
Terrific Leadership Contest meeting in Whangarei last night. All three potential Leaders in good spirits and talking good policy ideas. Over 200 people in audience – heaps of new members signed up.
This is a good sign for resurgence in Labour Party.
If new folks are signing up does that mean the meetings are open to non members?
If they sign up as members they are entitled to attend but only existing members or those renewing a fairly recent membership can vote.
(do we all know that john key is an acolyte of ayn rand..?..)
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/comment-john-key-follows-the-teachings-of-his-guru-defends-the-fact-that-the-person-who-cleans-his-office-earns-a-small-fraction-above-the-minimum-wage/
(excerpt..)
“..ed:..of course the building of this low-wage economy is a pillar of the teachings of keys’ guru..ayn rand..
..just about everything john key does/advocates..
..can be drawn back to the vile/poisonous teachings/prescriptions of rand..”
phillip ure..
It was painful to watch Key bleating about the $68 million he said it would cost the government to implement Labour’s “Living Wage” policy for public employees.
That’s right a whopping $68 million out of a annual government spend of 92.7 billion (annual government spending year ending June2012).
So that’s 0.07% of the annual government budget to give New Zealanders a living wage. Not a very high price to pay to help improve the conditions of the working poor.
That’s if you believe Key’s figures, which I don’t, as opposed to Cunliffe’s $25 million which makes it 0.025%.
For comparison, Key’s just spent $100 million of our money flogging off a decent asset that most of us don’t want sold.
The hypocrisy stinks
Agreed.
It is exactly like Key and Brownlee refusing to top up the red zoners $12.5million in Christchurch while going about spending $300million on a stadium for rich rugby players to run around on a few times a month.
This shows this government’s priorities.
Rugby is prioritised over people’s homes
Sharebrokers commissions are prioritised over paying above a slave wage for cleaners.
pitooey in their face. pigs.
“It was painful to watch Key bleating about the $68 million he said it would cost the government to implement Labour’s “Living Wage” policy for public employees.”
The $68m is for extending it to direct government employees only, it doesn’t include contractors such as cleaners in hospitals.
I would think that there aren’t all that many directly-employed government workers earning less tahn $18.40, which is why the wage figure is only $68m.
The other thing is….
It doesn’t cost the country anything. The money stays entirely within New Zealand and if anything spins a little faster..
It costs nothing.
And you my man, win the prize for today’s heterodox economics and monetary theory understanding.
Exactly, only $68 million, so why is Key bleating about it?
For the record I’d tend to believe Labour’s costing of $25m.
Well said Steve. As well as getting their figures wrong sometimes, they make a huge noise about costs that are trivial in the big picture (your example above)that would benefit society, but brush big bad unnecessary costs (ditto your comparison)under the carpet. It’s a very lumpy carpet they’ve got there.
And yes, it is painful. I wish there was some way for Key to vanish, to be forced to resign for some reason, so all this pain could end. (not just the bleating sounds)It would have to happen after the new Labour Leader has been elected though.
Just a fantasy that I’ve harboured since ’08.
I want to see the son-of-a-bitch lose the election.
Me too Linz, and I expect he will lose in a grand fashion. Out with a bang. But waiting another year is unbearable.
Cunliffe, and the Membership at large, are too nice to Grant Robertson.
Grant Robertson is a core part of what has been wrong with the Labour Party for the past five years. Robertson is a core member of the narrow group that created division in the party to protect their own careers. Robertson shaped the shambles that has been Shearer’s Leader’s office for the past 18 months. Shearer/King/Mallard/Robertson attacked the membership and Cunliffe for DARING to vote in favour of more democracy at the Ellerslie Conference.
Robertson has not changed his spots. He is still a natural hoarder of power in the bank office. His instincts are to pay lip service only to the members.
To elect Robertson is to ask for a continuation of the mis-rule of the past five years.
Cunliffe has nothing to apologise for. Robertson is the one that should be called to account.
+1
You are correct, Grant is a pathetic human being, his sold out soul hangs bare for all to see.
Adern, no better!
Yep!
Bang on!
BS he’s a pathetic human being. I know him personally. He’s a decent guy and deeply committed to justice and fairness for all. Personal attacks like this are just stupid.
@ Tigger ….no matter what you think of Robertson…..if Labour wants to win next year against Key ……Robertson as Leader will not cut the mustard with the average New Zealand voter!!!!….and that is that!
….anyone who says otherwise is self-deluded or mischievous….and is laying Labour and New Zealand out for another Key and Nact win.
Cunliffe is the only Leadership option…. and luckily he is the best option by a long way
@ Chooky
Tigger is discouraging personal attacks and is encouraging people to look at the merits of the candidates.
Fyi – Tigger’s choice has been stated:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30082013/#comment-688611
@ Alanz….well if Robertson has been a mover and shaker in the ABC club…IMO I think he should be able to take ‘personal attacks’….because that is what has been concertedly dealt to Cunliffe over along period of time ….and quite unwarrantedly and one could be kind in saying they were “pathetic”…certainly pathetic for the Labour Party.
Calling someone a pathetic human being is not a personal attack, in this instance, it is a statement of fact.
I Have first hand interactions with many pathetic human beings who trawl the halls of parliament, with Robertson, being one them. I also have daily interactions with pathetic human beings, but the conversation was not about anyone else.
Your experience, and opinion is fine tigger, and my experience and opinion, different from yours, that’s fine, just don’t pretend it was a personal attack, it is my personal opinion, based on my experiences, and based on what is patently obvious about the feeble personality that man has, you can apply the same to Jones, equally pathetic!
Not a PS Staffer…+100
….Rhinocrates …who is in Robertson’s Wellington Central electorate is very disparaging and cutting of Robertson ….and it rings true to me …I met a few of the Robertson machaevellian ‘types’ myself while in the Public Service in Wellington( generally in the wannabe upper echelons, that is how they got there…But this is not to disparage the PS in general)…..and I personally think Louise Wall would be better as Deputy, more attractive to the NZ 50% woman vote and more loyal to Cunliffe
….and Robertson would make a very good Minister of Something…well out of the way
As well as Trotters latest at TDB there is this by Wayne Hope, two excellent articles well worth checking out.
Lolz @ Chris Trotter, the final words of that piece on today’s daily blog are a grand tribute to the use of the English language in all its complexity,
Indeed, when exhausted from talking sense and providing evidence to the Neo-liberal orthodoxy which has shafted the lower end of the economic demographic for the past 30 years in the final analysis as Chris Trotter suggests, we should simply resort to telling them all, go f**k yourself”…
Chris Trotter suggests, we should simply resort to telling them all, go f**k yourself”…
Correct Chris is, and it is about f*k*n time we did so.
“The Blogosphere will play a significant part in the next election…it’s the Wild West of Journalism…blah, blah,…”- Brian Edwards, looking very sharp on te tele. hee hee.
meanwhile, back in ‘Nam, Charlie’s cutting the wires, no more plagiarizing the press down the paddies.
Have a great day! 🙂
and, from our man in the Middle East
The Armagideon Times
…and…a great way to save money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw5Lda06iK0#t=21
yet, not as many lives in developing countries.
Why did Robertson outright lie on Seven Sharp last night regarding the whereabouts of his Partner Alf?
we reflected on his credibility perception ourselves; truth will out.
anyway, as, Zarathustra spoke, we should be grateful to the slippery adder that has afflicted us so.
(or, was that love )
Seven Sharp is so crap I can’t watch it. Could you outline the “lie”.
Is this the same Alf ?
gotta love that old time rock and roll!
electrify’s my soul
(just a little ‘Duet’ ; been travelin’ near and far).
All the best fenders do.
😉
Nice.., about time you showed your face again….you have been missed!
Heh. face is in the book ; learn a lot of interesting stuff there at times, if managed well. Man, do they have some persistent algorithms to ‘hook’ users in to being online if they are unaware of the seduction at play. “Said the spider to the fly…”
So, Seamus Heaney has texted The final Given Note.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7_qkG9gqhA8
Silly to lie about it, but I can understand why Alf would rather avoid having to become public “property”.
Fair enough. But he (Robertson) should just say so!
Agreed, a simple “Alf would rather not become a minor celebrity at this stage” would have been a better strategy.
I heard John Tamahere say on RNZ that if Shane Jones won the selection he would get more involved in the LP. There goes the women’s vote totally.
no doubt hordes of Waitakere Men will suddenly vote Labour. Provided they’ve learned tool use and fire-starting, first.
these are regressive times. 😀
My thoughts exactly: we’re front-bums and geldings according to those two dinosaurs.
A good reason to vote against Jones then.
Re that Jones’ boy,
22:1 Be tactful and you remain whole; bend and you remain straight. The hollow is filled, the old is renewed. Economy is gain, Excess is confusion..
22:5 Is it empty talk, the old saying that tact keeps you whole? When truthfulness is complete, it still resorts to this.
If one applies at a WINZ interview for assistance with C.V preparation, they can approve a ‘grant’ that pays a ‘consultant to do so. (the charge was $135 for C.V, comes with a data stick in addition to hard-copy and $67 for a ‘cover letter’). Very Helpful!
http://www.3news.co.nz/Shane-Jones-says-he-can-beat-John-Key/tabid/1607/articleID/311599/Default.aspx'
Shane Jones:
Mr Jones has got past a corruption allegation and that porn issue.
“Around Aotearoa, I’ve always found that I’ve been very popular with women. I’ve never been at the top of the hit parade with feminists. But the woman I want to appeal to are the women that read the Women’s Weekly, not Germaine Greer,”
He wants to create jobs with more drilling and mining.
“Let’s cut to the chase – I’d rather have the young people of the North with a shovel in their hand [rather than] running around picking locks.”
“I’m not the greatest person for political correctness. But the politically correct thing to do is win power,”
Ew. Just ew.
Paddy Gower ends his glowing ‘the underdog is on fire’ piece with “Jones is the only one who looks real.” Are you joking? I had to wipe myself down after watching the video.
Shane Jones please go join the NAct party where you obviously belong.
But the woman I want to appeal to are the women that read the Women’s Weekly, not Germaine Greer
Oddly enough, his use of the “I don’t hate bitches, I just hate uppity bitches” strategy has not endeared him to me.
I just watched that TV clip sthn.Jeff. I had to watch it twice to make sure I actually saw what I thought I did. How could he blatantly lie like that?
I realise it was just a meaningless piece of Fluff on a Crap TV programme, but just dumb dumb dumb!
almost as slippery with the truth as Mr Key i fear… 🙂
Chris Trotter says;
“The Old Guard of Labour’s caucus (Phil Goff, Annette King, Trevor Mallard) realising how much the new Electoral College was likely to undermine their ability to control the direction of the party, did nothing to discourage the media’s misperception of Cunliffe’s intentions. They were desperate to keep David Shearer in place until the reins of government were securely in his (their?) hands.
They were right to be worried. The new system is revolutionary. To grasp just how revolutionary, consider how effectively it would have prevented the takeover of the Labour Party by Roger Douglas and his cronies.”
Read more reason NEVER to let Grant Robertson near the levers of power.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/09/02/democratic-distempers-how-labours-leadership-election-is-unsettling-the-neoliberal-establishment/
Listening to JIm on RNZ yesterday afternoon and the Swedish road safety dude said there were far too many road signs????
There only used to be one: KEEP LEFT but the chumps in the national party could not handle that and now there is a whole industry telling people what to do and they never do it!
“..but the chumps in the national party could not handle that..”
heh..!
phillip ure..
Aye aye, Cap’n. But the worst bloody thing of all is driving thru the night, vision in sync with the conditions, you head for a corner to be stupifyingly blinded by your own lights being reflected back double from the hightech fucking sign pointing to the direction that you should be taking that you haven’t got a hope in hell of making as you need a seeing eye dog for the next 50ks.
Quotes from Slippery
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_key_2.html
bob jones has mounted a rear-guard action against any idea/plans for a capital-gains tax..
..and in the process..has shot himself in both (tax)-feet..heh..!
http://whoar.co.nz/2013/bob-jones-mounts-a-rearguard-action-against-the-clamours-for-a-capital-gains-tax-from-the-mob-ed-i-think-he-really-wanted-to-say-peasants-eh-and-in-the-process-makes-a-wildwacky/
phillip ure..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_qkG9gqhA8
I’m prepared to call it: Cunliffe will be the next leader of the opposition
What was Robertson thinking?
“YOU said that.”
Can this train-wreck of a programme get any worse?
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 3 September 2013
Jim Mora, Mai Chen, Steve McCabe
Often the most interesting part of Jim Mora’s Panel is the fifteen-minute pre-show segment, when the guests are asked to comment on various articles plucked off the internet, grandly billed as “What the World’s Talking About”. Since they don’t have the time to think at length about many of these items, they often don’t say much of any value. They do, however, occasionally reveal a lot about themselves. Regular Panelist Stephen Franks, for instance, a legal counsel for and supporter of those bloodthirsty knife-killing enthusiasts the S.S. Trust, is fond of pontificating about the “wicked” behavior of lower class criminals. Someone else who used to guest regularly was Dr. Michael Bassett, who over the years has degenerated into a muttering, scowling old jackal; on one infamous occasion he crazily snarled that Nicky Hager was a “holocaust-denier”. Another curmudgeonly old fool who used to appear regularly on the Panel is Garth “Gaga” George, who one day learnedly opined that the Australians in the RAMSI task force were “the very worst kind of Australian”. It was on the Panel pre-show that Chris Trotter delivered his windy admonition against those who dared to question the wisdom or morality of the Florida jury that acquitted the killer of Trayvon Martin, where Rosemary McLeod sniffed contemptuously that “those people [Egyptians] don’t WANT democracy”, and dear old Gordon MacLauchlan declared in all seriousness: “Python is brilliant! It leaves Cheers for dead.”
So it’s not unusual to hear stuff on the Panel that’s pompous, silly, stupid, unintentionally funny or (in the case of Bassett and Franks) downright depraved. But when it comes to sheer bloody hypocrisy, mealy-mouthedness and cowardice, it’s hard to go past Jim Mora himself. Look how he behaved during today’s pre-show segment…..
NOELLE McCARTHY: John Kerry says there is definite proof because there are chemical residues in the hair and clothing of the victims, but that’s not good enough for Russia and China!
JIM MORA: People are asking how is it so different from killing entire wedding parties with drone strikes.
NOELLE McCARTHY: Hmmmm.
STEVE McCABE: Personally I can’t see why chemical weapons are so much worse than those other weapons.
MORA: [mocking tone] Well it’s a RED LINE that was crossed!
STEVE McCABE: It’s a pity the United States did not draw a red line in Vietnam.
A couple of seconds of awkward silence…..
MORA: You mean with Agent Orange?
Further awkward silence….
NOELLE McCARTHY: Hmmmm.
MORA: A couple of e-mailers have said what about when Saddam gassed the Kurds in 1988?
STEVE McCABE: That was back when Saddam was still our mate. So it was okay.
Brief, very tense silence….
MORA: [sighing] YOU said that.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
More Depravity on Radio NZ: On the Radio NZ sports news at 5:30 p.m., Stephen Hewson read out an item about a St. Kilda footballer setting fire to a dwarf entertainer at a “Mad Monday” booze-up. The item included a voice grab of the dwarf, known as “Mr. Big”, describing the footballer’s actions as “just criminal.” At the end of the item, Hewson snickered, snorted and guffawed and said “Back to you Mary”.
i think mccabe might get dropped from the panel-guest-list for that saddam-one..(tho’ it is hardly a controversial observation..nor was the agent orange one..)
..and aside from all the war-mongering lies/pieties from america..
..the hypocrisies are fucken eyewatering..
..america poisoned whole fucken countries..
..and either themselves or thru their sattelite-states (like nz) america continues to rain death down on innocent-civilians worldwide..
..they and their mercenary-states/acolytes are the war-criminals of our times..
..phillip ure..
.re pike river..
i am as anti-pretty much everything this govt does..
..and there is no difference here..
..for the life of me..!..i can understand the emotions involved here..
..but this is bloody madness..!..$7.2 million pissed up against the wall..and for what..?
..were the body recoveries guaranteed..?..maybe..maybe..
..but when they aren’t..?
..f.f.s..!
..why not use that money to form a trust for the children of those killed..?
..i mean..surely this is what their dead parents would want..?
..to set their children up for education/w.h.y. costs taken care of..
..to possibly set them up for life..
..rather than this exercise in futility..?
phillip ure..
@ phillip Ure …even better set up the kids with the $7.2 million trust ….and bring the bodies out…..using unwanted Kapiti Coast Motorway kitty money…..ie ditch the Motorway and bring the bodies out
Key wants nothing to do with The Marshall Islands nuclear testing debacle but is trigger happy with North Korea and Syria.
The muppet is just a puppet!