Lynn (or someone else on the Bridge) can you please open the “gate”; you know i’m “human” and i’ll stop worrying the flock and be a good dog (lifts paw and tilts head)
Hi Lynn and folks’ my misbehavin around the full moon has led to the activation of the s.bot captcha entry requirement. Could you please alleviate this thorn in my paw and I will endeavour to be more restrained (on leash) Thankyou, i would be grateful.
Most of those who felt compelled to defend the award made a point of reminding us of Holmes’s “tireless work for charity” and his “generosity”. Hardly any of them was foolish enough to mention the Banquo’s ghost in the room: Holmes’s shameful record of crude race-baiting and hate-mongering, most notoriously against black Africans, but most consistently against MÄori and the poor.
One “liberal” commentator, however, went one step further; Brian Edwards used his blog to write a giddy paean to Holmes. Many readers joined in the expression of adoration for the great man; former New Zealand First staffer Rex Widerstrom rhapsodized on “Paul’s intellect and his humanity”, one Rosina Hauiti raved about his “illustrious career”, and, most contemptibly of all, Labour Party MP Annette King called Holmes “funny warm and compassionate”, and asserted that she “canât understand the vitriol being written.”
It was not all fulsome praise, however. Many readers, including the venerable Standardista “Millsy”, expressed scorn and disbelief at the knighthood. For their sins, they suffered the indignity of having their comments deleted and replaced by a scolding by Edwards himself, were compared to witch-hunters, and were sent to Siberia along with the unspeakable Bomber Bradbury, who is damned by Holmes-booster John Phillips as a “swinish, loathsome, small-minded worm”.
There was one thing that bothered me above all else: Edwards assured a skeptical reader that Holmes âis not and never was a racistâ. This was a step too far, and I just had to remonstrate. I posted up the following comment….
Brian, when you asserted that Paul Holmes âis not and never was a racistâ, I guess you were in the same extremely indulgent frame of mind as when you stated, on radio, that P.J. OâRourke was âdeep down, a very serious personâ and when you lauded the âbrillianceâ of the unfunny New Zealand Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson.
BE: I donât believe I have ever said anything about P.J. OâRourke since I have never read his books and know nothing about him. Perhaps you can let me know when and where I am supposed to have said this. As for Emmerson you seem to be confusing the fact that you personally find him unfunny with whether or not he his cartooning skill can be described as brilliant. Anyway, to test the worth of what you write, perhaps you could supply chapter and verse for my supposed comments on Mr OâRourke. Iâll apologise if Iâm wrong and Iâll expect you to do the same. And god only knows what any of this has to do with my post on Paul Holmes.
Like Millsy, I had a comment deleted as well, but Edwards’s admonition remains….
BE: Your comment, which Iâve deleted, was unworthy even of you. It was vile. I donât want you on this website. And donât worry about the OâRourke quote. I know I couldnât have said it.
This is the comment Edwards deleted….
Have a Happy New Year, you unrecognised oiksâand remember, if you see a deranged old man shouting insults at MÄori family groups over the summer, donât say âFuck off to Queensland you racist scumâ, say âFuck off to Queensland, Sir Paul.â
A REQUEST TO ALL RADIO LISTENERS
If you heard Brian Edwards interview P.J. O’Rourke in the late 1990s, could you please write to Brian Edwards and remind him of it. He seems to have very poor recall.
Look carefully, my friend: the one having a cry is the good Dr. Edwards. First the blubbering is in the form of tears of joy, to express his admiration for a notorious racist, then it transmogrifies into tears of anger as he deals to us naysayers and spoilsports.
I can’t provide the day of Edwards’s interview of O’Rourke, but it certainly happened. I might sometimes not get a quote verbatim, and my memory is not always perfect, but I don’t make things up.
Or if I do, as when that I made that Sacha Baron Cohen interview on Letterman segue into a Nazi rally in the last line, I make it quite clear that it’s being done for effect.
Morrissey, if you claim something is a quote, when it is actually just your dodgy recollection and not the actual words, then you are going to get called on it, just as you did with your bigoted rants about Baron Cohen. Don’t use quote marks when it’s not a quotation and you’ll save yourself a lot of bother.
However, it appears BE did interview PJ O’Rourke …
My quote is correct. Edwards made a habit after each interview (or, more accurately, each uncritical audience) of making a comment on the departed guest.
He made a particularly cowardly, sneering dismissal of Bill Clinton’s brother Roger, after interviewing him for half an hour one day. Edwards sniggeringly expressed his contempt for Roger Clinton’s southern manners, particularly the way he kept calling Edwards “sir”. Despite having such a distinguished brother, Roger Clinton spoke with a southern accent, so Edwards did not deem him worthy of respect.
With the patrician O’Rourke, on the other hand, Edwards was the picture of servility. And he DID make the ridiculous comment that O’Rourke, who is more flippant and glib than even our own Mike Hosking, was “deep down, a very serious person.” Not that Edwards would remember of course.
Your quote may well be correct, but you haven’t proven it to be so, Moz. I imagine it’s possible that Edwards did say it, or something similar, because the tears of the clown is such a cliche. I can well imagine any interviewer of a comedian finishing up with a banal comment like that.
I guess the reason your claim got the reaction it did from BE is because it was so irrelevant to the discussion about Holmes. It looks like straw clutching desperation and it was an attack on his credibility on his own site. Banning in those circ’s seems perfectly reasonable and an obvious outcome of your approach.
As I mentioned earlier, if you are going to claim things as being fact, you should be prepared to back up your statements. It’s even better if you do the research before making the claim!
By the way, Bill Clinton, like his brother, speaks with a southern accent. I imagine that is due to them both being brought up in the south. D’oh!
Here’s a question. Why is it a *~*~*~*brigade*~*~*~* when it’s felix and TRP taking the same side on an issue, but not when it’s muzza and Mozza tag-teaming?
Oh, right, because muzza wants to pretend this is all some vast [insert today’s favourite adjective] conspiracy to Suppress The Truth And Expect People To Stand By Their Copypasta, or something.
M&M are a “Legion”. About the same size as a brigade, but with an inclination to read entrails rather than work within the limitations of the fog of war.
McFliper writes…. M&M are a âLegionâ. About the same size as a brigade, but with an inclination to read entrails rather than work within the limitations of the fog of war.
Because sometimes entrails make funny sounds which would be in keeping with my not particularly serious comment. And you can use the hollow carcass as a finger puppet. Whereas you took three words and ran with them into territory neither relevant nor humourous, as is your habit.
I mean, come the fuck on – My Lai from an (admittedly not very good) semantic joke about “brigade” vs “legion”? Fuck sake.
edit: and I’m busy today, so it’s likely I won’t be further engaging in this particular encounter with the Legion of Doolally.
It seems mate that you are intent on negligently diminishing the meaning and power of certain significant English language words to the status of irrelevance. It also seems that you have made a habit of trolling blogs belittling the opinions, values and beliefs of the writers and commentators (below are a couple of example of your trolling for your fellow Standard readers to see, there are a shit load more for those who might care to look online):
“Thereâs a lot of funny ironies on blogs, and this is one â a commenter on The Standard has accused me of stalking him:
Te Reo PutakeâŠ
27 September 2012 at 3:52 pm
ps, prism, youâre not alone in trying to work out the meaning. Check out my stalker!
Thereâs actually multiple ironies there. âTe Reo Putakeâ, previously âThe Voice of Reasonâ, is one of the most unreasonable voices Iâve seen at The Standard, a union/Labour hack who tries to shut out any voices he doesnât like”
For the purpose of this exercise we’re going to focus on a comment you made in “open mike” on the 2/1/2013 (# 3.2.3.4) and your grossly irresponsible misuse of the word “RACIST”:
“Help me, Jebus! I love the way the writer canât help launching into a racist tirade against Kiwis, before chiding TS posters for being too sensitive”
So to start. Who exactly is “Jebus!” and how exactly do you expect his or her help? Now lets take a close look at the words RACIST and race and the meanings that are attributed to both words by the Oxford Dictionary;
Definition of racism
The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:
theories of racism
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that oneâs own race is superior
Each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics:
people of all races, colours, and creeds
[mass noun] the fact or condition of belonging to a racial division or group; the qualities or characteristics associated with this.
a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.
We sincerely hope that the above definitions will assist you in using the word RACIST in a more appropriate context. It is of course impossible for us to have launched into a “racist tirade against Kiwi’s” with our commentary on the behavioral patterns of New Zealander’s when confronted with injustice and or that county’s obvious fiscal dependence on Australia
Kiwi’s do not constitute a race, nor do New Zealander’s for that matter, both terms are a reference to nationality only.
When one misuses a word such as ‘Racist” in the way that you clearly have, the power of the word and its significant meaning are greatly diminished.
In future mate, when you feel like a spot of trolling why not pop over to Lauda Finem and attempt to take a crap in our yard, instead of shitting all over the Standards front lawn
IrishBill: what a pointless, self-obsessive, and banal mess of text. I’ve seen automated spam that did a better job of commenting than this. You’re banned for life for what I can only describe as one of the most tragic comments in the history of this blog.
I thought it would always be my secret shame, felix! But, gosh, if they’re quoting Pete George, the gig is clearly up. Not to mention the deadly blow of featuring some tool on Whaleoil wrongly identifying another commenter as me. The evidence is overwhelming, its a fair cop, guvnor, but society is to blame.
And, it’s really important that nobody should wonder whether the deliberate misspelling of my handle by the not at all homophobic Lauda Finem is in any way racist, because it’s just not, OK?
Oh – another whiner like PG.. I left this comment on his post.
The purpose of The Standard is stated in our about and what moderators do is outlined in the policy. You’re referring to this comment (are you incapable of linking accurately?)
You quoted Pete George of YourNZ as an authority – FFS even Cameron Slater tends to be more accurate than PG who has an uncanny ability to be as slippery as a personal lubricant . But basically PG got harassed by Te Reo Putake because the PG made and continued to make statements that he could not or would not defend. For some reason the gonzo got upset about being called to justify his silly assertions.
Like you, PG also got through a wee tantrum because he got a permanent ban. He got his for trying to tell us how to run our site.
You got your permanent ban because you triggered the well-honed anti-trolling instincts of IrishBill when you indulged in masturbating your juvenile ego in a single comment on the site. Basically you said nothing of much interest, indulged in some kind of silly and largely meaningless debating room semantics, displayed yourself as being a shallow pretentious fool, and added nothing to the debate you commented on.
In short, you remind me of Pete George and received an appropriate moderation – which if you follow in PG’s footsteps, you will proceed to whine pitifully about for the next year.
Mind you, it does make the rather tedious debate about “rent boy” that I’ve had to read look almost meaningful by comparison. I’m rather expecting the comment to never appear on Lauda Finem?
Your e-mail? Yep. You are in the hands of cloudflare, who once a moderator manually flags your comment as spam (as you had) will require you to pass a captcha. The result gets placed in auto-moderation.
When it is released by a moderator, you get your commenting freedom back again – at least for the next 30 days which is what I set it to. The system now looks at you as being provisionally human. Basically it does not pay to have a moderator get irritated enough to flag you as spam (and I’m thankful that they seldom do – banning is much less consequential).
Be warned that akismet also looks at manually flagged spam. Unlike cloudflare which only collects stats inside its own network, akismet covers the whole wordpress universe. It is (fortunately) just a little less judgemental.
You should be ok now that a message has made it through.
You might get one at 30 days. You may not. Eventually if you pass it (I’m HUMAN!) enough and you don’t get flagged again you won’t see it again.
I suspect you won’t see the 30 day one because of previously passed comments. However I have no control over the workings – and it is currently protecting me from ~20k spam comments per week.
Sir! Thank You Sir, That will be all Sir! I’ll be out here on the flank (I don’t really want another “resurrection”, but hay, I’m a rolling stone) đ ( I was reading a physics related article the other day about stones talking, yep, if these stones could talk, sounded like Wild Horses to me).(Which reminds me, I now have a real life stalker / Wind talker I believe, yet, they’re hiding in the bushes; a “real” resurrection it may turn out to be written)
đ
lprent your ‘his post’ link goes to their ‘best wishes’ 2013 round up, no sign of your comment. The Standard gets a mention in their list of ‘courageous websites’ but:
“The standard.org (Caveat: Lauda Finem have serious reservations about the authenticity of this blog and its agenda; one of their moderators “IrishBill” [as we suspected he would] altered one of our comments earlier today, that story coming soon)”
omg I just can’t wait to see what happens next. Although, it’s hard to take this ‘team’ too seriously when, on the same page, their first item under ‘predictions for 2013’ is : The fall of the New Zealand National Party government in the November elections.
Ahahahahahaha their snide little comment about “serious reservations about the authenticity of [The Standard] and its agenda” is seriously the most priceless I-didn’t-want-to-play-with-your-ball-ANYWAY foot-stomping I’ve seen since I quit Livejournal.
I saw Edwards blog a couple of days ago. As well as sweeping the racism under the carpet, i couldn’t believe anyone of left wing views would applaud the shift in the MSM, that Holmes was a major part of. instead, Edwards praises it thusly:
Paul would become a seminal influence in New Zealand broadcasting. He would change the landscape. Though many fine broadcasters preceded him, he was our first real âstarâ. And, in that sense of the word that suggests Hollywood and glittering lights and show dancers and theme music and Emmys and Oscars and your name on the pavement of Hollywood Boulevard, he may well be the only real star that our small nation has as yet produced.
The Hollywoodisation of our news, current events and political reportage is not something to celebrate.
He had some cred back in the day, but that shift you mention toward presentation over substance and celebrity over merit has been Edwards’ bread and butter these past few decades.
Despite interviewing him, or more precisely, listening to him deliver an unbroken stream of right wing bromides for half an hour on Christmas Eve 1994, Edwards claims to knew “know nothing about him”. He will have completely forgotten it, of course, but I have not.
It is not my credibility that has been found wanting here, it is Brian Edwards’s. Not only can you not comprehend that, but you appear to have no idea what “spam” means either.
I did, however. That’s why I posted it up—because he said it, and I believed it was another indication (from as long ago as the mid-1990s) that his judgement can be suspect, to put it politely.
Frankly I’m finding Morrissey a helluva lot more palatable than you and a couple of others who increasingly sound like school prefects determined to bully into submission the mouthy junior schooler of their focus……Morrissey. Some dissmissive Beltway tones in there too methinks.
Holmes’ knighthood is a nonesense of course which putting aside vanities serves only to contribute to the bullshit that the vainglorious wahanui of the media, including Edwards for that matter, are not merely “across” the stories which comprise current events, but integrally part of those stories and broadly part of our “one nation” fibre.
Grudging acknowledgment that something might have been said but since you FV don’t personally know about it, ergo it’s bullshit, is so so John Key FV.
All of that said and knighthood or not I remain just a little concerned about “Cheeky darkie…..”. Racist ? I don’t know. Probably qualifies for the ballpark however.
“Grudging acknowledgment that something might have been said but since you FV donât personally know about it, ergo itâs bullshit, is so so John Key FV.”
Why do you think Morrissey shouldn’t have to verify his quotes? Everyone else has to.
I verify my quotes, fool. I don’t make things up; the worst you can say is that my transcripts occasionally are not perfectly verbatim. That is of course the basis of dear old Lanthanide’s stated objections to my transcripts—they’re not one hundred per cent accurate. For instance, when transcribing the Hon. Hekia Parata absolutely accurately, more than half of the transcript would consist of “ummmm, ahhhhh, errrrrr”. That might be fine in Lanthanideland, but for the mass of Standard readers, it would be intolerable. (Almost as intolerable as the fact that Parata has not resigned yet.) But that is what happens when you write things down as fast as you can, but don’t use a tape recorder.
Edwards made the mistake of claiming that he had no knowledge of O’Rourke, and could remember nothing. I was correct, Edwards was wrong, as proven by our friend Te Reo Putake. Edwards apologized, but I don’t expect you to show any similar integrity or humility and do the same.
And yet when asked to do so, you refuse or are unable to. I can verify this statement by linking to examples of you doing this if you like. See the difference?
I haven’t passed comment on Edwards’ memory. It doesn’t interest me that you know there was an interview in 1994 and Edwards forgot about it.
What I’ve commented on is that you have a terrible habit of stating things as if they’re verifiable facts when you can’t verify them, and also that you seem to be too dense to grasp this simple criticism.
Edwards actually did make the comment that P.J. O’Rourke, who was and is one of the most callous and flippant commentators in the United States, was “deep down, a very serious person.” Or maybe he said, “basically, a very serious person.” The precise wording escapes me now, but the meaning was quite clear, and it was yet another example of Edwards’ dodgy (to put it kindly) powers of judgement. I did not make it up. Someone some time no doubt will produce a recording of the interview, and will verify what I have already said.
…you have a terrible habit of stating things as if theyâre verifiable facts when you canât verify them…
Nonsense. When have I ever done that? The worst thing you can say about me is that my transcripts (done as they are, usually, hastily on a piece of paper while I’m doing other things as well) are not absolutely verbatim.
I don’t make things up, but in your increasingly fraught state of mind, you probably are incapable of acknowledging that fact right now.
Well, no, no you don’t. In the Edwards case, it was me who did your work for you (and thank you for acknowleging that). We still have no evidence that Edwards said what you claim, but he has confirmed that he interviewed O’Rourke. The only way you can verify your quote would be to access the interview, which can be done via the RNZ site. But I’m betting you won’t do that!
You’ve outlined your transcript process and it’s hopeless, Moz. Your transcripts were useless because you made a lot of them up, relying on memory and impression. Clearly, you still do not understand that for a report to be a transcript, it has to be accurate. It is OK to edit out ums and arghs, but not to atrribute things that were not actually said, but were just your recollection.
The “mass of Standard readers” you claim to speak for are intelligent, learned folk who know the difference between opinion and fact. You don’t do them any favours by being so wrong, so often.
Well, no, no you donât. In the Edwards case, it was me who did your work for you (and thank you for acknowleging that). We still have no evidence that Edwards said what you claim, but he has confirmed that he interviewed OâRourke. The only way you can verify your quote would be to access the interview, which can be done via the RNZ site. But Iâm betting you wonât do that!
Somebody will, no doubt. I did not make it up, and you know I didn’t.
Youâve outlined your transcript process and itâs hopeless, Moz. Your transcripts were useless because you made a lot of them up, relying on memory and impression.
Rubbish. Often, following my posting up of a transcript of a radio show, others have posted to congratulate me on capturing the zeitgeist of shows like Jim Mora’s increasingly dire “The Panel”. That’s because I capture the crucial words that are spoken. And a lot of my stuff is actually verbatim, and can be checked against the original—for example, the transcript of that obscene Letterman/Baron Cohen defamation of a Christian peace activist in occupied Hebron. (Except for the seguing into a Nazi rally in the last sentence, but intelligent readers appreciated the political point being made.)
Clearly, you still do not understand that for a report to be a transcript, it has to be accurate. It is OK to edit out ums and arghs, but not to atrribute things that were not actually said, but were just your recollection.
And in many cases, as in transcribing Leighton “Ummmm, ahhhh, errrr” Smith, Larry “Lackwit” Williams or the Honorable Hekia “Ummm, errrr, ahhh” Parata, it’s not “OK to edit out ums and arghs”; they are crucial indicators of those great minds in their full pomp and majesty.
The âmass of Standard readersâ you claim to speak for are intelligent, learned folk who know the difference between opinion and fact. You donât do them any favours by being so wrong, so often.
I’m not wrong, and you know it. All you have done is nit-pick about my methodology and tried to show that I’m a falsifier. That’s arrant nonsense, of course, and regular readers of the Standard know it. And so, of course, do you.
The zeitgeist is not a transcript. You do not post transcripts, you post impressions. You have not provided any evidence that backs up your claim about Edwards, so nobody knows whether it is accurate or not, but the verifiable fact that you don’t even know yourself whether you’ve quoted him accurately kinda suggests you haven’t got it right.
Sorry, Moz, but if you are going to continue to make shit up, you will be called on it. That’s life, cobber.
The zeitgeist is not a transcript. You do not post transcripts, you post impressions.
No, I post transcripts, which are, as many people have attested, pretty accurate. You are correct in that sometimes they are not verbatim, and therefore they are indeed impressions; that is my aim, as you no doubt are aware: to evoke and thereby criticize the glibness, the muddleheadedness, the cynicism of what we are bombarded with daily in the media.
You have not provided any evidence that backs up your claim about Edwards, so nobody knows whether it is accurate or not, but the verifiable fact that you donât even know yourself whether youâve quoted him accurately kinda suggests you havenât got it right.
I’ve got it right. As I have acknowledged, the precise wording needs to be confirmed, but the comment, in all of its vacuity, was made by the good doctor.
Sorry, Moz, but if you are going to continue to make shit up, you will be called on it. Thatâs life, cobber.
If I “make shit up”, then it’s for the purposes of satire or comedy. I did not make this up.
By the way, here, for your delectation, is an example of when I DID “make shit up”, building on the true story of Bernadine Oliver-Kerby taking a pair of scissors to the crotches of every pair of trousers in Justin Marshall’s wardrobe. It comes from the glory days of Google Groups, when everyone seemed to be on Usenet.
When have you ever made shit up? I can think of plenty of times. For instance, just the other day in the bus stop you said you had gills and could breathe underwater.
I expect this will be completely lost on you Morrissey, but go ahead and ask me to prove it and I’ll do exactly what you do.
“Do you think that the farcical Knighthood of Hyde, is equal to the farcical Knighthood of Holmes. or maybe the farcical QC’s that the Nats are pulling because in my eyes they are all equally hideous. And so far out of date.
At one fell swoop the knighting of someone who is famous for getting a job on the telly and the radio and voicing his opinions has:
A) Shown what a farce and irrelevance the honours system is
B) Shown what an out of touch chardonnay socialist BE has become.
From now on, those who accept this dubious honour will now be twice smitten by my contempt; once for being a sycophantic royalist and once for wanting to be in the same club as PH is a member of.
Next year, look for something possibly even less palatable than the knighting of Paul Holmes.
Yes, you guessed it: next year Sir Jerry Mateparae, if he has not been indicted for war crimes, will be waving a sword over the bald head of a nationally loathed sports opinion merchant and mouthing the horrific words: “Arise, Sir Murray.”
Im with you Morrisey, Holmes is a racist! The only people who may not understand this probably fit into his demographic.
I don’t think most of his defenders would actually be so vile as to launch into an extended tirade about “darkies” or rage against MÄori—even in private, let alone on radio or television or in print, as Holmes did as recently as eleven months ago.
What they are doing is pretending that the racist drivel is outweighed by the very public shows of charity he has performed. It’s pretty much the same rationale as employed by the defenders of Sir Jimmy Savile.
I dont know why I comment on BE’s blog at all really, the guy keeps deleting me.
Though given that he thinks it is perfectly OK for a teacher to tell a 14 year old girl that she looks like a slut, I should have known that he would think the sun shines out of PH’s ass.
(Yes, I am back. The things that I thought were going to happen didnt happen the way I expected to happen, and I am not too sure what directions things will take, and it turns out that I have a bit of time to post on “The Standard” — though for how long remains to be seen)
As a grumpy old man myself, I have no problem recognising that Holmes acts and speaks like a racist. Unless this is all an act to increase his audience share (highly doubtful), I am forced to conclude that he is a deeply disturbed old racist who longs for the time when “darkies” knew their place and never got knighted. People I know who have physically made his acquaintance tell me he is even worse than his television and radio personas.
This may or may not have anything to do with your message above Morrissey bit I was intrigued enough to try to find said interview, without any luck so far, However I did find this little gem to read
Indeed National would welcome David Shearer into the Labour Caucus. It will largely nullify the privatisation issue for National. If Shearer is confirmed as the candidate (which is highly likely as Head Office control 3/7 votes) I will not be surprised if some National Party members vote for him tactically â knowing the huge boost it will be to have in the Labour Caucus one of the worldâs leading proponents (his articles have been cited in scores of other research in this area) of legitimising private sector involvement in military operations.
When I first saw Paul Holmes on the box, I was reminded of a rather over weight Australian interviewer (I think on Channel Seven) who was suppose to interview politicians and their ilk
but never dared asked a hard question. Like many of his generation history will ignore them
since they had the misfortune of coming of age in a very easy boring uninteresting time.
What does Labour need to do differently in 2013 to win a Labour Victory on Labour Policies?
It may be a Government supported by the Greens, but it must be a Labour Government that can implement key Labour Policies.
We must have the mandate and power to achieve strong export based, innovation led high wage economic prosperity.
We have to re-engage with the 800,000 who don’t believe political parties are even relevant.
Our new Constitution has given us an opportunity to invigorate our members and supporters. The forthcoming leadership debate roadshow can be a lightening rod to release the mojo of the Real Labour Party.
We need a leadership style that can harness this opportunity for the organisation with passion.
We need a leadership style that can capture the imagination of the population.
We need a leadership style that will convince the majority of Kiwi’s that a fundamental shift away from the conventional wisdom of the past three decades will work.
A leader who can think and respond intelligently/factually on the spot with conviction and vision is the formula which will win an election. Cunliffe ticks all these boxes.
Over the holiday season have had a few interesting chats with mates that cover a wide plethora of our society. One topic was the lack of movement over the years on pay. One mate from air nz over the last 8 years was awarded CPI adjustments at good years, and nothing in other years. Another 2 both worth $10m’s even commented on that the employment contracts and the demise of the unions in retrospect has been a bad thing for nz.
The other point was on our poor senior level managers that with their huge salaries should be better than to improve a coys performance they should be looking at the reduction of wages as a last resort not the only option. http://thestandard.org.nz/time-to-take-back-whats-ours/
Also when talking about the lack of movement of wages there was also a disconcerting comment passed by more than a few in that we were lucky to have a job. This fear of being unemployed is so great to warrant the acceptance of this continuation of nil to low increases, and in a few cases of deterioration of pay rates being asked to do more for the same pay ( which IMO is a pay cut)
Yes the well rounded wealthy folk know that gutting the working classes standard of living risks collapsing the system that benefits everyone. You can’t make money when no one skilled works in your business, pays your rents etc.
However the country isn’t run by the well rounded, it’s run by the greedy and vindictive ruling 1%’ers determined to plunder everything they can get their hands on with little care for future generations.
Oz is benefitting from this approach taking on skilled and hard working kiwis, it’s Muldoon all over again with a better sales pitch and a compliant MSM.
imo, Jack White is the new Clapton; post-modern god with a small “g”
-when i first heard the news of this dreadful quad and alcohol tragedy i could not believe my ears until hearing the story a few times more from other sources (if we worried about other people thought we’d never do things differently).
Closer Still, some body handy has me pegged, deedle leedle leedle lee, sunlight wish-washing liquid (with a drop of natural Lemon Song), Unknown Pleasures to come, free puncture repairs for life;
Strange Brew 8:10-This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord,
9-(it will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers)
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
11-No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying “Know the Lord, because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest.
Soooo, movin’ along,
cursum perficio.
verbum sapienti:
quo plus habent,
Post nubilia, Phoebus
Iternum- Na Leatha Geal M’oige, evening falls
Shudder. Just Imagine that Airhead in charge of the US Military. Wouldn’t she ‘just lurve’ all that power. Kinda makes you glad that she was repulsive to the voters too, with the notable exception of the Airhead T Party.
NZ Police Force a law unto themselves? In Pundit David Beatson talks about Drones:-
“New Zealand Police arenât waiting for major aviation safety and personal privacy issues about domestic spy drones to be solved. TV3 reports theyâve already purchased their first unmanned aerial vehicle. So, watch this space ⊔
Why would the police wait, heck the power companies have not bothered to see if the installation of smart meters, complete with communications aerial for sending detailed useage information every 30 minutes. on private property is breaking surveillance/wiretapping laws!
Over the last 24 hours on Twitter, Dotcom has been highlighting reports of the US agencies planting evidence in order to get a warrant to search his property. He refers to reports here,
Details released from US courts in November showed the FBI relied on the existence of 36 illegally copied movies as evidence of willful law-breaking. The FBI told the US courts Megaupload had been told of the illegal files in 2010 and the continued existence was evidence to flagrant criminality.
However, Dotcom’s lawyers said the files were kept at the request of the US government which asked it do nothing to impact on its criminal investigation. They claimed FBI testimony to secure arrest warrants managed to “exclude critical facts” which would have shown the company’s efforts to assist. Instead, they gave a “selective distorted account” and “deliberately misled the court”.
The filing says Megaupload was painted by the FBI as a “brazen scofflaw” and the files were the only linking thread which tied together those described by the FBI as the “Mega Conspiracy”.
Very interesting and very unhealthy.
It suggests that there may be a demarcation issue between Homeland Security and the FBI as both target copyright infringement, presumably for the lucrative asset seizures.
Here’s no transparency because the definition of copyright infringement as a threat to US national security means that these agencies can operate in secret.
It really makes me wonder whether there were any other agencies involved, eg the US NSA which is closeted in with the GCSB in Wellington.
sadly, hearing whispers from both ends of the SE spectrum, one a “councilor” and the other a retired, former longstanding businessman and entrepreneur, that our bay is becoming “buggered” economically, yet, i think it is a great place to live, invest and raise a family; That’s the Gods-Honest Truth, what more could one ask for, sheltered meditative climate and a view to the future? I imagine a “Golden Bay” of the NE. đ
sweetas, it’s only a personal odyssey (and i apologise for any offence implied to anybody, i have to live alongside the moon phases and i get a bit carried away by the Dark side sometimes, yet really i grow in the light, and i do have an ethic of care when and where i can)
The famous and esteemed broadcaster and commentator Brian Edwards is man enough to apologize when caught out. An object lesson to some people around here, methinks….
An object lesson to you, I would have thought, Moz, given you’ve got plenty to apologise for. But, yes, nice touch from Edwards. Lord knows I’d show a lot less grace if I was dealing with idiots quoting quips I made twenty years ago.
Felix, you’re unwisely displaying bitterness in public. That only makes you look bad.
Perhaps you should read over what you’ve written two or three times, and then say to yourself: Do I really want everyone to see THIS? Does it make me look witty, or does it make me look FOOLISH?
Stay cool, my friend, stay cool. It will make your contributions far more readable, and make you seem more intelligent.
You’re so superior when questioned Morrissey and manage to be particularly annoying with your’ my friend’ terms. Can you ever take note of what is said without a large reply – your disagreements swamp the thread?
Take my advice, my man, and think before you send your thoughts out into the stratosphere.
Losing one’s head so abjectly is never an edifying spectacle.
What you need is the Good Writer’s Five-Step Procedure….
1.) Type.
2.) Read.
3.) Re-read.
4.) Think for a minute: is this any good or is it simply bitter spleen-venting which will make me look like a pillock?
5.) Then, if your masterpiece is up to standard, press “Submit Comment”.
Follow the Five Steps, my friend. It will save you a lot of mortification.
Morrissey
Big quaffs of superiority juice as I said before. Try cool water with some lime juice, hydrating cools the body and mind and gives you something to do that’s useful for you and for us.
Lolz Morrissey, I don’t think I’ll be taking advice on how to appear smarter from someone who doesn’t know what a transcript is, doesn’t know what a quote is, and doesn’t know what verified means.
Don’t really think I need advice on staying cool from someone with your propensity for ALLCAPS either, thanks all the same.
The things passing through his mind should not be printed so clearly on his face. “I love you, and want to have your babies”. Yay more insanity from the land of the Paranoid and Insane.
well the preacher rides a mount, But nothing really matters, it’s doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn…
HBT
“We’re just the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff”-David Montgomery, Whanganui paediatrician
says ‘poverty and lack of support are two factors that must be dealt with if NZ is to successfully arrest the problem of Child Abuse’.
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned “unregulated capitalism” for contributing to world tension and hotbeds of conflict caused by growing inequality between rich and poor.
Alcohol related illness and injury contribute to a record number of ED attendances during holiday period-Family Violence-traffic accidents-assaults (three fingers of jack on ice)
Boehner reported as saying to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “go f$#K yourself” while Billions of $ Aid for Sandy Shelved by Congress (charming)
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes –Â New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern â and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her governmentâs ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As weâve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a âmoisture-ladenâ long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra â that the Budget âwill deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing.  Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Itâs becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-MÄori andâŠ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that countryâs mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealandâs highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â Â Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Petersâ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes â If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshubâs closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities sheâs meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Governmentâs archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the Americaâs Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labourâs change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand Firstâs State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared âco-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. âIâm calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to âtake back our countryâ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesnât act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. âIt was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âThe Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â Mr Peters says.  Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. âRoad safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. âOur relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. âI have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the governmentâs finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                        âThe Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.  âThese changes are long overdue â the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âToday I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. âWeâre sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âComprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. âI would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs great to be here.  First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and Iâm sorry I canât be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealandâs Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The countryâs largest trade union â The Public Service Association â says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership sheâs hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article â Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? â looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pickânâmix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If youâre at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, donât panic: The Spinoffâs got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but letâs be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time â but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who havenât accessed support to come forward and engage with the councilâs recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “Itâs official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “weâre in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliamentâs forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the âdisappearanceâ of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people âsequesteredâ in this weekâs raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? â Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Educationâs claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxonâs fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for âDead in Bedâ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queenâs crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
Weehaa!
It looks like we may have enough signatures to require a referendum on asset sales although I would urge people to keep collecting just in case …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8141848/Asset-sales-petition-gets-its-numbers
And when I checked the poll on the page ~67% said that they would vote against asset sales.
It’s now 72% đ
Lynn (or someone else on the Bridge) can you please open the “gate”; you know i’m “human” and i’ll stop worrying the flock and be a good dog (lifts paw and tilts head)
-bobbie
Hi Lynn and folks’ my misbehavin around the full moon has led to the activation of the s.bot captcha entry requirement. Could you please alleviate this thorn in my paw and I will endeavour to be more restrained (on leash) Thankyou, i would be grateful.
Grumpy Old Men
Brian Edwards: Paul Holmes “is not and never was a racist”
While most decent people in New Zealand were taken aback, even flabbergasted, to see that a career of race-baiting and assiduous fawning and flattery had earned Paul Holmes a knighthood, there were of course commentators who defended the travesty. Some of those who tried to justify the knighthood were Holmes’s former and current colleagues, who no doubt felt obliged to defend a colleague, no matter how unpleasant he might be, no matter what he might have said and done in the past. We saw the same unedifying line-up of celebrity support after another NewstalkZB host, Tony Veitch, was revealed to have attacked and grievously injured his fiancĂ©e.
Most of those who felt compelled to defend the award made a point of reminding us of Holmes’s “tireless work for charity” and his “generosity”. Hardly any of them was foolish enough to mention the Banquo’s ghost in the room: Holmes’s shameful record of crude race-baiting and hate-mongering, most notoriously against black Africans, but most consistently against MÄori and the poor.
One “liberal” commentator, however, went one step further; Brian Edwards used his blog to write a giddy paean to Holmes. Many readers joined in the expression of adoration for the great man; former New Zealand First staffer Rex Widerstrom rhapsodized on “Paul’s intellect and his humanity”, one Rosina Hauiti raved about his “illustrious career”, and, most contemptibly of all, Labour Party MP Annette King called Holmes “funny warm and compassionate”, and asserted that she “canât understand the vitriol being written.”
It was not all fulsome praise, however. Many readers, including the venerable Standardista “Millsy”, expressed scorn and disbelief at the knighthood. For their sins, they suffered the indignity of having their comments deleted and replaced by a scolding by Edwards himself, were compared to witch-hunters, and were sent to Siberia along with the unspeakable Bomber Bradbury, who is damned by Holmes-booster John Phillips as a “swinish, loathsome, small-minded worm”.
There was one thing that bothered me above all else: Edwards assured a skeptical reader that Holmes âis not and never was a racistâ. This was a step too far, and I just had to remonstrate. I posted up the following comment….
Brian, when you asserted that Paul Holmes âis not and never was a racistâ, I guess you were in the same extremely indulgent frame of mind as when you stated, on radio, that P.J. OâRourke was âdeep down, a very serious personâ and when you lauded the âbrillianceâ of the unfunny New Zealand Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson.
BE: I donât believe I have ever said anything about P.J. OâRourke since I have never read his books and know nothing about him. Perhaps you can let me know when and where I am supposed to have said this. As for Emmerson you seem to be confusing the fact that you personally find him unfunny with whether or not he his cartooning skill can be described as brilliant. Anyway, to test the worth of what you write, perhaps you could supply chapter and verse for my supposed comments on Mr OâRourke. Iâll apologise if Iâm wrong and Iâll expect you to do the same. And god only knows what any of this has to do with my post on Paul Holmes.
Like Millsy, I had a comment deleted as well, but Edwards’s admonition remains….
BE: Your comment, which Iâve deleted, was unworthy even of you. It was vile. I donât want you on this website. And donât worry about the OâRourke quote. I know I couldnât have said it.
This is the comment Edwards deleted….
Have a Happy New Year, you unrecognised oiksâand remember, if you see a deranged old man shouting insults at MÄori family groups over the summer, donât say âFuck off to Queensland you racist scumâ, say âFuck off to Queensland, Sir Paul.â
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2012/12/paul-holmes-starry-starry-knight/#comments
A REQUEST TO ALL RADIO LISTENERS
If you heard Brian Edwards interview P.J. O’Rourke in the late 1990s, could you please write to Brian Edwards and remind him of it. He seems to have very poor recall.
Wow, Mozza makes a statement he can’t back up and then has a cry about how unfair it is to be called on it. Funny old world, eh?
Look carefully, my friend: the one having a cry is the good Dr. Edwards. First the blubbering is in the form of tears of joy, to express his admiration for a notorious racist, then it transmogrifies into tears of anger as he deals to us naysayers and spoilsports.
I can’t provide the day of Edwards’s interview of O’Rourke, but it certainly happened. I might sometimes not get a quote verbatim, and my memory is not always perfect, but I don’t make things up.
Or if I do, as when that I made that Sacha Baron Cohen interview on Letterman segue into a Nazi rally in the last line, I make it quite clear that it’s being done for effect.
Morrissey, if you claim something is a quote, when it is actually just your dodgy recollection and not the actual words, then you are going to get called on it, just as you did with your bigoted rants about Baron Cohen. Don’t use quote marks when it’s not a quotation and you’ll save yourself a lot of bother.
However, it appears BE did interview PJ O’Rourke …
http://collections.soundarchives.co.nz/search.do?id=352200&db=object&page=1&view=detail
Thanks, Te Reo. Not only are you a gentleman, you’re a freaking scholar as well.
You accused Edwards of saying something, he denied it and asked you to verify your claim, and you admit that you can’t.
Then you owe Edwards an apology.
You really are a fool. While you were labouring over those two poorly written sentences, our friend Te Reo Putake had already verified my statement.
Fuck you talk a lot of shite Morrissey. TRP showed that an interview exists.
We’re still waiting for you to establish that your “quote” exists.
My quote is correct. Edwards made a habit after each interview (or, more accurately, each uncritical audience) of making a comment on the departed guest.
He made a particularly cowardly, sneering dismissal of Bill Clinton’s brother Roger, after interviewing him for half an hour one day. Edwards sniggeringly expressed his contempt for Roger Clinton’s southern manners, particularly the way he kept calling Edwards “sir”. Despite having such a distinguished brother, Roger Clinton spoke with a southern accent, so Edwards did not deem him worthy of respect.
With the patrician O’Rourke, on the other hand, Edwards was the picture of servility. And he DID make the ridiculous comment that O’Rourke, who is more flippant and glib than even our own Mike Hosking, was “deep down, a very serious person.” Not that Edwards would remember of course.
Your quote may well be correct, but you haven’t proven it to be so, Moz. I imagine it’s possible that Edwards did say it, or something similar, because the tears of the clown is such a cliche. I can well imagine any interviewer of a comedian finishing up with a banal comment like that.
I guess the reason your claim got the reaction it did from BE is because it was so irrelevant to the discussion about Holmes. It looks like straw clutching desperation and it was an attack on his credibility on his own site. Banning in those circ’s seems perfectly reasonable and an obvious outcome of your approach.
As I mentioned earlier, if you are going to claim things as being fact, you should be prepared to back up your statements. It’s even better if you do the research before making the claim!
By the way, Bill Clinton, like his brother, speaks with a southern accent. I imagine that is due to them both being brought up in the south. D’oh!
All very good points, as always, Te Reo.
And yes, he DID make that comment praising O’Rourke as “deep down, a very serious person.”
Now, if only I can dig up that BASF C-60….
Morrissey, looks like you have attracted the attentions of the *brigade* today, must be your turn again!
I’m sure Felix is preparing some prize winning retort using the same inept tactics as can be seen here yet again today.
It’s always my turn, muzza…
http://www.backtoclassics.com/images/pics/antoniodelpollaiuolo/antoniodelpollaiuolo_martyrdomofstsebastian.jpg
Oh god it’s dumb and dumber.
If you two (or is it just the one, I can never tell…) don’t like getting called out for what you write, then stick to writing things you can verify.
It’s that simple really.
Here’s a question. Why is it a *~*~*~*brigade*~*~*~* when it’s felix and TRP taking the same side on an issue, but not when it’s muzza and Mozza tag-teaming?
Oh, right, because muzza wants to pretend this is all some vast [insert today’s favourite adjective] conspiracy to Suppress The Truth And Expect People To Stand By Their Copypasta, or something.
M&M are a “Legion”. About the same size as a brigade, but with an inclination to read entrails rather than work within the limitations of the fog of war.
McFliper writes….
M&M are a âLegionâ. About the same size as a brigade, but with an inclination to read entrails rather than work within the limitations of the fog of war.
The “fog of war”? Oh yes, that’s the excuse they use for this sort of thing, isn’t it…
http://www.anglonautes.com/hist_us_20_war_viet_my_lai_1968/hist_us_20_war_wiet_pic_mylai_bodies.jpg
And this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0
lol
Reading entrails would have more relevance than what you just wrote.
Reading entrails would have more relevance than what you just wrote.
Oh really? How so?
Because sometimes entrails make funny sounds which would be in keeping with my not particularly serious comment. And you can use the hollow carcass as a finger puppet. Whereas you took three words and ran with them into territory neither relevant nor humourous, as is your habit.
I mean, come the fuck on – My Lai from an (admittedly not very good) semantic joke about “brigade” vs “legion”? Fuck sake.
edit: and I’m busy today, so it’s likely I won’t be further engaging in this particular encounter with the Legion of Doolally.
Gidday Te Reo Bukkake,
It seems mate that you are intent on negligently diminishing the meaning and power of certain significant English language words to the status of irrelevance. It also seems that you have made a habit of trolling blogs belittling the opinions, values and beliefs of the writers and commentators (below are a couple of example of your trolling for your fellow Standard readers to see, there are a shit load more for those who might care to look online):
“Thereâs a lot of funny ironies on blogs, and this is one â a commenter on The Standard has accused me of stalking him:
Te Reo PutakeâŠ
27 September 2012 at 3:52 pm
ps, prism, youâre not alone in trying to work out the meaning. Check out my stalker!
Thereâs actually multiple ironies there. âTe Reo Putakeâ, previously âThe Voice of Reasonâ, is one of the most unreasonable voices Iâve seen at The Standard, a union/Labour hack who tries to shut out any voices he doesnât like”
Source: http://yournz.org/tag/te-reo-putake/
(captured 7:10am, AESDT, 4/1/2013)
“Notrotsky Le Sphincter âą 8 months ago â
Hello it’s VoR aka Te Reo Putake ! Labour and union lickspittle and regular felcher at the Stranded.
Over for a troll are you old boy ?”
Source: http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2012/05/a-crisis-of-leadeship/
(captured 7:12am, AESDT, 4/1/2013)
For the purpose of this exercise we’re going to focus on a comment you made in “open mike” on the 2/1/2013 (# 3.2.3.4) and your grossly irresponsible misuse of the word “RACIST”:
“Help me, Jebus! I love the way the writer canât help launching into a racist tirade against Kiwis, before chiding TS posters for being too sensitive”
Source: http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02012013/
(captured 7:15am, AESDT, 4/1/2013)
So to start. Who exactly is “Jebus!” and how exactly do you expect his or her help? Now lets take a close look at the words RACIST and race and the meanings that are attributed to both words by the Oxford Dictionary;
Definition of racism
The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:
theories of racism
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that oneâs own race is superior
Source: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/racism
(captured 7:16am, AESDT, 4/1/2013)
Definition of race
Each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics:
people of all races, colours, and creeds
[mass noun] the fact or condition of belonging to a racial division or group; the qualities or characteristics associated with this.
a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.
Source: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/race–2
(captured 7:16am, AESDT, 4/1/2013)
We sincerely hope that the above definitions will assist you in using the word RACIST in a more appropriate context. It is of course impossible for us to have launched into a “racist tirade against Kiwi’s” with our commentary on the behavioral patterns of New Zealander’s when confronted with injustice and or that county’s obvious fiscal dependence on Australia
Kiwi’s do not constitute a race, nor do New Zealander’s for that matter, both terms are a reference to nationality only.
When one misuses a word such as ‘Racist” in the way that you clearly have, the power of the word and its significant meaning are greatly diminished.
In future mate, when you feel like a spot of trolling why not pop over to Lauda Finem and attempt to take a crap in our yard, instead of shitting all over the Standards front lawn
IrishBill: what a pointless, self-obsessive, and banal mess of text. I’ve seen automated spam that did a better job of commenting than this. You’re banned for life for what I can only describe as one of the most tragic comments in the history of this blog.
Goodness.
Te Reo, is this true? Are you really a commenter on teh internets?
Oh the scandal.
I thought it would always be my secret shame, felix! But, gosh, if they’re quoting Pete George, the gig is clearly up. Not to mention the deadly blow of featuring some tool on Whaleoil wrongly identifying another commenter as me. The evidence is overwhelming, its a fair cop, guvnor, but society is to blame.
And, it’s really important that nobody should wonder whether the deliberate misspelling of my handle by the not at all homophobic Lauda Finem is in any way racist, because it’s just not, OK?
lol good call Irish. I’m glad this site sets a decent standard when it comes to “hey I wanna fight wit u” low-brains like this.
On the other hand ‘Notrotsky Le Sphincter’ is an awesome name, so maybe it’s all true… Now I’m all confused…
Oh – another whiner like PG.. I left this comment on his post.
Mind you, it does make the rather tedious debate about “rent boy” that I’ve had to read look almost meaningful by comparison. I’m rather expecting the comment to never appear on Lauda Finem?
Lynn, did you receive my call?
Your e-mail? Yep. You are in the hands of cloudflare, who once a moderator manually flags your comment as spam (as you had) will require you to pass a captcha. The result gets placed in auto-moderation.
When it is released by a moderator, you get your commenting freedom back again – at least for the next 30 days which is what I set it to. The system now looks at you as being provisionally human. Basically it does not pay to have a moderator get irritated enough to flag you as spam (and I’m thankful that they seldom do – banning is much less consequential).
Be warned that akismet also looks at manually flagged spam. Unlike cloudflare which only collects stats inside its own network, akismet covers the whole wordpress universe. It is (fortunately) just a little less judgemental.
You should be ok now that a message has made it through.
will there be another “challenge” similar to the captcha (in ad finitum?) or…
You might get one at 30 days. You may not. Eventually if you pass it (I’m HUMAN!) enough and you don’t get flagged again you won’t see it again.
I suspect you won’t see the 30 day one because of previously passed comments. However I have no control over the workings – and it is currently protecting me from ~20k spam comments per week.
Sir! Thank You Sir, That will be all Sir! I’ll be out here on the flank (I don’t really want another “resurrection”, but hay, I’m a rolling stone) đ ( I was reading a physics related article the other day about stones talking, yep, if these stones could talk, sounded like Wild Horses to me).(Which reminds me, I now have a real life stalker / Wind talker I believe, yet, they’re hiding in the bushes; a “real” resurrection it may turn out to be written)
đ
Looks like attention-getting behaviour, trying to stir up readership of their blog by antagonising and slamming TS.
Yep.. How many times have I seen it before. *sigh* Boring..
I usually leave a subtle message that I think that they may be a tad juvenile… I hope I wasn’t too subtle this time đ
lprent your ‘his post’ link goes to their ‘best wishes’ 2013 round up, no sign of your comment. The Standard gets a mention in their list of ‘courageous websites’ but:
“The standard.org (Caveat: Lauda Finem have serious reservations about the authenticity of this blog and its agenda; one of their moderators “IrishBill” [as we suspected he would] altered one of our comments earlier today, that story coming soon)”
omg I just can’t wait to see what happens next. Although, it’s hard to take this ‘team’ too seriously when, on the same page, their first item under ‘predictions for 2013’ is : The fall of the New Zealand National Party government in the November elections.
Wow I just realized something mind-blowing about this whole thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYTc55nGEI
Ahahahahahaha their snide little comment about “serious reservations about the authenticity of [The Standard] and its agenda” is seriously the most priceless I-didn’t-want-to-play-with-your-ball-ANYWAY foot-stomping I’ve seen since I quit Livejournal.
the use of “f*#Ktards” sounds familiar discourse; from the same pod?
Congratulation to Paul Holmes for his well deserved recognition in the New Year’s honours.
“higherstandard”?
Now THAT is an inappropriate moniker, if ever there was one.
I saw Edwards blog a couple of days ago. As well as sweeping the racism under the carpet, i couldn’t believe anyone of left wing views would applaud the shift in the MSM, that Holmes was a major part of. instead, Edwards praises it thusly:
The Hollywoodisation of our news, current events and political reportage is not something to celebrate.
He had some cred back in the day, but that shift you mention toward presentation over substance and celebrity over merit has been Edwards’ bread and butter these past few decades.
Perhaps you could make amends for your ill-timed outburst of a few minutes ago, by copying and pasting this message on Edwards’s blog.
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2012/12/paul-holmes-starry-starry-knight/
Thanks for your interest…
Brian Edwards interviewed P.J. OâRourke on Saturday 24 December 1994.
http://collections.soundarchives.co.nz/search.do?id=352200&db=object&page=1&view=detail
Fuck off Morrissey. Take your spam campaign elsewhere.
Despite interviewing him, or more precisely, listening to him deliver an unbroken stream of right wing bromides for half an hour on Christmas Eve 1994, Edwards claims to knew “know nothing about him”. He will have completely forgotten it, of course, but I have not.
It is not my credibility that has been found wanting here, it is Brian Edwards’s. Not only can you not comprehend that, but you appear to have no idea what “spam” means either.
So what? You said you had a quote so let’s see it.
Otherwise you don’t.
You’ve seen the quote, several times now. Edwards said: “That was P.J. O’Rourke. Deep down, I think he’s really a very serious person”.
I’ve seen you say it.
I haven’t seen Edwards say it.
Do you really not know the difference?
I havenât seen Edwards say it.
I did, however. That’s why I posted it up—because he said it, and I believed it was another indication (from as long ago as the mid-1990s) that his judgement can be suspect, to put it politely.
And the reason anyone should believe you without proof is…
Top marks FV for “Fuck off Morrissey”.
Frankly I’m finding Morrissey a helluva lot more palatable than you and a couple of others who increasingly sound like school prefects determined to bully into submission the mouthy junior schooler of their focus……Morrissey. Some dissmissive Beltway tones in there too methinks.
Holmes’ knighthood is a nonesense of course which putting aside vanities serves only to contribute to the bullshit that the vainglorious wahanui of the media, including Edwards for that matter, are not merely “across” the stories which comprise current events, but integrally part of those stories and broadly part of our “one nation” fibre.
Grudging acknowledgment that something might have been said but since you FV don’t personally know about it, ergo it’s bullshit, is so so John Key FV.
All of that said and knighthood or not I remain just a little concerned about “Cheeky darkie…..”. Racist ? I don’t know. Probably qualifies for the ballpark however.
now, if we could just get all that info Lynn has compiled on CC front and centre on peoples laptop breakfast, dinner, train time tables
I didn’t compile it, I mostly quoted it.
“Grudging acknowledgment that something might have been said but since you FV donât personally know about it, ergo itâs bullshit, is so so John Key FV.”
Why do you think Morrissey shouldn’t have to verify his quotes? Everyone else has to.
I verify my quotes, fool. I don’t make things up; the worst you can say is that my transcripts occasionally are not perfectly verbatim. That is of course the basis of dear old Lanthanide’s stated objections to my transcripts—they’re not one hundred per cent accurate. For instance, when transcribing the Hon. Hekia Parata absolutely accurately, more than half of the transcript would consist of “ummmm, ahhhhh, errrrrr”. That might be fine in Lanthanideland, but for the mass of Standard readers, it would be intolerable. (Almost as intolerable as the fact that Parata has not resigned yet.) But that is what happens when you write things down as fast as you can, but don’t use a tape recorder.
Edwards made the mistake of claiming that he had no knowledge of O’Rourke, and could remember nothing. I was correct, Edwards was wrong, as proven by our friend Te Reo Putake. Edwards apologized, but I don’t expect you to show any similar integrity or humility and do the same.
“I verify my quotes”
And yet when asked to do so, you refuse or are unable to. I can verify this statement by linking to examples of you doing this if you like. See the difference?
I haven’t passed comment on Edwards’ memory. It doesn’t interest me that you know there was an interview in 1994 and Edwards forgot about it.
What I’ve commented on is that you have a terrible habit of stating things as if they’re verifiable facts when you can’t verify them, and also that you seem to be too dense to grasp this simple criticism.
Edwards actually did make the comment that P.J. O’Rourke, who was and is one of the most callous and flippant commentators in the United States, was “deep down, a very serious person.” Or maybe he said, “basically, a very serious person.” The precise wording escapes me now, but the meaning was quite clear, and it was yet another example of Edwards’ dodgy (to put it kindly) powers of judgement. I did not make it up. Someone some time no doubt will produce a recording of the interview, and will verify what I have already said.
…you have a terrible habit of stating things as if theyâre verifiable facts when you canât verify them…
Nonsense. When have I ever done that? The worst thing you can say about me is that my transcripts (done as they are, usually, hastily on a piece of paper while I’m doing other things as well) are not absolutely verbatim.
I don’t make things up, but in your increasingly fraught state of mind, you probably are incapable of acknowledging that fact right now.
Compare and contrast:
“âŠyou have a terrible habit of stating things as if theyâre verifiable facts when you canât verify themâŠ
Nonsense. When have I ever done that? ”
“The precise wording escapes me now …”
“I verify my quotes”
Well, no, no you don’t. In the Edwards case, it was me who did your work for you (and thank you for acknowleging that). We still have no evidence that Edwards said what you claim, but he has confirmed that he interviewed O’Rourke. The only way you can verify your quote would be to access the interview, which can be done via the RNZ site. But I’m betting you won’t do that!
You’ve outlined your transcript process and it’s hopeless, Moz. Your transcripts were useless because you made a lot of them up, relying on memory and impression. Clearly, you still do not understand that for a report to be a transcript, it has to be accurate. It is OK to edit out ums and arghs, but not to atrribute things that were not actually said, but were just your recollection.
The “mass of Standard readers” you claim to speak for are intelligent, learned folk who know the difference between opinion and fact. You don’t do them any favours by being so wrong, so often.
Well, no, no you donât. In the Edwards case, it was me who did your work for you (and thank you for acknowleging that). We still have no evidence that Edwards said what you claim, but he has confirmed that he interviewed OâRourke. The only way you can verify your quote would be to access the interview, which can be done via the RNZ site. But Iâm betting you wonât do that!
Somebody will, no doubt. I did not make it up, and you know I didn’t.
Youâve outlined your transcript process and itâs hopeless, Moz. Your transcripts were useless because you made a lot of them up, relying on memory and impression.
Rubbish. Often, following my posting up of a transcript of a radio show, others have posted to congratulate me on capturing the zeitgeist of shows like Jim Mora’s increasingly dire “The Panel”. That’s because I capture the crucial words that are spoken. And a lot of my stuff is actually verbatim, and can be checked against the original—for example, the transcript of that obscene Letterman/Baron Cohen defamation of a Christian peace activist in occupied Hebron. (Except for the seguing into a Nazi rally in the last sentence, but intelligent readers appreciated the political point being made.)
Clearly, you still do not understand that for a report to be a transcript, it has to be accurate. It is OK to edit out ums and arghs, but not to atrribute things that were not actually said, but were just your recollection.
And in many cases, as in transcribing Leighton “Ummmm, ahhhh, errrr” Smith, Larry “Lackwit” Williams or the Honorable Hekia “Ummm, errrr, ahhh” Parata, it’s not “OK to edit out ums and arghs”; they are crucial indicators of those great minds in their full pomp and majesty.
The âmass of Standard readersâ you claim to speak for are intelligent, learned folk who know the difference between opinion and fact. You donât do them any favours by being so wrong, so often.
I’m not wrong, and you know it. All you have done is nit-pick about my methodology and tried to show that I’m a falsifier. That’s arrant nonsense, of course, and regular readers of the Standard know it. And so, of course, do you.
The zeitgeist is not a transcript. You do not post transcripts, you post impressions. You have not provided any evidence that backs up your claim about Edwards, so nobody knows whether it is accurate or not, but the verifiable fact that you don’t even know yourself whether you’ve quoted him accurately kinda suggests you haven’t got it right.
Sorry, Moz, but if you are going to continue to make shit up, you will be called on it. That’s life, cobber.
The zeitgeist is not a transcript. You do not post transcripts, you post impressions.
No, I post transcripts, which are, as many people have attested, pretty accurate. You are correct in that sometimes they are not verbatim, and therefore they are indeed impressions; that is my aim, as you no doubt are aware: to evoke and thereby criticize the glibness, the muddleheadedness, the cynicism of what we are bombarded with daily in the media.
You have not provided any evidence that backs up your claim about Edwards, so nobody knows whether it is accurate or not, but the verifiable fact that you donât even know yourself whether youâve quoted him accurately kinda suggests you havenât got it right.
I’ve got it right. As I have acknowledged, the precise wording needs to be confirmed, but the comment, in all of its vacuity, was made by the good doctor.
Sorry, Moz, but if you are going to continue to make shit up, you will be called on it. Thatâs life, cobber.
If I “make shit up”, then it’s for the purposes of satire or comedy. I did not make this up.
By the way, here, for your delectation, is an example of when I DID “make shit up”, building on the true story of Bernadine Oliver-Kerby taking a pair of scissors to the crotches of every pair of trousers in Justin Marshall’s wardrobe. It comes from the glory days of Google Groups, when everyone seemed to be on Usenet.
It’s called BERNADINE, or “Hell Hath No Fury”.
Enjoy….
http://groups.google.com/group/nz.general/browse_thread/thread/12b9f5fd0ac5230f/69b8343e4c26ad03%3Fq%3D%2522Adam%2BAnother%2522%2369b8343e4c26ad03&ei=iGwTS6eaOpW8Qpmqic0O&sa=t&ct=res&cd=71&source=groups&usg=AFQjCNEEF8TNL9ainY6clBjmJrbJOxiYsw
When have you ever made shit up? I can think of plenty of times. For instance, just the other day in the bus stop you said you had gills and could breathe underwater.
I expect this will be completely lost on you Morrissey, but go ahead and ask me to prove it and I’ll do exactly what you do.
Karol, would you please go to Edward’s blog now,
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2012/12/paul-holmes-starry-starry-knight/
and copy and post up this message for me. I tried to but I have been blocked…
Brian Edwards interviewed P.J. O’Rourke on Saturday 24 December 1994.
http://collections.soundarchives.co.nz/search.do?id=352200&db=object&page=1&view=detail
My turn to piss off Edwards.
My post I wonder how long it will last.
“Do you think that the farcical Knighthood of Hyde, is equal to the farcical Knighthood of Holmes. or maybe the farcical QC’s that the Nats are pulling because in my eyes they are all equally hideous. And so far out of date.
Oh and BE FYI You Interviewed PJ O’Rourke on Saturday 24 December 1994.
http://collections.soundarchives.co.nz/search.do?id=352200&db=object&page=1&view=detail
Wouldn’t want you to get John Key Disease and forget and all that!”
Do you guys post a comment on every blog about every comment you post on any blog?
It’s like you think you’re a story. Bit weird. Quite hubristic. Little embarrassing to read.
Thanks for your support, David.
At one fell swoop the knighting of someone who is famous for getting a job on the telly and the radio and voicing his opinions has:
A) Shown what a farce and irrelevance the honours system is
B) Shown what an out of touch chardonnay socialist BE has become.
From now on, those who accept this dubious honour will now be twice smitten by my contempt; once for being a sycophantic royalist and once for wanting to be in the same club as PH is a member of.
Next year, look for something possibly even less palatable than the knighting of Paul Holmes.
Yes, you guessed it: next year Sir Jerry Mateparae, if he has not been indicted for war crimes, will be waving a sword over the bald head of a nationally loathed sports opinion merchant and mouthing the horrific words: “Arise, Sir Murray.”
Remember, you read it here first.
A former failed national party candidate who under mined fair and balanced journalism just an attention seeking narcissist
BVP – Socialite don’t you mean?
Im with you Morrisey, Holmes is a racist! The only people who may not understand this probably fit into his demographic.
Im with you Morrisey, Holmes is a racist! The only people who may not understand this probably fit into his demographic.
I don’t think most of his defenders would actually be so vile as to launch into an extended tirade about “darkies” or rage against MÄori—even in private, let alone on radio or television or in print, as Holmes did as recently as eleven months ago.
What they are doing is pretending that the racist drivel is outweighed by the very public shows of charity he has performed. It’s pretty much the same rationale as employed by the defenders of Sir Jimmy Savile.
Morrissey 2 5 1
+1
I dont know why I comment on BE’s blog at all really, the guy keeps deleting me.
Though given that he thinks it is perfectly OK for a teacher to tell a 14 year old girl that she looks like a slut, I should have known that he would think the sun shines out of PH’s ass.
(Yes, I am back. The things that I thought were going to happen didnt happen the way I expected to happen, and I am not too sure what directions things will take, and it turns out that I have a bit of time to post on “The Standard” — though for how long remains to be seen)
Excellent millsy (I missed the back-story due to passing penury) yet I enjoy your informed commentary.
Welcome back compadre, always good seeing you hitting it hard đ
As a grumpy old man myself, I have no problem recognising that Holmes acts and speaks like a racist. Unless this is all an act to increase his audience share (highly doubtful), I am forced to conclude that he is a deeply disturbed old racist who longs for the time when “darkies” knew their place and never got knighted. People I know who have physically made his acquaintance tell me he is even worse than his television and radio personas.
If he has the gall to write the kind of thing he did in the Herald last Waitangi weekend, one can have a reasonable guess what he says in private.
This may or may not have anything to do with your message above Morrissey bit I was intrigued enough to try to find said interview, without any luck so far, However I did find this little gem to read
Indeed National would welcome David Shearer into the Labour Caucus. It will largely nullify the privatisation issue for National. If Shearer is confirmed as the candidate (which is highly likely as Head Office control 3/7 votes) I will not be surprised if some National Party members vote for him tactically â knowing the huge boost it will be to have in the Labour Caucus one of the worldâs leading proponents (his articles have been cited in scores of other research in this area) of legitimising private sector involvement in military operations.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/05/p_j_orourke_and_give_war_a_chance.html
Brian Edwards must be getting John Key disease, its the memory that goes first.
When I first saw Paul Holmes on the box, I was reminded of a rather over weight Australian interviewer (I think on Channel Seven) who was suppose to interview politicians and their ilk
but never dared asked a hard question. Like many of his generation history will ignore them
since they had the misfortune of coming of age in a very easy boring uninteresting time.
How will Labour win in 2014?
What does Labour need to do differently in 2013 to win a Labour Victory on Labour Policies?
It may be a Government supported by the Greens, but it must be a Labour Government that can implement key Labour Policies.
We must have the mandate and power to achieve strong export based, innovation led high wage economic prosperity.
We have to re-engage with the 800,000 who don’t believe political parties are even relevant.
Our new Constitution has given us an opportunity to invigorate our members and supporters. The forthcoming leadership debate roadshow can be a lightening rod to release the mojo of the Real Labour Party.
We need a leadership style that can harness this opportunity for the organisation with passion.
We need a leadership style that can capture the imagination of the population.
We need a leadership style that will convince the majority of Kiwi’s that a fundamental shift away from the conventional wisdom of the past three decades will work.
We can have prosperity – we just have to get rid of capitalism. Keep that and no matter what we do we will have poverty and ever increasing debt.
panettacake
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/us/politics/debt-deal-fails-to-allay-fears-on-us-global-power.html?ref=americas&_r=0
Hole In The Sky?
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/australia-stocks-snap-win-steak-as-miners-fall-2013-01-03?siteid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20marketwatch%2Fmarketpulse%20%28MarketWatch.com%20-%20MarketPulse%29
Austere, or not?
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/01/03/1395321/international-monetary-fund-admits-it-severely-underestimated-cost-of-austerity/?mobile=nc
A leader who can think and respond intelligently/factually on the spot with conviction and vision is the formula which will win an election. Cunliffe ticks all these boxes.
Over the holiday season have had a few interesting chats with mates that cover a wide plethora of our society. One topic was the lack of movement over the years on pay. One mate from air nz over the last 8 years was awarded CPI adjustments at good years, and nothing in other years. Another 2 both worth $10m’s even commented on that the employment contracts and the demise of the unions in retrospect has been a bad thing for nz.
The other point was on our poor senior level managers that with their huge salaries should be better than to improve a coys performance they should be looking at the reduction of wages as a last resort not the only option.
http://thestandard.org.nz/time-to-take-back-whats-ours/
Also when talking about the lack of movement of wages there was also a disconcerting comment passed by more than a few in that we were lucky to have a job. This fear of being unemployed is so great to warrant the acceptance of this continuation of nil to low increases, and in a few cases of deterioration of pay rates being asked to do more for the same pay ( which IMO is a pay cut)
Yes the well rounded wealthy folk know that gutting the working classes standard of living risks collapsing the system that benefits everyone. You can’t make money when no one skilled works in your business, pays your rents etc.
However the country isn’t run by the well rounded, it’s run by the greedy and vindictive ruling 1%’ers determined to plunder everything they can get their hands on with little care for future generations.
Oz is benefitting from this approach taking on skilled and hard working kiwis, it’s Muldoon all over again with a better sales pitch and a compliant MSM.
And in the US there are celebrations at the record number of women elected to the US congress, 100 out of 535 or 18.9%.
You can’t help but wonder how much more intelligent and civilised that body would be if the percentage was higher …
http://reut.rs/WnXzCy
Sarah Palin agrees
A notable exception Alien. apart from her gender Palin has nothing in common with ordinary women …
Bit like Countess Thatchula then đ
imo, Jack White is the new Clapton; post-modern god with a small “g”
-when i first heard the news of this dreadful quad and alcohol tragedy i could not believe my ears until hearing the story a few times more from other sources (if we worried about other people thought we’d never do things differently).
Closer Still, some body handy has me pegged, deedle leedle leedle lee, sunlight wish-washing liquid (with a drop of natural Lemon Song), Unknown Pleasures to come, free puncture repairs for life;
Strange Brew 8:10-This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord,
9-(it will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers)
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
11-No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying “Know the Lord, because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest.
Soooo, movin’ along,
cursum perficio.
verbum sapienti:
quo plus habent,
Post nubilia, Phoebus
Iternum- Na Leatha Geal M’oige, evening falls
-Watermark (On Your Shore) đ
Covenant ? I thought that was the local brew ..
Please T.Allan do not mention that ghastly woman’s name in my presence.!!
Shudder. Just Imagine that Airhead in charge of the US Military. Wouldn’t she ‘just lurve’ all that power. Kinda makes you glad that she was repulsive to the voters too, with the notable exception of the Airhead T Party.
NZ Police Force a law unto themselves? In Pundit David Beatson talks about Drones:-
“New Zealand Police arenât waiting for major aviation safety and personal privacy issues about domestic spy drones to be solved. TV3 reports theyâve already purchased their first unmanned aerial vehicle. So, watch this space ⊔
http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/look-out-the-drones-are-here-%E2%80%93-and-we%E2%80%99re-not-ready-%E2%80%A6
Yes, I saw that. He’s an old conservative, but Beatson also does solid journalistic investigations and asks some important questions.
Beatson was the only journo to blow apart the tax cut/GST rise move by exposing English as having done no analysis whatsoever on the impact.
English had no answers, beatson showed what a bunch of leemings the MSM are with zero ability or willingness to challenge these clowns.
He probably thought to himself that back in his prime at least they tried to do their jobs.
Why would the police wait, heck the power companies have not bothered to see if the installation of smart meters, complete with communications aerial for sending detailed useage information every 30 minutes. on private property is breaking surveillance/wiretapping laws!
Over the last 24 hours on Twitter, Dotcom has been highlighting reports of the US agencies planting evidence in order to get a warrant to search his property. He refers to reports here,
here, here, and here.
Will the judiciary in the US act swiftly or procrastinate?
Very interesting and very unhealthy.
It suggests that there may be a demarcation issue between Homeland Security and the FBI as both target copyright infringement, presumably for the lucrative asset seizures.
Here’s no transparency because the definition of copyright infringement as a threat to US national security means that these agencies can operate in secret.
It really makes me wonder whether there were any other agencies involved, eg the US NSA which is closeted in with the GCSB in Wellington.
This is how its done ..
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-04/labor-ahead-in-latest-poll/4452446?section=vic
Still two years till the next election in Vic, and compared with Labour in NZ, the ALP tends to be pretty right wing.
sadly, hearing whispers from both ends of the SE spectrum, one a “councilor” and the other a retired, former longstanding businessman and entrepreneur, that our bay is becoming “buggered” economically, yet, i think it is a great place to live, invest and raise a family; That’s the Gods-Honest Truth, what more could one ask for, sheltered meditative climate and a view to the future? I imagine a “Golden Bay” of the NE. đ
RT, whatever you are on, don’t bring any to me ok đ !
sweetas, it’s only a personal odyssey (and i apologise for any offence implied to anybody, i have to live alongside the moon phases and i get a bit carried away by the Dark side sometimes, yet really i grow in the light, and i do have an ethic of care when and where i can)
-Bob
VINDICATION!
The famous and esteemed broadcaster and commentator Brian Edwards is man enough to apologize when caught out. An object lesson to some people around here, methinks….
http://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz/2012/12/paul-holmes-starry-starry-knight/#comment-23897
An object lesson to you, I would have thought, Moz, given you’ve got plenty to apologise for. But, yes, nice touch from Edwards. Lord knows I’d show a lot less grace if I was dealing with idiots quoting quips I made twenty years ago.
Lord knows Iâd show a lot less grace if I was dealing with idiots quoting quips I made twenty years ago.
It was actually just over EIGHTEEN years ago.
Accuracy, my friend, accuracy.
And… DID YOU JUST CALL ME AN “IDIOT“?!!?!?!?!?!?
A call for accuracy from the guy who thinks ‘but I heard it’ is verification for a quote.
Idiot is far too kind.
Felix, you’re unwisely displaying bitterness in public. That only makes you look bad.
Perhaps you should read over what you’ve written two or three times, and then say to yourself: Do I really want everyone to see THIS? Does it make me look witty, or does it make me look FOOLISH?
Stay cool, my friend, stay cool. It will make your contributions far more readable, and make you seem more intelligent.
You’re so superior when questioned Morrissey and manage to be particularly annoying with your’ my friend’ terms. Can you ever take note of what is said without a large reply – your disagreements swamp the thread?
So I engage with my adversaries, and try to keep it civil.
Is that…wrong?
Ha. You think you have “adversaries”, you think you “engage”, and you think the bile you type is “civil”.
Apart from that, nah, you’re not wrong.
Take my advice, my man, and think before you send your thoughts out into the stratosphere.
Losing one’s head so abjectly is never an edifying spectacle.
What you need is the Good Writer’s Five-Step Procedure….
1.) Type.
2.) Read.
3.) Re-read.
4.) Think for a minute: is this any good or is it simply bitter spleen-venting which will make me look like a pillock?
5.) Then, if your masterpiece is up to standard, press “Submit Comment”.
Follow the Five Steps, my friend. It will save you a lot of mortification.
Morrissey
Big quaffs of superiority juice as I said before. Try cool water with some lime juice, hydrating cools the body and mind and gives you something to do that’s useful for you and for us.
Good lord.
Lolz Morrissey, I don’t think I’ll be taking advice on how to appear smarter from someone who doesn’t know what a transcript is, doesn’t know what a quote is, and doesn’t know what verified means.
Don’t really think I need advice on staying cool from someone with your propensity for ALLCAPS either, thanks all the same.
How to be an Establishment Hero in the United States
BE A SNIVELING RAT
Look at the moronic adoration on the face of the grunt accompanying the snitch….
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/03/bradley-manning-wikileaks-suspect-adrian-lamo
The things passing through his mind should not be printed so clearly on his face. “I love you, and want to have your babies”. Yay more insanity from the land of the Paranoid and Insane.
Adrian Lamo
Lame Brain
See Morrissey link to guardiancouk
Russia all at sea (well, on the incoming tide)
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/russia-poised-for-largest-naval-exercise-for-decades
well the preacher rides a mount, But nothing really matters, it’s doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn…
HBT
“We’re just the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff”-David Montgomery, Whanganui paediatrician
says ‘poverty and lack of support are two factors that must be dealt with if NZ is to successfully arrest the problem of Child Abuse’.
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned “unregulated capitalism” for contributing to world tension and hotbeds of conflict caused by growing inequality between rich and poor.
Alcohol related illness and injury contribute to a record number of ED attendances during holiday period-Family Violence-traffic accidents-assaults (three fingers of jack on ice)
Boehner reported as saying to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “go f$#K yourself” while Billions of $ Aid for Sandy Shelved by Congress (charming)
-Mighty Mouse ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10420795-metamaus )