Kiwi journo Anita McNaught gets into premier Syrian city of Aleppo, investigates the summary executions on Tuesday cited by the shrill Assad supporter and extremist climate change apologist Colonial Viper
In addition to al-Qaeda, there are independent jihadi groups, like the al-Noor Brigades, and Muslim Brotherhood units linked with the rebel Free Syrian Army – all of which have the same methods and agenda. They also share the same sponsors – Qatar, Saudi Arabia, figures in the United Arab Emirates and fundamentalists elsewhere.
The fundamentalists have been encouraged by the emergence from the underground through the Arab Spring of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots in North Africa, and of various Salafi groups in these countries.
Of course, some naive people might still think that the conflict in Syria is “of the people, for the people, by the people”, but they must be stupid, in the face of the rapidly mounting evidence, to still believe so.
Of course, some naive people might still think that the conflict in Syria is “of the people, for the people, by the people”, but they must be stupid, in the face of the rapidly mounting evidence, to still believe so.
In the ransacked and burnt-out remains of various security headquarters in al-Bab lie many clues to the means used by Bashar al-Assad’s government to stay in power, revealing why life under the regime had become increasingly intolerable for its citizens. ….
…. the cupboards are still stuffed with manila files and brown envelopes containing years of records documenting government-condoned snooping. Mostly handwritten, the files are the fruits of an East German style surveillance state.
Anita McNaught Al Jazeera
Who to believe, Colonial Viper, sitting safely at home in front of his keyboard stupidly parroting the propaganda of the Assad regime.
Or respected journalist Anita McNaught putting her life at risk to seek the truth?
The Guardian UK: Al-Qaida Iraq bomb masters turn tide for rebels
According to Abu Khuder, his men are working closely with the military council that commands the Free Syrian Army brigades in the region. “We meet almost every day,” he said. “We have clear instructions from our [al-Qaida] leadership that if the FSA need our help we should give it. We help them with IEDs and car bombs. Our main talent is in the bombing operations.” Abu Khuder’s men had a lot of experience in bomb-making from Iraq and elsewhere, he added.
Hey Jenny, check that Guardian article out. There’s a cute header photo of a Free Syrian Army fighter spray painting the slogan “There is no Islam without Jihad” on a wall.
Playing to the racist and Islamaphobic seats to justify your support for this monstrous regime, CV?
The regime and it’s supporters like you, are doing your very best to stir up sectarian divisions to keep this bloody and monstrous dictatorship in power.
Point of note, the Syrian situation is NOT like the PoAL, where it was basically Union v Contracting, it is far more complicated, and multi faceted than that relatively straight forward situation you commented on so regularly.
Taking such a staunchly simplistic one-sided position is frankly juvenille, and is reaching the stage where your posts and thus your mind set seem to be now struggling against some personal crusade, which while being well indented is, through your words becoming disrespectful of the ever decending seriousness of the situaiton.
Saying someone must be a supprter of the “monsterous dictatorship” because they understand that the situation is complicated, and not what it is presented as to the sheep who follow along, and offer evidence contrary to your personal belief, is limiting!
Its appropriate to accept a situation is complicated, and thus beyond ones capabilities to get their head around. The first step is to realise that it is a mature approach to not back oneself into a corner!
Edit: STOP accusing people of rac*sm incorrectly, continued accusations and use of the term totally disrespect those who suffer genuine rac*sm.
Tel Aviv’s agenda is clear; a weakened Syrian government, an overextended army in disarray, sectarian hatred all around and a relentless slouching towards balkanization. The ultimate goal; not only the Lebanonization, but the Somalization of Syria and environs.
Turkey’s agenda remains incredibly murky – apart from the wishful thinking of post-Assad Syria becoming a mild, civilized version of the AKP reign in Ankara (it won’t happen).
As reported by ATol for months now, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) until a while ago was running a command and control center in Iskenderun, in Hathay province. Recently, it was finally leaked to Reuters the news of a joint Turkey-Qatar-Saudi Arabia “secret” base in Adana, 100 kilometers from the Syrian border. Adana happens to be the home of Incirlik, the immense NATO base. A local ATol source for weeks has been reporting of frantic cargo movements at Incirlik.
It was Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud who requested, in person, for the base to be set up, to Ankara’s delight
Ankara-Riyadh-Doha; talk about a triangle of death. Yet the spin from Qatar is once again of the “leading from behind” variety. Turkey is doing the military heavy lifting; the CIA is “hands off”; and Qatar is just taking pictures like an innocent tourist (while directing operations via its military intelligence). The heavy-duty guys are all unspecified “middlemen”.
In an ideal world, the struggle of people against any/all forms of tyranny would have altruistic intervention, indeed in an ideal world, there would not be wars or struggle to intervene in!
Thats not the world we have allowed to be created for us, and its not the world we will ever see, not as long as the species allows itself to be exterminated. With science and technology entrapping the planet further, while crisis after crisis of man made control grid is forced upon the worlds peoples, with the middle east simply one of the manufactured crises.
Your intentions seem to be well meaning, but by having been so fooled into what you believe in happening in Syria, your well meaning is in fact a hugely negative energy force, because you are in fact supporting, what you deny is going on.
Does this mean you should stop supporting the innocent caught up in these manufactured uprisings, absolutely not, but it does mean that you should cover all angles and at least factor in the evidence which states numerously that Syria, like Libya is being destroyed by NATO intervention, using mercenaries and other assorted sponsored criminals, all with the end game pre planned, and using the transparent overused “arab spring” lie, as cover.
Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent”
“Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent””
Jeez, that’s weak, Muzza. The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source and I’ll bet you’ll be struggling to back up your daft comment about them. And if you’d bothered to look at Jenny’s link, you’d have spotted that McNaught, who appears to be about a million times braver than you or me, reports for Al Jazeera.
The BBC lost credibility a very long time ago Voice, they have been caught out too many times. No need for me to link anything, go find it for yourslf…Start with Dr David Kelly, though as a tip!
Al Jazeera, LOL again showing how little you know about this Qatari, sponsored Anglo Saxon, pseudo Arab puppet media outlet, where most of its “important employees” are from the UK, many worked for the BBC, just like Anita. Hey Qatar, got the FIFA world cup because they deserved it eh bro!
Oh and refer only to your own cowardice when posting nonsense, do not speak on my behalf!
I didn’t make any comment about Al Jazeera, Muzza, just pointed out that you were being ignorantly insulting to a reporter who is actually risking her life to report the news, while you sit on the couch in your underpants.
Nice to see you can’t back up your claims about the BBC, too.
You pointed out I was being ignorantly insulting did you….that really is ironic!
Can’t see where you read that in my original post, I said “Anita worked OF the BBC”, a typo, I meant to say “worked FOR the BBC”, either way, use of the word WORKED indicated past tense didn’t it!
I also don’t see where I questioned her aledged bravery, only her ability to be an “independent”, reporter, given the association to the BBC, and now to Al Jazeera, both of which I have given an opinion on, and if you want the links to read up on those media outlets, go find them for yourself, they are plentiful!
Warning, it might throw up some questions about “The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source “, which could open you up to exposing mental frailties when challenged.
You’re not up for that though, I already know that mental challenges are not something you have the chops for!
🙄 Did you not read the comment where Red rings the bell for a halt to personal attacks, f**k off over to the Sewer if you cannot help but indulge in such…
( 🙄 ) It is in fact as easy to see why you are the recipient of regular bans from the Standard as it is to see that you have failed to learn from such bans,
My proposal to those who put the effort into giving us this site so as to further discussion of the things that matter to the Left in New Zealand society and politics is that where a particular commenter has deserved to be the subject of such banning that each time the length of the ban be extended by double the amount of the previous banning…
If it’s me your calling stupid it’s a wasted effort as i just do not care, if it’s a reference to he who we bestow ^ 🙄 ^ upon i am presently unarmed with any facts that would allow me to debate otherwise…
Actually, I know several left wing Brits who think that the BBC news is no longer as independent as it was – I think since the Kelly incident under Blair’s watch. I tend to agree. For instance, it particularly favours a pro-Israel government line and tends to demonise Palestine. I understand that the news on BBC channels broadcast in the UK in the main news slots, is more biased than, say BBC’s international broadcasts.
In contrast, writer and journalist John Pilger has frequently accused the BBC of a right-wing bias, a view shared by the left-wing Media Lens website. The editors’ of Media Lens claim that the BBC acts to narrow the range of thought and like most commercial broadcasters it inherently portrays the opinions of the powerful.[18] Former Director General of the BBC, Greg Dyke, has criticised the BBC as part of a “Westminster conspiracy” to maintain the British political system.[19] Respect MP George Galloway has referred to it as the “Bush and Blair Corporation”.[20]
Also, I used to think Al Jazeera was pretty good at providing critiques from different viewpoints. I watch it quite a bit, but in the last year or two, it has become much more like mainstream western media in mirroring viewpoints of the western power blocs. Although, it still has some good critical pieces, ditto the BBC.
Yes North, she was ’embedded’ – as the saying went – by Fox News when Iraq Invasion no.2 was in progress. She was quite defensive of them at the time. That’s my recollection anyway.
More findings from that Ipsos/Fairfax poll, involving interviews with a relatively small number of people (1000). Not surprisingly Nat supporters are more positive about the future than those who support opposition parties – UF & ACT supporters are too small in number to register anything much, except they seem to be ambivalent about the future (maybe they are just always ambivalent?).
People were asked a range of questions to ascertain how they feel about the future compared with a year ago. Views about the economy seem to have been the strongest influence on people’s feelings about the future:
One in three believes their financial security has lessened over the past 12 months, compared with 23 per cent who felt their situation had improved.
[..]
Some of the survey findings are surprising – young men are more likely than older New Zealanders to feel positive and optimistic about the country’s direction, while those in their 40s and 50s – children largely of the 1960s – are comfortable financially, and optimistic about their own prospects, but less positive about the direction of the economy in general.
They also worry about the protection of the environment and New Zealand’s core values.
But most interesting is the growing sense of resentment of the wealthy elite:
Across 1000 interviews, one of the themes that emerged was a growing sense of “us and them”.
STAY-AT-HOME dad Matthew West, 35, from Taupo, agrees there seems to be a growing undercurrent of resentment in New Zealand toward those who have made it financially.
“You see that in higher tax rates for the rich. If you’re rich – which I’m not even if I’d like to be – you pay more tax anyway just because you earn more money. But it creates that sort of environment – people think ‘Oh, that person’s rich, he gets this and that, he can dodge his tax’ etc.
“I think the whole system is set up to breed that resentment. I do think that’s becoming a big issue.”
Dr Lloyd says some of that sense of “us and them” has been fuelled by worldwide events and the growing transfer of wealth to just a few, which has spawned the likes of the Occupy movement. But National’s asset sales plan is the sort of issue that also helped drive that feeling.
So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam. There’s a growing tide of sentiment that would support a focus on fairness and possibly for what is beneficial to the wider community.
However, there are some signs of retreat to social isolation as a defense, except in Auckland, where apparently the community spirit is quite strong. There needs to be some strong leadership on drawing people together to work towards the best for society as a whole, so that retreat from community doesn’t take hold.
Well, I certainly despair when I see that the government is playing musical houses with state/subsidised housing, shunting the available low cost housing around amongst the poor. Meanwhile they are also trying to push as many people as possible out of state houses and into the rental market:
The group she is working for, He Korowai Trust, has received a $720,000 grant from the Government’s social housing programme towards buying 20ha on the edge of Kaitaia where it will eventually install 27 Glen Innes houses for families that must have at least two children and be living in “substandard, unhealthy or unreliable living conditions”.
[…]
But housing Kaitaia’s homeless is coming at a serious cost in Glen Innes, where Housing NZ is removing or renovating 156 houses to make way for 78 new or renovated state units, 39 homes for community providers and about 140 privately owned homes.
Meanwhile the wealthier classes are continuing to spend on buying houses in Auckland, as if there was no recession, paying high dollar to buy up the available housing. No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.
Carol The bubble will burst Ollie Newland has said it won’t be pretty.
Australian eastern state cities are experiencing a major downturn after a post GFC bubble.
Just like last time New Zealand will follow suit. its just a matter of time.
Doesn’t the Babble in that Herald article just do your head in, there’s three strands in the Herald story that are best dealt with as separate issues,
*First we have Paula Benefit,hardly one for presenting either deep or evidential based analysis of any ‘problem’ She has encountered in Her Social development portfolio, giving a good spray and walk away line in the vein of ‘i thunk it therefor it is’,
How many beneficiaries are there boarding in State Houses, paying board to the main State House tenant who only pays 25% of income, while the boarder claims from Income Support an accommodation supplement???,
The Minister (as usual) gives NO figures for the numbers of people supposedly involved and as such i can only assume that Paula Benefit and Phil Heatley have spent an hour together, (focus grouping), creating in their minds the supposed problem,
Even so,IF there is a problem of this sort occurring,and, My belief is that HousingNZ rents out it’s property’s on the basis of 25% of the TOTAL income of the HOUSEHOLD,it is in fact a simple ‘fix’, and theoretically at least seeing as HousingNZ has just had a $90 Million computer upgrade, an easily accomplished one , where the ‘rule’ of 25% of HOUSEHOLD income be firmly established while changing the rules so that NO accommodation supplement can be paid to anyone living in a HousingNZ tenancy,
That along with some data matching between Paula and Phil’s fiefdoms of Housing and Social Development so as to have those who make the decisions on Accommodation Supplements know which are and which are not State Houses,
* Second, really i can only say What The F**k, private providers of Social Housing cannot compete with HousingNZ because the HousingNZ tenants pay 25% of income and the best the private providers of social housing can achieve is 70-80% of market rent,
As in Wah f**king Wah, the Loony’s having taken over the Asylum now want a ‘Level Playing Field’ to be imposed upon Social Housing because ‘it’s not fair’ that they cannot compete with HousingNZ,
In all seriousness there is i fear only 2 logical solutions that could be applied here, rule changes aplenty would have to occur as i fear that such people are way to far gone to be swayed by logical argument and my diagnosis would be either to put them up against the wall or provide them a psychiatric institution within which they could indulge in a game of doctors,nurses, and, patients to take turns at solving their own various problems,
* Third, as Minister of Housing Phil Heatley has given us all an in depth analysis of the problem He,and He appears to be mostly alone here, sees in the HousingNZ rental policy, Phills in depth analysis, ‘we can’t afford it’,
Annette King makes sport of Phil in the House at question time and you can almost see the mousy Housing Minister looking for a bolt hole every time King skewers Him with another query over matters within His portfolio that amount to slow death by a thousand small cuts,
Phill has the unenviable task of rack renting HousingNZ tenants most of whom are beneficiaries simply because National have always hated State Housing, nothing more nothing less,
The whole Herald article really comes down to making up a whole lot of s**t which the tame press will print verbatim which attempts to find some logical justification for National to give Beneficiaries (especially the ones in State Housing who Nationals core voters cannot profit from), another financial kicking in order to satisfy its red-neck core vote…
As an economic afterthought to my long winded comment above, there is absolutely NOTHING to be gained in an economic sense from any changes that national propose to make to the 25% of income rental regime as applied to it’s HousingNZ stock of social housing,
The reverse is in fact true,simply rack-renting those who by lack of income are reliant upon the State does nothing but move monies between the various agencies of State in some warped attempt at book balancing,
For the ‘Real Economy’ the reality simply means that while the State is indulging in fits of ‘give with the left hand’, and, ‘take back with the right’ there is a nett loss in revenue from the State House tenants negatively effected by such stupidity doing what such revenue is supposed to do in the wider economy,
Money from tenants so negatively affected by such proposed changes simply stops going around in the economy, strangely enough, Nationals core vote in the business sector who benefit by competing for a slice of such money being spent into local economy’s by HousingNZ tenants will also suffer negatively as the money will now simply transit from one Government account to another,
Thus National is simply proposing to deepen further the ongoing recession and while concentrating upon micro-economics of the Government social spend is blind to the negative impact upon that local economy, (or more to the point seems to just not give a f**k)…
“No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.”
That is what the direct consequence of the changes to state housing will be.
And I thought the purpose of social housing was to keep rents down? It seems to me that the social housing providers want the government to subsidize their rent?
some of that sense of “us and them” has been fuelled by worldwide events and the growing transfer of wealth to just a few
How much of the this generated by political campaigning? Greens in particular keep promoting terminology like”the growing transfer of wealth to just a few”.
It’s ironic that those most adversly affected by the wealth gap don’t have any wealth to transfer, in fact it’s tax paid by the more wealthy that enable them to receive state assistance.
The “transfer of wealth” term is a misnomer, especially when Greens promote transferring more wealth from rich to poor by raising taxes.
So publicly owned amenties such as health, education, parks, libaries are not wealth, and that these things are being closed down so the rich get cuts in rates and taxes.
Had a thought — correct term is actually transfer the wealth from the wider community to the rich. The closure of hospitals around the country to pay for Bill Birch’s tax cuts in 1996 is an example, as well as Porirua City Council’s closure of the Plimmerton libaray to keep rates down.
BTW: I have put in an OIA request to get a list of hospitals closed between 1990 and 1999 and 1999 and 2008. We shall then see the effect of tax cuts on health services 🙂
Pete, just when I had developed some sympathy for you because of what could be identified as bullying behaviour against you, you come out with this ignorant gem. My sympathy has now evaporated completely. You are a delusional and annoying waste of bandwidth.
“…So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam…”
The problem is the serious generational lag we have in our political/media elites. Key is a neo-liberal by choice but outside a small but powerful business lobby that Key represents everyone in the rest of the real world has long moved on from neo-liberalism. But our media/political elite is still heavily infested with 1980s and 90s neo-liberal supporters and apologists. English, Roughan, Holmes, Ralston, half the Labour front bench, swags of the Nats (McCully and Williamson for a start) etc etc etc are all left over neo-liberals who are far, far past their use by date. Hopefully Labour will take the opportunity in 2014 to clean out the likes of Mallard, Dyson, King and Goff and bring in a generation of politicians who at least formed some of their ideas in this century….
I don’t think we should have term limits in parliament. Some experience is beneficial – Lockwood Smith as Speaker a good example.
But there’s nothing to stop parties from having their own term limits, or at least encouraging retirement of MPs past their best and past their value to the party. Have any parties considered term restrictions?
And if they don’t get the message then leadership could reinforce it by dropping them down the rankings.
The obvious problem is long serving MPs have too much self serving influence.
Not sure why Colin Craig gets so much coverage for a non-politician, I guess money talks.
But in his case he’s talking all over the place, as one argument gets demolished he moves to another. Ah, marriage convention has changed quite a bit over the last few thousand years. It’s changed quite a bit in my lifetime.
On The Nation this morning he ended up pleading for his last hope, a referendum. No chance of that either.
In contrast Louisa Walls impressed with facts and forceful points.
Peter Dunne (Ohariu) 14,357
Colin Craig (Rodney) 8,031
The Conservative Party had probably 10 times the UF budget and got more media coverage. They also tried to push shoddy polls to promote their support. They got a creditable number of votes but in the end failed under MMP.
But that’s all history. Dunne is an MP (and a Minister). Craig is neither.
And it’s all irrelevant, it’s got nothing to do with my commentt, most of what I talk about is non-UF. More: The Colin Craig Craze.
I was proposing a reason for why he gets media attention even though he’s not a politician: because he and his party got significantly more support in the election than two of the politicians who are in parliament.
Regardless of how you define “politician” (and I’m sure we can can all think of a few quite different but quite legitimate variations) the crux is he’s a “political actor”.
A referendum on marriage would pass the legislation. Personally, if there was a referendum the questions should be:
Do you think you should have the right to marry? Do you think other people should be able to prevent you from marrying?
I’m reasonably certain that we would get back a 100% Yes/No response.
Leave it to Craig and other deniers of basic human rights and we’ll probably get some weaselly question that would be more confusing than informative – just like the question on smacking.
It’s a moot point anyway, there won’t be a referendum on it – although I agree that if there was it would agree with what MPs are likely to pass.
It’s possible Craig will try a CIR on this but I think he’s using the issue to raise profile rather than thinking he has any chance of success at stopping the Marriage bill.
Louisa Wall presented her case impressively on The Nation, and Colin Craig kept moving from one smackdown to another.
This one is similar to the sorts of reports that were coming out of Iraq in late 04 and through 05, with what national identity that had existed falling away in the face of sectarian group dynamics:
The Iraqi government still hasn’t finalised it’s constitution with regard to the Kurds. The govts, new and old, in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria may well have many differences but you can bet they’ll all agree that the Kurds won’t be getting anything like a homeland. If western peeps want something simple to get pissed off about with a clear cut right and wrong side, that’s about as close a one as I can see in this mess. Good luck convincing our governments to do anything but.
An interesting piece on the coverage from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya http://t.co/M1AGvnqa
But if you really want nightmare visions. Read the press coming out of Lebanon. Whose up for picking sides in a Hezbollah vs Al-Qaeda fight? And think about the stakes of that.
As is obvious, this is a fight that has nothing to do with us. Putting ‘what we think ought to happen’ into the mix is a recipe for blowback. And it’s messy enough already for mind.
It’s awful, but that doesn’t mean that anything we can do will make it better.
Finally some in that useless UN have grown some gonads, even if it is non binding.
The UN has been for a long time to me replicating its parent, The League of Nations in its inability at doing anything but allow its delegates and support staff the lifestyle that New York offers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19106250
The UN has been for a long time to me replicating its parent, The League of Nations in its inability at doing anything but allow its delegates and support staff the lifestyle that New York offers.
No additional world wars since the UN was founded. That’s something.
BTW the delegates to the UN and various support staff don’t have a say in whether the UN continues or not, so their “lifestyle” convenience has nothing to do with it.
Tell that to the 40.968 million who have been killed in various wars since WWII, I am sure they take consolation that there was No WW War III. http://www.cissm.umd.edu/papers/files/deathswarsconflictsjune52006.pdf
From a financial point of view why have the UN based in New York. I am sure we could find a developing nation that would benefit from the economic activity. Perhaps such an idea JK could take aboard to fix our countries economic woes and the msm would believe,take and run with this perhaps a great diversion just like making NZ a financial hub. 😉 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10691438
The UN in it’s current form is not permitted to grow gonads. It is still fundamentally limited by the G8 nations unwilling to give it enough power to act effectively.
And most especially not to act against their own hegemonic ambitions.
Remember – when he worked for Merrill Lynch – he was the Head of Derivatives – and at the time the Glass Steagall Act (which kept separate boring safe commercial banking and risky dangerous investment banking) was repealed – November 1999 – John Key was a Foreign Exchange Advisor for the New York Federal Reserve.
So – what role did shonky John Key play in the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act?
Why is this important?
Because the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act helped to leave the dodgy derivatives market completely unregulated.
Which is the main reason why the world is facing an international financial meltdown?
Because of the collapse of the dodgy derivatives market – which shonky John Key helped to set up?
Penny the price of BofA ML shares will be worthless.
Not unlike Keys promises.
Bof A suffered huge loss’s because of more dodgy dealings at ML.
They also facing legal action on many fronts and the US government is in no mood for a second bail out.
yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.
“yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.”
I wonder how well this is supported in the Green Party:
Greens would support military intervention in Syria
The Green Party says New Zealand should vote for military intervention in Syria at the United Nation if the fighting there reaches the point where crimes against humanity are being committed.
Green MP Kennedy Graham, who met Syrian refugees six weeks ago in camps near the border with Jordan, says the General Assembly should pass economic sanctions on Syria and take military action if the circumstances warrant it.
It does make me wonder just how far to the right the Greens have actually slipped when there are Green MP’s calling for military intervention in any conflict, let alone one where it’s becoming more than a little apparent the US is intervening via proxy,
Someone else mentioned the other day the fact that it seems that the right stages ‘take-overs’ of the political party’s on the left with consumate ease, and, i have also been feeling uneasy about certain aspects of the Greens ‘going straight’ for the purposes of electoral success,
The modern Left in New Zealand and in particular supporting the Parliamentary Left has felt increasingly akin to some nomadic journey, a gypsy circus trodden with more disappointment than hope,
My thought is though, give the Greens at least a term of Government with at least my vote at the 2014 election, but, i have already begun the where to from here type thought…
Lol. Mostly at the idea that Pete F. George think he is in any position to be questioning what Kennedy Graham knows or does not know about International Relations.
Read what he is saying. Closely.
If their are crimes against humanity taking place what is the Green party’s longstanding position on that sort of thing? Bear in mind that crimes against humanity is not a synoym for ‘shit I don’t like’.
Next think about what he is saying we should do, and by implication shouldn’t do.
Is Graham saying we should join in any ‘coalition of the willing’ style clusterfuck?
Or is he saying that that sort of adventure would be illegal and that we should not only have no part in it but that we should be doing something else.
What should the International community do about Crimes against humanity?
That’s the question he’s asking, and he’s putting the govt in a box with regard to requests to join ad hoc illegal coalitions.
According to the RNZ article he’s advocating economic sanctions which always hit the people at the bottom of the pyramid while the people at the top, the people that the santions are supposed to stop, don’t feel a thing. Please also note that the people at the top are already shooting at the people at the bottom (which I’m pretty sure is already a Crime Against Humanity).
Chances of sanctions doing anything? Around zero.
He then says that if sanctions don’t work (pretty much guaranteed) in containing (not stopping) the slaughter then military intervention is required.
Basically, IMO, he’s advocating a default position of military intervention.
Now, preventing arms being delivered to the current government is probably a valid option and one I would support but not full sanctions and definitely no military intervention. I think we’ll probably see both though.
–No but he is the brother of Doug Graham, so Ill say it again.
The Greens are not what people wish them to be, thats not what they exist for, and have ben taken over some time ago, its all too easy to control politics, you just have to do a little digging into the backgrounds of these people.
Labour gone towards the right, Greens headed the same way. Just control a few key people inside each entity, and its job done, the coutry and the people get screwed, and most either have no idea, or actually vote for those who screw them!
Why are the Greens are making this call now, when it looks like the victory of the rebellion is all but guaranteed, and a Western intervention now, would only act to steal the people’s victory?
The Green Party says New Zealand should vote for military intervention in Syria at the United Nation if the fighting there reaches the point where crimes against humanity are being committed.
Kennedy Graham Radio NZ report
What is crazy about this, about this call for Western intervention from the Greens is that crimes against humanity are already being committed, and have been for some time. From the firing on unarmed protesters, to the detention, torture and murder of deserters wives and children, to the aerial bombardment of civilian centres resulting in the mass deaths of civilians.
I am sure that regime defenders of this monstrous regime like Colonial Viper would welcome any attempt to snatch victory from the resistance.
Have the Greens been ignorantly swallowing the propaganda from pro regime supporters in this country?
B12 Yep I did wonder before the last election whether closet blue green was was infiltrating the Greens- something felt a little off key but couldn’t really put my finger on it.Noticed a lot of the old guard retired all at once and none of them seemed to be morphing into the older party statesperson type role which nade me wonder if they are still welcome through the door. Also the “we may do a deal with the Nats line.”
And are we getting a strong media slant on Green party actions when it lines up with Nact aspirations. Lots of attention on Norman none really on Meretai.
Different subject entirely – our revered leader isn’t swanning around at the Olympics for the photo ops. So unlike him what’s wrong – is he ill, unwelcome or something else?
And again – I wondered if we will continue to win at the Olypics as we do now? Child poverty destroys early sporting chances (?) I suspect, so is there any correlation between left wing governments and sucess some years later.
I see the Aussies are trying for an exchange rate/gold medal correlation oh dear ………..
Nah, safer to wait and see what comes home and sort photo-ops then if it’s worth it.
Yeah well, the C/T trained PR team will be in full motion organising a shindig at parliament as we speak. My suggestion is: the opposition stake out the possible venues inside the Beehive for the Key photo op. and gatecrash it at the last minute. Oh how hilarious to see Shearer/ Mallard/Norman/Turei grinning cheesily from the sidelines. That would make my week. Harawira (grinning cheesily) could appear over the top of Key. That would make my month.
It’s very important because he is the parliamentary moral leader of Maori. That’s the guts on the street now. People can forget their bullshit stuff about manners and so on.
And for them who’ll come up “Nah, he’s a prick or whatever……….” – damn it, they’re all older. Young people are receptive, even if subliminally, to the relative deprivation and need that is very pervasive now.
So go away Tariana and Pita. You’re not relevant anymore. You have sat at the table while Maori have suffered and still you’re saying all is as sweet, as sweet as it can be.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
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 – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – 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 government’s ...
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 we’ve 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 Zealand’s 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 Zealand’s 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 “moisture-laden” 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 government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ 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 – that the Budget “will 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 – It’s 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-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – 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 country’s 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 isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
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, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – 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 year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, 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 – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s 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 – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s 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 Zealand’s 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 – 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 – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. 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 Peters’ 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 — 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 Newshub’s 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 Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ 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 she’s 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 Government’s 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 America’s 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 won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s 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 Labour’s 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 First’s 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 ‘co-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 Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
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 ‘take back our country’ 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 Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
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. “It 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. “The 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. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” 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. “Road 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. “Our 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 Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam 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. “I 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. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, 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 government’s 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 Government’s Budget objectives. “The 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. “The 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. “These changes are long overdue – 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 Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The 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 Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There 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. “Today 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 People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” 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. “We’re 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 Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I 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. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” 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. “Comprising 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. “I 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. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s 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 Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s 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 I’m sorry I can’t 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 Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 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 ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
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 Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — 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 she’s 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 – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – 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 Books’ 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 pick’n’mix 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 you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s 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 let’s 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 – 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 haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re 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 Parliament’s 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 “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s 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 It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s 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? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
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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 there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – 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 Education’s 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 Luxon’s 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 ...
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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 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s 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 you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
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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 “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ 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 – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori 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 “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s 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 ‘Dead in Bed’ 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 – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s 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 Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 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 ...
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While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ 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 country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori 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, ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
Kiwi journo Anita McNaught gets into premier Syrian city of Aleppo, investigates the summary executions on Tuesday cited by the shrill Assad supporter and extremist climate change apologist Colonial Viper
Many religious fundamentalist groups, including ultra-orthodox foreign Salafi fighters and Al-Qaida Iraq, seeking to oust Assad in Syria
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0727/1224320884188.html
Of course, some naive people might still think that the conflict in Syria is “of the people, for the people, by the people”, but they must be stupid, in the face of the rapidly mounting evidence, to still believe so.
Some of Colonial Viper’s “mounting evidence”.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/assads-storyline-a-war-led-and-fought-by-foreigners/
Talk about “naive”. Who could possibly swallow this crap?
Compare this to New Zealand’s own Anita McNaught, reporting on the reality of the Syrian regime, see above or below as revealed in captured files.
http://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/secret-police-files-show-assad-regimes-culture-of-spying/
Who to believe, Colonial Viper, sitting safely at home in front of his keyboard stupidly parroting the propaganda of the Assad regime.
Or respected journalist Anita McNaught putting her life at risk to seek the truth?
The Guardian UK: Al-Qaida Iraq bomb masters turn tide for rebels
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/al-qaida-rebels-battle-syria
Hey Jenny, check that Guardian article out. There’s a cute header photo of a Free Syrian Army fighter spray painting the slogan “There is no Islam without Jihad” on a wall.
Warms the heart, eh.
Playing to the racist and Islamaphobic seats to justify your support for this monstrous regime, CV?
The regime and it’s supporters like you, are doing your very best to stir up sectarian divisions to keep this bloody and monstrous dictatorship in power.
Jenny,
Point of note, the Syrian situation is NOT like the PoAL, where it was basically Union v Contracting, it is far more complicated, and multi faceted than that relatively straight forward situation you commented on so regularly.
Taking such a staunchly simplistic one-sided position is frankly juvenille, and is reaching the stage where your posts and thus your mind set seem to be now struggling against some personal crusade, which while being well indented is, through your words becoming disrespectful of the ever decending seriousness of the situaiton.
Saying someone must be a supprter of the “monsterous dictatorship” because they understand that the situation is complicated, and not what it is presented as to the sheep who follow along, and offer evidence contrary to your personal belief, is limiting!
Its appropriate to accept a situation is complicated, and thus beyond ones capabilities to get their head around. The first step is to realise that it is a mature approach to not back oneself into a corner!
Edit: STOP accusing people of rac*sm incorrectly, continued accusations and use of the term totally disrespect those who suffer genuine rac*sm.
As for the Mossad’s “low profile”, the spin in Tel Aviv is that Israel is able to “control” the swarm of hardcore Wahhabis and Salafi-jihadis now infesting Syria. Even if that is manifest nonsense, one juicy point is clear; Israel is in bed with al-Qaeda-style Islamists.
Jenny,
In an ideal world, the struggle of people against any/all forms of tyranny would have altruistic intervention, indeed in an ideal world, there would not be wars or struggle to intervene in!
Thats not the world we have allowed to be created for us, and its not the world we will ever see, not as long as the species allows itself to be exterminated. With science and technology entrapping the planet further, while crisis after crisis of man made control grid is forced upon the worlds peoples, with the middle east simply one of the manufactured crises.
Your intentions seem to be well meaning, but by having been so fooled into what you believe in happening in Syria, your well meaning is in fact a hugely negative energy force, because you are in fact supporting, what you deny is going on.
Does this mean you should stop supporting the innocent caught up in these manufactured uprisings, absolutely not, but it does mean that you should cover all angles and at least factor in the evidence which states numerously that Syria, like Libya is being destroyed by NATO intervention, using mercenaries and other assorted sponsored criminals, all with the end game pre planned, and using the transparent overused “arab spring” lie, as cover.
Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent”
“Oh and Anita worked of the BBC who have been outed with multiple lies and cover ups over many decades, so I would question Ms McNaughts ability of be , lets call it “independent””
Jeez, that’s weak, Muzza. The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source and I’ll bet you’ll be struggling to back up your daft comment about them. And if you’d bothered to look at Jenny’s link, you’d have spotted that McNaught, who appears to be about a million times braver than you or me, reports for Al Jazeera.
The BBC lost credibility a very long time ago Voice, they have been caught out too many times. No need for me to link anything, go find it for yourslf…Start with Dr David Kelly, though as a tip!
Al Jazeera, LOL again showing how little you know about this Qatari, sponsored Anglo Saxon, pseudo Arab puppet media outlet, where most of its “important employees” are from the UK, many worked for the BBC, just like Anita. Hey Qatar, got the FIFA world cup because they deserved it eh bro!
Oh and refer only to your own cowardice when posting nonsense, do not speak on my behalf!
I didn’t make any comment about Al Jazeera, Muzza, just pointed out that you were being ignorantly insulting to a reporter who is actually risking her life to report the news, while you sit on the couch in your underpants.
Nice to see you can’t back up your claims about the BBC, too.
If I wanted to read this sort of divisive, insulting crap where no-one listens to anyone … I’d be at the sewer.
Where they do it better.
Yeah, fair call, RL. I’m off to footie, so no more smart arsery from me.
You pointed out I was being ignorantly insulting did you….that really is ironic!
Can’t see where you read that in my original post, I said “Anita worked OF the BBC”, a typo, I meant to say “worked FOR the BBC”, either way, use of the word WORKED indicated past tense didn’t it!
I also don’t see where I questioned her aledged bravery, only her ability to be an “independent”, reporter, given the association to the BBC, and now to Al Jazeera, both of which I have given an opinion on, and if you want the links to read up on those media outlets, go find them for yourself, they are plentiful!
Warning, it might throw up some questions about “The BBC remains the worlds leading independent news source “, which could open you up to exposing mental frailties when challenged.
You’re not up for that though, I already know that mental challenges are not something you have the chops for!
So illiterate and completely unable to provide evidence at all to back up your claims? Not your best work, Muzza!
Is illiterate a pejorative on TS? Really?
TRP: “unable to provide evidence at all to back up your claims?
Te hypocrisy.
m: “You pointed out I was being ignorantly insulting did you….that really is ironic!”
Āna.
🙄 Did you not read the comment where Red rings the bell for a halt to personal attacks, f**k off over to the Sewer if you cannot help but indulge in such…
bad12 – did you not read the comment where Red rings the bell for a halt to personal attacks? Maybe your irony is accidental.
( 🙄 ) It is in fact as easy to see why you are the recipient of regular bans from the Standard as it is to see that you have failed to learn from such bans,
My proposal to those who put the effort into giving us this site so as to further discussion of the things that matter to the Left in New Zealand society and politics is that where a particular commenter has deserved to be the subject of such banning that each time the length of the ban be extended by double the amount of the previous banning…
poroheahea
If it’s me your calling stupid it’s a wasted effort as i just do not care, if it’s a reference to he who we bestow ^ 🙄 ^ upon i am presently unarmed with any facts that would allow me to debate otherwise…
Kaua koe e whai atu i ngā mahi a te hukehuke rā, kei raru kōrua tahi
Actually, I know several left wing Brits who think that the BBC news is no longer as independent as it was – I think since the Kelly incident under Blair’s watch. I tend to agree. For instance, it particularly favours a pro-Israel government line and tends to demonise Palestine. I understand that the news on BBC channels broadcast in the UK in the main news slots, is more biased than, say BBC’s international broadcasts.
See also here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_BBC
Also, I used to think Al Jazeera was pretty good at providing critiques from different viewpoints. I watch it quite a bit, but in the last year or two, it has become much more like mainstream western media in mirroring viewpoints of the western power blocs. Although, it still has some good critical pieces, ditto the BBC.
I have noticed that, sadly… 🙁
Wasn’t Anita working for FoxNews at some point ?
I really do apologise if I’m wrong.
LOL how about apologising for being so transparent
Yes North, she was ’embedded’ – as the saying went – by Fox News when Iraq Invasion no.2 was in progress. She was quite defensive of them at the time. That’s my recollection anyway.
More findings from that Ipsos/Fairfax poll, involving interviews with a relatively small number of people (1000). Not surprisingly Nat supporters are more positive about the future than those who support opposition parties – UF & ACT supporters are too small in number to register anything much, except they seem to be ambivalent about the future (maybe they are just always ambivalent?).
People were asked a range of questions to ascertain how they feel about the future compared with a year ago. Views about the economy seem to have been the strongest influence on people’s feelings about the future:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7411347/Pulse-of-the-Nation-How-we-see-ourselves
But most interesting is the growing sense of resentment of the wealthy elite:
So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam. There’s a growing tide of sentiment that would support a focus on fairness and possibly for what is beneficial to the wider community.
However, there are some signs of retreat to social isolation as a defense, except in Auckland, where apparently the community spirit is quite strong. There needs to be some strong leadership on drawing people together to work towards the best for society as a whole, so that retreat from community doesn’t take hold.
Problem is, political parties just think that it is time to join in the neoliberal scam.
Well, I certainly despair when I see that the government is playing musical houses with state/subsidised housing, shunting the available low cost housing around amongst the poor. Meanwhile they are also trying to push as many people as possible out of state houses and into the rental market:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10824497
Meanwhile the wealthier classes are continuing to spend on buying houses in Auckland, as if there was no recession, paying high dollar to buy up the available housing. No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10824355
The lack of sufficient affordable, safe and secure housing is a disgrace, and still the government does everything to make it worse.
Will a real opposition PLEASE stand-up and show up this rentier scam!?
Carol The bubble will burst Ollie Newland has said it won’t be pretty.
Australian eastern state cities are experiencing a major downturn after a post GFC bubble.
Just like last time New Zealand will follow suit. its just a matter of time.
Doesn’t the Babble in that Herald article just do your head in, there’s three strands in the Herald story that are best dealt with as separate issues,
*First we have Paula Benefit,hardly one for presenting either deep or evidential based analysis of any ‘problem’ She has encountered in Her Social development portfolio, giving a good spray and walk away line in the vein of ‘i thunk it therefor it is’,
How many beneficiaries are there boarding in State Houses, paying board to the main State House tenant who only pays 25% of income, while the boarder claims from Income Support an accommodation supplement???,
The Minister (as usual) gives NO figures for the numbers of people supposedly involved and as such i can only assume that Paula Benefit and Phil Heatley have spent an hour together, (focus grouping), creating in their minds the supposed problem,
Even so,IF there is a problem of this sort occurring,and, My belief is that HousingNZ rents out it’s property’s on the basis of 25% of the TOTAL income of the HOUSEHOLD,it is in fact a simple ‘fix’, and theoretically at least seeing as HousingNZ has just had a $90 Million computer upgrade, an easily accomplished one , where the ‘rule’ of 25% of HOUSEHOLD income be firmly established while changing the rules so that NO accommodation supplement can be paid to anyone living in a HousingNZ tenancy,
That along with some data matching between Paula and Phil’s fiefdoms of Housing and Social Development so as to have those who make the decisions on Accommodation Supplements know which are and which are not State Houses,
* Second, really i can only say What The F**k, private providers of Social Housing cannot compete with HousingNZ because the HousingNZ tenants pay 25% of income and the best the private providers of social housing can achieve is 70-80% of market rent,
As in Wah f**king Wah, the Loony’s having taken over the Asylum now want a ‘Level Playing Field’ to be imposed upon Social Housing because ‘it’s not fair’ that they cannot compete with HousingNZ,
In all seriousness there is i fear only 2 logical solutions that could be applied here, rule changes aplenty would have to occur as i fear that such people are way to far gone to be swayed by logical argument and my diagnosis would be either to put them up against the wall or provide them a psychiatric institution within which they could indulge in a game of doctors,nurses, and, patients to take turns at solving their own various problems,
* Third, as Minister of Housing Phil Heatley has given us all an in depth analysis of the problem He,and He appears to be mostly alone here, sees in the HousingNZ rental policy, Phills in depth analysis, ‘we can’t afford it’,
Annette King makes sport of Phil in the House at question time and you can almost see the mousy Housing Minister looking for a bolt hole every time King skewers Him with another query over matters within His portfolio that amount to slow death by a thousand small cuts,
Phill has the unenviable task of rack renting HousingNZ tenants most of whom are beneficiaries simply because National have always hated State Housing, nothing more nothing less,
The whole Herald article really comes down to making up a whole lot of s**t which the tame press will print verbatim which attempts to find some logical justification for National to give Beneficiaries (especially the ones in State Housing who Nationals core voters cannot profit from), another financial kicking in order to satisfy its red-neck core vote…
As an economic afterthought to my long winded comment above, there is absolutely NOTHING to be gained in an economic sense from any changes that national propose to make to the 25% of income rental regime as applied to it’s HousingNZ stock of social housing,
The reverse is in fact true,simply rack-renting those who by lack of income are reliant upon the State does nothing but move monies between the various agencies of State in some warped attempt at book balancing,
For the ‘Real Economy’ the reality simply means that while the State is indulging in fits of ‘give with the left hand’, and, ‘take back with the right’ there is a nett loss in revenue from the State House tenants negatively effected by such stupidity doing what such revenue is supposed to do in the wider economy,
Money from tenants so negatively affected by such proposed changes simply stops going around in the economy, strangely enough, Nationals core vote in the business sector who benefit by competing for a slice of such money being spent into local economy’s by HousingNZ tenants will also suffer negatively as the money will now simply transit from one Government account to another,
Thus National is simply proposing to deepen further the ongoing recession and while concentrating upon micro-economics of the Government social spend is blind to the negative impact upon that local economy, (or more to the point seems to just not give a f**k)…
In the broadness of my relatively old age I must say I’m invariably invigorated by Annette King.
She’s like a terrier, pitbullish if necessary, dog with a bone when she’s riled by bullshit answers.
“No doubt many will take advantage of the struggle to find rental accommodation amongst the less well-off, raising rents so that some will just not be able to afford anywhere to live.”
That is what the direct consequence of the changes to state housing will be.
And I thought the purpose of social housing was to keep rents down? It seems to me that the social housing providers want the government to subsidize their rent?
FIFY
The accommodation supplement is a government subsidy to the rentiers already.
The new joint venture between “The Crown & Council”, will not be a CCO but will be run like one.
Board with salaries, and a multi million dollar budget, was registered on July 24.
Purpose is to oversee the GI development, initially, and will have the HQ’s based in East Tamaki
I thought a similar thing – now that they are confident that have a Labour Party moulded to their taste, they can do what they bloody like.
some of that sense of “us and them” has been fuelled by worldwide events and the growing transfer of wealth to just a few
How much of the this generated by political campaigning? Greens in particular keep promoting terminology like”the growing transfer of wealth to just a few”.
It’s ironic that those most adversly affected by the wealth gap don’t have any wealth to transfer, in fact it’s tax paid by the more wealthy that enable them to receive state assistance.
The “transfer of wealth” term is a misnomer, especially when Greens promote transferring more wealth from rich to poor by raising taxes.
🙄
🙄
🙄
So publicly owned amenties such as health, education, parks, libaries are not wealth, and that these things are being closed down so the rich get cuts in rates and taxes.
Had a thought — correct term is actually transfer the wealth from the wider community to the rich. The closure of hospitals around the country to pay for Bill Birch’s tax cuts in 1996 is an example, as well as Porirua City Council’s closure of the Plimmerton libaray to keep rates down.
BTW: I have put in an OIA request to get a list of hospitals closed between 1990 and 1999 and 1999 and 2008. We shall then see the effect of tax cuts on health services 🙂
Pete, just when I had developed some sympathy for you because of what could be identified as bullying behaviour against you, you come out with this ignorant gem. My sympathy has now evaporated completely. You are a delusional and annoying waste of bandwidth.
What I want to know is why they published that ignorant crap from that idiot in Taupo?
“…So, Labour and Greens, take note. it’s time for a change of focus and to jettison the remnants of the neoliberal scam…”
The problem is the serious generational lag we have in our political/media elites. Key is a neo-liberal by choice but outside a small but powerful business lobby that Key represents everyone in the rest of the real world has long moved on from neo-liberalism. But our media/political elite is still heavily infested with 1980s and 90s neo-liberal supporters and apologists. English, Roughan, Holmes, Ralston, half the Labour front bench, swags of the Nats (McCully and Williamson for a start) etc etc etc are all left over neo-liberals who are far, far past their use by date. Hopefully Labour will take the opportunity in 2014 to clean out the likes of Mallard, Dyson, King and Goff and bring in a generation of politicians who at least formed some of their ideas in this century….
Or we should have term limits.
I don’t think we should have term limits in parliament. Some experience is beneficial – Lockwood Smith as Speaker a good example.
But there’s nothing to stop parties from having their own term limits, or at least encouraging retirement of MPs past their best and past their value to the party. Have any parties considered term restrictions?
And if they don’t get the message then leadership could reinforce it by dropping them down the rankings.
The obvious problem is long serving MPs have too much self serving influence.
🙄
“The obvious problem is long serving MPs have too much self serving influence.”
Like Peter Dunne.
Yup. Bit of an own goal from Pete there.
Well it is Saturday morning so waffle is definitely on the menu.
Poor attempt at diversion. And there are very obvious differences.
Peter Dunne has been essential for United Future’s survival and probably also will be in 2014 if he has another go..
The retirement of the likes of Goff, Mallard, King, Cosgrove is essential for Labour’s survival. Note that recently Mallard claimed to be mid-career.
Apt observation Lanth, which PG ignored and tried to pivot to political parties.
United Future has been essential for Peter Dunne’s survival
FIFY
Edit needed:
“Electorate deal making with the National party has been essential for Dunne’s survival”
Seems less … snappy.
obsessive deluded fans included
Not sure why Colin Craig gets so much coverage for a non-politician, I guess money talks.
But in his case he’s talking all over the place, as one argument gets demolished he moves to another. Ah, marriage convention has changed quite a bit over the last few thousand years. It’s changed quite a bit in my lifetime.
On The Nation this morning he ended up pleading for his last hope, a referendum. No chance of that either.
In contrast Louisa Walls impressed with facts and forceful points.
“Not sure why Colin Craig gets so much coverage for a non-politician, I guess money talks.”
He got more votes than UF and Peter Dunne did.
Peter Dunne (Ohariu) 14,357
Colin Craig (Rodney) 8,031
The Conservative Party had probably 10 times the UF budget and got more media coverage. They also tried to push shoddy polls to promote their support. They got a creditable number of votes but in the end failed under MMP.
But that’s all history. Dunne is an MP (and a Minister). Craig is neither.
And it’s all irrelevant, it’s got nothing to do with my commentt, most of what I talk about is non-UF. More: The Colin Craig Craze.
I was proposing a reason for why he gets media attention even though he’s not a politician: because he and his party got significantly more support in the election than two of the politicians who are in parliament.
The election is history and was over 8 months ago.
although surprisingly, Election performance has a few ongoing consequences for NZ politics 🙄
lol
“The election is history and was over 8 months ago.”
Oops, there goes that mandate. 🙄
perhaps you don’t have to be in elected office to be a politician; merely seeking elected office will do it.
Regardless of how you define “politician” (and I’m sure we can can all think of a few quite different but quite legitimate variations) the crux is he’s a “political actor”.
And that’s why he’s news.
Having said that, he’s a twat for referring to himself as “a representative” when he hasn’t been elected.
Also, that “Austrian dictator” moustache on tv today; well done whoever at tv3 was responsible for lighting the backwards little fucker: http://www.3news.co.nz/Craig-and-Wall-gay-marriage-debate-heats-up/tabid/1356/articleID/264093/Default.aspx
Seriously people, this bullshit stat has been sitting here ALL DAY.
It’s MMP, Pete. Use a stat that fucking counts.
Party Vote 2011:
Conservative Party – 59,237
United Future – 13,443
SHA-ZAMM!
Actually in terms of statistics this one is also good:
Peter Dunne (Ohariu) 14,357
Colin Craig (Rodney) 8,031
Peter George (Dunedin North) 176
A referendum on marriage would pass the legislation. Personally, if there was a referendum the questions should be:
Do you think you should have the right to marry?
Do you think other people should be able to prevent you from marrying?
I’m reasonably certain that we would get back a 100% Yes/No response.
Leave it to Craig and other deniers of basic human rights and we’ll probably get some weaselly question that would be more confusing than informative – just like the question on smacking.
It’s a moot point anyway, there won’t be a referendum on it – although I agree that if there was it would agree with what MPs are likely to pass.
It’s possible Craig will try a CIR on this but I think he’s using the issue to raise profile rather than thinking he has any chance of success at stopping the Marriage bill.
Louisa Wall presented her case impressively on The Nation, and Colin Craig kept moving from one smackdown to another.
Few links on Syria.
This one is similar to the sorts of reports that were coming out of Iraq in late 04 and through 05, with what national identity that had existed falling away in the face of sectarian group dynamics:
http://nyti.ms/RnM63z
In light of that, I suspect that these guys are dreaming:
http://wapo.st/OG3GQn
Poor bloody Kurds. As ever. http://f24.my/Rsl1MM
The Iraqi government still hasn’t finalised it’s constitution with regard to the Kurds. The govts, new and old, in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria may well have many differences but you can bet they’ll all agree that the Kurds won’t be getting anything like a homeland. If western peeps want something simple to get pissed off about with a clear cut right and wrong side, that’s about as close a one as I can see in this mess. Good luck convincing our governments to do anything but.
An interesting piece on the coverage from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya http://t.co/M1AGvnqa
But if you really want nightmare visions. Read the press coming out of Lebanon. Whose up for picking sides in a Hezbollah vs Al-Qaeda fight? And think about the stakes of that.
As is obvious, this is a fight that has nothing to do with us. Putting ‘what we think ought to happen’ into the mix is a recipe for blowback. And it’s messy enough already for mind.
It’s awful, but that doesn’t mean that anything we can do will make it better.
Bingo.
The only thing we can realistically do is let them sort themselves out. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any hope of that happening.
Finally some in that useless UN have grown some gonads, even if it is non binding.
The UN has been for a long time to me replicating its parent, The League of Nations in its inability at doing anything but allow its delegates and support staff the lifestyle that New York offers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19106250
No additional world wars since the UN was founded. That’s something.
BTW the delegates to the UN and various support staff don’t have a say in whether the UN continues or not, so their “lifestyle” convenience has nothing to do with it.
Tell that to the 40.968 million who have been killed in various wars since WWII, I am sure they take consolation that there was No WW War III.
http://www.cissm.umd.edu/papers/files/deathswarsconflictsjune52006.pdf
From a financial point of view why have the UN based in New York. I am sure we could find a developing nation that would benefit from the economic activity. Perhaps such an idea JK could take aboard to fix our countries economic woes and the msm would believe,take and run with this perhaps a great diversion just like making NZ a financial hub. 😉
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10691438
The UN in it’s current form is not permitted to grow gonads. It is still fundamentally limited by the G8 nations unwilling to give it enough power to act effectively.
And most especially not to act against their own hegemonic ambitions.
‘Aussie Rules’ to help prevent corrupt Ministerial ‘conflicts of interest’.
How come – if New Zealand is ‘perceived’ to be ‘the least corrupt country in the world’ – we don’t have these legislative safeguards?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-12-06/rudd-announces-ministerial-code-of-conduct/979880
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Because having and enforcing them would show up just how corrupt NZ has become.
John Key is a shareholder in the Bank of America.
That would not be lawful if he were the Prime Minister of Australia.
Seen this?
John Key publicly admits his Bank of America shareholding at a Grey Power public meeting in February 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXwNoaOpDMw
Remember – when he worked for Merrill Lynch – he was the Head of Derivatives – and at the time the Glass Steagall Act (which kept separate boring safe commercial banking and risky dangerous investment banking) was repealed – November 1999 – John Key was a Foreign Exchange Advisor for the New York Federal Reserve.
So – what role did shonky John Key play in the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act?
Why is this important?
Because the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act helped to leave the dodgy derivatives market completely unregulated.
Which is the main reason why the world is facing an international financial meltdown?
Because of the collapse of the dodgy derivatives market – which shonky John Key helped to set up?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Penny the price of BofA ML shares will be worthless.
Not unlike Keys promises.
Bof A suffered huge loss’s because of more dodgy dealings at ML.
They also facing legal action on many fronts and the US government is in no mood for a second bail out.
Love it Penny.
yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.
“yes and now the reserve bank of new zealand is in the process of allowing the uncovered bonds act to go through so there will be even less control of the issuers of shonky derivatives.”
Got a link to that Bill, Captain Hook?
And the ‘Regulatory Impact Report / Statement’?
Anybody?
Cheers!
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
I wonder how well this is supported in the Green Party:
And I wonder if they support a quick hit, or an occupation for a few years.
Disastrous. I don’t think that they have thought the military goals through at all. We vote for it, we’ll have to commit troops to the ground.
Yeah, well, there’s a reason why I’m going off the Greens.
It does make me wonder just how far to the right the Greens have actually slipped when there are Green MP’s calling for military intervention in any conflict, let alone one where it’s becoming more than a little apparent the US is intervening via proxy,
Someone else mentioned the other day the fact that it seems that the right stages ‘take-overs’ of the political party’s on the left with consumate ease, and, i have also been feeling uneasy about certain aspects of the Greens ‘going straight’ for the purposes of electoral success,
The modern Left in New Zealand and in particular supporting the Parliamentary Left has felt increasingly akin to some nomadic journey, a gypsy circus trodden with more disappointment than hope,
My thought is though, give the Greens at least a term of Government with at least my vote at the 2014 election, but, i have already begun the where to from here type thought…
Lol. Mostly at the idea that Pete F. George think he is in any position to be questioning what Kennedy Graham knows or does not know about International Relations.
Read what he is saying. Closely.
If their are crimes against humanity taking place what is the Green party’s longstanding position on that sort of thing? Bear in mind that crimes against humanity is not a synoym for ‘shit I don’t like’.
Next think about what he is saying we should do, and by implication shouldn’t do.
Is Graham saying we should join in any ‘coalition of the willing’ style clusterfuck?
Or is he saying that that sort of adventure would be illegal and that we should not only have no part in it but that we should be doing something else.
What should the International community do about Crimes against humanity?
That’s the question he’s asking, and he’s putting the govt in a box with regard to requests to join ad hoc illegal coalitions.
He is not an idiot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Graham
According to the RNZ article he’s advocating economic sanctions which always hit the people at the bottom of the pyramid while the people at the top, the people that the santions are supposed to stop, don’t feel a thing. Please also note that the people at the top are already shooting at the people at the bottom (which I’m pretty sure is already a Crime Against Humanity).
Chances of sanctions doing anything? Around zero.
He then says that if sanctions don’t work (pretty much guaranteed) in containing (not stopping) the slaughter then military intervention is required.
Basically, IMO, he’s advocating a default position of military intervention.
Now, preventing arms being delivered to the current government is probably a valid option and one I would support but not full sanctions and definitely no military intervention. I think we’ll probably see both though.
“He is not an idiot”
–No but he is the brother of Doug Graham, so Ill say it again.
The Greens are not what people wish them to be, thats not what they exist for, and have ben taken over some time ago, its all too easy to control politics, you just have to do a little digging into the backgrounds of these people.
Labour gone towards the right, Greens headed the same way. Just control a few key people inside each entity, and its job done, the coutry and the people get screwed, and most either have no idea, or actually vote for those who screw them!
Why are the Greens are making this call now, when it looks like the victory of the rebellion is all but guaranteed, and a Western intervention now, would only act to steal the people’s victory?
What is crazy about this, about this call for Western intervention from the Greens is that crimes against humanity are already being committed, and have been for some time. From the firing on unarmed protesters, to the detention, torture and murder of deserters wives and children, to the aerial bombardment of civilian centres resulting in the mass deaths of civilians.
I am sure that regime defenders of this monstrous regime like Colonial Viper would welcome any attempt to snatch victory from the resistance.
Have the Greens been ignorantly swallowing the propaganda from pro regime supporters in this country?
B12 Yep I did wonder before the last election whether closet blue green was was infiltrating the Greens- something felt a little off key but couldn’t really put my finger on it.Noticed a lot of the old guard retired all at once and none of them seemed to be morphing into the older party statesperson type role which nade me wonder if they are still welcome through the door. Also the “we may do a deal with the Nats line.”
And are we getting a strong media slant on Green party actions when it lines up with Nact aspirations. Lots of attention on Norman none really on Meretai.
Different subject entirely – our revered leader isn’t swanning around at the Olympics for the photo ops. So unlike him what’s wrong – is he ill, unwelcome or something else?
And again – I wondered if we will continue to win at the Olypics as we do now? Child poverty destroys early sporting chances (?) I suspect, so is there any correlation between left wing governments and sucess some years later.
I see the Aussies are trying for an exchange rate/gold medal correlation oh dear ………..
National Party strategists will have examined in detail whether or not a confidence and supply arrangement with the Greens is possible.
They will also have examined in detail the likelihood of winning a bunch of gold medals for Key to pose in front of.
If he’s on the spot, he might have to be seen with losers. And Key doesn’t do losers, it doesn’t fit the brand.
Nah, safer to wait and see what comes home and sort photo-ops then if it’s worth it.
Yeah, that’s likely too.
Nah, safer to wait and see what comes home and sort photo-ops then if it’s worth it.
Yeah well, the C/T trained PR team will be in full motion organising a shindig at parliament as we speak. My suggestion is: the opposition stake out the possible venues inside the Beehive for the Key photo op. and gatecrash it at the last minute. Oh how hilarious to see Shearer/ Mallard/Norman/Turei grinning cheesily from the sidelines. That would make my week. Harawira (grinning cheesily) could appear over the top of Key. That would make my month.
I look forward to the moment Hone will pick.
It’s very important because he is the parliamentary moral leader of Maori. That’s the guts on the street now. People can forget their bullshit stuff about manners and so on.
And for them who’ll come up “Nah, he’s a prick or whatever……….” – damn it, they’re all older. Young people are receptive, even if subliminally, to the relative deprivation and need that is very pervasive now.
So go away Tariana and Pita. You’re not relevant anymore. You have sat at the table while Maori have suffered and still you’re saying all is as sweet, as sweet as it can be.
The gaps have widened since Tari and Pit have been sitting at the tepu, building relationships and going through processes.
That’s all Hone needs to say.
It’s also all Labour needs to say.
But the press will never report it, so the 10% masterchef watchers who decide our future will never hear it.
Unless they’re told in weird and unusual ways.
Big ups to you bake-sale and nudie acitivists. Looks like fun too.