Donald Trump's criminal defence lawyer, admits live on Fox News, than one of the indictments is valid.
He said that Trump had asked Pence to go with "option D" (cited in the charges against Trump, that he conspired to … )
The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC
Donald Trump’s Lawyer Is Dumber Than Donald Trump
The case is made here, based on the testimony so far by John Lauro, Trump's lawyer. The freedom of speech defence ridiculed, he’s charged with organised conspiracy to commit a crime.
Trump once boasted that he could commit a crime every American knew he was guilty of and get away with it – he used the example of shooting someone in the street (or organising someone to do a crime for him like a mob boss).
That was Trump posing as a fascist political leader (his version of Putin’s cornered rat story) offering to seize power on behalf of those who supported him, to end the contest for political legitimacy through a fair democratic process – because their might was right.
He noted many Christian dominionists were little more than white race nation supremacists, and when they prayed kingdom come, they were seeking their power over other Americans. Thus control of SCOTUS etc.
This is a result of GOP adopting the southern strategy.
Before, all healthy men in Russia aged between 18 and 27 had to serve one year of compulsory military service. Conscription was carried out twice a year.
Now, all men up to 30 years of age can be called up.
About the only thing that gives me hope is the increasing reluctance of young men to go to war.The exception ,sadly, would be those young men who view the military as their only economic option.
But the imperialist needs of nations will persevere regardless.We're heading for remote controlled AI wars
In Israel there were those reluctant to serve in the IDF on the occupied West Bank and now reservists saying they will not be available (unless Israel is attacked) because of the move to negate the Basic Law (protecting the rights of citizens) and subject the nation to the rule of any government with a parliamentary majority.
The unnecessary war is now entering its stalemate phase, the lines on the map do not change no matter how many lives are placed at risk in any offensive (Haig/ Joffre reprise) – so it’s likely to be drone and missile attacks behind the lines – as per WW2).
They're letting their rapists, murderers and washing machine thieves off the hook, too. What could possibly go wrong.
@mobilizationnews
Translated from Russian by
Wagner suspected of killing 6 people In Karelia, two friends were arrested on suspicion of killing six people. One of them recently returned from the war. On the night of August 1, five men and one woman were found stabbed to death in the village of Derevyannoye. The killers set fire to two houses belonging to the dead. Security forces detained suspects in severe intoxication. They were Igor Sofonov and Maxim Bochkarev. According to journalists, the men were friends and were in prison together. They were tried on serious articles, including murder, robbery, robbery, rape and drugs. Igor Sofonov was recently pardoned. He went to fight, presumably in the Wagner PMC. During the meeting on the choice of a measure of restraint, Sofonov tried in every possible way to emphasize his belonging to the military, local media reported. To the questions of the judge, he answered "Yes, exactly." The court arrested both men for two months. In a criminal case on the murder of several people, they face life imprisonment (Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Russian soldiers may now be able to avoid criminal prosecution if they serve on the frontline in Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday, citing a recent ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court.
The new legal precedent was set in a deadly automobile accident case where Corporal Vladislav Ustinov was handed a two-year prison sentence in May 2022 for running over and killing two people.
But instead of being dismissed from the military following his conviction, Ustinov was sent to to fight in Ukraine, where Kommersant says he is still serving.
[…]
Russian courts will now be able to cite a defendant’s involvement in military operations as mitigating circumstances and grounds for reviewing sentences, according to Ustinov’s lawyer Sergei Bizyukin.
Days before the Supreme Court ruling, Russian lawmakers approved legislation allowing convicts to clear their criminal records in exchange for joining the country’s depleted military.
Legal experts told Kommersant that Russian courts could now use both the new law and the Supreme Court precedent in Ustinov’s case to free criminally convicted soldiers who serve in Ukraine.
Seems to be a Slavic thing,it happened in Ukraine very early in the piece.The harsh upside is that probably people aren't too fussed when criminals get killed
The actors seeking to be National's support partners (the nice Maori who believe in assimilation, David Seymour and Winston Peters) having been competing for attention by lying about the size of holes – parroting the lines of Steven Joyce.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness”. As Oscar Wilde once noted.
Of course whether Steven Joyce was ever great is something for others to determine. Someone like William Birch, once Mr Think Big, then Mr No (his filibusters without extravagant language or change in tone, till people gave up and went away and never come back asking him for any money, indicated his road to damascus conversion to fiscal prudence – reminding some of the character Marvin the Paranoid Android)
The fact Moody’s credit rating agency, in its latest report, held the country’s rating at Aaa stable, saying New Zealand’s fiscal position is “healthy … compared with that of peers” ought to give pause for extreme scepticism to anyone considering the various Eeyore-ish claims.
We will have to wait until the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) on September 12 for Treasury’s latest view. At the same time, we will be able to judge – as has been suggested – whether Robertson and his colleagues are reacting to an early warning from Treasury of a sharper and deeper deterioration.
Normal and everyday garden variety administrative practice.
In truth, the Government’s books are under pressure, but it is extremely unlikely Treasury will suddenly forecast a “fiscal hole” as serious as this week’s shroud-waving might suggest.
There are any number of potential blunders and “fiscal holes” to be discovered among the parties’ manifestos and election promises, and that is the place to look.
External auditing of the ACT manifesto, to demonstrate best practice and readiness for government responsibility, or not?
SPC this was a reply that did not attach.
Those lies about fiscal responsibility, fit in with the "Chaos meme" of the right.
"The Government is in chaos, therefore there is a hole in the funding and planning." (Well Fitch did not find that. Aaa is a very good rating in todays shaky world.)
Lies will be repeated, and it is hoped that voters will jump from left to right.
This goes with the misleading headlines, the failure to report on completed projects except as "Too little too late
The lack of real reporting on gains by the left is amazing on one level, but on another no surprise.
Jenna Lynch, partner of Act's Andrew Ketels, is hardly a balanced reporter given her affiliations.
Thanks for showing how these lies are started and used and repeated, especially in parliament where MPs are not able to be held to account for such accusations.
It looks like the government has trumped the NAct revelation concerning alleged proposed changes to GST on fruit and vegetables with a stunning revelation of their own. As far as I can tell they kept it under wraps without anyone knowing it was coming!
I refer to the proposed new harbour crossings… one from Akoranga (almost alongside the present bridge) and a light rail tunnel system from Albany passing though Takapuna and Belmont and across the harbour. Both projects end up at Victoria Park with links to all the present motorways. The details coming.
That should send shockwaves through Nicola Willis' undies. She never saw that coming.
Its massive Patricia. Without doubt the biggest transport project ever commissioned in NZ. I recall recently some government minister (I think it was PM Hipkins) reflecting on the fact "they were mindful of the huge economic importance of Auckland to the whole country". Words to that effect anyway. He knew what was coming.
PS The good thing about it is that CC was front and centre of the decisions made – unlike the other lot who just want to build more and more roads regardless of the effects on our future weather patterns.
I'm sure I can remember a big project that the current Government were going to carry out. They were going to build a walkway/cycleway alongside the current harbour bridge at a cost of about a billion dollars weren't they? Then little Napoleon Wood blotted his copybook and got fired , having meantime managed to waste a lot of money on preparations for his brain explosion.
Doesn't that count as planning a big project? I note you only said planned. You didn't say anything about completing a project.
I used to work in the movie industry and if an art director came up with a fairly ridiculous idea for a set that the producers couldn't or didn't want to pay for, we in construction were quietly told to price it, quadruple it and double it again so that it was untenable. ( Yes, yes, all you frustrated ADs out there, that's what happened to your precious. ).
I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to the Harbour Bridge Bike Rack.
I got my comment into moderation so I’ll try a re-phrase.
Good crisp communication from Chippy. There’s a reason he’s got good numbers.
Clear distinction from the National party whose policy is to ignore climate change and shirk their responsibility, ignoring the consequences that are already with us.
Co-leader James Shaw said the government seemed to have a tendency to choose the most expensive and over-engineered plans possible.
"I don't think that six lanes of traffic are going to solve Auckland's congestion problem. Frankly, during a climate crisis it's a bit bonkers to be building more roads and inducing more traffic and more car dependency."
So I gather Belladonna. I believe they are wrong. In fact, I voted for them last time because of CC. It won’t happen this time around.
Its time the Greens re-entered the real world. There is no way you can banish petrol driven vehicles overnight so there is no way you can do without sufficient roads to accommodate them until such a time when they can be written off as an extinct inorganic species. The trick is to build the extra transport lanes required now in a manner which enables that extinction to occur sooner rather than later.
Building more roads like Nact plan to do, will do nothing to assist the transition to an almost carbon free environment. All it shows is they are tunnel-visioned when it comes to combating climate change.
What the Govt. is proposing is by far the better option imo and it is more realistic with the ultimate aim of getting people out of their cars and on to swift, trouble-free public transport.
And another positive is that it should drastically reduce the current road toll.
There is no way you can banish petrol driven vehicles overnight so there is no way you can do without sufficient roads to accommodate them until such a time when they can be written off as an extinct inorganic species. The trick is to build the extra transport lanes required now in a manner which enables that extinction to occur sooner rather than later.
What you are describing has been the pattern thus far; this leads to induced demand. It is a well-studied fact that building more roads increases congestion. Public transport that shares the road will inevitably be caught in this same congestion making it less appealing and less used. Prioritising public transport options, such as light rail, is better overall and this is the Greens preference.
A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation. – Gustavo Petro
As the Julie Anne Genter says:
“These road tunnels are carbon intensive to build, and they would cost tens of billions of dollars that should instead be invested in low carbon transport options like regional rail.
“At the very least, the Government should have prioritised the light rail first.
“It is maddening that on the one hand Labour can say the economic conditions aren’t right for a fair tax system that will benefit millions of people, and on the other announce unbelievably expensive and poorly thought through transport projects.
“The Prime Minister says money doesn’t grow on trees, but apparently it does grow on roads.
“Labour and National seem to be in a road race to come up with the worst possible transport plan. Induced demand is a real thing – more urban roads, equals more cars, equals more congestion. People deserve better.
“Green Ministers in Cabinet to speak up for the climate in every decision has never been more essential.
“The Green Party is 100% committed to transforming rail in Auckland with a new Harbour connection, and making space for walking and cycling over the current Harbour bridge immediately. This will save billions of dollars which can be used to upgrade other rail links in the region and beyond. The time is now for real transport solutions.
I'm a bit divided on it , in an ideal world yes rail should come first, but it would be a disaster for Auckland if the bridge failed before the tunnel was built,
National and Labour will likely agree on the 6 lanes of traffic tunnels. This has been in advanced planning since 2014 and has strong momentum within NZTA.
My hesitancy of launching this without any idea of how to pay for it is that it gets to precisely the same place Labour were in prior to the 2017 election when they announced light rail for Auckland going to both the airport and up to Westgate. I know we can remember what happened through 2018 to that.
To pay for it I'd put a toll on the bridge today for personal vehicles, 6 years of revenue in the bank for those that will enjoy the bridge most, might get a few of them on the bus to😉
To pay for it I'd put a toll on the bridge today for personal vehicles, 6 years of revenue in the bank for those that will enjoy the bridge most, might get a few of them on the bus to
No, it won't. Anyone who can (i.e. they are going to the CBD, and can afford the time out of their working day for PT) – is already taking the bus (or, rarely, the ferry) – train isn't an option from the North Shore. The Shore bus transit lane is the envy of Auckland – it's the only one which has any level of effectiveness at all (although, we all hope the NW motorway will be as effective once it finally becomes operational)
Note, the majority of the traffic headed over the Harbour Bridge in the morning isn't going to the CBD – it's heading on South.
Penalizing people who have no alternative (the buses don't take them where they need to go within a reasonable timeframe) – doesn't get people on side – it antagonizes and alienates them.
The people who have carparks in the CBD – and therefore drive – (what I think of as the high-priced lawyer brigade) – are entirely unmoved by tolls or congestion charging – it's simply a business expense for them. The only thing which might be remotely effective is a very high FBT on carparks, and daily parking fees ($80+). And, of course, these are entirely independent of any toll on a bridge crossing.
Still waiting for the tolls to be applied to the new motorway in Wellington (after all, why shouldn't "those who enjoy it most" pay for it). Politicians seem to be reluctant to trial these things in their own back-yard, for some reason….
Andrew Little wants to increase our defense forces and uses, as an example, the need to protect our $20B of trade through the South China Sea. He didn't mention China by name.
Can anyone else see the elephant in the room. If this trade is threatened by a war, then on which side should our forces side with? Giving military support to a nation attacking China in a conflict is going to help protect this trade?
How about you include the fact that the increase in spending amounts to no more than a maximum of 1% of GDP. That is, it will be closer to 2% of GDP – well below other comparable countries.
How about you include the major factors at play? I refer to the poor retention rates within the Defence Services, the rapid spread of disinformation and the effects it has on society and most important of all, the effects of CC related cataclysmic events requiring immediate action in order to save lives and property.
Something in the order of 80% of Defence Service activity is tied up with disasters and potentially dangerous situations – plus search and rescue operations – within NZ and the wider South Pacific. In order to properly carry out all of its functions it requires sufficient personnel and up to date equipment. You know, a bit like when a person runs their car into the ground and has to replace it with a newer and more reliable model so it can continue to be of service.
Yes. It's funny and there is a healthy grain of truth to it. 😀
But to be fair. We do have to think about out trade routes – all of them. We rely more heavily than most countries on our food exports so it is essential we have a way of getting them to our major markets.
As for China. Its an enigma that seems impossible to resolve.
Professor Davis joins Hayden Donnel in saying F this lazy media pile on campaigning for the Nacts.
Whereas Hayden points out that Australia has award wages and a whole bunch more tax than us, and is much more unionised. IE the rich are screwing us in NZ and the complaining is to keep the bill low. The Spin-off- linked yesterday.
Professor Davis says actually we don’t know how lucky we are: we’re doing quite well in the grand scheme of things. It might be miserable with all Paula Bennett’s buddies, but not universally. On Newsroom.
Everyone will be rushing to get their contracts renewed, projects passed through Boards and procurement teams, as Act seeks BIMs that explicitly state how much they can cut in MBUE staff, Three Waters, He Waka Eke Noa, Auckland Light Rail, Fees-Free and the Provincial Growth Fund.
Act wants its BIMs to contain three key details:
The teams that sit within ministries and departments.
The activities the teams do and the outputs they produce.
A breakdown of expenditure on the teams and activities.
Seymour said ministers would use that information to “identify teams and activities they require departments to cut because they aren’t providing value for taxpayers or because they overlap with functions that exist elsewhere in the bureaucracy”.
I am particularly worried for the funding for the Transport Recovery East Coast Alliance, which National wants to raid for pothole funding.
TREC is the largest state investment the East Coast peoples will ever receive and they need every dollar of it.
Seymore will dress this up as collecting wasteful spending. It is Dog eat Dog spiral to the bottom, all MBIE staff looking over their shoulder, waiting to be fingered, wondering who will have their lives wrecked next, while the money "saved" after redundancies, will go to tax cuts? He is a dangerous little man, and I agree with Jacinda's description!!
“Act are definitely worth fighting against. ” 100% He has delusions of Grandeur .
We all know that the huge savings ACT say will happen, won't actually happen. We know because they didn't happen before (and don't happen elsewhere with right wing governments). If National/ACT are in government, then in 3 years' time there will be stories about more private consultants and minimal savings. "Red tape" will be cut, and then stuck together again with sellotape, making for false economies.
National say they will "invest" in so many projects it's hard to keep count, all of which will require more spending on those bureaucrats they despise. Or … cut costs on oversight, and bring back Leaky Homes Part Two. Real cost to taxpayers … billions.
So as its Monday tomorrow get ready for the latest revelation from the rights Disinformation Project, we have been warned that there will be one a week until the election. Maybe the first was the anynomous More Yelled At Staffers in the ministers office, leaked through who knows, and last Monday's leaking $20 billion hole initially through Winston Peters. What's up tomorrow, can't wait, whatever it is it will be fantastic, and then rubbished by reason and proven to be lies a few days later.
Suzie Fergusson project on Disinformation and misinformation, and recovered bodies who ended up looking where they had been and deciding who they would in future talk to online. Very revealing and shows how family and friends influenced people who were already anti in some way. It is worth a listen… Could someone kind link for me after 7am Sun news on RNZ.
You're welcome Patricia, and thanks for asking for the link and saying when/where it was 👍 This is so much better than someone just saying they can't find the link or whatever.
“Dental care for adults in Aotearoa is now among the most expensive in the world. Unbelievably, we have a higher rate of unmet dental care in Aotearoa because of cost than even the United States.
“Seventeen years ago, the former Prime Minister Helen Clark expanded dental care from our youngest children to everyone aged 18 and under. The time is now to finish the job.
“Free dental will be fully funded through fair and simple changes to the tax system that will unlock the resources we need. Every dollar will come from those most able to contribute.
“Our fully costed plan will give everyone the peace of mind that no matter what, they can visit the dentist when they need to,” says James Shaw.
The plan would include free annual check-ups; mobile dental vans and funding for community clinics, including on marae; specialist care for people needing oral surgery and "complex treatment"; Māori-run community and whānau oral health services; and "a plan to train the next generation of dentists", with increased caps on training placements (from 60 to 80) and support for encouraging more Māori and Pasifika into dentistry.
A poll earlier this year found three-quarters of voters back free dental care.
Earlier this year, then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would be "enormously expensive".
The Greens estimated it would cost $1.41 billion in the first year, rising to $1.71b in the 2025 and 2026. Buying a few hundred more dental vans would cost $150 million.
"We anticipate that costs will decrease long-term as a greater focus on preventative care improves oral health outcomes for all New Zealanders," the party said.
Have the Greens said where they are going to find the dentists to implement this policy?
Increasing the training cap from 60 to 80 is a drop in the bucket – won't even reach replacement for current dentists retiring; and, most importantly – won't even kick in for 5 years (takes 5 years to train a dentist at Otago)
Dentists are in just as short-supply in NZ as GPs are; and dental nurses (or dental hygienists) aren't much better.
We can see this, by the immense pressure the school dental service (with the free treatment) is – many, many children are not seen within 3 years, let alone annually, as they are supposed to be. And, while it's free to have the dentist check your child's teeth out – most practices (certainly in Auckland) won't enrol children or teens (they don't get enough in payments from the government to even cover their costs).
Announcing a policy, with no practical idea of how to staff it – does not incline people to take you seriously.
Not surprising that a NZ Labour government expanded dental care from our youngest children to everyone aged 18 and under.
Announcing a policy, with no practical idea of how to staff it – does not incline people to take you seriously.
Gosh, sounds as if the Green's policy of a 33% increase in the training cap for dentists could be worse than nothing – a respectful ‘centrist's’ work is never done.
Will NAct favour voters with a reaction – perhaps even a policy of their own?
Or maybe NAct have faith that the invisible hand of the market will provide.
The Guardian view on the dentist shortage: a gap that needs filling
[2 May 2022]
As with healthcare in general, prevention is infinitely preferable to cure. So areas lacking dentists must have them. Like the NHS’s wider staffing problems, this one cannot be fixed overnight.
8. RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH (Green) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Do special needs grants for dental treatment adequately meet need for dental care, considering 40 percent of adult New Zealanders are unable to afford treatment?
Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): This Government has shown that it is committed to ensuring New Zealanders have access to dental care when they need it. For the first time in 25 years, we increased the maximum special needs grants for dental treatment from $300 to $1,000 in Budget 2022. This has seen the number of non-recoverable dental grants nearly doubling from 23,025 to 43,479 and the total amount of support provided through the grant increasing nearly five-fold from $6,395,819 to $30,773,018. Previously, you could only receive one dental grant per year, even if it did not reach the $300 limit; now clients can access the grant multiple times in one year up to the value of $1,000. This is making a difference for whānau, but we certainly know there is more to do.
"More to do." What more might Labour do? Or NAct for that matter – vouchers?
An increase of 20 places a year – which will – at the very best – start to have an impact in 5 years time, does not incline anyone other than the most one-eyed of lefties to believe this is a well-thought-through policy – let alone a priority for the Green Party.
I note that you have carefully avoided answering the question of where the dentists are going to come from – for at least the next 5 years.
I'm on record as supporting a whole new dental school (I'd suggested Waikato) – in order to actually deal with the gap between the numbers being trained and the evident need.
Centrists are placed to see the policy benefits of all sides of the political spectrum – not being constrained to support 'my party, right or wrong'.
An increase of 20 places a year – which will – at the very best – start to have an impact in 5 years time, does not incline anyone other than the most one-eyed of lefties to believe this is a well-thought-through policy – let alone a priority for the Green Party.
This policy clearly indicates that providing free dental care to all Kiwis is a priority for the Green Party – only the most one-eyed NAct enthusiast would be pushing a different line, imho.
Your chief moans seem to be that it takes 5 years to train a dentist (what, precisely, do you expect the Greens to do about that?), and that they should be increasing the dentistry training cap by more than 33%.
Do NAct even have a policy? Maybe it's not their priority, and why would it be.
The shortage of dentists in NZ didn’t happen overnight, and will take years to fix – think less ‘a filling’, and more ‘orthodontic correction.’ Not doubt NAct will rubbish the Greens policy for free dental care in due course, without suggesting any alternative solutions.
Nope – it's an election bribe that they devoutly hope they'll never be called upon to deliver – because they literally can't.
A true attempt to resolve the issue would be to have pushed for a substantial increase in training places for dentists (and other dental professionals) – sometime in the last 2.5 years (when they were actually part of the government). Not as a last-minute election promise.
Trying to pretend that NZ has the capacity to provide this level of service – is frankly disingenuous. It doesn't matter how much money you're prepared to throw at the issue – if there aren't the people there to deliver the service.
Only the most one-eyed of lefties doesn't recognise an election bribe, just because it comes from his party.
It may be news to you – but dental practices have already been heavily recruiting immigrant dentists. The problem is that they can get better money elsewhere – and NZ's lifestyle bonus isn't holding up so well (floods, etc.)
The reductionist branded firms are the problem. The owners make the money not the dentists. The owners set them quotas.
Starting to see the same thing with GP's.
The businesses providing public dentistry must be state owned and profit taken out of the picture. Maybe time for a rethink on public medical services overall.
Yes agree BD. I initially read that the policy will be funded by the so-called wealthy again per wealth tax. As Labour has ruled out a wealth tax following the Greens etc publicity before, despite working on a a very fair & reasonable version itself, this indeed is pie in the sky.
I guess the reason for publishing is so that a potential coalition partner can look at what they may have to agree to……..oh I forgot,,,,,,the Greens have ruled out several potential coalition partners.
In my view The Greens have a potential partner in Labour, with whom they have been 'mates' with for sometime. Were any of these policies raised at the time ie when there was a chance they could be implemented?
When are the Greens going to say what their plans are for when they are faced with a potential coalition? I guess not.
What are the Greens plans for combatting inflation, breaking up the supermarket duopoly, breaking down the energy costs for households ie pushing back the Bradford reforms, Bank profits, …….rail/coastal shipping
As the Greens may be in an important place after the next election I would like to know how/when/if etc they will support Labour in the deep issues we are facing. Surely we have grown up a little and don't need election bribes any more…or perhaps election bribes that rely on being funded by something that has already been ruled out by a potential coalition partner.
Excuse my cynicism.
(Waits for the 'RW'/'incrementalist'/ or whatever the insult du jour is.)
What are the Greens plans for combatting inflation, breaking up the supermarket duopoly, breaking down the energy costs for households ie pushing back the Bradford reforms, Bank profits, …….rail/coastal shipping
The answers exist if you actually look for them
Inflation:
“Last year the Reserve Bank admitted in response to my questioning that they are engineering a recession to try and rein in inflation.
“We know this will disproportionately impact low income people in Aotearoa. It doesn’t have to be like this. This is only happening because the Government isn't acting.
“Reducing government spending on essential public services would be a mistake at a time when we know our crucial infrastructure across health, housing, education, the environment, and transport desperately needs investment.
“Instead of relying on the Reserve Bank to use blunt monetary policy like raising the OCR, or manufacturing a recession, the Government can tax the super wealthy.
“Instead of allowing trickle-down economic thinking to drive economic policy that perversely pushes people out of work, the Government can tax the rich and build a fairer society,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.
“A report released today says that the Government’s proposed reforms will not be enough to address the high cost of groceries,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for commerce and consumer affairs, Ricardo Menéndez March.
“The report agrees with what the Green Party has been saying for a really long time: that the time is now to break up the supermarket duopoly.
“Not only that but the government can take immediate action with a tax on excessively high supermarket profit and use the money to help people.
Fundamentally reform the electricity market structure and ensure that the market works in the public interest. (1.2)
Ensure a national integrated energy transition strategy that includes: phasing out the use of fossil fuels while maintaining energy security for households and essential public services. (2.6.3)
Establish Tiriti-based energy legislation that provides an enabling framework for Māori and Community involvement, ownership and leadership in energy projects. (3.1)
Prioritise maintaining, strengthening and/or transforming existing energy infrastructures so they better withstand extreme weather events and can manage mass electrification and increase distributed energy resources. (3.9)
Set an ambitious goal, consistent with our commitments to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees, to increase the share of renewable energy in the total primary energy supply, taking a strategic whole-of-system approach. (5.1)
With calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks.
“Four Australian banks made $180 a second in the past year while lower income New Zealanders spent ever more of their income on essentials,” says Green Party revenue spokesperson, Chlöe Swarbrick.
“These banks make, on average, adjusted for income, 20% more from New Zealand customers than their Australian counterparts.
“There’s a clear and immediate solution and that’s an excess profits tax. A 10% tax on those excess billions would raise more than half a billion and go a very long way to supporting flood and cyclone impacted New Zealanders.
“When the Reserve Bank and Monopoly Watch argue there’s something far more sinister under the hood of these banks, politicians of course should take a deeper look. That’s why we also support an inquiry, of whatever form we can get across the line, to look at far more fundamental problems.
“The bottom line remains: the big banks are fleecing New Zealanders and should be taxed to help pay for the cyclone clean up. The only thing standing in the way is political willpower,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.
“The Green Party would transform public transport networks, build light rail in Auckland and Wellington, and provide comprehensive bus lanes in all cities. We will invest in nationwide rapid rail for passengers, and rail and coastal shipping for freight, to connect regions and major cities, and contribute to economic development, and decarbonisation.
“Plus, we’d create safe walking and biking routes for every school with more pedestrian crossings, and lower speed limits near schools.
“The Greens are the only party with a plan that shows how we can make things better for everyone in Aotearoa. With more Green MPs we will invest in a transport system that gives people real affordable options that protect the climate,” says Julie Anne Genter.
And all these have been announced with a big fanfare 'rah rah' with special individual threads on TS?
Pardon my cynicism.
I know Labour's poilicies are light on the ground so far but I feel we waste our time on Green policies that
1) can only come into force if there is a left- leaning group holding seats and courage enough to beat off other comers, and
2) can only come into force if they are picked up as part of a coalition, and
3) rely on being funded by forms of taxes or other regimes that the possible majority left leaning partner has ruled out
It is for those reasons and noting those constraints that I would go along with the notion that they are election bribes and bribes put up with a degree of cynicism as The Greens, failing an absoloute miracle, have no ability to grab enough seats to hold a majority and this be assured of the ability to bring these policies into fruition.
Labour has actually worked on this and has increased the amount available via grants substantially since 2022.
What you call bribes are election promises, just like every other party. They are seeking the votes of people who want action on these issues. That you think they are cynical about it indicates your cynicism towards the Greens seems to be boundless. I can't help you with that.
A vote for Labour is an endorsement of their current approach. For all those who want a aspirational left party, the Greens and TPM are the only options. With a larger share of the vote they will be able to demand more of any future government. The idea that a majority is required to enact policy is an oversimplification of MMP.
The argument against the Greens policies is only 'we can't do anything that upsets the status quo.'
Trying to pretend that NZ has the capacity to provide this level of service…
Belladonna, who (apart from you) is pretending “that NZ has the capacity“?
It's clear you find the Green Party's policy to provide free dental care for all Kiwis galling, and with ~40% of Kiwis unable to access affordable dental services, it may prove particularly popular among those less likely to vote.
Building the capacity to providing free dental care for all Kiwis will take time – better to start sooner rather than later (or never), imho.
Well, indeed, apparently the Green Party is pretending that "NZ has the capacity" to deliver on this promised service. Otherwise, why have they released the policy?
Several commenters here have repeated the GP announcement about training, as an absolute answer to questions about dental workforce capacity for 2024. [Hint: Not at all the same thing]
I don't find the policy galling – I find the … misinformation …. about being able to deliver on it disingenuous.
Aspirational is fine. Putting in place policies to seriously and (hopefully) rapidly increase the dental workforce, excellent. Building health workforce capacity – I'm going to cheer that on, regardless of the political party championing it.
Implying that people will be getting free dental from 2024? A disingenuous election bribe at the most blatant, as you seem to be acknowledging. "it may prove particularly popular among those less likely to vote."
I don't find this kind of pork-barrel electioneering any more palatable from the left side of politics than I do from the right.
Well, indeed, apparently the Green Party is pretending that "NZ has the capacity" to deliver on this promised service. Otherwise, why have they released the policy?
Isn't the Green's policy on providing free dental care to all Kiwis partly about building capacity in the dental services sector? See @14.3.2.
If "the Green Party is pretending that "NZ has the capacity" to deliver", then why would their policy include details about how to “deliver a public dentistry workforce“?
Implying that people will be getting free dental from 2024?
That's what you're implying. You're not thick, so what does that leave?
For the many, not the few
I don’t find this kind of pork-barrel electioneering any more palatable from the left side of politics than I do from the right.
What are some examples of “pork-barrel electioneering” “from the right“, in your opinion?
Oh, and just to make you happy – here's an example of pure pork-barrelling from National
"To support Kiwi families bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis, National will introduce FamilyBoost – a childcare tax rebate of up to $75 per week on the costs of childcare."
I'm aware of and acknowledge my political biases – "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", nuff said.
But "perhaps you might look at your biases", as evinced by your furious barrage of 'centrist' comments dissing the Green's detailed and costed policy on free dental care for all Kiwis.
Still, fairs fair – with about two months until the general election, you deserve the benefit of the doubt. After all, you could be making equally prolific and disparging comments about ACT's policies on a right-leaning political blog – only you can know for sure.
Btw, are there any broadly centrist parties that appeal to you this election – perchance TOP, or New Zealand First?
I've been entirely clear that I dislike Winston Peters – and feel that his only priority in power is 'what's in it for Winston'.
I do wonder if you understand that the Left needs to persuade Centrists to vote for their parties/polices. If so, you're, personally, doing a really poor job of persuading anyone who isn't already on board with your declared biases.
But, perhaps, as someone with a self-declared Marxist philosophy – the opinions of the bourgeoisie are irrelevant – after all – what value is democracy….
But, perhaps, as someone with a self-declared Marxist philosophy – the opinions of the bourgeoisie are irrelevant
You're middle class too? I'd be interested in your opinion about the value of "for the many, not the few", given spaceship Earth's inability to support our overshoot civilisation.
Zen and the art of motorway maintenance [7 August 2023]
In this sense the pothole is a good symbol how of this election is proceeding. There are itches all around the body politic that demand scratching. In the moment we are far more aware of them than we are of the tumour quietly growing inside, the virus caught but not yet symptomatic, the vehicle crash that awaits around the corner, the fire about to engulf our home. The snake oil retailers draw attention to the easy solutions to the surface and immediate issues and we are often only too willing to reward them for it.
As for "what value is democracy", it's easy voting Green. You have my sympathy for the trickier choices that political centrists face.
There has been a notable increase in migrants from Sth America in the last decade.Perhaps Brazil can help NZ with the shortage of dentists.
'Dentistry is the area of health that has expanded the most in recent years in Brazil, with more than 264,000 dentists. That is equivalent to almost 20% of the dentists in the entire world, according to Dentistry Federative Counsel, in 2015. Dentistry, along with medicine and nursing, constitutes the basic nucleus of professionals of higher level of health in Brazil (IPEA 2015; Morita, Haddad, & Araujo, 2010). The rate of dentists to population in Brazil is about 737 habitants per dentist.
That's your reasoning for the status quo? From the policy document:
To deliver a public dentistry workforce, the Green Party will:
Increase domestic placements for dentistry
Despite the clear need for more dentists, successive governments have capped the number of training places at just 60 per year. The Green Party will fund an additional 20 placements from 2024. We’ll review training pipelines and placement numbers in subsequent years to ensure we’re meeting demand for dentists. This will start to close workforce gaps and ensure the increased demand for public dental services can be met.
Boost the Māori and Pasifika Workforce
When whānau visit the dentist, it is important they feel safe and comfortable accessing the services they are entitled to. A key part of this is making sure the dentistry workforce reflects our communities. Right now, only 5 percent of dentists are Māori or Pasifika. The Green Party will support Māori and Pasifika pursue careers in dentistry by:
Introducing scholarships.
Ensuring Māori and Pasifika are supported to access domestic placements and complete their dentistry studies.
Ensuring the Health Workforce Plan 2023/24 actions to boost the Māori and Pasifika workforce apply to dentistry
Training and upskilling Oral Health Therapists
The Green Party will provide pathways for oral health therapists to treat adults through community providers. We will make sure licensing and workforce training reflects this and lift the cap on the domestic placements for oral health therapists.
Recruitment
In addition to providing more training and career opportunities for people currently in Aotearoa, the Green Party will also maintain recruitment of internationally qualified dentists and specialists. We will develop recruitment actions in the Health Workforce 2023/24 Plan to apply to oral health professionals.
I don't have a problem with increasing denistry places. Although this is far too little, far too late. I'm a firm believer that we need another dentistry school – my suggestion would be Waikato.
The part I have issue with, is that – at the very earliest- this will result in an extra 20 dentists a year in 2029. Note: this will not even make up for the numbers retiring.
It is entirely disingenuous, then, to announce free dental care for all. The GP have no idea how they would be able to staff such a system.
It reminds one of the Labour promise of 100,000 houses – when it was clear that they had zero idea of how it could be carried out (and, indeed, all of the people who said that it was not actually possible, were right)
Your criticism is that there isn't sufficient staffing so therefore this policy is not possible to institute? That is 100% accepting the status quo. If we want to improve outcomes for everyone increased funding for services is one of the only ways to achieve it.
It's very easy to point out what's wrong with a plan; for instance your plan for a new dentistry school also wouldn't increase the number of dentists until 2029 either, so by your own standards it is a non-starter. Are you expecting to be taken seriously?
Opening a new dental school would increase the supply of dentists long-term and provide redundancy and flexibility in the training of this speciality (one-source of supply is never a safe option).
It has nothing to do with provision of free dental care.
However, a promise to deliver free-dental care is worthless without the dentists to deliver it. It doesn't matter how much money you are (theoretically) able to throw at it. Pointing out that, appears to be incurring the wrath of the lefties blinded by the bling of political promises.
Oh I see, current dentist cease to exist once free dental care is promised.
What you are pointing out is that you think there are insufficient dentists now and that means, according to you, the policy is completely unworkable. Clearly we need to run everything past you so that we can be 'taken seriously'. Trying to increase the provision of dental care is not worth attempting unless Belladonna has personally deemed the policy to be perfect from the outset, we can't possibly have goals that aren't immediately achievable, we can’t build capacity over time it must already be there before any action can be taken.
Gosh, if you have no answers – just say so.
Making personal attacks because you don't like people pointing out the flaws in policies – is both trite and trivial.
Personal attack? Lol. Can't see it, but I guess you did say I'm a 'blinded leftie'.
You have ignored any post pointing out the Greens are aware of the shortage and have a plan to increase dentist numbers. You have declared it won't work and is unserious. This is your opinion not a fact.
From the existing pool of dentists initially and from the increased training numbers eventually, as well as by immigration and upskilling. As has been pointed out to you repeatedly.
You don't think this will work, you advocate for another dental school, which also doesn't immediately solve the dentist shortage problem, this also would have at the very least a 5 year gap.
What you are arguing is that it is unrealistic but you don't have a better solution, you just have an alternative priority that doesn't include doing anything initially to help with the current crisis of provision of oral health.
I like my politics to be aspirational, with a vision, a goal, even if it may take a lot of work to get there. This is what the Greens are proposing.
Arkie, This whole board works on opinions and views provided these are arguments are made in a careful referenced manner.
You are making your opinion known and so is BD.
In the persistance you are showing about someone else's very reasonable opinions I am reminded of the statement 'you can't make someone love you'.
We want and need people who can see the flaws, who make us think.
As you say we also want/need aspirational policies. Some of us would agree.
There is a time and a place for these too. With the ruling out of a wealth tax and the big problems we are facing as we try to pull the country out of a 'slough of despair' we do not need 'pie in the sky' (which is a meaning from me for 'aspirational' applied incorrectly, naively or with eyes closed).
And Belladonna isn't also being persistent in their 'reasonable' assertions? The ‘flaws’ they point out are already acknowledged and planned for in the Greens policy, which is all I have been reiterating. I have not expressed an opinion on it other than praising the attempt to address the current inequity of oral health provision.
It is interesting to me that "Growing up/being realistic" means suppressing empathy/insisting society can't provide for all.
It is better to try, and fail, than it is to not try at all.
Estimate is that there are 40% of NZers who cannot afford to go to the dentist now. I think that's an under-representation – but even taking those figures. You'd need 40% more dentists than we have now to accommodate this demand.
In 2024. Not in some future far-off time.
NZ is already trying to recruit overseas dentists to work here – it's going about as well as trying to recruit any of the other medical specialities that we're short of. Not, very.
The GP policy is to train and recruit internationally – neither of which will be producing effective numbers in 2024.
As I've pointed out, and you've repeatedly ignored. Having a plan to increase numbers is not the same as having a plan to have the numbers in place in 2024.
Aspiration is all very well. But pretending that your aspirational goals are concrete political reality is profoundly disingenuous.
pretending that your aspirational goals are concrete political reality
Who is doing this? It's a policy proposal to take to post-election negotiations.
You are insisting that because the policy is not perfectly setup from it's proposed beginning it is somehow disingenuous and therefore no action should be taken. It's letting impossible perfection be the enemy of a good proposal.
This is such an important point. People don’t seem to understand how electioneering happens. In truth, if the Greens got day 20 MPs and had the power to get this policy near the top of the post-election coalition building list, it’s going to be revamped and more detail worked out.
What we could be doing in this debate is looking at how to make the policy work, instead of naysaying. We could be starting with the principle of dental health care for all, and seeing how it could come about now. Not in some vague hand wave future. This is the brilliance of this year’s Green campaign, they pointing repeatedly to how we don’t have these things because of political choices (not because of dentist shortages), and that we can make different choices.
One practical thing I’m wondering is how many dental practitioners who aren’t dentists can do initial checks.
Tl;dw – the US is going to freeze the conflict in order to give themselves and the UK the time to use their experiences with the Taliban, ISIS, and modern neurolinguistic programming, aided by pagan sectarians and a fake pseudo orthodox church, to create a shop-till-you-drop kamikaze making nation of zombies unified by their homosexuality. Or something.
Putin's former advisor Sergei Markov claimed to know America's plans for Ukraine and laid them out on state TV. He demanded that Saudi-hosted talks in Jeddah ensure the participation of Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Medvedchuk in future Ukrainian elections.
Dollars to donuts the AfD isn't the only Western party getting Poots' cash.
/
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Vladimir Sergienko, an aide to a Bundestag deputy, has been acting as an intermediary between the Kremlin and German lawmakers in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, a joint investigation between The Insider and Der Spiegel can reveal. Sergienko, a staff member of AfD parliamentarian Eugen Schmidt, has helped coordinate AfD speeches, lobby for pro-Russian initiatives, and even helped trigger a lawsuit against his own government aimed at halting or slowing German weapons transfers to Ukraine – all at the instruction of a suspected Russian intelligence officer. Moreover, Sergienko personally shuttled cash between Moscow and Berlin and directed wire transfers to a German NGO sympathetic to the Kremlin to facilitate his efforts.
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Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...
The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Donald Trump's criminal defence lawyer, admits live on Fox News, than one of the indictments is valid.
He said that Trump had asked Pence to go with "option D" (cited in the charges against Trump, that he conspired to … )
The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC
The case is made here, based on the testimony so far by John Lauro, Trump's lawyer. The freedom of speech defence ridiculed, he’s charged with organised conspiracy to commit a crime.
https://newrepublic.com/article/174847/donald-trump-lawyer-john-lauro-dumber-donald-trump
As in “The Apprentice”, the real ability of a CEO is to identify talent.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-lawyer-john-lauro-charges-interview-1817439
Trump once boasted that he could commit a crime every American knew he was guilty of and get away with it – he used the example of shooting someone in the street (or organising someone to do a crime for him like a mob boss).
That was Trump posing as a fascist political leader (his version of Putin’s cornered rat story) offering to seize power on behalf of those who supported him, to end the contest for political legitimacy through a fair democratic process – because their might was right.
He noted many Christian dominionists were little more than white race nation supremacists, and when they prayed kingdom come, they were seeking their power over other Americans. Thus control of SCOTUS etc.
This is a result of GOP adopting the southern strategy.
More Russians are facing conscription. Younger singles have emigrated and now those young couples planning on starting a family are impacted.
This is a nation with a declining birth rate, and if these people leave and have children abroad will they return?
Even married men with young children are facing the risk of conscription or prison (will they leave or sign up to Wagner once in prison)?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66388422
About the only thing that gives me hope is the increasing reluctance of young men to go to war.The exception ,sadly, would be those young men who view the military as their only economic option.
But the imperialist needs of nations will persevere regardless.We're heading for remote controlled AI wars
In Israel there were those reluctant to serve in the IDF on the occupied West Bank and now reservists saying they will not be available (unless Israel is attacked) because of the move to negate the Basic Law (protecting the rights of citizens) and subject the nation to the rule of any government with a parliamentary majority.
The unnecessary war is now entering its stalemate phase, the lines on the map do not change no matter how many lives are placed at risk in any offensive (Haig/ Joffre reprise) – so it’s likely to be drone and missile attacks behind the lines – as per WW2).
They're letting their rapists, murderers and washing machine thieves off the hook, too. What could possibly go wrong.
https://twitter.com/mobilizationews/status/1686800372864610312
Russian soldiers may now be able to avoid criminal prosecution if they serve on the frontline in Ukraine, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday, citing a recent ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court.
The new legal precedent was set in a deadly automobile accident case where Corporal Vladislav Ustinov was handed a two-year prison sentence in May 2022 for running over and killing two people.
But instead of being dismissed from the military following his conviction, Ustinov was sent to to fight in Ukraine, where Kommersant says he is still serving.
[…]
Russian courts will now be able to cite a defendant’s involvement in military operations as mitigating circumstances and grounds for reviewing sentences, according to Ustinov’s lawyer Sergei Bizyukin.
Days before the Supreme Court ruling, Russian lawmakers approved legislation allowing convicts to clear their criminal records in exchange for joining the country’s depleted military.
Legal experts told Kommersant that Russian courts could now use both the new law and the Supreme Court precedent in Ustinov’s case to free criminally convicted soldiers who serve in Ukraine.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/07/26/russian-supreme-court-exempts-soldiers-fighting-in-ukraine-from-criminal-prosecution-a81968
Seems to be a Slavic thing,it happened in Ukraine very early in the piece.The harsh upside is that probably people aren't too fussed when criminals get killed
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10559879/Zelensky-reveals-prisoners-combat-experience-RELEASED-help-defend-Ukraine.html
The actors seeking to be National's support partners (the nice Maori who believe in assimilation, David Seymour and Winston Peters) having been competing for attention by lying about the size of holes – parroting the lines of Steven Joyce.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness”. As Oscar Wilde once noted.
Of course whether Steven Joyce was ever great is something for others to determine. Someone like William Birch, once Mr Think Big, then Mr No (his filibusters without extravagant language or change in tone, till people gave up and went away and never come back asking him for any money, indicated his road to damascus conversion to fiscal prudence – reminding some of the character Marvin the Paranoid Android)
Marvin the Paranoid Android is a fictional character in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_characters
Normal and everyday garden variety administrative practice.
External auditing of the ACT manifesto, to demonstrate best practice and readiness for government responsibility, or not?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/300943760/the-truth-about-the-governments-fiscal-hole
SPC this was a reply that did not attach.
Those lies about fiscal responsibility, fit in with the "Chaos meme" of the right.
"The Government is in chaos, therefore there is a hole in the funding and planning." (Well Fitch did not find that. Aaa is a very good rating in todays shaky world.)
Lies will be repeated, and it is hoped that voters will jump from left to right.
This goes with the misleading headlines, the failure to report on completed projects except as "Too little too late
The lack of real reporting on gains by the left is amazing on one level, but on another no surprise.
Jenna Lynch, partner of Act's Andrew Ketels, is hardly a balanced reporter given her affiliations.
Thanks for showing how these lies are started and used and repeated, especially in parliament where MPs are not able to be held to account for such accusations.
Oh dearie me,
It looks like the government has trumped the NAct revelation concerning alleged proposed changes to GST on fruit and vegetables with a stunning revelation of their own. As far as I can tell they kept it under wraps without anyone knowing it was coming!
I refer to the proposed new harbour crossings… one from Akoranga (almost alongside the present bridge) and a light rail tunnel system from Albany passing though Takapuna and Belmont and across the harbour. Both projects end up at Victoria Park with links to all the present motorways. The details coming.
That should send shockwaves through Nicola Willis' undies. She never saw that coming.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/495241/tunnels-light-rail-cycling-and-bus-lanes-govt-unveils-ambitious-45b-new-harbour-crossing-plan
I will be interested to hear from Ad.
According to him, it is National that plan big projects!!
Its massive Patricia. Without doubt the biggest transport project ever commissioned in NZ. I recall recently some government minister (I think it was PM Hipkins) reflecting on the fact "they were mindful of the huge economic importance of Auckland to the whole country". Words to that effect anyway. He knew what was coming.
PS The good thing about it is that CC was front and centre of the decisions made – unlike the other lot who just want to build more and more roads regardless of the effects on our future weather patterns.
"it is National that plan big projects"
I'm sure I can remember a big project that the current Government were going to carry out. They were going to build a walkway/cycleway alongside the current harbour bridge at a cost of about a billion dollars weren't they? Then little Napoleon Wood blotted his copybook and got fired , having meantime managed to waste a lot of money on preparations for his brain explosion.
Doesn't that count as planning a big project? I note you only said planned. You didn't say anything about completing a project.
They canned it quickly Alwyn…..do try to get over it.
I used to work in the movie industry and if an art director came up with a fairly ridiculous idea for a set that the producers couldn't or didn't want to pay for, we in construction were quietly told to price it, quadruple it and double it again so that it was untenable. ( Yes, yes, all you frustrated ADs out there, that's what happened to your precious. ).
I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to the Harbour Bridge Bike Rack.
Well fronted by Hipkins too. Good messages. Clear distinction between National who are going to let it flood.
I got my comment into moderation so I’ll try a re-phrase.
Good crisp communication from Chippy. There’s a reason he’s got good numbers.
Clear distinction from the National party whose policy is to ignore climate change and shirk their responsibility, ignoring the consequences that are already with us.
I can’t see why your comment was held back. Maybe a glitch.
Put the email incorrectly perhaps?
dunno, looked ok to me, but pays to check.
Green Party not happy (from your link)
I think Labour will be happy if they can get criticised by the Greens on this. It means the PT derangement syndrome troops get undercut.
Two potential rapid transit modes created or enhanced sets their values clearly in comparison to National.
Just what the fuck do the Green Party think all the electric cars and buses and trucks are going to move around on? They still jam up like ICE ones.
So I gather Belladonna. I believe they are wrong. In fact, I voted for them last time because of CC. It won’t happen this time around.
Its time the Greens re-entered the real world. There is no way you can banish petrol driven vehicles overnight so there is no way you can do without sufficient roads to accommodate them until such a time when they can be written off as an extinct inorganic species. The trick is to build the extra transport lanes required now in a manner which enables that extinction to occur sooner rather than later.
Building more roads like Nact plan to do, will do nothing to assist the transition to an almost carbon free environment. All it shows is they are tunnel-visioned when it comes to combating climate change.
What the Govt. is proposing is by far the better option imo and it is more realistic with the ultimate aim of getting people out of their cars and on to swift, trouble-free public transport.
And another positive is that it should drastically reduce the current road toll.
What you are describing has been the pattern thus far; this leads to induced demand. It is a well-studied fact that building more roads increases congestion. Public transport that shares the road will inevitably be caught in this same congestion making it less appealing and less used. Prioritising public transport options, such as light rail, is better overall and this is the Greens preference.
As the Julie Anne Genter says:
https://www.greens.org.nz/irresponsible_auckland_harbour_crossing_bad_for_climate_and_bad_for_congestion
Greater Auckland on induced demand: https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2018/09/13/induced-demand-101/
I'm a bit divided on it , in an ideal world yes rail should come first, but it would be a disaster for Auckland if the bridge failed before the tunnel was built,
National and Labour will likely agree on the 6 lanes of traffic tunnels. This has been in advanced planning since 2014 and has strong momentum within NZTA.
My hesitancy of launching this without any idea of how to pay for it is that it gets to precisely the same place Labour were in prior to the 2017 election when they announced light rail for Auckland going to both the airport and up to Westgate. I know we can remember what happened through 2018 to that.
You forgot the high speed rail between Auckland and Tauranga! Was looking forward to hopping a train to the beach with a beer at 4:45pm…
To pay for it I'd put a toll on the bridge today for personal vehicles, 6 years of revenue in the bank for those that will enjoy the bridge most, might get a few of them on the bus to😉
+1 bwaghorn
No, it won't. Anyone who can (i.e. they are going to the CBD, and can afford the time out of their working day for PT) – is already taking the bus (or, rarely, the ferry) – train isn't an option from the North Shore. The Shore bus transit lane is the envy of Auckland – it's the only one which has any level of effectiveness at all (although, we all hope the NW motorway will be as effective once it finally becomes operational)
Note, the majority of the traffic headed over the Harbour Bridge in the morning isn't going to the CBD – it's heading on South.
Penalizing people who have no alternative (the buses don't take them where they need to go within a reasonable timeframe) – doesn't get people on side – it antagonizes and alienates them.
The people who have carparks in the CBD – and therefore drive – (what I think of as the high-priced lawyer brigade) – are entirely unmoved by tolls or congestion charging – it's simply a business expense for them. The only thing which might be remotely effective is a very high FBT on carparks, and daily parking fees ($80+). And, of course, these are entirely independent of any toll on a bridge crossing.
Still waiting for the tolls to be applied to the new motorway in Wellington (after all, why shouldn't "those who enjoy it most" pay for it). Politicians seem to be reluctant to trial these things in their own back-yard, for some reason….
The original bridge was paid by tolls.
In Australia you set up a digital account and it charges your number. Tauranga has this.
It was indeed. And the tolls went on for long after the bridge was actually paid for (and were only stopped by public outcry).
If tolls are such a wonderful idea – then I'm waiting to see them applied to Transmission Gully (probably only take 20 years to pay it off).
And behind the scenes…Angela Strange: Waikato Regional Councillor
We need more like…in our Councils and Govt Depts.
Onya !
Andrew Little wants to increase our defense forces and uses, as an example, the need to protect our $20B of trade through the South China Sea. He didn't mention China by name.
Can anyone else see the elephant in the room. If this trade is threatened by a war, then on which side should our forces side with? Giving military support to a nation attacking China in a conflict is going to help protect this trade?
How about you include the fact that the increase in spending amounts to no more than a maximum of 1% of GDP. That is, it will be closer to 2% of GDP – well below other comparable countries.
How about you include the major factors at play? I refer to the poor retention rates within the Defence Services, the rapid spread of disinformation and the effects it has on society and most important of all, the effects of CC related cataclysmic events requiring immediate action in order to save lives and property.
Something in the order of 80% of Defence Service activity is tied up with disasters and potentially dangerous situations – plus search and rescue operations – within NZ and the wider South Pacific. In order to properly carry out all of its functions it requires sufficient personnel and up to date equipment. You know, a bit like when a person runs their car into the ground and has to replace it with a newer and more reliable model so it can continue to be of service.
That is all that is happening.
I didn't criticise increased defense spending, just one of his reasons. Perhaps this is just a sop to to the USA.
I agree with all your reasons especially the final paragraph.
That's fair enough aj. Might have been better of you had made that clear. 🙂
Reminds me of this Utopia episode:
Utopia – Australia's Defence Policy
Thanks Satty. I laughed, but last time we were bombed it was France remember.
So know telling who we are protecting ourselves from.
We do need a standing Army and Reserves. Our region is not as stable as it used to be. Politically geographically and weather wise
Yes. It's funny and there is a healthy grain of truth to it. 😀
But to be fair. We do have to think about out trade routes – all of them. We rely more heavily than most countries on our food exports so it is essential we have a way of getting them to our major markets.
As for China. Its an enigma that seems impossible to resolve.
So. We need the defense force, to fight against China, to keep our trade routes to/from China in the South China sea open????
Understood!
Professor Davis joins Hayden Donnel in saying F this lazy media pile on campaigning for the Nacts.
Whereas Hayden points out that Australia has award wages and a whole bunch more tax than us, and is much more unionised. IE the rich are screwing us in NZ and the complaining is to keep the bill low. The Spin-off- linked yesterday.
Professor Davis says actually we don’t know how lucky we are: we’re doing quite well in the grand scheme of things. It might be miserable with all Paula Bennett’s buddies, but not universally. On Newsroom.
Very interesting to see Minister Little say that a National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is a "priority task" that "is not too far away'.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/overarching-national-spy-agency-not-far-govt
Presumably it folds together the acronym soup of SIS, GCSB, NSG and many more.
I would at least like to see Labour inviting public debate on this before it is just implemented.
Everyone will be rushing to get their contracts renewed, projects passed through Boards and procurement teams, as Act seeks BIMs that explicitly state how much they can cut in MBUE staff, Three Waters, He Waka Eke Noa, Auckland Light Rail, Fees-Free and the Provincial Growth Fund.
Act wants its BIMs to contain three key details:
Seymour said ministers would use that information to “identify teams and activities they require departments to cut because they aren’t providing value for taxpayers or because they overlap with functions that exist elsewhere in the bureaucracy”.
I am particularly worried for the funding for the Transport Recovery East Coast Alliance, which National wants to raid for pothole funding.
TREC is the largest state investment the East Coast peoples will ever receive and they need every dollar of it.
Act are definitely worth fighting against.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2023-seymour-act-will-stop-work-on-wasteful-projects-cut-public-service-jobs/RER2ISDBEZDPBBUWTBZNLSKBZI/
Seymore will dress this up as collecting wasteful spending. It is Dog eat Dog spiral to the bottom, all MBIE staff looking over their shoulder, waiting to be fingered, wondering who will have their lives wrecked next, while the money "saved" after redundancies, will go to tax cuts? He is a dangerous little man, and I agree with Jacinda's description!!
“Act are definitely worth fighting against. ” 100% He has delusions of Grandeur .
Act are dangerous and would be damaging.
But it's worse than that. It's a fraud.
We all know that the huge savings ACT say will happen, won't actually happen. We know because they didn't happen before (and don't happen elsewhere with right wing governments). If National/ACT are in government, then in 3 years' time there will be stories about more private consultants and minimal savings. "Red tape" will be cut, and then stuck together again with sellotape, making for false economies.
National say they will "invest" in so many projects it's hard to keep count, all of which will require more spending on those bureaucrats they despise. Or … cut costs on oversight, and bring back Leaky Homes Part Two. Real cost to taxpayers … billions.
agree Observer 100%
So as its Monday tomorrow get ready for the latest revelation from the rights Disinformation Project, we have been warned that there will be one a week until the election. Maybe the first was the anynomous More Yelled At Staffers in the ministers office, leaked through who knows, and last Monday's leaking $20 billion hole initially through Winston Peters. What's up tomorrow, can't wait, whatever it is it will be fantastic, and then rubbished by reason and proven to be lies a few days later.
Suzie Fergusson project on Disinformation and misinformation, and recovered bodies who ended up looking where they had been and deciding who they would in future talk to online. Very revealing and shows how family and friends influenced people who were already anti in some way. It is worth a listen… Could someone kind link for me after 7am Sun news on RNZ.
RNZ haven't made it easy to find specific Undercurrent episodes, but I think today's might have been one of these.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/undercurrent/story/2018900008/undercurrent-episodes-5-6-and-7
Thank you Weka.
A link to the full podcast from episode 1 to 7.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/undercurrent-podcast
I found the early episodes the most interesting.
Suzie Ferguson deserves accolades for the podcast series.
Thank you
You're welcome Patricia, and thanks for asking for the link and saying when/where it was 👍 This is so much better than someone just saying they can't find the link or whatever.
Greens will fund free dental care:
https://www.greens.org.nz/green_party_promises_free_dental_for_all
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/495244/greens-promise-free-dental-for-all-paid-for-by-fair-and-simple-tax-changes
That will be a popular Policy.
Have the Greens said where they are going to find the dentists to implement this policy?
Increasing the training cap from 60 to 80 is a drop in the bucket – won't even reach replacement for current dentists retiring; and, most importantly – won't even kick in for 5 years (takes 5 years to train a dentist at Otago)
Dentists are in just as short-supply in NZ as GPs are; and dental nurses (or dental hygienists) aren't much better.
We can see this, by the immense pressure the school dental service (with the free treatment) is – many, many children are not seen within 3 years, let alone annually, as they are supposed to be. And, while it's free to have the dentist check your child's teeth out – most practices (certainly in Auckland) won't enrol children or teens (they don't get enough in payments from the government to even cover their costs).
Announcing a policy, with no practical idea of how to staff it – does not incline people to take you seriously.
Not surprising that a NZ Labour government expanded dental care from our youngest children to everyone aged 18 and under.
Gosh, sounds as if the Green's policy of a 33% increase in the training cap for dentists could be worse than nothing – a respectful ‘centrist's’ work is never done.
Will NAct favour voters with a reaction – perhaps even a policy of their own?
Or maybe NAct have faith that the invisible hand of the market will provide.
"More to do." What more might Labour do? Or NAct for that matter – vouchers?
An increase of 20 places a year – which will – at the very best – start to have an impact in 5 years time, does not incline anyone other than the most one-eyed of lefties to believe this is a well-thought-through policy – let alone a priority for the Green Party.
I note that you have carefully avoided answering the question of where the dentists are going to come from – for at least the next 5 years.
I'm on record as supporting a whole new dental school (I'd suggested Waikato) – in order to actually deal with the gap between the numbers being trained and the evident need.
Centrists are placed to see the policy benefits of all sides of the political spectrum – not being constrained to support 'my party, right or wrong'.
This policy clearly indicates that providing free dental care to all Kiwis is a priority for the Green Party – only the most one-eyed NAct enthusiast would be pushing a different line, imho.
Your chief moans seem to be that it takes 5 years to train a dentist (what, precisely, do you expect the Greens to do about that?), and that they should be increasing the dentistry training cap by more than 33%.
Do NAct even have a policy? Maybe it's not their priority, and why would it be.
The shortage of dentists in NZ didn’t happen overnight, and will take years to fix – think less ‘a filling’, and more ‘orthodontic correction.’ Not doubt NAct will rubbish the Greens policy for free dental care in due course, without suggesting any alternative solutions.
Nope – it's an election bribe that they devoutly hope they'll never be called upon to deliver – because they literally can't.
A true attempt to resolve the issue would be to have pushed for a substantial increase in training places for dentists (and other dental professionals) – sometime in the last 2.5 years (when they were actually part of the government). Not as a last-minute election promise.
Trying to pretend that NZ has the capacity to provide this level of service – is frankly disingenuous. It doesn't matter how much money you're prepared to throw at the issue – if there aren't the people there to deliver the service.
Only the most one-eyed of lefties doesn't recognise an election bribe, just because it comes from his party.
The demand for new dentists would create pathways for foreign skilled workers to come here.
That our horticulture sector has been dependent on foreign tourists and the Pacific migrant workers does not mean it should not exist.
It may be news to you – but dental practices have already been heavily recruiting immigrant dentists. The problem is that they can get better money elsewhere – and NZ's lifestyle bonus isn't holding up so well (floods, etc.)
https://www.new-zealand-immigration.com/dentists-wanted-in-new-zealand
The reductionist branded firms are the problem. The owners make the money not the dentists. The owners set them quotas.
Starting to see the same thing with GP's.
The businesses providing public dentistry must be state owned and profit taken out of the picture. Maybe time for a rethink on public medical services overall.
although the good Dr Coleman might be agin any such rethink.
Heavily recruiting … from overseas – Labour has yet to add them to the Green list of occupations.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2303/S00168/govt-needs-to-brush-up-on-dentistry-workforce-woes.htm
Yes agree BD. I initially read that the policy will be funded by the so-called wealthy again per wealth tax. As Labour has ruled out a wealth tax following the Greens etc publicity before, despite working on a a very fair & reasonable version itself, this indeed is pie in the sky.
I guess the reason for publishing is so that a potential coalition partner can look at what they may have to agree to……..oh I forgot,,,,,,the Greens have ruled out several potential coalition partners.
In my view The Greens have a potential partner in Labour, with whom they have been 'mates' with for sometime. Were any of these policies raised at the time ie when there was a chance they could be implemented?
When are the Greens going to say what their plans are for when they are faced with a potential coalition? I guess not.
What are the Greens plans for combatting inflation, breaking up the supermarket duopoly, breaking down the energy costs for households ie pushing back the Bradford reforms, Bank profits, …….rail/coastal shipping
As the Greens may be in an important place after the next election I would like to know how/when/if etc they will support Labour in the deep issues we are facing. Surely we have grown up a little and don't need election bribes any more…or perhaps election bribes that rely on being funded by something that has already been ruled out by a potential coalition partner.
Excuse my cynicism.
(Waits for the 'RW'/'incrementalist'/ or whatever the insult du jour is.)
The answers exist if you actually look for them
Inflation:
https://www.greens.org.nz/persistent_inflation_shows_urgent_need_to_tax_wealth
Supermarket duopoly:
https://www.greens.org.nz/govt_must_break_up_supermarkets
Energy:
https://www.greens.org.nz/energy_policy
Banks:
https://www.greens.org.nz/when_even_the_nats_agree_bank_profits_are_out_of_control_it_s_time_for_an_excess_profits_tax
Coastal shipping:
https://www.greens.org.nz/national_s_transport_policy_rehash_of_failed_ideas
And all these have been announced with a big fanfare 'rah rah' with special individual threads on TS?
Pardon my cynicism.
I know Labour's poilicies are light on the ground so far but I feel we waste our time on Green policies that
1) can only come into force if there is a left- leaning group holding seats and courage enough to beat off other comers, and
2) can only come into force if they are picked up as part of a coalition, and
3) rely on being funded by forms of taxes or other regimes that the possible majority left leaning partner has ruled out
It is for those reasons and noting those constraints that I would go along with the notion that they are election bribes and bribes put up with a degree of cynicism as The Greens, failing an absoloute miracle, have no ability to grab enough seats to hold a majority and this be assured of the ability to bring these policies into fruition.
Labour has actually worked on this and has increased the amount available via grants substantially since 2022.
What you call bribes are election promises, just like every other party. They are seeking the votes of people who want action on these issues. That you think they are cynical about it indicates your cynicism towards the Greens seems to be boundless. I can't help you with that.
A vote for Labour is an endorsement of their current approach. For all those who want a aspirational left party, the Greens and TPM are the only options. With a larger share of the vote they will be able to demand more of any future government. The idea that a majority is required to enact policy is an oversimplification of MMP.
The argument against the Greens policies is only 'we can't do anything that upsets the status quo.'
The first step in combating inflation was a rent freeze.
Belladonna, who (apart from you) is pretending “that NZ has the capacity“?
It's clear you find the Green Party's policy to provide free dental care for all Kiwis galling, and with ~40% of Kiwis unable to access affordable dental services, it may prove particularly popular among those less likely to vote.
Building the capacity to providing free dental care for all Kiwis will take time – better to start sooner rather than later (or never), imho.
Well, indeed, apparently the Green Party is pretending that "NZ has the capacity" to deliver on this promised service. Otherwise, why have they released the policy?
Several commenters here have repeated the GP announcement about training, as an absolute answer to questions about dental workforce capacity for 2024. [Hint: Not at all the same thing]
I don't find the policy galling – I find the … misinformation …. about being able to deliver on it disingenuous.
Aspirational is fine. Putting in place policies to seriously and (hopefully) rapidly increase the dental workforce, excellent. Building health workforce capacity – I'm going to cheer that on, regardless of the political party championing it.
Implying that people will be getting free dental from 2024? A disingenuous election bribe at the most blatant, as you seem to be acknowledging. "it may prove particularly popular among those less likely to vote."
I don't find this kind of pork-barrel electioneering any more palatable from the left side of politics than I do from the right.
Isn't the Green's policy on providing free dental care to all Kiwis partly about building capacity in the dental services sector? See @14.3.2.
If "the Green Party is pretending that "NZ has the capacity" to deliver", then why would their policy include details about how to “deliver a public dentistry workforce“?
That's what you're implying. You're not thick, so what does that leave?
For the many, not the few
What are some examples of “pork-barrel electioneering” “from the right“, in your opinion?
No point in discussing further. We're simply rehashing the ground.
If the GP want to convince the Centrists that this is serious policy, then they need to address the serious questions.
Implying that we're 'thick' for asking them – doesn't exactly get us on side.
Oh, and just to make you happy – here's an example of pure pork-barrelling from National
https://www.national.org.nz/familyboost
This is a direct subsidy to the childcare centre industry. Little, if any, will stay in the pockets of 'Kiwi families'.
Perhaps re-read @5:12 pm – your intelligence isn’t in question.
Just to make me happy?! Wouldn't a true centrist make an effort to highlight pork-barrelling from the left and the right? Time will tell
The true Centrist has just done precisely that.
Even though it has nothing to do with the discussion in hand – and is actually an example of whaddaboutism.
Perhaps you might look at your biases – continually slinging off at me about being a true Centrist is getting pretty old.
I'm aware of and acknowledge my political biases – "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", nuff said.
But "perhaps you might look at your biases", as evinced by your furious barrage of 'centrist' comments dissing the Green's detailed and costed policy on free dental care for all Kiwis.
Still, fairs fair – with about two months until the general election, you deserve the benefit of the doubt. After all, you could be making equally prolific and disparging comments about ACT's policies on a right-leaning political blog – only you can know for sure.
Btw, are there any broadly centrist parties that appeal to you this election – perchance TOP, or New Zealand First?
I've been entirely clear that I dislike Winston Peters – and feel that his only priority in power is 'what's in it for Winston'.
I do wonder if you understand that the Left needs to persuade Centrists to vote for their parties/polices. If so, you're, personally, doing a really poor job of persuading anyone who isn't already on board with your declared biases.
But, perhaps, as someone with a self-declared Marxist philosophy – the opinions of the bourgeoisie are irrelevant – after all – what value is democracy….
You're middle class too? I'd be interested in your opinion about the value of "for the many, not the few", given spaceship Earth's inability to support our overshoot civilisation.
https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/
As for "what value is democracy", it's easy voting Green. You have my sympathy for the trickier choices that political centrists face.
There has been a notable increase in migrants from Sth America in the last decade.Perhaps Brazil can help NZ with the shortage of dentists.
'Dentistry is the area of health that has expanded the most in recent years in Brazil, with more than 264,000 dentists. That is equivalent to almost 20% of the dentists in the entire world, according to Dentistry Federative Counsel, in 2015. Dentistry, along with medicine and nursing, constitutes the basic nucleus of professionals of higher level of health in Brazil (IPEA 2015; Morita, Haddad, & Araujo, 2010). The rate of dentists to population in Brazil is about 737 habitants per dentist.
Dental genetics in Brazil: Where we are – PMC (nih.gov)
That's your reasoning for the status quo? From the policy document:
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/beachheroes/pages/18276/attachments/original/1691273205/Health_Full_Policy_Document.pdf
No. That's your assumption.
I don't have a problem with increasing denistry places. Although this is far too little, far too late. I'm a firm believer that we need another dentistry school – my suggestion would be Waikato.
The part I have issue with, is that – at the very earliest- this will result in an extra 20 dentists a year in 2029. Note: this will not even make up for the numbers retiring.
It is entirely disingenuous, then, to announce free dental care for all. The GP have no idea how they would be able to staff such a system.
It reminds one of the Labour promise of 100,000 houses – when it was clear that they had zero idea of how it could be carried out (and, indeed, all of the people who said that it was not actually possible, were right)
Your criticism is that there isn't sufficient staffing so therefore this policy is not possible to institute? That is 100% accepting the status quo. If we want to improve outcomes for everyone increased funding for services is one of the only ways to achieve it.
It's very easy to point out what's wrong with a plan; for instance your plan for a new dentistry school also wouldn't increase the number of dentists until 2029 either, so by your own standards it is a non-starter. Are you expecting to be taken seriously?
there's a post up now https://thestandard.org.nz/greens-free-dental-care-for-all/
Are the current posts here going to be migrated to the new thread?
Opening a new dental school would increase the supply of dentists long-term and provide redundancy and flexibility in the training of this speciality (one-source of supply is never a safe option).
It has nothing to do with provision of free dental care.
However, a promise to deliver free-dental care is worthless without the dentists to deliver it. It doesn't matter how much money you are (theoretically) able to throw at it. Pointing out that, appears to be incurring the wrath of the lefties blinded by the bling of political promises.
Oh I see, current dentist cease to exist once free dental care is promised.
What you are pointing out is that you think there are insufficient dentists now and that means, according to you, the policy is completely unworkable. Clearly we need to run everything past you so that we can be 'taken seriously'. Trying to increase the provision of dental care is not worth attempting unless Belladonna has personally deemed the policy to be perfect from the outset, we can't possibly have goals that aren't immediately achievable, we can’t build capacity over time it must already be there before any action can be taken.
That is you argument.
Gosh, if you have no answers – just say so.
Making personal attacks because you don't like people pointing out the flaws in policies – is both trite and trivial.
Personal attack? Lol. Can't see it, but I guess you did say I'm a 'blinded leftie'.
You have ignored any post pointing out the Greens are aware of the shortage and have a plan to increase dentist numbers. You have declared it won't work and is unserious. This is your opinion not a fact.
So, explain
The GP's 'plan to increase dentist numbers' can only come into effect from 2029?
Even the most blinded leftie should be able to see a 5 year gap.
From the existing pool of dentists initially and from the increased training numbers eventually, as well as by immigration and upskilling. As has been pointed out to you repeatedly.
You don't think this will work, you advocate for another dental school, which also doesn't immediately solve the dentist shortage problem, this also would have at the very least a 5 year gap.
What you are arguing is that it is unrealistic but you don't have a better solution, you just have an alternative priority that doesn't include doing anything initially to help with the current crisis of provision of oral health.
I like my politics to be aspirational, with a vision, a goal, even if it may take a lot of work to get there. This is what the Greens are proposing.
Arkie, This whole board works on opinions and views provided these are arguments are made in a careful referenced manner.
You are making your opinion known and so is BD.
In the persistance you are showing about someone else's very reasonable opinions I am reminded of the statement 'you can't make someone love you'.
We want and need people who can see the flaws, who make us think.
As you say we also want/need aspirational policies. Some of us would agree.
There is a time and a place for these too. With the ruling out of a wealth tax and the big problems we are facing as we try to pull the country out of a 'slough of despair' we do not need 'pie in the sky' (which is a meaning from me for 'aspirational' applied incorrectly, naively or with eyes closed).
And Belladonna isn't also being persistent in their 'reasonable' assertions? The ‘flaws’ they point out are already acknowledged and planned for in the Greens policy, which is all I have been reiterating. I have not expressed an opinion on it other than praising the attempt to address the current inequity of oral health provision.
It is interesting to me that "Growing up/being realistic" means suppressing empathy/insisting society can't provide for all.
It is better to try, and fail, than it is to not try at all.
Estimate is that there are 40% of NZers who cannot afford to go to the dentist now. I think that's an under-representation – but even taking those figures. You'd need 40% more dentists than we have now to accommodate this demand.
In 2024. Not in some future far-off time.
NZ is already trying to recruit overseas dentists to work here – it's going about as well as trying to recruit any of the other medical specialities that we're short of. Not, very.
The GP policy is to train and recruit internationally – neither of which will be producing effective numbers in 2024.
As I've pointed out, and you've repeatedly ignored. Having a plan to increase numbers is not the same as having a plan to have the numbers in place in 2024.
Aspiration is all very well. But pretending that your aspirational goals are concrete political reality is profoundly disingenuous.
Who is doing this? It's a policy proposal to take to post-election negotiations.
You are insisting that because the policy is not perfectly setup from it's proposed beginning it is somehow disingenuous and therefore no action should be taken. It's letting impossible perfection be the enemy of a good proposal.
This is such an important point. People don’t seem to understand how electioneering happens. In truth, if the Greens got day 20 MPs and had the power to get this policy near the top of the post-election coalition building list, it’s going to be revamped and more detail worked out.
What we could be doing in this debate is looking at how to make the policy work, instead of naysaying. We could be starting with the principle of dental health care for all, and seeing how it could come about now. Not in some vague hand wave future. This is the brilliance of this year’s Green campaign, they pointing repeatedly to how we don’t have these things because of political choices (not because of dentist shortages), and that we can make different choices.
One practical thing I’m wondering is how many dental practitioners who aren’t dentists can do initial checks.
Some might be induced to change from doing cosmetic surgery for the well off to actual dentistry.
Likely not they are a mercenary bunch.
The demand for new dentists would create pathways for foreign skilled workers to come here.
Tl;dw – the US is going to freeze the conflict in order to give themselves and the UK the time to use their experiences with the Taliban, ISIS, and modern neurolinguistic programming, aided by pagan sectarians and a fake pseudo orthodox church, to create a shop-till-you-drop kamikaze making nation of zombies unified by their homosexuality. Or something.
And Niger.
fwiw, transcript translation
Julia Davis
@JuliaDavisNews
·4h
Putin's former advisor Sergei Markov claimed to know America's plans for Ukraine and laid them out on state TV. He demanded that Saudi-hosted talks in Jeddah ensure the participation of Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Medvedchuk in future Ukrainian elections.
https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1688020442873749504
Dollars to donuts the AfD isn't the only Western party getting Poots' cash.
/
Leaked communications between Vladimir Sergienko, a naturalized German citizen, and “Alexei,” a suspected FSB operative, show the extent of Russia’s infiltration of the Alternative for Germany party. Their “active measures” included a plan to stop or slow delivery of German main battle tanks to Ukraine using frivolous litigation against the German government. It would only cost $93,000.
Vladimir Sergienko, an aide to a Bundestag deputy, has been acting as an intermediary between the Kremlin and German lawmakers in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, a joint investigation between The Insider and Der Spiegel can reveal. Sergienko, a staff member of AfD parliamentarian Eugen Schmidt, has helped coordinate AfD speeches, lobby for pro-Russian initiatives, and even helped trigger a lawsuit against his own government aimed at halting or slowing German weapons transfers to Ukraine – all at the instruction of a suspected Russian intelligence officer. Moreover, Sergienko personally shuttled cash between Moscow and Berlin and directed wire transfers to a German NGO sympathetic to the Kremlin to facilitate his efforts.
https://theins.info/en/politics/264014
Easy to see why he's a former advisor