Rapprochement has broken out between the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas.
This is surely significant. This gives me great hope for the future.
The joyous photos speak for themselves. Also the gestures of reconciliation of the respective leaderships.
Both Fatah and Hamas organisations, have both strength and weaknesses. In my opinion these moves will join their respective strengths and negate their respective weaknesses.
Published on Friday, January 4, 2013 by Common Dreams
In Show of Unity, Hundreds of Thousands Rally in Gaza
Fatah event in Hamas-controlled Gaza hailed as ‘a step on the road to restoring national unity’ Lauren McCauley Common Dreams staff writer
In their first mass gathering in Gaza since 2007, hundreds of thousands of Fatah supporters rallied on Friday in celebration of the 48th anniversary of taking up arms against Israel.
Supporters waved the distinctive black and yellow flags of Fatah and carried pictures of current President Mahmoud Abbas, an Agence France Presse correspondent reports.
“Gaza was the first Palestinian territory rid of [Israeli] occupation and settlement and we want a lifting of the blockade so that it can be free and linked to the rest of the nation,” saidPresident Abbas, whose authority has been limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the 2007 conflict between Fatah and Hamas, in a short televised speech.
Hamas, who permitted the rally to take place in the territory, congratulated Fatah on the anniversary in a statement, saying it considered it a “celebration of national unity and a success for Hamas as well as Fatah.”
“This positive atmosphere is a step on road to restoring national unity,” they added.
Lauren McCauley Common Dreams staff writer
Nothing succeeds like success. Bouyed by the Arab spring the Palestinians like all Arabs are resurgent. This has given the Palestinians the courage and the optimism to overcome their internal historical divisions.
In other good news. The Green led campaign to halt partial asset sales has achieved a significant victory in forcing a referendum on the issue.
Nothing succeeds like success. And in even further good news. In the euphoria following this victory, the comments celebrating the achievement of the referendum thresh hold, on this website, display a new feeling of solidarity and respect, even bonhomie, emerging between the Greens and Labour.
This is great news and all credit to the Greens. Through extra parliamentary joint activity with Labour and other groups, the Greens have pulled the whole political spectrum to the left.
The Greens gave leadership and put up the challenge, and to their credit, Labour and the rest of the left rose to it.
This bodes well for the future.
Now if only the Greens, building on this success, can do this for climate change.
Building on this victory, I would like to suggest that the Greens, instead of appeasing the conservative views in Labour over climate change. Instead switch to challenging Labour over climate change.
They could do this immediately in a number of ways. the first would be to call a parliamentary inquiry into the crisis of climate change and invite Labour to attend. Just as labour called a parliamentary inquiry into manufacturing and invited the Greens to attend.
Another initiative the Greens could take up, to challenge Labour over climate change. Is to put up a private members bill calling for the banning of all coal exports. Which is the most iniquitous immoral and corrupt way of subverting our commitment to Kyoto to cut our fossil fuel use.
Obviously such a bill will not pass while the Nats are in power and are committed to pimping our country to the fossil fuel big boys.
But, it will publicly challenge Labour’s conscience on where way they stand on this singular issue, related to climate change. With heavy lobbying of the Labour MPs by the Green caucus I expect that a number (possibly a majority) of Labour MPs will cross the floor rather than vote with the Nats to veto such a private members bill.
Having voted this way in opposition, these Labour MPs would be more likely to support such a bill when they are in government, (hopefully) within the next 24 months.
The Greens also need to announce now that they will make climate change a prominent election issue. (Unlike last time when they deliberately decided to play it down).
“With heavy lobbying of the Labour MPs by the Green caucus I expect that a number (possibly a majority) of Labour MPs will cross the floor”
You mean the caucus mps who shat themselves over supporting DC, and are now nothing more than obedient, subservient lap dogs for those behind DS?
Can’t see them doing anything other than they’re told from now on, but nice thought.
Perhaps a mod could remove post 3 [B:duplicate comment removed]
I expect the LECs and the Labour grass roots will have something to say, if as you suggest the MPs ignore the membership wish for a a vote on the leadership come February.
“I expect the LECs and the Labour grass roots will have something to say, if as you suggest the MPs ignore the membership wish for a a vote on the leadership come February.”
You expect wrong, Jenny. The members and LEC’s are fine with the process approved at conference and as there will be a unanimous vote of confidence in Shearer in caucus, it will not be going to a wider vote. That’s the process the party agreed to and that’s whats going to happen.
You are also wrong to refer to the asset sales petition as being ‘greens led’. It was a joint effort between several groups and political parties. There was no ‘leader’.
Te Reo Putake is almost certainly right. The main reason there will be no vote is because Cunliffe will not challenge Shearer, and so there will be no cause to trigger the membership-wide vote. That’s my understanding of how it works anyway.
I may despise the ABC club for their deceitful behaviour, but I guess the aim of the exercise was to make it impossible for Cunliffe to challenge, and in that they have succeeded. The irony is: we have no evidence to suggest Cunliffe was going to challenge anyway.
I, and many other members, will be watching to see how Shearer handles the re-shuffle. If he continues to ignore Cunliffe – and other promising Labour MPs who supported Cunliffe at the time of the leadership contest – then he will be buying himself into a future fight that will surely cost Labour the next election.
There will be a unanimous vote because there is no longer an alternative. The caucus know that Shearer will be leading the party into the next election and their jobs as MP’s and as Ministers in the next Government depend on him. Some might call it self interest, but it is the political reality.
Technically, there doesn’t have to be a challenger as its a vote of confidence. But in the absence of an alternative, no Labour MP is going to go into terminal martyr mode.
Nah, your membership is still useful. TRP talks bold, but s/he has no way of knowing what will happen, and it comes across as wishful thinking as much as anything.
No you didn’t renew your membership in vain, Jilly Bee, unless you think the leader is everything in politics. For me, the talking head is just the means of delivery for policy. It’s policy that makes good government, not a slick leader. Shearer is here for the next few years and is going to be a good, if somewhat plodding, PM. He’s not that important; its the changes made that mark the nature of government, not the leader.
True, TRP, but the leader needs to be able to articulate the agreed policy in a forthright and confident manner, not stumbling and mumbling his/her way which is happening at present and it’s simply makes me cringe. The last time I saw David Cunliffe being asked for an opinion on the TV news and I wish I could recall what the question was about now, but he answered in two or three concise words which totally answered the question put to him and left the viewer [or this viewer] in no doubt. I can’t say that for DS at the moment and I don’t think he’s going to be able to do so into the foreseeable future.
You mean the stumbling, stuttering, bumbling, head????? Because that is a real turn off for voters, when the message cannot be gotten out in a 10 sec sound bite, or in Shearers case a 5 minute explanation that leaves the viewers going HUH??
When the Douglas clique took over the Labour Party, people left in droves, but they had powerful backers and they got away with transforming NZ for the worse. It looks to me now as if the Labour Party is at risk of being hijacked again by undisclosed deals, and the answer is not to leave, but to stay in or join, so as to be in the position to collectively exert pressure in favour of genuine Labour principles. It may not work, but it has a chance of working. The other option, as some people have been saying, is to support the Greens, but I think it is too early to throw in the towel just yet. I would like the party to be able to throw out MPs and even leaders who fail to adhere to Labour principles, as this would arguably place conditions on the sorts of deals that can be made.
Please explain this lack of alternative? Are backbenchers debarred from challenging leaders? No. Was the unanimous backing of Shearer a genuine backing of him by caucus? If you believe in the tooth fairy, then I guess so.
But since I don’t belive in the tooth fairy, and since I also do not believe Cunliffe was issuing a challenge at conference, it would seem obvious that a proportion of caucus backed Shearer because it was the pragmatic thing to do….until February.
Its over for Cunliffe, Bill. And unless Shearer does something spectacularly stupid, he will be the next PM. I hate to repeat myself, but nobody is going to challenge him, because he is going to win the next election and the backbenchers would very much like to be considered for ministerial positions so they are not going to rock the boat.
So there is no application of common sense or attempt at anlysis that might underpin your opinion….it’s just hope and wishful thinking. (Shearer a shoo-in? No challenge because…oh that’s right – Shearer’s a shoo in. And in the event he’s not, then the ‘fact’ that every single member of caucus is a careerist who reckons he’s a shoo-in secures his position as leader anyway. wow ) Actually – probably more accurate to refer to your string of ultimately baseless assertions floating on circular and self reinforcing hot air and puffery rather than ‘your opinion’.
No doubt you’ll apologise for your ignorance and wishful thinking in February, Bill. I won’t hold my breath though.
If you have an alternative scenario, please put it up. But do open your eyes first. See any signs of a challenge to Shearer? Any indication that any MP will vote against Shearer in February? Any tittle tattle/gossip/interweb fantasy that suggests I’m wrong?
That scenario seems to be that the minority in caucus that support Cunliffe are keeping their powder dry. Yes?
I don’t see any evidence of that at all. Honestly, its over. Done like a dinner.
Time to move on to the real issues: what’s the election policy going to be and when is Shearer going to put the senior members of the ABC club out to pasture?
edit: got to shoot through for a few hours. It’s been an interesting discussion, cheers. TRP.
Thats exactly right, if you look at pure instinct to provide for yourself and your family would you rock the boat when it may well cost you a salary which is well above that you would get elsewhere? This is especially true for those dependant on list ranking. Most will make the descision to back the team they think will win purely for the above reason.
There is no challenge because the ABC mob, or whoever the twits were that put Shearer in, have decided that they would rather lose the election than have a credible leader.
Whoever floated in Shearer and his sycophants have destroyed the Labour parties chance of actually winning an election. National may yet lose it, but it will be no thanks to the present Labour leadership.
Well, if that’s the case I will seriously consider not party voting for Labour [for the first time since I started voting in 1966]. I will be taking a close interest in the candidate selection for Waitakere, or whatever the seat may morph itself into as to whether I even want to work for his/her election.
<blockquote.TRP
How do you know there will be a “UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN SHEARER IN CAUCUS”
KhandallaViper
Another farcical unanimous vote of confidence? The North Koreans would be proud.
It will be unanimous vote because the ABCs know that they can’t allow a genuine democratic vote. If they let even one MP vote with their conscience, then more might, then more, and the Shearer gang might just, find themselves on the wrong end of it.
Self appointed stalinist commissar, TRP has threatened terminal martyrdom against any member of caucus who dares step out of line. The LECs and the membership need to match TRP’s threat, with an even bigger one. Betray the membership and you can put up your own bill boards.
That’s all a little too far of a gaze into the crystal ball of the future for me, come 2014 we may come full circle to where Labour and the Greens have not the numbers to Govern alone,
Given that NZFirst may balk at forming a coalition with Labour/Greens we may end up with a Labour/NZFirst minority Government with the Greens providing the votes for confidence and supply,
Whether inside Government or outside the Greens need to be doing the work now on which Ministries it could hope to gain from what is at this point a right leaning Labour Party, and of as much importance the budgetary requirements of these ministries,
My view is that Kyoto is history and we should resign from that agreement, impose a carbon tax across the whole economy using such a tax to fund an ongoing tree planting program along with research into ways of reducing emissions and capturing carbon from the atmosphere on an industrial scale…
Grey Power aligned themselves seriously with the signature collection.
Please give them some of the credit.
They are looking more like possible Labour voters now, than for Winston.
Those in my area who voted Winston will not do so again, some are looking towards the Greens as they are impressed by Russel Norman’s forthright views.
First time GreyPower appear to have deviated towards the left.
Not in the Waikato millsy. attended twice,With one or two exceptions it was full of redneck anti young greedy bitter eldery ,we were glad when it was over. Mind you they did put on a good lunch,if one could get there in the rush.We prefer our Rufus Rogers branch for the seniors where all the members look to the future.
Really? You associate grammar nazi with jack boots and Stuka dive bombers?
I’m all for defence against the dark arts, like most sane people, but surely it’s about picking your battles, friend.
This article by Naomi Klein, in the form of a letter to Kathryn Bigelow, explains how Bigelow and other film makers get corrupted by the readily available finance for movies that are pro-US military actions. Klein argues that Bigelow’s latest movie, while claiming to be based in fact, legitimises the US use of torture in Gitmo & elsewhere.
Your film Zero Dark Thirty is a huge hit here. But in falsely justifying, in scene after scene, the torture of detainees in “the global war on terror”, Zero Dark Thirty is a gorgeously-shot, two-hour ad for keeping intelligence agents who committed crimes against Guantánamo prisoners out of jail. It makes heroes and heroines out of people who committed violent crimes against other people based on their race – something that has historical precedent….
This also sets a dangerous precedent: we can be sure, with the “propaganda amendment” of the 2013 NDAA, just signed into law by the president, that the future will hold much more overt corruption of Hollywood and the rest of US pop culture. This amendment legalizes something that has been illegal for decades: the direct funding of pro-government or pro-military messaging in media, without disclosure, aimed at American citizens.
The “historical precedent” that Klein refers to is Leni Riefenstahl, whose films glamorised the 3rd Re1ch.
Actually I think the article points to something bigger than the corruption of one film maker. It’s about the corruption of the whole system, and the way the US authorities propagandise the entertainment industry.
Thanks for the link karol, but I ought to point out that it was the other Naomi who wrote it 😉
I vaguely recall seeing a short doco – or maybe it was part of a larger doco – about this wider issue. It seems the military will provide incredible amounts of logistic and material support for films with a sympathetic tone or message. Need tanks? Jets? How about lots of muscle? Need your crew and equipment airlifted into a remote location? Pretty handy to have an army on hand.
We’ve never been known as deep or considered, its the lack of public broadcasting and independent media that leave us with outlets with agendas to produce such results.
When a shock jock racist and a rorting politician who passed acts that robbed communities of their assets get new years honours is this any surprise.
Don’t be surprised if Deaker and Sharples are next.
Only 2.3% of those surveyed named Key as their favourite NZ ‘celebrity’. I think we can safely assume that zombies have not infiltrated the population.
In answer to Tazireviper’s question “Are Kiwi’s thicker than batshit?” (The term is pigshit Mr P.M)The answer has to be YES.
Not just in relation to yet another poll that bathes Shonkey in an adoring light. Read any of the reader comments on the Stuff site and you’ll start to have questions about our diminishing cognitive capacity. Check out the “Stuff nation” section and you’ll feel truly depressed. I get TC’s point about the lack of public broadcasting and a strong independant media but is a person not capable of thinking for themselves and asking questions? And if we were smart wouldn’t we be demanding more open and thought provoking media and not tuning into mind numbing “reality” shows? Are we so dumbed down that we even consider Shonkey in terms of celebrity? Sure he’s been modelled that way but we are the suckers for believing it.
We are a country that not only voted once for National under Shonkey, but twice, even when the damage was blindingly obvious. To me that alone highlights our inability to think. It doesn’t have to be deep thinking – just regular plain old thinking would have done.
During the second George Dubya reign I often used to wonder how stupid/blindly influenced the Americans could be for voting him back in (even taking on board the Florida rigging) and then I used to wonder what it must be like for those who didn’t support him who felt that his “leadership” was damaging their country (and those of the nations they invaded and or controlled). Living in NZ at this time feels like we are living in a void. Was this what it was like for the Americans? When we begin to reject our increasingly inane media and entertainment culture and as ordinary people begin to question is when we begin to get our power back
I’ve no time for either of them and wouldn’t know McCaw if I fell over him, but I think it would be a pretty sorry state of affairs if a man whose sole claim to fame is the ability to kick an inflated bladder in the right direction for entertainment was more popular than the Prime Minister of a nation state.
+ a gangnail; McCaw has been an Excellent Captain, a real hardman, imho. (a “brother” of mine is self-employed fixing pneumatic nail-guns, in fact, he has a boot full of new ones, generally under-cutting the franchisees) It has been my experience that if one can read the manual and has been shown the correct tool for the job we can fix any fu$k-up, or we could disproportionately Taser the mentally ill…
What’s with these little pop up polls that the Herald keeps running that Key keeps winning? Key more popular than Richie McCaw!!! Yea, good to know. Personally I don’t know anybody that has any time for our tedious little pm.
What lies behind this hyperactivity? Critics accuse the government of softening up the sector for privatisation. But the education secretary, Michael Gove, and the universities minister, David Willetts, insist that ensuring accountability for taxpayers’ money and driving up academic standards are their goals. Gove’s own fogeyish style completes the picture of the old-fashioned, no-nonsense grammar school headmaster. But the government is not simply stuck in 1950s “3Rism”, nor is it planning wholesale privatisation (yet). Rather, it is still stubbornly pursuing a discredited 1980s ideology of quasi-markets, even though 30 years of experience shows that far from improving quality, it is destroying it.
And our government is doing exactly the same thing so, why are conservatives so intent on destroying education?
Right-wingers in the UK (especially columnists in the Daily Mail – a publication which balances a call for ‘family values’ with a peddling of a rather high concentration of sleaze), routinely call for a return of the Tripartite System with the Grammar School taking precedence.
To which my response is: What about those who get dumped in the secondary moderns?
The Conservatives fear a well educated and informed populace. People might actually think, gain insight, and ask far too many awkward questions (let alone make enlightened demands).
Dr. Terry’s reply presupposes a sinister conspiracy by a cabal who are aware that their fundamental beliefs won’t stand up to scrutiny but respond by acting to pull the wool over everyone else’s eyes.
Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. These people merely still firmly believe that their ideas and philosophy although discredited by experience will work if only conditions are different or the implementation is tweaked at the edges, ie they are insane rather than mendacious. A much simpler explanation.
That may be true of many of those who support conservative parties but it’s not true of all of them. Some of them will be looking to prevent a proper education that encourages people to think about what’s actually happening. These few will most likely be the leaders in the conservative parties. Research has shown that the majority of leaders in conservative parties and business happen to be psychopaths.
“Research has shown that the majority of leaders in conservative parties and business happen to be psychopaths.”
As you haven’t provided any authority for this statement I cannot weigh the veracity of the claim, but off the top of my head think it unlikely to be true. I would be more willing to accept a proposal that “the majority of leaders…’ &tc are sociopaths.
The difference? Psychopaths = “Tendency for impulsive or opportunistic criminal behavior, excessive risk taking, impulsive or opportunistic violence. Unable to maintain normal relationships.” Sociopaths = “Tendency for premeditated crimes with controllable risks, criminal opportunism, fraud, calculated or opportunistic violence. Tendency to appear superficially normal in social relationships, often social predators.”
By that definition Sociopaths I suggest are far more common that Psychopaths and I don’t see any reason why sociopathic behaviour should be a phenomenon limited to the Right, although the great unwashed would more likely accept TV drama displaying Sociopathic behaviour by bankers and Psychopathic behaviour by the residents of State housing.
In any cause I would argue your basic premise is wrong in that I don’t see many societies or countries around the world where an ill-educated and ‘repressed’ populace regularly votes in and supports rich Right-wing elites – at least where they get the chance to vote.
In fact I would suggest that it is the Right which benefits from a well-educated and socially mobile poplace. The reason the Left virtually doesn’t exist in the US despite its relatively well-educated population is that the Right represents what most people aspire to – ie being rich.
As you haven’t provided any authority for this statement I cannot weigh the veracity of the claim…
It was a book I read years ago by one of the better known sociologists – Robert Hare I believe but I could be misremembering.
In any cause I would argue your basic premise is wrong in that I don’t see many societies or countries around the world where an ill-educated and ‘repressed’ populace regularly votes in and supports rich Right-wing elites – at least where they get the chance to vote.
It’s all about perception and the perception being built by this government and the one in the UK is that they’re making education better.
In fact I would suggest that it is the Right which benefits from a well-educated and socially mobile poplace.
Nope as has been pointed out. A well educated populace that thinks (really important that bit) will pull down the neo-liberal BS and, eventually, capitalism as well. A populace that’s only taught to the test fails to learn to think and thus can’t as easily pick out the logical holes in the capitalist paradigm.
And there isn’t a hell of a lot of social mobility going on either. In fact, it’s been declining for a long time and even more so after the neo-liberal policies were brought in.
The reason the Left virtually doesn’t exist in the US despite its relatively well-educated population is that the Right represents what most people aspire to – ie being rich.
~50% of the populace in the US doesn’t vote and half of those don’t vote for the Republicans. This would indicate that most people aren’t all that enthused with the right (of course, there’s not a hell of a lot of difference between the Democrats and the Republicans).
Sweeping claims with no factual basis, that cannot be evidenced outside of “I read it once, in some book by this guy, but I can’t remember however it must be totally legit because it adheres to my preconceived bias” are far more offensive than any swear word I can lay down.
You are so right. Just been reading about Tebbet. What a fucking arsole The Tories do not want a well educated inquiring populace. I have also recently read about the Falklands war. This could have been easily fixed by negotiation, but Thatcher the evil cow knowing that she would lose the next election decided to invade the Falklands. She knew, by using and aided by the British MSM mainly that heap of filth called the Daily Express and using the “Rule Britannia, The Sun Will Never Set on the British Empire” bullshit cards she would win the next election. To her the “Falklands “was a gift from heaven” and a “Get Out of Jail” card. To enhance the “Rule Britannia” bullshit she awarded some prat in charge of a state of the art submarine a “decoration” for sinking a clapped out rusty tub full of sea cadets called the General Belgrano. The stupid poms fell for the “Rule Britannia” bullshit hook line and bloody sinker. and at the next election they voted for her with a landslide victory. To me this was like some medieval king putting on a show to get the peasants on his side to fight a war. This is why the right are shit scared of a well educated populace and do their best to dumb us down. We see this in the MSM with bite sized bits of information with no
indepth inquiries or discussions. If the populace are well educated they will not believe all they read in the excuses for papers or what they see on Fox News. They will ask questions, they will not believe the right wing bullshit. It is not in the interest of the fucking right to have people well educated as they will ask “why”, “how”, and “what for” and more importantly “is that the truth” .
They don’t want a well educated and informed society. National would like the opposite. A society of uneducated, individual self centered citizens so it can maintain power and create a cheap labour force.
The rich get richer and poor get poorer.
RNZ
-Rape Crisis facing funding crisis, tenuous, may have to close doors as they compete for Grants with sports clubs
-S.A-in S.Auck accommadation suppl maxed out Big time (rentiers on imported subsidized steroids)
there was more but I heard the Machine Gun Blues and had Georgias on my mind (Wow, what a soothing voice of voluptuosness; exceelent bait to capture the drosophila)
If we deliberately keep on with apostasy after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for missing the mark is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or more witnesses. How much more do you think a person deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son under his foot?
The Lord will judge His people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were pubicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions (unless of course, solar activity fries all the data) 🙂
So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.
Habakkuk- Yet, my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.
-Kotter
1:5 Look at the nations and watch-and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own; they are a law unto themselves and promote their own honour; Their horses are swifter than Leopards; Their cavalry gallops Headlong; They fly like a vulture swooping to devour; Their hordes advance like a Desert Storm and gather prisoners like sand; Guilty men whose own strength is their god.
Bi noculars see beyond the foreground to what is in the background circling the wagon trains.
“RNZ
-Rape Crisis facing funding crisis, tenuous, may have to close doors as they compete for Grants with sports clubs.”
Yeah for a while some time ago I was a member of our local REAP committee, ’til I left in despair and disgust at the amount of money that was being voted by my fellow members to what were little more than Maori social clubs while the Rape Crisis Centers, Charities for the Disabled, Legal Aid Centers, &tc went begging.
“Yet, my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” The reason many righteous ones have hit the buttons on their padded jackets.
There are 13 REAPs in New Zealand. Each REAP is a locally -based Incorporated Society or Trust. The Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission are the main sources of funding. The overall purpose of REAP is to provide educational support to early childhood centres, primary, secondary schools and community groups. REAP promotes and provides learning opportunities that enhance community and personal development.”
Each year we had a couple of $100,000 to distribute to applicants – nothing like enough to meet the needs of a Province, with ‘community groups’ the widest and most ‘flexible’ catagory. I found the sums allocated to a dozen or more Mari and half a dozen Te Reo set-ups in an area with a miniscule Maori population while charities filling desperate needs were refused – some like Refuges and Rape Crisis on the grounds that they weren’t ‘community groups’ – disgusted me, but it was just a personal matter of priorities.
Would it be impolite of me to suggest that you are full of s**t???, i will not ask you to name any of the recipients of the REAP funds but it would be helpful to know which region you are talking of,
So, in this miniscule Maori population there were at least half a dozen Kohanga with bugger all kids in each being given REAP funding???,
Please ennumerate what you consider to be a miniscule Maori population, and last but not least, what exactly is a Mari???…
PS, your whine has as it’s answer the Mission Statement of REAP that you yourself posted above, and i don’t personally see where ‘vote Education’ should be considered as a source of funding for ‘Rape Crisis’ which should be funded from ‘vote health’…
Yes. You make exactly the points I had to fight for several years before I gave up in disgust.
The problem lies with the definitions of “community groups” and “personal development” – or rather the lack of definition we had to work with and the refusal of the officers to provide any guidance. Hence “community groups” was taken by the majority on the committee as meaning “local community groups” so that anything with any national structure was refused ab initio regardless of the fact that the local ‘branch’ or whatever provided services to the local community, was staffed by local volunteers or barely-paid workers and was expected to raise most of its own funds. And “personal development” was vague practically anything could be made to qualify – after all, working to bring down your handicap at golf is “personal development”.
I took and fought for the unpopular view that helping someone get over being raped, or to escape an abusive relationship, or get compensation for an unjustified dismissal &tc, was a necessary first step for them even to begin any kind of “personal development” but, as you pointed out, this is strictly speaking someone else’s financial responsibility and the fact that the funding provided is totally insufficient is a simple matter of inefficient bureaucracy.
No, I won’t say where it was. However I did also have to fight a prevailing view that if we gave money to one Marae we had to give the same to all of them to avoid appearing more supportive of some over others, or if we gave $10,000 to someone undertaking to teach Te Reo in their front room we had to give $10,000 to anyone undertaking to teach Te Reo in their front room with no way whatever of ascertaining the efficacy of such teaching, nor how many children actually benefitted from it.
REAP does a lot of good and the fights I had probably affected no more than 20% if the money distributed at most, and I resigned because it had merely become apparent that my priorities in some areas differed from the majority of the committee and the half-day I occasionally gave up for the process was a waste of my time.
Your answer to my queries is simply a continuance of a series of unsupported allegations directed at Kohanga Reo and Marae,
You provide nothing in the way of ‘facts’ just broaden your unsupported allegations to include ‘giving $10,000 to someone undertaking to teach Maori language ‘in their front room’,
The ‘problem’ as you put it does not lie with the definitions of ‘community group’ and ‘personal development’, when i read those 2 phrases in conjunction with the stated intention of REAP as per EDUCATION it doesn’t take a intellectual giant to figure out the linkages between the 3, education, personal development, and community group,
An example of the above paragraph is a Wellington Marae that takes groups of youths through road safety courses and onto gaining their driving licenses, this fulfills all the REAP aims, it is a community group providing education which leads to the personal development of those involved, really simple if you think about it,
I however get the impression from your series of unsupported allegations,(i would have used the word bullshit,but, i am trying to be polite), that you are deliberately using the hot potato of ‘Rape Crisis’ funding along with the even more spurious ‘get compensation for unjustified dismissal’ as props in what appears to be an anti-Maori
rant in the hope that you will gain support from people here at the Standard via the support those who read these pages have for both those who are unjustifiably dismissed from employment and Rape Crisis/Womens Refuges…
it is all there in read white and black,
C.K Stead y
Future going bananas in Pluto’s banana republic.Goofy
Chinese Leaders embrace simplicity
Arabian nights as autumn fall; Suunis do not Shia divide
In Israel religious communities drive the golf course; Likud licked, another Bennett on the Right
(60,000 deaths in Syria, and counting on a Moscow plan)
“Currency Wars” pass the parcel to more victims of Europa and Bay of Piigs
anxiety ridden children cohorts sky-rocketing over-diagnosis and under-Amelioration of socio-cultural stimulants; Armoured clothes next one hit wonder?
NZQA failing dropouts passed over
Michael’s growing his own and I dig it. Sur l’herbe!
“Although the average temperatures for January and February are the same at 22 degrees, the average rainfall is considerably less in February than in January, with 19mm less rain. In January the average number of rain days is 8.2. In February it is 7.5”
What I find astounding in this article is that no-one seems to account for February being 3 days shorter than January (except in leap years when it is 2 day shorter)
Thus rainfall and raindays for February are being counted in a month that is around 10% shorter than January.
Allow for that 10% and the case that weather is ‘better’ in February is shown to be largely an urban myth born out of simple ignorance of the length of these two summer months.
(Business NZ chief executive Phil) O’Reilly had spoken to several Americans who underwent a similar process for their Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and found it difficult to motivate themselves through the period.
Yeah. Cause…cause…fck, I can’t even make anything up. What is/was O’Reilly on?
Rolls Royce Engines: the beauty of high value manufacturing
An amazing documentary, showing the kinds of wealth, capability and community that high tech, high added value manufacturing brings. It also makes it clear that this kind of expertise is gained over many years or decades and has to be protected and nurtured over the long term.
just in case “any body” wonders why? the Rogue holds the positions he does, it came about through dedicated reading, life experience, tertiary education, film, literature, and watching documentaries on the variety that exists in our world,(including on the production of food, apparel and other commodities for Years. Years! (i may be one-eyed, yet I keep one eye open) and then came The Standard and you guys, you guys. Like D., I too am a critical realist and I believe it is healthy to discuss “religion”, politics, and sociology in an open forum; thanks to an inspirational woman, (a nurse) I was taught that “the more windows you open, the more light we let in”; however, despite my “critical” gaze, i still believe we are well placed here in Aotearoa New Zealand to muddle through this inevitable storm, padded cells or not.(and although we have different styles, i do respect Cameron), what do I know, I’m just a gardener 🙂 (we are thinking of precis ing back issues of Best Practice; this medication of society is, as a generalization, not healthy, and I have personal relationships with G.P’s who suggest that diet / lifestyle is what is making people unwell (as a generalization) which is ironic when we consider the importance of ‘lifestyle’ to most of us. As Draco once exflamed, the economic system /s we are living under are exploitative and wasteful and sadly we live in the times when those ‘chickens’ are coming home to roost.Dreadful when we consider the BLiP compilation. I also watched parliament consistently live and was astounded at the behaviour and attitudes of many, though clearly there are many well meaning politicians.And the cognitive behaviouralists, don’t get me started (some Lorries are just too light for logging, and they wear out… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavior_therapy
is something worth discussing though 🙂
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
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On the international scene;
Rapprochement has broken out between the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas.
This is surely significant. This gives me great hope for the future.
The joyous photos speak for themselves. Also the gestures of reconciliation of the respective leaderships.
Both Fatah and Hamas organisations, have both strength and weaknesses. In my opinion these moves will join their respective strengths and negate their respective weaknesses.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/04-2
Published on Friday, January 4, 2013 by Common Dreams
Nothing succeeds like success. Bouyed by the Arab spring the Palestinians like all Arabs are resurgent. This has given the Palestinians the courage and the optimism to overcome their internal historical divisions.
I wish them well.
“Gaza was the first Palestinian territory rid of [Israeli] occupation and settlement…”
Israel finally moved out those illegal terrorist/settlers, but it has not stopped inflicting murder and mayhem on the citizens of Gaza…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WaCJn4hdjc
That’s the sinister Australian-Israeli MARK REGEV at the end of the clip, explaining why killing that family was okay.
‘
In other good news. The Green led campaign to halt partial asset sales has achieved a significant victory in forcing a referendum on the issue.
Nothing succeeds like success. And in even further good news. In the euphoria following this victory, the comments celebrating the achievement of the referendum thresh hold, on this website, display a new feeling of solidarity and respect, even bonhomie, emerging between the Greens and Labour.
This is great news and all credit to the Greens. Through extra parliamentary joint activity with Labour and other groups, the Greens have pulled the whole political spectrum to the left.
The Greens gave leadership and put up the challenge, and to their credit, Labour and the rest of the left rose to it.
This bodes well for the future.
Now if only the Greens, building on this success, can do this for climate change.
Building on this victory, I would like to suggest that the Greens, instead of appeasing the conservative views in Labour over climate change. Instead switch to challenging Labour over climate change.
They could do this immediately in a number of ways. the first would be to call a parliamentary inquiry into the crisis of climate change and invite Labour to attend. Just as labour called a parliamentary inquiry into manufacturing and invited the Greens to attend.
Another initiative the Greens could take up, to challenge Labour over climate change. Is to put up a private members bill calling for the banning of all coal exports. Which is the most iniquitous immoral and corrupt way of subverting our commitment to Kyoto to cut our fossil fuel use.
Obviously such a bill will not pass while the Nats are in power and are committed to pimping our country to the fossil fuel big boys.
But, it will publicly challenge Labour’s conscience on where way they stand on this singular issue, related to climate change. With heavy lobbying of the Labour MPs by the Green caucus I expect that a number (possibly a majority) of Labour MPs will cross the floor rather than vote with the Nats to veto such a private members bill.
Having voted this way in opposition, these Labour MPs would be more likely to support such a bill when they are in government, (hopefully) within the next 24 months.
The Greens also need to announce now that they will make climate change a prominent election issue. (Unlike last time when they deliberately decided to play it down).
“With heavy lobbying of the Labour MPs by the Green caucus I expect that a number (possibly a majority) of Labour MPs will cross the floor”
You mean the caucus mps who shat themselves over supporting DC, and are now nothing more than obedient, subservient lap dogs for those behind DS?
Can’t see them doing anything other than they’re told from now on, but nice thought.
Perhaps a mod could remove post 3
[B:duplicate comment removed]
I expect the LECs and the Labour grass roots will have something to say, if as you suggest the MPs ignore the membership wish for a a vote on the leadership come February.
All depends on who they’re more afraid of, voters or their bosses b(l)and of brothers.
“I expect the LECs and the Labour grass roots will have something to say, if as you suggest the MPs ignore the membership wish for a a vote on the leadership come February.”
You expect wrong, Jenny. The members and LEC’s are fine with the process approved at conference and as there will be a unanimous vote of confidence in Shearer in caucus, it will not be going to a wider vote. That’s the process the party agreed to and that’s whats going to happen.
You are also wrong to refer to the asset sales petition as being ‘greens led’. It was a joint effort between several groups and political parties. There was no ‘leader’.
Ho ho. “there will be a unanimous vote of confidence in Shearer in Caucus” TRP
Yes sir, comrade commissar.
Well TRP seeing as you can tell the future.
Next weeks Lotto numbers Please.
TRP
How do you know there will be a “UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN SHEARER IN CAUCUS” ?
Yeah I’m not sure how that works either. Last time there was a unanimous vote it was taken as evidence of a dastardly plot and heads had to roll.
Te Reo Putake is almost certainly right. The main reason there will be no vote is because Cunliffe will not challenge Shearer, and so there will be no cause to trigger the membership-wide vote. That’s my understanding of how it works anyway.
I may despise the ABC club for their deceitful behaviour, but I guess the aim of the exercise was to make it impossible for Cunliffe to challenge, and in that they have succeeded. The irony is: we have no evidence to suggest Cunliffe was going to challenge anyway.
I, and many other members, will be watching to see how Shearer handles the re-shuffle. If he continues to ignore Cunliffe – and other promising Labour MPs who supported Cunliffe at the time of the leadership contest – then he will be buying himself into a future fight that will surely cost Labour the next election.
Two can play that game.
Btw felixviper, it was a majority vote.
There will be a unanimous vote because there is no longer an alternative. The caucus know that Shearer will be leading the party into the next election and their jobs as MP’s and as Ministers in the next Government depend on him. Some might call it self interest, but it is the political reality.
Technically, there doesn’t have to be a challenger as its a vote of confidence. But in the absence of an alternative, no Labour MP is going to go into terminal martyr mode.
Looks like I renewed my membership in vain.
Nah, your membership is still useful. TRP talks bold, but s/he has no way of knowing what will happen, and it comes across as wishful thinking as much as anything.
No you didn’t renew your membership in vain, Jilly Bee, unless you think the leader is everything in politics. For me, the talking head is just the means of delivery for policy. It’s policy that makes good government, not a slick leader. Shearer is here for the next few years and is going to be a good, if somewhat plodding, PM. He’s not that important; its the changes made that mark the nature of government, not the leader.
True, TRP, but the leader needs to be able to articulate the agreed policy in a forthright and confident manner, not stumbling and mumbling his/her way which is happening at present and it’s simply makes me cringe. The last time I saw David Cunliffe being asked for an opinion on the TV news and I wish I could recall what the question was about now, but he answered in two or three concise words which totally answered the question put to him and left the viewer [or this viewer] in no doubt. I can’t say that for DS at the moment and I don’t think he’s going to be able to do so into the foreseeable future.
Leadership is not that important??? Just a talking head!!!
Another couple of clangers from TRP.
But, I suppose if this is what Labour insiders think then it would explain a lot about David Shearer’s dire performance.
“if this is what Labour insiders think then it would explain a lot about David Shearer’s dire performance.”
Not to mention those that put him there in the first place.
One day, when the memoirs are out.
You mean the stumbling, stuttering, bumbling, head????? Because that is a real turn off for voters, when the message cannot be gotten out in a 10 sec sound bite, or in Shearers case a 5 minute explanation that leaves the viewers going HUH??
When the Douglas clique took over the Labour Party, people left in droves, but they had powerful backers and they got away with transforming NZ for the worse. It looks to me now as if the Labour Party is at risk of being hijacked again by undisclosed deals, and the answer is not to leave, but to stay in or join, so as to be in the position to collectively exert pressure in favour of genuine Labour principles. It may not work, but it has a chance of working. The other option, as some people have been saying, is to support the Greens, but I think it is too early to throw in the towel just yet. I would like the party to be able to throw out MPs and even leaders who fail to adhere to Labour principles, as this would arguably place conditions on the sorts of deals that can be made.
Please explain this lack of alternative? Are backbenchers debarred from challenging leaders? No. Was the unanimous backing of Shearer a genuine backing of him by caucus? If you believe in the tooth fairy, then I guess so.
But since I don’t belive in the tooth fairy, and since I also do not believe Cunliffe was issuing a challenge at conference, it would seem obvious that a proportion of caucus backed Shearer because it was the pragmatic thing to do….until February.
Its over for Cunliffe, Bill. And unless Shearer does something spectacularly stupid, he will be the next PM. I hate to repeat myself, but nobody is going to challenge him, because he is going to win the next election and the backbenchers would very much like to be considered for ministerial positions so they are not going to rock the boat.
So there is no application of common sense or attempt at anlysis that might underpin your opinion….it’s just hope and wishful thinking. (Shearer a shoo-in? No challenge because…oh that’s right – Shearer’s a shoo in. And in the event he’s not, then the ‘fact’ that every single member of caucus is a careerist who reckons he’s a shoo-in secures his position as leader anyway. wow ) Actually – probably more accurate to refer to your string of ultimately baseless assertions floating on circular and self reinforcing hot air and puffery rather than ‘your opinion’.
No doubt you’ll apologise for your ignorance and wishful thinking in February, Bill. I won’t hold my breath though.
If you have an alternative scenario, please put it up. But do open your eyes first. See any signs of a challenge to Shearer? Any indication that any MP will vote against Shearer in February? Any tittle tattle/gossip/interweb fantasy that suggests I’m wrong?
You mean like the reasonable scenario I suggested at 12:02?
That scenario seems to be that the minority in caucus that support Cunliffe are keeping their powder dry. Yes?
I don’t see any evidence of that at all. Honestly, its over. Done like a dinner.
Time to move on to the real issues: what’s the election policy going to be and when is Shearer going to put the senior members of the ABC club out to pasture?
edit: got to shoot through for a few hours. It’s been an interesting discussion, cheers. TRP.
Thats exactly right, if you look at pure instinct to provide for yourself and your family would you rock the boat when it may well cost you a salary which is well above that you would get elsewhere? This is especially true for those dependant on list ranking. Most will make the descision to back the team they think will win purely for the above reason.
There is no challenge because the ABC mob, or whoever the twits were that put Shearer in, have decided that they would rather lose the election than have a credible leader.
Whoever floated in Shearer and his sycophants have destroyed the Labour parties chance of actually winning an election. National may yet lose it, but it will be no thanks to the present Labour leadership.
Well, if that’s the case I will seriously consider not party voting for Labour [for the first time since I started voting in 1966]. I will be taking a close interest in the candidate selection for Waitakere, or whatever the seat may morph itself into as to whether I even want to work for his/her election.
……….”because he is going to win the next election”…….
Wow thats great news. Has anybody told voters yet that they MUST give Labour over 50% of the vote so Shearer can WIN the next election?
<blockquote.TRP
How do you know there will be a “UNANIMOUS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN SHEARER IN CAUCUS”
KhandallaViper
Another farcical unanimous vote of confidence? The North Koreans would be proud.
It will be unanimous vote because the ABCs know that they can’t allow a genuine democratic vote. If they let even one MP vote with their conscience, then more might, then more, and the Shearer gang might just, find themselves on the wrong end of it.
Self appointed stalinist commissar, TRP has threatened terminal martyrdom against any member of caucus who dares step out of line. The LECs and the membership need to match TRP’s threat, with an even bigger one. Betray the membership and you can put up your own bill boards.
That’s all a little too far of a gaze into the crystal ball of the future for me, come 2014 we may come full circle to where Labour and the Greens have not the numbers to Govern alone,
Given that NZFirst may balk at forming a coalition with Labour/Greens we may end up with a Labour/NZFirst minority Government with the Greens providing the votes for confidence and supply,
Whether inside Government or outside the Greens need to be doing the work now on which Ministries it could hope to gain from what is at this point a right leaning Labour Party, and of as much importance the budgetary requirements of these ministries,
My view is that Kyoto is history and we should resign from that agreement, impose a carbon tax across the whole economy using such a tax to fund an ongoing tree planting program along with research into ways of reducing emissions and capturing carbon from the atmosphere on an industrial scale…
Grey Power aligned themselves seriously with the signature collection.
Please give them some of the credit.
They are looking more like possible Labour voters now, than for Winston.
Those in my area who voted Winston will not do so again, some are looking towards the Greens as they are impressed by Russel Norman’s forthright views.
First time GreyPower appear to have deviated towards the left.
I thought GreyPower were more or less left anyway?
Not in the Waikato millsy. attended twice,With one or two exceptions it was full of redneck anti young greedy bitter eldery ,we were glad when it was over. Mind you they did put on a good lunch,if one could get there in the rush.We prefer our Rufus Rogers branch for the seniors where all the members look to the future.
Tv leaders debates in 2014
Should be for the three main parties, no?
Who would object most, Key or Shearer?
Who would object most, Key or Shearer?
Rewrite as….
Who would object MORE, Key or Shearer?
Or rewrite as…
Who would object the most, Key, Shearer or grammar nazis? 😆
I do believe we have a case of Godwin’s on our hands.
No, I was messing with you, but if you didn’t see what I did, I wouldn’t worry about it. 😉
No, I was messing with you,
I KNOW you were, Al1en, you kidder, you.
…but if you didn’t see what I did, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I SAW what you did, already! Sheesh…
Are you serial?
the nuzzies were pacificly mentioned…
Really? You associate grammar nazi with jack boots and Stuka dive bombers?
I’m all for defence against the dark arts, like most sane people, but surely it’s about picking your battles, friend.
No mileage crying heil wolf in my direction.
And yes, before you ask, I think sacha baron cohen is knob. 😉
lol
sorry, I was just continuing the mispronounciation jokes.
This article by Naomi Klein, in the form of a letter to Kathryn Bigelow, explains how Bigelow and other film makers get corrupted by the readily available finance for movies that are pro-US military actions. Klein argues that Bigelow’s latest movie, while claiming to be based in fact, legitimises the US use of torture in Gitmo & elsewhere.
The “historical precedent” that Klein refers to is Leni Riefenstahl, whose films glamorised the 3rd Re1ch.
Actually I think the article points to something bigger than the corruption of one film maker. It’s about the corruption of the whole system, and the way the US authorities propagandise the entertainment industry.
Thanks for the link karol, but I ought to point out that it was the other Naomi who wrote it 😉
I vaguely recall seeing a short doco – or maybe it was part of a larger doco – about this wider issue. It seems the military will provide incredible amounts of logistic and material support for films with a sympathetic tone or message. Need tanks? Jets? How about lots of muscle? Need your crew and equipment airlifted into a remote location? Pretty handy to have an army on hand.
Whoops. Thanks, felix. Yes – Wolf.
I think this is the film I was thinking of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r20a7nHpnY
that is correct
Are Kiwis thicker than batshit?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/8146954/Key-more-popular-than-McCaw-poll-finds
The answer is yes.
We’ve never been known as deep or considered, its the lack of public broadcasting and independent media that leave us with outlets with agendas to produce such results.
When a shock jock racist and a rorting politician who passed acts that robbed communities of their assets get new years honours is this any surprise.
Don’t be surprised if Deaker and Sharples are next.
Sir Garth McVicar.
You read it here first.
Only 2.3% of those surveyed named Key as their favourite NZ ‘celebrity’. I think we can safely assume that zombies have not infiltrated the population.
In answer to Tazireviper’s question “Are Kiwi’s thicker than batshit?” (The term is pigshit Mr P.M)The answer has to be YES.
Not just in relation to yet another poll that bathes Shonkey in an adoring light. Read any of the reader comments on the Stuff site and you’ll start to have questions about our diminishing cognitive capacity. Check out the “Stuff nation” section and you’ll feel truly depressed. I get TC’s point about the lack of public broadcasting and a strong independant media but is a person not capable of thinking for themselves and asking questions? And if we were smart wouldn’t we be demanding more open and thought provoking media and not tuning into mind numbing “reality” shows? Are we so dumbed down that we even consider Shonkey in terms of celebrity? Sure he’s been modelled that way but we are the suckers for believing it.
We are a country that not only voted once for National under Shonkey, but twice, even when the damage was blindingly obvious. To me that alone highlights our inability to think. It doesn’t have to be deep thinking – just regular plain old thinking would have done.
During the second George Dubya reign I often used to wonder how stupid/blindly influenced the Americans could be for voting him back in (even taking on board the Florida rigging) and then I used to wonder what it must be like for those who didn’t support him who felt that his “leadership” was damaging their country (and those of the nations they invaded and or controlled). Living in NZ at this time feels like we are living in a void. Was this what it was like for the Americans? When we begin to reject our increasingly inane media and entertainment culture and as ordinary people begin to question is when we begin to get our power back
I’ve no time for either of them and wouldn’t know McCaw if I fell over him, but I think it would be a pretty sorry state of affairs if a man whose sole claim to fame is the ability to kick an inflated bladder in the right direction for entertainment was more popular than the Prime Minister of a nation state.
And it’s exactly that sort of pointless elitist snobbery that makes the Left look ugly for a lot of potential supporters
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/14305/in_defense_of_the_spectacle/
Relax.It’s actually the pollsters who are thick.
(Nails are more popular than gerbils).
+1
+ a gangnail; McCaw has been an Excellent Captain, a real hardman, imho. (a “brother” of mine is self-employed fixing pneumatic nail-guns, in fact, he has a boot full of new ones, generally under-cutting the franchisees) It has been my experience that if one can read the manual and has been shown the correct tool for the job we can fix any fu$k-up, or we could disproportionately Taser the mentally ill…
“Taser the mentally ill…”
This party political election broadcast was bought to you by the conservative party.
apparently, the Tasers are in the “shop” being repaired alot; Communication Breakdown?
I bet judith collins has a can of mace in her handbag next to her emergency y fronts
love Leo
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/537839_363900367041926_1588146299_n.jpg
Always a tough crowd on comedy night at the standard 😆
^ ^ (he is funny, and very little swearing, from memory of tele)
Economics again. Required listening for better understanding of the present day culture.
On Radionz now Laidlaw interviewing a NZ economist.
Related to book Behavioural Economics for Dummies.
What’s with these little pop up polls that the Herald keeps running that Key keeps winning? Key more popular than Richie McCaw!!! Yea, good to know. Personally I don’t know anybody that has any time for our tedious little pm.
Britain’s education system is being tested to destruction
And our government is doing exactly the same thing so, why are conservatives so intent on destroying education?
Right-wingers in the UK (especially columnists in the Daily Mail – a publication which balances a call for ‘family values’ with a peddling of a rather high concentration of sleaze), routinely call for a return of the Tripartite System with the Grammar School taking precedence.
To which my response is: What about those who get dumped in the secondary moderns?
The Conservatives fear a well educated and informed populace. People might actually think, gain insight, and ask far too many awkward questions (let alone make enlightened demands).
Dr. Terry’s reply presupposes a sinister conspiracy by a cabal who are aware that their fundamental beliefs won’t stand up to scrutiny but respond by acting to pull the wool over everyone else’s eyes.
Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. These people merely still firmly believe that their ideas and philosophy although discredited by experience will work if only conditions are different or the implementation is tweaked at the edges, ie they are insane rather than mendacious. A much simpler explanation.
That may be true of many of those who support conservative parties but it’s not true of all of them. Some of them will be looking to prevent a proper education that encourages people to think about what’s actually happening. These few will most likely be the leaders in the conservative parties. Research has shown that the majority of leaders in conservative parties and business happen to be psychopaths.
“Research has shown that the majority of leaders in conservative parties and business happen to be psychopaths.”
As you haven’t provided any authority for this statement I cannot weigh the veracity of the claim, but off the top of my head think it unlikely to be true. I would be more willing to accept a proposal that “the majority of leaders…’ &tc are sociopaths.
The difference? Psychopaths = “Tendency for impulsive or opportunistic criminal behavior, excessive risk taking, impulsive or opportunistic violence. Unable to maintain normal relationships.” Sociopaths = “Tendency for premeditated crimes with controllable risks, criminal opportunism, fraud, calculated or opportunistic violence. Tendency to appear superficially normal in social relationships, often social predators.”
By that definition Sociopaths I suggest are far more common that Psychopaths and I don’t see any reason why sociopathic behaviour should be a phenomenon limited to the Right, although the great unwashed would more likely accept TV drama displaying Sociopathic behaviour by bankers and Psychopathic behaviour by the residents of State housing.
In any cause I would argue your basic premise is wrong in that I don’t see many societies or countries around the world where an ill-educated and ‘repressed’ populace regularly votes in and supports rich Right-wing elites – at least where they get the chance to vote.
In fact I would suggest that it is the Right which benefits from a well-educated and socially mobile poplace. The reason the Left virtually doesn’t exist in the US despite its relatively well-educated population is that the Right represents what most people aspire to – ie being rich.
It was a book I read years ago by one of the better known sociologists – Robert Hare I believe but I could be misremembering.
It’s all about perception and the perception being built by this government and the one in the UK is that they’re making education better.
Nope as has been pointed out. A well educated populace that thinks (really important that bit) will pull down the neo-liberal BS and, eventually, capitalism as well. A populace that’s only taught to the test fails to learn to think and thus can’t as easily pick out the logical holes in the capitalist paradigm.
And there isn’t a hell of a lot of social mobility going on either. In fact, it’s been declining for a long time and even more so after the neo-liberal policies were brought in.
~50% of the populace in the US doesn’t vote and half of those don’t vote for the Republicans. This would indicate that most people aren’t all that enthused with the right (of course, there’s not a hell of a lot of difference between the Democrats and the Republicans).
[delete]
[B:- you were banned for a week on Tuesday. This is only Sunday.]
Sweeping claims with no factual basis, that cannot be evidenced outside of “I read it once, in some book by this guy, but I can’t remember however it must be totally legit because it adheres to my preconceived bias” are far more offensive than any swear word I can lay down.
Use your heads. Logic works.
This Old Chestnut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_Anxiety
Bonkers!
(however, from small acorns grow mighty folks)
You are so right. Just been reading about Tebbet. What a fucking arsole The Tories do not want a well educated inquiring populace. I have also recently read about the Falklands war. This could have been easily fixed by negotiation, but Thatcher the evil cow knowing that she would lose the next election decided to invade the Falklands. She knew, by using and aided by the British MSM mainly that heap of filth called the Daily Express and using the “Rule Britannia, The Sun Will Never Set on the British Empire” bullshit cards she would win the next election. To her the “Falklands “was a gift from heaven” and a “Get Out of Jail” card. To enhance the “Rule Britannia” bullshit she awarded some prat in charge of a state of the art submarine a “decoration” for sinking a clapped out rusty tub full of sea cadets called the General Belgrano. The stupid poms fell for the “Rule Britannia” bullshit hook line and bloody sinker. and at the next election they voted for her with a landslide victory. To me this was like some medieval king putting on a show to get the peasants on his side to fight a war. This is why the right are shit scared of a well educated populace and do their best to dumb us down. We see this in the MSM with bite sized bits of information with no
indepth inquiries or discussions. If the populace are well educated they will not believe all they read in the excuses for papers or what they see on Fox News. They will ask questions, they will not believe the right wing bullshit. It is not in the interest of the fucking right to have people well educated as they will ask “why”, “how”, and “what for” and more importantly “is that the truth” .
They don’t want a well educated and informed society. National would like the opposite. A society of uneducated, individual self centered citizens so it can maintain power and create a cheap labour force.
The rich get richer and poor get poorer.
yaaaaay, out of “jail”;
RNZ
-Rape Crisis facing funding crisis, tenuous, may have to close doors as they compete for Grants with sports clubs
-S.A-in S.Auck accommadation suppl maxed out Big time (rentiers on imported subsidized steroids)
there was more but I heard the Machine Gun Blues and had Georgias on my mind (Wow, what a soothing voice of voluptuosness; exceelent bait to capture the drosophila)
If we deliberately keep on with apostasy after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for missing the mark is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or more witnesses. How much more do you think a person deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son under his foot?
The Lord will judge His people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were pubicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions (unless of course, solar activity fries all the data) 🙂
So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.
Habakkuk- Yet, my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.
-Kotter
1:5 Look at the nations and watch-and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own; they are a law unto themselves and promote their own honour; Their horses are swifter than Leopards; Their cavalry gallops Headlong; They fly like a vulture swooping to devour; Their hordes advance like a Desert Storm and gather prisoners like sand; Guilty men whose own strength is their god.
Bi noculars see beyond the foreground to what is in the background circling the wagon trains.
-Franklin (J.C)
“RNZ
-Rape Crisis facing funding crisis, tenuous, may have to close doors as they compete for Grants with sports clubs.”
Yeah for a while some time ago I was a member of our local REAP committee, ’til I left in despair and disgust at the amount of money that was being voted by my fellow members to what were little more than Maori social clubs while the Rape Crisis Centers, Charities for the Disabled, Legal Aid Centers, &tc went begging.
“Yet, my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” The reason many righteous ones have hit the buttons on their padded jackets.
What’s a ‘REAP’ committee??
(Sorry for my ignorance).
“Rural Education Activities Programme”.
There are 13 REAPs in New Zealand. Each REAP is a locally -based Incorporated Society or Trust. The Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission are the main sources of funding. The overall purpose of REAP is to provide educational support to early childhood centres, primary, secondary schools and community groups. REAP promotes and provides learning opportunities that enhance community and personal development.”
Each year we had a couple of $100,000 to distribute to applicants – nothing like enough to meet the needs of a Province, with ‘community groups’ the widest and most ‘flexible’ catagory. I found the sums allocated to a dozen or more Mari and half a dozen Te Reo set-ups in an area with a miniscule Maori population while charities filling desperate needs were refused – some like Refuges and Rape Crisis on the grounds that they weren’t ‘community groups’ – disgusted me, but it was just a personal matter of priorities.
Would it be impolite of me to suggest that you are full of s**t???, i will not ask you to name any of the recipients of the REAP funds but it would be helpful to know which region you are talking of,
So, in this miniscule Maori population there were at least half a dozen Kohanga with bugger all kids in each being given REAP funding???,
Please ennumerate what you consider to be a miniscule Maori population, and last but not least, what exactly is a Mari???…
PS, your whine has as it’s answer the Mission Statement of REAP that you yourself posted above, and i don’t personally see where ‘vote Education’ should be considered as a source of funding for ‘Rape Crisis’ which should be funded from ‘vote health’…
Yes. You make exactly the points I had to fight for several years before I gave up in disgust.
The problem lies with the definitions of “community groups” and “personal development” – or rather the lack of definition we had to work with and the refusal of the officers to provide any guidance. Hence “community groups” was taken by the majority on the committee as meaning “local community groups” so that anything with any national structure was refused ab initio regardless of the fact that the local ‘branch’ or whatever provided services to the local community, was staffed by local volunteers or barely-paid workers and was expected to raise most of its own funds. And “personal development” was vague practically anything could be made to qualify – after all, working to bring down your handicap at golf is “personal development”.
I took and fought for the unpopular view that helping someone get over being raped, or to escape an abusive relationship, or get compensation for an unjustified dismissal &tc, was a necessary first step for them even to begin any kind of “personal development” but, as you pointed out, this is strictly speaking someone else’s financial responsibility and the fact that the funding provided is totally insufficient is a simple matter of inefficient bureaucracy.
No, I won’t say where it was. However I did also have to fight a prevailing view that if we gave money to one Marae we had to give the same to all of them to avoid appearing more supportive of some over others, or if we gave $10,000 to someone undertaking to teach Te Reo in their front room we had to give $10,000 to anyone undertaking to teach Te Reo in their front room with no way whatever of ascertaining the efficacy of such teaching, nor how many children actually benefitted from it.
REAP does a lot of good and the fights I had probably affected no more than 20% if the money distributed at most, and I resigned because it had merely become apparent that my priorities in some areas differed from the majority of the committee and the half-day I occasionally gave up for the process was a waste of my time.
Your answer to my queries is simply a continuance of a series of unsupported allegations directed at Kohanga Reo and Marae,
You provide nothing in the way of ‘facts’ just broaden your unsupported allegations to include ‘giving $10,000 to someone undertaking to teach Maori language ‘in their front room’,
The ‘problem’ as you put it does not lie with the definitions of ‘community group’ and ‘personal development’, when i read those 2 phrases in conjunction with the stated intention of REAP as per EDUCATION it doesn’t take a intellectual giant to figure out the linkages between the 3, education, personal development, and community group,
An example of the above paragraph is a Wellington Marae that takes groups of youths through road safety courses and onto gaining their driving licenses, this fulfills all the REAP aims, it is a community group providing education which leads to the personal development of those involved, really simple if you think about it,
I however get the impression from your series of unsupported allegations,(i would have used the word bullshit,but, i am trying to be polite), that you are deliberately using the hot potato of ‘Rape Crisis’ funding along with the even more spurious ‘get compensation for unjustified dismissal’ as props in what appears to be an anti-Maori
rant in the hope that you will gain support from people here at the Standard via the support those who read these pages have for both those who are unjustifiably dismissed from employment and Rape Crisis/Womens Refuges…
it is all there in read white and black,
C.K Stead y
Future going bananas in Pluto’s banana republic.Goofy
Chinese Leaders embrace simplicity
Arabian nights as autumn fall; Suunis do not Shia divide
In Israel religious communities drive the golf course; Likud licked, another Bennett on the Right
(60,000 deaths in Syria, and counting on a Moscow plan)
“Currency Wars” pass the parcel to more victims of Europa and Bay of Piigs
anxiety ridden children cohorts sky-rocketing over-diagnosis and under-Amelioration of socio-cultural stimulants; Armoured clothes next one hit wonder?
NZQA failing dropouts passed over
Michael’s growing his own and I dig it. Sur l’herbe!
Heat’s on for later summer break
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8146816/Heats-on-for-later-summer-break
“Although the average temperatures for January and February are the same at 22 degrees, the average rainfall is considerably less in February than in January, with 19mm less rain. In January the average number of rain days is 8.2. In February it is 7.5”
What I find astounding in this article is that no-one seems to account for February being 3 days shorter than January (except in leap years when it is 2 day shorter)
Thus rainfall and raindays for February are being counted in a month that is around 10% shorter than January.
Allow for that 10% and the case that weather is ‘better’ in February is shown to be largely an urban myth born out of simple ignorance of the length of these two summer months.
Yeah. Cause…cause…fck, I can’t even make anything up. What is/was O’Reilly on?
Positively Discriminating
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_discrimination#New_Zealand.
playing catch-up when we acknowledge the Power of language and culture; after all that
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_psychology
makes sense Tooby Cosmic
Rolls Royce Engines: the beauty of high value manufacturing
An amazing documentary, showing the kinds of wealth, capability and community that high tech, high added value manufacturing brings. It also makes it clear that this kind of expertise is gained over many years or decades and has to be protected and nurtured over the long term.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3XssrFqWF0
just in case “any body” wonders why? the Rogue holds the positions he does, it came about through dedicated reading, life experience, tertiary education, film, literature, and watching documentaries on the variety that exists in our world,(including on the production of food, apparel and other commodities for Years. Years! (i may be one-eyed, yet I keep one eye open) and then came The Standard and you guys, you guys. Like D., I too am a critical realist and I believe it is healthy to discuss “religion”, politics, and sociology in an open forum; thanks to an inspirational woman, (a nurse) I was taught that “the more windows you open, the more light we let in”; however, despite my “critical” gaze, i still believe we are well placed here in Aotearoa New Zealand to muddle through this inevitable storm, padded cells or not.(and although we have different styles, i do respect Cameron), what do I know, I’m just a gardener 🙂 (we are thinking of precis ing back issues of Best Practice; this medication of society is, as a generalization, not healthy, and I have personal relationships with G.P’s who suggest that diet / lifestyle is what is making people unwell (as a generalization) which is ironic when we consider the importance of ‘lifestyle’ to most of us. As Draco once exflamed, the economic system /s we are living under are exploitative and wasteful and sadly we live in the times when those ‘chickens’ are coming home to roost.Dreadful when we consider the BLiP compilation. I also watched parliament consistently live and was astounded at the behaviour and attitudes of many, though clearly there are many well meaning politicians.And the cognitive behaviouralists, don’t get me started (some Lorries are just too light for logging, and they wear out…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavior_therapy
is something worth discussing though 🙂
p.s I hope C.S has read and concurred with C.K Stead