Open mike 09/12/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 am, December 9th, 2013 - 277 comments
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openmike

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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step right up to the mike …

277 comments on “Open mike 09/12/2013 ”

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  1. phillip ure 1
    9 December 2013 at 7:07 am

    child poverty has doubled since the 80’s..

    ..for shame..!..clarkite-labourites..eh..?

    ..for yr roles in this sad/sorry outcome..

    ..you did nothing..for nine long years..

    ..budget after budget i wd lift my head and go..’surely now?’..

    ..but..nah..!..eh..?

    ..how cd you not be hanging yr heads..?

    ..i am one who lived thru those nine years of marginalising/ignoring of those most in need..

    ..i can’t forget..

    ..and you know what really sucks/blows/really sticks in the craw..?

    ..nary a ‘sorry’…

    ..from any of you..

    ..and you have clearly learnt nothing..

    ..if parkers’ t.i.n.a promise/threat to raise the pension age is anything to go by..

    ..why don’t you have an online competition to find a new name for yr party..?

    ..’cos a ‘labour’ party..you fucken ain’t…

    ..phillip ure..

    • Tim 1.1
      9 December 2013 at 7:33 am

      +1 Phillip.
      Not sure what to say other than what I already have ( http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-shoots-themselves-in-the-foot-again/#comment-740856 )
      …. except that neo-liberalism ISN’T JUST an economic/political programme, but its so pervasive its now a cultural thing that’s infected the language, the media, educational and other institutions, etc.

      When it does turn to total shit, it’ll be interesting to see who does the bleating

      • Rogue Trooper 1.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 11:18 am

        How To Design Widgets
        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11169093
        -enrol at Unitec, Design of Industry Parts

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 12:07 pm

          How do you destroy education? Ensure that it aligns with what industry wants

          • Rogue Trooper 1.1.1.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 12:18 pm

            😀

          • Tim 1.1.1.1.2
            9 December 2013 at 1:14 pm

            Don’t get me started!
            E.g. link it to tik-a-box qualification industrial needs and WANTS too, such that when an industry’s wants have been satisfied, a whole neo-liberal State’s apparatus can be brought to bear on indebted student(s) to boot them out of the cuntry. (That is after the private educational ‘institution’ has ‘marketed’ itself with utter bullshit (perhaps I should say ….”mismarketed” itself – along the lines of all that “MIS-selling” crap that’s occurred), issued bits of paper, gone belly-up and abrogated its responsibilities, after which arms of the corporatised administration (including Police, Immigration and others) arrest and deport – before that convenient bugger’s muddle of a Muntstry/Department can delve and determine)
            …. just but one example (with more than several victims).

            But having munted the tertiary education “sector”, let’s then trickle it down even further. I know ….. let’s introduce Charter Schools.

            But as I said above Drac – when it all turns to total shite – let’s see who screams/bleats the loudest.
            Let’s see what becomes of South American FTA’s, or our African and Asian relationships when the “Free Trader” comes knocking having not only treated their nationals like pieces of shit, but also the citizens of a supposedly 1st World country he purports to “represent”.
            (I’m still waiting to see what’s become of that “highly successful” little jaunt of JK and bizniss leaders back in Feb) – not much as far as I can tell.

            But – like I said – don’t get me started.

        • RedBaronCV 1.1.1.2
          9 December 2013 at 10:50 pm

          So why doesn’t this so called industry, which one BTW, pay for it’s own training or offer summer intern jobs, paid, to the students if they need to broaden their experience. It’s about getting the taxpayer to pay for their training assisted by a couple of jumped up polytech managers.

    • KJT 1.2
      9 December 2013 at 8:42 pm

      Actually it has doubled since 1991.

      Since Richardson cut welfare to force people into work.

      Unfortunately, just like present day National, she forgot that making more people desperate for work does not magic up more jobs. And making the sick and injured apply for jobs does not make them any more employable.

    • Murray Olsen 1.3
      9 December 2013 at 8:46 pm

      Union Bureaucrats and Parliamentary Services Party? It’d be more accurate. Do Parker and Cunliffe speak to each other?
      Slightly Pink but Not Really Party?
      Bound Workers Delivery Party?

      I understand they still have roots in the working class, but they’re doing their best to pull them up as quickly as possible.

      The Don’t Mention Rogernomics Party?

    • JK 1.4
      9 December 2013 at 9:56 pm

      +1 Phillip. I never understood properly why we didn’t overturn the Mother of all budgets – that’s a horrid phrase if ever there was one. Mother wasn’t a nurturing being under Richardson, and the cuts she made continue to live on …. despite 3 terms of Labour. We must have been too cautious and too scared of the turnaround on the electoral vote …. its hugely sad. I dearly hope that if/when Labour gets into a position of power again, that this time we’ll look and do something about poverty. Its just one reason for continuing to stay on-line with Labour.

  2. amirite 2
    9 December 2013 at 7:10 am

    Yup, shame on both major parties although National seems to try to push people into poverty even more enthusiastically than Labour.
    How can this happen in a supposedly developed country? Shame on you New Zealand!

    Family falls through the gaps

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9492231/Family-falls-through-the-gaps

    • Paul 3.1
      9 December 2013 at 7:21 am

      Early trolling.

    • AsleepWhileWalking 3.2
      9 December 2013 at 7:36 am

      Well they clearly support the cause and now their charitable status has been stripped it’s gotta be much harder for them.

      Aren’t petitions public info? I don’t know.

    • felix 3.3
      9 December 2013 at 8:10 am

      So the little ” – ” that indents your comment, that indicates that you wrote that bit, right? That’s what you do sometimes, right?

    • RJL 3.4
      9 December 2013 at 9:26 am

      It’s a non-story, the Privacy Commissioner is quoted in the article as saying:
      “If you give your details it was reasonable to assume they would be used to contact you.”

      • James 3.4.1
        9 December 2013 at 10:59 am

        Blimmin heck – it just goes to show that people see what they want to see. Where does it say that the Privacy commissioner said that?

        the quote was :

        “However, Greenpeace New Zealand fundraising director Michael Tritt said it would be “wrong” if it did not use the details people provided when they signed petitions.

        “People aren’t silly. They know if they put down a phone number or email, there will be some form of communication.”

        Are you deliberately trying to mislead?

        • Chris 3.4.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 11:19 am

          You really should read to the last word…

          “A spokesman for the Privacy Commissioner office said organisations collecting private information had to tell people how details were going to be used. If you give your details it was reasonable to assume they would be used to contact you. ”

          http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9492084/Greenpeace-defends-fundraising-strategy

          • McFlock 3.4.1.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 11:33 am

            well, I figured that petition details might be used to audit the petition signatories, or for contact regarding something related directly to the petition issue. But a friend of mine was pulled out of a meeting for a phone call that was just touting a fucking greenpeace membership deal.

            Shit, these days I view donation collectors and petition signature-gatherers with actual suspicion. Which is sad, really.

            • Chris 3.4.1.1.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 11:52 am

              “Shit, these days I view donation collectors and petition signature-gatherers with actual suspicion. Which is sad, really.”

              I agree Mc Flock, generally if personal contact details are required I don’t participate.

              • alwyn …
                9 December 2013 at 12:47 pm

                Be grateful that the Petition Colletors haven’t (I hope) reached the level they have got to in Paris. There you are quite likely to get a group of people pestering you to sign a petition and pushing the clipboard into your face. Beware. They are often just trying to distract you while one of them picks your pocket.
                I guess they are just the first line of Woody Guthries song about Pretty Boy Floyd.
                Greenpeace are the second part.
                “Some will rob you witha six-gun.
                And some with a fountain pen”

                • McFlock …
                  9 December 2013 at 1:16 pm

                  It would seem that lately I’ve mastered the art of the “fuck off” vibe. Or maybe I just no longer fit their demographic target.

          • James 3.4.1.1.2
            9 December 2013 at 11:52 am

            ugh … Sorry Jetlagged (in Europe at moment).

            I stand corrected and quote myself “it just goes to show that people see what they want to see” – goes for myself as well huh.

            I stand corrected.

            I still think its bad form – else what is stopping people using petitions on populist issues simply as a marketing tool to harvest email addresses?

            Is there anything stopping them selling the names and contact details to other parties?

            • RJL 3.4.1.1.2.1
              9 December 2013 at 1:05 pm

              I stand corrected.

              Thank you.

              …what is stopping people using petitions on populist issues simply as a marketing tool to harvest email addresses?

              The fact that it is a terribly inefficient and expensive way to harvest email addresses?

              Is there anything stopping them selling the names and contact details to other parties?

              Probably. And, of course, that is not what was done in this case.

              In this case, people gave their contact details when signing a Greenpeace petition about shark finning. Then Greenpeace later used those contact details to inform those people about Greenpeace’s anti-shark finning campaign and ask them if they wanted to contribute to that and other Greenpeace campaigns. How terribly evil and under-handed of Greenpeace!

      • James 3.4.2
        9 December 2013 at 11:00 am

        Blimmin heck – it just goes to show that people see what they want to see. Where does it say that the Privacy commissioner said that?

        the quote was :

        “However, Greenpeace New Zealand fundraising director Michael Tritt said it would be “wrong” if it did not use the details people provided when they signed petitions.

        “People aren’t silly. They know if they put down a phone number or email, there will be some form of communication.”

        Are you deliberately trying to mislead?

    • felix 3.5
      9 December 2013 at 8:31 pm

      I agree with the douches.

      If I put my contact details on a petition I assume it’s for the purpose of auditing the petition, not for a fucking upsell.

      • miravox 3.5.1
        9 December 2013 at 8:42 pm

        +1. The reason for providing name and address information is is verification.

        I’ll stop signing petitions if I think I’ll be contacted about something else.

  4. happynz 4
    9 December 2013 at 7:14 am

    …if parkers’ t.i.n.a promise/threat to raise the pension age is anything to go by..

    ..why don’t you have an online competition to find a new name for yr party..?

    ..’cos a ‘labour’ party..you fucken ain’t…

    Yup. Nailed it.

  5. amirite 5
    9 December 2013 at 7:23 am

    And lets not ignore this
    http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/

  6. Tracey 6
    9 December 2013 at 7:27 am

    The best way to deal with poverty is to either pretend it doesnt exist or blame parents. Its also the cheapest way.

    • Tim 6.1
      9 December 2013 at 1:46 pm

      Yep – that’s where all that “with rights come responsibilities” kaka kicks in (OBVIOUSLY not just within the Natzi sphere of influence, but also STILL within Labour). The political class are really eagre and willing to proffer the spiel, though all the while forgetting that it also applies to them (I.e. & especially) LABOUR. They’ve been given various rights, but they sure as hell ARE NOT living up to their repsonsibilities. I even doubt many within its ranks even understand. Maybe it should be couched in terms of the ‘BRAND’ they’re attempting to sell (though not doing a very good job of it).
      Along comes a Cunliffe, duly and democratically erected, pissing out all the correct sounds and flufferings, apparently having appeased the ‘natural’ fuckwits in the party, ….. but then along comes a Parker (who really should be considering whether or not he’s in the correct party).

      Actually, (as a former member and loyalist), I’ve decided the “ONE more chance” I was going to give them is pretty pointless really.
      I’ve been watching studiously. Still haven’t heard any “sorries”, or admonitions, or EVEN acknowledgment ‘ofs’, that relate to the lost opportunities in their last 3rd term; their real concerns for those affected by Ruth Richardson Limited and/or what they intend doing about it; ……

      We know they’re battling a Natzi-compliant media, but I (at least) and the DC know how to battle that – even if it is to begin things with something that’s controversial.

      Yep …. sorry Labour – LOST frikken cause – I’d rather my limited energies went to investing in a viable alternative to statquo. (I’ve had some “learnings” – especially after visiting this site)

    • Naki Man 6.2
      9 December 2013 at 9:01 pm

      well it is not the kids fault. what do you suggest communism?

      • Arfamo 6.2.1
        9 December 2013 at 9:05 pm

        You don’t have a particularly agile brain do you, Nackers? Communism? You could probably house a busload load of street kids in the vacuum in your cranium.

      • Rogue Trooper 6.2.2
        9 December 2013 at 9:37 pm

        Read some Mao; brought many former slaves in from the fields.
        And yes, in case you were lost at the base of the mountain, sometimes ‘God is a Bullet.

  7. logie97 7
    9 December 2013 at 7:27 am

    Listening to Morning Report this morning.
    The South African High Commissioner.
    This recording should be played in every school and be made compulsory listening
    for every New Zealand citizen.
    You can hold your heads high, Trevor Richards, Tom Newnham and John Minto et al.
    SA and we are proud of you.
    Hopefully someone will be able to link to this.

  8. Paul 8
    9 December 2013 at 7:37 am

    TPP secret deal going on in Singapore…

  9. amirite 9
    9 December 2013 at 7:58 am

    Listening to Cunliffe avoiding to answer Garner’s question would he have given up his place on a delegation to Mandela’s funeral in favour of Minto and I really don’t like what I’m hearing from him.

    • vto 9.1
      9 December 2013 at 8:14 am

      Will John Minto not be there at Mandela’s service?

      But John Key will be?

      Did the universe flip inside out overnight?

      • phillip ure 9.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 8:24 am

        aye..white men who were on the wrong side of history..

        ..led by john ‘i’m quite relaxed about apartheid’ key..

        ..are going to represent those from here who stood beside/behind mandela…?

        ..but/and minto doesn’t get to go..?

        ..this is beyond irony..

        ..minto and richards should be honoured-guests/’our’ representatives there..

        ..not this cabal of old white men…

        ..who used to call mandela ‘a terrorist’..

        ..as i said:..

        ..’beyond irony’..

        ..phillip ure..

        • vto 9.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 8:36 am

          don’t forget the white women too phillip

        • alwyn 9.1.1.2
          9 December 2013 at 12:51 pm

          “cabal of old white men”
          You do realise that Minto is nearly 10 years older than Key and Cunliffe I suppose?

          • phillip ure 9.1.1.2.1
            9 December 2013 at 2:37 pm

            y’see alwyn..you left off the second part of the sentence:..

            ‘cabal of old white men..who used to call mandela a terrorist’..

            ..mm-kay..?

            phillip ure..

            • alwyn 9.1.1.2.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 6:33 pm

              I find your peculiar punctuation makes it very difficult to understand much of what you are saying phillip.
              I suppose I could read almost any two consecutive lines as being part of a sentence.
              For example you can run together
              “who used to call Mandela “a terrorist” as I said”
              Did you really say that Mandela was a terrorist?

              • phillip ure …
                9 December 2013 at 9:43 pm

                it’s all a matter of rhythm there..alwyn..

                ..you have to read the beats..

                ..phillip ure..

                • Rogue Trooper …
                  9 December 2013 at 10:07 pm

                  to be honest phillipe, while I read your posts, it is not easy, and I have been known to read a little. Be yourself regardless, yet I hope this is helpful feedback, which in itself can be quite attractive to the ear. (recognising my own ‘obscurities’ of course; goes without saying 😉 )

    • Pascal's bookie 9.2
      9 December 2013 at 8:43 am

      What’s he saying?

      that’s a pretty shit question to ask as it happens. Cunliffe doesn;’ get to decide who goes. He can’t just give his spot to someone. It’s not an ‘admit one’ ticket ffs.

      Say he says, “yep, I’ll swap with Minto then, sure thing”, he is doing so as leader of the Labour party, and as leader of the Labour Party (and defacto haed of the opposition in NZs parliament), declining an invitation. That would be pretty much shit.

      • Rodel 9.2.1
        9 December 2013 at 10:09 pm

        Pascal’s bookie. I agree…It’s the sort of troll question a ‘shock dick’ asks in an attempt to
        prove to us how clever he is and be remembered by the listeners of radio ritalin (or whatever) as an incisive deep thinking journalist (not). Only got 20 seconds to make an impression between ads for quack treatments.

        • Rogue Trooper 9.2.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 10:16 pm

          pray you don’t listen to that White Noise, White Heat Rodel; will rot your brain quicker than an Alien intrusion.

  10. Grumpy 10
    9 December 2013 at 8:22 am

    My recollection is that Minto was a bit player during the tour. Certainly Newnham and Richards, if still alive, should go.

    • Pascal's bookie 10.1
      9 December 2013 at 8:39 am

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Minto#Halt_All_Racist_Tours

      “John Minto, along with Trevor Richards, Tom Newnham and others, was involved in forming Halt All Racist Tours, a group set up to protest against rugby union tours to and from Apartheid South Africa, in 1969. He became the National Chairman of the organisation in 1980. During clashes between police and protesters he was seriously assaulted by rugby supporters the evening after the disruption at Rugby Park in Hamilton. This assault had little impact on his protesting other than him adding a protective helmet to his distinctive outfit of overalls.[4][5] He remained at the forefront of the protests.”

    • Lefty 10.2
      9 December 2013 at 9:05 am

      Grumpy

      If you were alive during 1981 you must have been asleep if you didn’t notice the leading role John Minto played in organising the anti tour protests.

      Why don’t you just say you don’t like him because he continues to be an activist on issues of democracy and poverty in this country instead of trying to rewrite history?

    • lprent 10.3
      9 December 2013 at 9:14 am

      My recollection is that Minto was a bit player during the tour.

      Wrong. Certainly on all of the Auckland protests I went to (ie all of them) he was one of the people that was on the megaphone helping to do the organising.

      I’m pretty sure he was doing that in Hamilton as well.

    • Chris 10.4
      9 December 2013 at 11:25 am

      My recollection is that Muldoon was Prime Minister of the day…

      According to John Key, Bolger was Prime Minister of the day.

      “In terms of the protesters, of course we could have had some. It wasn’t that we were particularly shunning them, but in the end we thought the grouping that we got – the former Commonwealth Secretary General, the Prime Minister of the day Jim Bolger, and Pita Sharples is the representative of indigenous people – we had the combination about right.”

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11169387

      • You_Fool 10.4.1
        9 December 2013 at 12:30 pm

        To be fair to John Key he probably meant when Mandela took office, I assume sloppy reporting by the Herald to allow for ambiguity.

      • Te Reo Putake 10.4.2
        9 December 2013 at 1:59 pm

        More breening from Key:

        “As I’ve always said, I didn’t go to protest against the tour and I didn’t go to any of the games. I was 19 years of age and had lots of other things going on at the time.”

        Key actually turned twenty a few days before the first test in Chch. Now, I’m not saying that a ticket to a rugby test is the ideal present for a conservative young kiwi bloke, but I’m not not saying it either.

    • Tim 10.5
      9 December 2013 at 2:22 pm

      @ Grumpy – can I give you all my old aluminum saucepans?
      Just pay the postage and packaging – they’re YOURS for the taking

    • Murray Olsen 10.6
      9 December 2013 at 8:54 pm

      Who played the main role and who was a bit player seems to depend on whether people lived closer to Auckland or Wellington. I remember Minto being very much at the forefront of protest activity, while Trevor Richards was highly successful at getting onto United Nations committees and such things.

  11. Bearded Git 11
    9 December 2013 at 9:02 am

    If you watch Patu, Minto seems to be well-involved.

    • Anne 11.1
      9 December 2013 at 3:30 pm

      Cunliffe gives a good account of himself here and his attitude towards the make-up of the NZ delegation to Mandela’s funeral. He had contemplated giving up his place to John Minto but was advised against it. I’m more than happy he is there to represent ALL anti-apartheid protestors.

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9493269/Kiwi-Mandela-delegation-without-tour-protesters

      • logie97 11.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 4:33 pm

        Neville Gibson on the Panel (RNZ) suggesting, in the spirit of reconciliation, the nation forgives John Minto and sends him.
        FFS Gibson, John Minto was an anti-apartheid hero.
        He might forgive the NZRU and the National Party but hell will freeze over before that lot say sorry to Black Africa.

        • logie97 11.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 5:09 pm

          Apologies – I believe it was Jock Anderson (Well NBR type anyway)

        • Anne 11.1.1.2
          9 December 2013 at 6:29 pm

          Neville Gibson on the Panel (RNZ) suggesting, in the spirit of reconciliation, the nation forgives John Minto and sends him.

          And in saying that he was actually intimating all anti-apartheid protestors be forgiven. What kind of rational thinking is that? I choked on my cuppa…

          Yes, it was Jock Anderson.

  12. Te Reo Putake 12
    9 December 2013 at 9:09 am

    The greens shoot themselves in the foot again!

    Just when you begin to think the Greens are looking like part of a Government, one of the has-beens from the Rogernomics era, again! shows that they have NFI how to get elected and they are still clinging desperately to the Neo-liberal paradigm.

    https://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/new-green-party-proposal-will-keep-more-meridian-public-hands

    I’m going to have to reconsider whether I will give my party vote to the Greens now that they have exposed themselves as gutless wonders. What a sell out they are! The referendum is not even finished yet and here they are surrendering to the neo-liberal agenda like the toothless capitalist lickspittles they are!! I blame the so called “Doctor” Russel Norman, who has been obviously co-opted to do the bidding of the 1% in order to maintain his privileged lifestyle!!!

    • phillip ure 12.1
      9 December 2013 at 9:39 am

      i thought it was quite a good example of lateral-thinking..

      ..a not that unsavoury means to the desired end..(ie..returning more ownership to the people..)

      ..and that’s quite the conspiracy-theory you have going there with norman..eh..?

      ..whoar..!..

      ..who knew..?..

      ..and re ‘so called’…i think he is entitled to call himself ‘dr’..eh..?..(a phd..)

      ..could you be more specific about just what it is about this proposal that is burring under yr saddle..?

      ..phillip ure..

      ..

      • bad12 12.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 10:22 am

        Listening to Russell Norman on RadioNZ it would appear that the ‘idea’ is that an offer will be put to those who have bought the Meridian shares and who have now had second thoughts that they can forgo the 50 cent per share payment due on those shares in return for being allocated a lesser shareholding with the subtraction form their allocation of the number of shares matching the value of the 50 cent per share still owed,

        Seems logical economics to me with Russell pointing out the ‘sums’ where the Crown got to keep 67% of the meridian shares and being questioned about the efficacy of this where Crown debt repayments as per the added dividend from the extra 18% of shares would leave the Crown some 18 million dollars yearly better off,

        Hardly any sell out to anything Neo-Liberal as Te Reo’s whine suggests and i would suggest that posting such a comment is ‘in defense’ of David Cunliffe and David Parker who have copped some recent, and well deserved in my opinion, flak over the Labour plan to raise the age of superannuation entitlement a truly abhorrent piece of Neo-Liberalism(again in my opinion),

        Russell Norman nor Green Party members are in no way saying that the quite intelligent plan to offer the initial investors in Meridian an ‘out’ as far as paying the 50 cents a share owing on their initial take-up will or is the be all and end of of the re-aquisition of the sold off parts of the States assets simply a step in the right direction…

        • Tracey 12.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 11:51 am

          sounded sensible to me too. People can go ahead and pay for their remaining shares if they want. NOT if they don’t. Good thinking by the Greens.

    • Morrissey 12.2
      9 December 2013 at 9:56 am

      That’s a spectacular mis-reading of the Greens’ statement. It’s interesting to see your strategy of belittlement and misrepresentation in action on a whole party here, not just one person.

      Oh hang on! I see you’ve had a go at Russell Norman, deliberately mis-spelling his name, and putting sarcastic quote marks around his academic qualifications. You’ve even slung off at his “privileged lifestyle”.

      Thank God that, with the party finally seeing sense and installing someone electable as the leader, your faction of the Labour Party is in abeyance. I guess that posting nasty and dishonest personal attacks on the internet is some consolation for you, and you even have a support crew. Not a very good one, I’m sorry to say, but they’re there for you—though you will know perfectly well that they have about as much integrity as John Key.

      • Te Reo Putake 12.2.1
        9 December 2013 at 10:02 am

        woooosh!!!

        ps, Doctor who?

        • Morrissey 12.2.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 10:06 am

          When the malicious lies fail, the vacuous sound effects come in. You’re having a worse day than John Key, my friend. And that is a very bad day indeed.

          Why don’t you roll yourself a joint and smoke it, then come back to us, a mellower and a better man?

          And, counter-intuitive as it might seem, your remarks would be a lot less dopey.

          • Te Reo Putake 12.2.1.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 10:10 am

            Dr who?

            • Morrissey 12.2.1.1.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 10:16 am

              I acknowledge your surrender, my friend. Off you go now….

              [lprent: You know that it is unwise to use the pwned/owned/victory approach here. I get irritated about the resulting flamewars and have a tendency towards long sentences for whoever I think is inciting them whatever words they are using. Don’t do it again. I’ve already warned you about this. ]

              • Te Reo Putake …
                9 December 2013 at 10:27 am

                Poor moz, ‘tiz you having the bad day. Not only incapable of spotting satire, even in its broadest and most obvious form (big hint; I nicked the opening words from the ‘labour shoots itself in foot’ post), but apparently equally unable to spot his own failings in the area of nomenclature related pedantry despite repeated gentle prodding:

                Dr who?

                https://www.greens.org.nz/people/russelnorman

                • alwyn …
                  9 December 2013 at 11:04 am

                  Sorry TRP.
                  For some reason I didn’t see any of your comments on the name when I contributed my effort below. I wouldn’t have put it in if I had as your contribution was much better, even if appears to have been a bit to subtle for Morrissey.

                  • Morrissey …
                    9 December 2013 at 12:35 pm

                    Te Reo Putake’s contribution was “much better” than yours? Yes it was, but that’s a really embarrassing thing to have to acknowledge.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      9 December 2013 at 12:51 pm

                      Oh, dear Moz, have you not read the comments above? If it’ll help, there’s a reference or three there to your usual levels of accuracy being displayed around the spelling of Dr Russel Norman’s name.

                      Waiting ….

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  9 December 2013 at 1:51 pm

                  Not only incapable of spotting satire,

                  It’s text, unless it’s got a /satire tag then the chances are it’s going to be missed. The problem wasn’t Morrissey’s inability to spot satire but your inability to communicate effectively.

                  • Rogue Trooper …
                    9 December 2013 at 2:05 pm

                    satire…hmmm, how does one go about this I wonder… 😛

                  • Te Reo Putake …
                    9 December 2013 at 2:17 pm

                    Wooosh!

                    They had satire before the interwebs, Draco. Back in the day, people used their brains to recognise it and many were quite succesful at spotting satire when it was put in front of them without the need of further visual aids.

                    If you like, the next time I extract the urine, I’ll write two versions. One for the majority and one for the dullwitted. You’ll be able to spot the 2nd version because I’ll use an appropriate tag.

                    test: #draco.

                    Yep, that seems to work. (#draco)

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      9 December 2013 at 3:13 pm

                      Considering the replies you actually got it seems to me that the only person who thought your comment was satire was you.

                      As I said, the failure was yours and it still is as you dig yourself deeper.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      9 December 2013 at 3:42 pm

                      Well, no actually. There were only comments from a minority, one of whom is terminally bewildered, and I’m reasonably sure the majority of regular readers would have twigged the reference to the ‘shoots itself in the foot’ post, which garnered a couple of hundred comments over the weekend (despite apparently being written without the benefit of actually reading Labour’s proposal).

                      And I would have thought the extra exclamation marks, phrases such as ‘capitalists lickspittles’ and the bogus threat to ‘reconsider voting green’ would have been sufficient clues that I wasn’t being entirely serious.

                      Despite what I said in the comment above, I’m going to continue to write sans hash. I credit TS readers with enough nous to spot the occasional joke comment. Plus, it had the additional benefit of making Moz write something so painfully foolish he can’t bring himself to write a correction.

                    • Lanthanide …
                      9 December 2013 at 5:24 pm

                      When does Morrissey *ever* admit failure or correct himself?

                      He’s never done it, as far as I can recall.

                    • Rogue Trooper …
                      9 December 2013 at 5:45 pm

                      Lanth: Morrissey has demonstrated contrition on occasion; on occasion.

                    • McFlock …
                      9 December 2013 at 6:31 pm

                      I agree Rogue,

                      morrissey has admitted being less than perfect on at least one occasion (when the yawning gap between what he claimed and what was objective reality was presented to him in triplicate, presented again, moved around in front of him so that it was shown from every angle and highlights could be pointed out, much discussion was had on the nature of “sameness” and the doctrine of forms, flipcharts and diagrams and dictionaries were in close attendance, and it was made so clear via the use of nine-mile-high neon letters etched in the firmament by God that any dispute on the nature of that particular point would be sufficient evidence to detain the delusional disputant under the mental health act for fear that the universe would explode under the enormity of the logical contradiction).

                      In circumstances similar to that he has readily conceded a typographical error or two.

                    • Rogue Trooper …
                      9 December 2013 at 6:38 pm

                      had some funny fodder for lunch Flockie 😀

                    • McFlock …
                      9 December 2013 at 6:40 pm

                      🙂

                      had a couple of good lines at work, too. Must be the sleep deprivation.

                    • Rogue Trooper …
                      9 December 2013 at 6:43 pm

                      Big effort on Mondays, just in case we get lost out-back later in the week. (or have a lay-in).

                    • alwyn …
                      9 December 2013 at 7:27 pm

                      It is futile I’m afraid. The only way you can get most people to get what you are saying is to put it quite bluntly and then repeat it over and over.
                      Say something like this

                      Russel Norman’s first name is spelt with ONE L
                      Russel Norman’s first name is spelt with ONE L
                      Russel Norman’s first name is spelt with ONE L.

                      Continue till you have done it about 50 times. It might, and I only say might sink in that they have made a fool of themselves.
                      I tried a minor joke with a comment by Colonial Viper a few days ago. He accidentally put that The Herald was owned by Fairfax. I’m sure he didn’t mean it and he knew it was APN. My comment was simply to ask when Fairfax bought the Herald.
                      Another contributor, who will remain anonymous, then proceeded to berate me and tell me I could look it up myself. Even when I teased him as to how to do that, claiming I couldn’t manage it he didn’t realise that he had got it wrong.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      9 December 2013 at 7:36 pm

                      Alwyn 🙂

                    • Arfamo …
                      9 December 2013 at 7:43 pm

                      The really important question is why does Russel’s name have only one “l”?

                      It’s a bit dodgy, that, don’t you think? I mean, he has two “s”s. Has anyone asked the PM what he thinks?

                      Like, maybe his dad said something like, “Russell, if you go into politics there’ll be ‘l’ to pay”. Or something. It’s the fact nobody’s asking the question that’s got me wondering what’s behind it all.

                    • marty mars …
                      9 December 2013 at 8:03 pm

                      Very funny Arfamo (sincerely)- the other ‘L’ is silent and therefore not needed to be put in – that is efficiency, which does beg the obvious question…

      • alwyn 12.2.2
        9 December 2013 at 10:53 am

        Oh hang on Morrissey. I see you have been deliberately mis-spelling Russel Norman’s name as Russell Norman.
        Why is it that, when we try to correct someone’s grammar or spelling, we always screw it up?

    • Ake ake ake 12.3
      9 December 2013 at 6:51 pm

      “I’m going to have to reconsider whether I will give my party vote to the Greens now …..”

      Please excuse me for inquiring – were you ever seriously going to give your party vote to the Greens anyway?

  13. Morrissey 13
    9 December 2013 at 9:11 am

    My recollection is that Minto was a bit player during the tour…

    Your “recollection” is faulty, or you are a liar. Either way, you are not competent to post anything on this matter.

    • Te Reo Putake 13.1
      9 December 2013 at 9:17 am

      Hypocrisy watch no.94: Breen, M.

      • felix 13.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 9:29 am

        lolz

      • McFlock 13.1.2
        9 December 2013 at 9:40 am

        Lol
        Although it’s actually turned out to be fun watching the scabs thicken over the gulf between his delusions and reality. He’s almost back to near-perfect accuracy 🙂

      • Morrissey 13.1.3
        9 December 2013 at 9:47 am

        Your Red China-style campaigns of harassment against me are tiresome, Te Reo. I am sure that that’s the way anyone who sticks his/her head up in your local Labour Party branch is treated, and you might even succeed in cowing some people into submission, or at least make them too afraid to speak.

        Your vigilance and your fanaticism is quite a phenomenon; you’re quite the little apparatchik. If I were a weaker or less confident person, your constant campaign of belittlement and name-calling would have had an effect by now. But you are clearly impervious to the fact that I don’t kow-tow to bullies, and your constant badgering—the equivalent of the National Party’s strategy of hooting and cat-calling in the House—only makes you look bereft of ideas.

        I see you have a couple of faithful servants enthusiastically registering their approval of your little performance; you should pay them a retainer.

        • Ennui 13.1.3.1
          9 December 2013 at 10:36 am

          The voice of reason, aka one man doctrinaire commissariat , so true M…….I think the most reasonable action Morrissey is to ignore the bastards. Cant recall any of them having anything vaguely amusing interesting to say on a regular basis. Apply the shit filters and save your fingers time on the keyboard in response.

          • Morrissey 13.1.3.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 12:40 pm

            Thanks, Ennui. I know I shouldn’t encourage these gadflies, but that’s me—I can’t resist slapping them. Mind you, I’m in good company: every time Robert Fisk or Noam Chomsky or John Pilger say or write anything, they are attacked in identical fashion by the same kind of people as have had a go at me this morning.

            • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 13.1.3.1.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 5:20 pm

              Well said Ennui & Morrissey
              TRP’s behaviour toward Morrissey (& others) reflect very badly on TRP.

    • grumpy 13.2
      9 December 2013 at 10:52 am

      You are a fucken schoolboy kid. In Christchurch Trevor Richards was the most visable along with Murray Horton and guys like Graeme Wells. I was as involved as anyone.

      • lprent 13.2.1
        9 December 2013 at 11:41 am

        That probably was the reason then. I was in Auckland and Hamilton.

      • Tracey 13.2.2
        9 December 2013 at 11:55 am

        My God. Were you Mandela’s bestest friend forever too?

        • grumpy 13.2.2.1
          9 December 2013 at 12:32 pm

          Nope, back then I think it was Steve Biko was all the go. There are more heroes of the fight for freedom than just Mandela.

          • karol 13.2.2.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 12:45 pm

            Ah, I remember Richards from my youth, in my Christchurch days. My strongest memory is of him frequently being at a friend’s flat/shared house, at the kitchen table, typing away, with a Shostakovich record LP (vinyl) on the turntable playing in the background.

            • grumpy 13.2.2.1.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 1:12 pm

              Richards was a remarkable guy. He seemed to attract the radical fring of which there were a lot in Christchurch. Newnham appealed more to the apolitical or middle of the road market. Together they were very effective. I remember the meeting at a church hall in central Christchurch when Richards made the grand entrance in company with Burgess, the current All black 1st five. You were probably there too Karol.

              • karol …
                9 December 2013 at 5:41 pm

                My memories are from the early 70s, when Trevor Richards was very active in HART (Halt All Racist Tours). I was living in London in 1981.

            • Ennui 13.2.2.1.1.2
              9 December 2013 at 1:18 pm

              K, was the vinyl scratched? (That can tend to make Shostakovitch more bearable). Its actually quite funny seeing film of the protests, my neighbour pointed out to me his image on the pitch in Hamilton. And I often used to see one prominent individual at protests who I met years later, turned out to be a relative of the wife. I have freeze framed Patu and cannot identify myself (little bit of ego tripping….) but in there somewhere I must be.

              What this tells me is that this country is very small, two degrees of separation rigidly self enforces. Which in turn indicates that Key claiming a lack of memory etc somewhat disingenuous. And it makes my lumps and bruises from the protests hurt again to see the prat attending the funeral representing us anti tour protesters.

              • grumpy …
                9 December 2013 at 1:27 pm

                What happened to Bob Burgess? Now there was a hero, chucked away a career as potentially one of the best All Black 1st fives on a matter of principle!

                • Ennui …
                  9 December 2013 at 1:39 pm

                  I remember Bob whilst I was still at school marking Barry John against the 1971 Lions. Cant remember if he was in the frame for the previous years tour of Yappieland, or if he refused to go. I do remember him stating anti tour views in 1981 but by then he was well retired and out of the AB frame. I recall seeing Ken Gray at a Wellington protest, and remember Graham Mourie and Bruce Robertson withdrawing from the AB side in protest.

              • Rogue Trooper …
                9 December 2013 at 1:31 pm

                put on the ‘Rach III 😀

  14. Craig Y 14
    9 December 2013 at 9:35 am

    Malignant past and present figures who may shuffle off this mortal coil in the not too distant future…

    Pat Robertson, past US televangelist and Republican presidential aspirant- 83

    Ian Paisley, former Northern Ireland First Minister and fundamentalist
    Protestant agitator- 87

    Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI- 86

    Fred Nile, fundamentalist homophobe and NSW Legislative Councillor- 79

    George H.Bush- former Republican US President- 89

    Lord Norman Tebbit, Thatcher era relic- 82

    John Howard, former Australian Prime Minister- 74 [sadly, this is a long-term prospect]

    Fortunately, none of the great and good from the past seems to be in this category- apart from

    Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Capetown Desmond Tutu- 82

  15. Morrissey 15
    9 December 2013 at 9:37 am

    “I could explain it but I’m not going to.”
    Key’s train-wreck performance on Breakfast
    Television One, Monday 9 December 2013, 7:15 a.m.

    The prime minister’s lack of integrity and his persistent dishonesty—he “can’t remember” anything of consequence—is finally starting to alienate even the tamest, most malleable broadcasters. Even those smiling, personable, government-friendly personalities on TV1’s Breakfast programme are now confronting him quite boldly….

    PETER WILLIAMS: There is growing criticism of John Key’s plan to attend the funeral of Nelson Mandela, given some comments he has made about the tour in the past.

    TONI STREET You said you “can’t remember” what your stance was toward the 1981 Springbok tour.
    JOHN KEY: Those comments were made on a regional radio station seven years ago. I could explain it but I’m not going to.
    TONI STREET: You can’t remember whether you were for or against the tour in 1981?
    JOHN KEY: I’m not saying I was for or against it. I was anti-apartheid but I didn’t go on any protest marches, and I didn’t go to any of the games. I was about twenty at the time and I had other things on my mind. [conspiratorial smirk]
    TONI STREET: But can you remember what your stance was on the 1981 tour?

    …..[Awkward silence]…..

    JOHN KEY: I’m not going to go into it. If I say I was for or against it, that will open up a whole new series of questions, so I am not going to comment on it.

    …..[Awkward silence]…..

    TONI STREET: But can you remember what your stance was on the 1981 tour?
    JOHN KEY: I’m not going to comment on the matter. Let’s just leave it at that.

    …..[Awkward shit-eating smirk]…..

    • phillip ure 15.1
      9 December 2013 at 9:45 am

      aye..it was quite the watershed moment..

      ..when the co-compere of the tvone breakfast show starts asking awkward-questions of key..

      ..ya gotta know key/national are in deep trouble..

      ..and the disbelieving look on her face..at/to his answers..

      ..spoke/screamed volumes..

      ..why doesn’t key just say..that like with so many other things..?

      ..like child-poverty/greenhouse-gas-warming/oil spills etc. etc.

      ..that he was ‘quite relaxed’ with/about apartheid..?

      ..phillip ure..

      • Ake ake ake 15.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 10:47 am

        Funtastic. That should get more publicity.

      • Rosie 15.1.2
        9 December 2013 at 11:16 am

        Great that the lamestream are even holding Key to account on his “can’t remember” stance on the Springboks tour. This surprises me, they usually have selective memories when it comes to Key’s Dubious Moments.

        (In the meantime as well as respectful musical tributes to Mandela since Friday Radio Active have gone hard out with their lampooning of Key all morning, putting together a collection of sound bites spliced in with a fake interview)

        Will 2014 finally be Key’s undoing? The year he finally, can no longer slither away from the truth of his disastrous reign? With Bradley Ambrose suing him for defamation, Banks’ trial, Dotcom’s hearing, and fingers crossed, a powerful NO message coming the asset sales referendum will his star finally descend? Will the voters finally, finally see him for what he is, a con?

        Book ya tickets for Hawaii Johnny boy!

        • Draco T Bastard 15.1.2.1
          9 December 2013 at 1:59 pm

          Great that the lamestream are even holding Key to account on his “can’t remember” stance on the Springboks tour. This surprises me, they usually have selective memories when it comes to Key’s Dubious Moments.

          I suspect it’s because they can’t ignore what he’s already said on it as everyone remembers and thought it was BS then as well.

          • marty mars 15.1.2.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 5:43 pm

            ‘lamestream’ that is very good.

            Initially i was, as usual, disgusted with key for saying he couldn’t remember but it is a blessing in disguise because that line will haunt him and thank the gods he didn’t say he protested – having a shallow fake as a prime minister is one thing but it would be worse to have him on our side of that anti-apartheid fight. Hopefully he’ll make an utter fool of himself over there by trying some 3-way handshake or something. He doesn’t represent me, he represents the exploiters and they are international.

        • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 15.1.2.2
          9 December 2013 at 6:20 pm

          Newsflash!

          John Key says he’s not going to ‘make stuff up’

          “I’m strongly opposed to apartheid, but I’m not going to make up stuff that wasn’t the case 30 years ago and try and reinvent history because it’s inconvenient for the left.

          Wow! That’ll be a change from his usual form….

          • emergency mike 15.1.2.2.1
            9 December 2013 at 7:18 pm

            “I’m strongly opposed to apartheid, but I’m not going to make up stuff that wasn’t the case 30 years ago and try and reinvent history because it’s inconvenient for the left.”

            Classic mangled Keyism there – is anyone trying to pressure him to ‘make stuff up’ over this? And why on Earth would it be inconvenient for da left if he doesn’t?

            My translation: “Lying and saying I was interested and involved in the protests isn’t an option for me, but I’m not going to tell the truth which is that I couldn’t give a flying fuck about either rugby nor the plight of the oppressed, because Labour would love that.”

            • Rosie 15.1.2.2.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 8:31 pm

              I reckon your translation is spot on e.m. Let’s extend that out to “I don’t give a flying fuck about about anything except for advancing my mates and me”

              And m.m. There’s bound to be some kind of etiquette cock up in S.A on His behalf, which in the past has arisen out of insincerity, ignorance and immaturity. We can just laugh when he does here at home, but when he does it overseas it’s cause for head in the hands moments. This is how it must have been for the Americans every time Dubya opened his gob in regard to world matters.

            • Rogue Trooper 15.1.2.2.1.2
              9 December 2013 at 9:44 pm

              ooh, must have touched a blister-pack on Key’s lying backside.

        • Tracey 15.1.2.3
          10 December 2013 at 7:00 am

          I think it’s because mandela trumps key in their kow towing stakes… Key can lie to the people but NOT about Nelson.

  16. Philj 16
    9 December 2013 at 9:59 am

    Xox
    They say Liars must have fantastic memories. Or they “can’t remember”. Ho hum.

  17. Tigger 17
    9 December 2013 at 10:06 am

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11169127

    ‘Police try and control protestors…’ Yeah, looks like a complete riot going on there…

    • Draco T Bastard 17.1
      9 December 2013 at 2:01 pm

      Mr Key told Newstalk ZB this morning that the protesters had not ruined the party.

      “They’re the same people protesting about deep sea oil drilling, they’re the same people protesting about the convention centre, they’re the same people that protested about changes to the labour laws for the Hobbit, they’re the same people that protested about the 90 day probationary period.

      “So yeah, they just protest because that’s all they’ve got to do all day.”

      Talk about making shit up. And this guys our fucken PM.

      • Arfamo 17.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 2:06 pm

        Well, we got what 30% didn’t vote for with this creep. Maybe next time they’ll vote the bastard out.

      • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 17.1.2
        9 December 2013 at 4:48 pm

        Yes, DTB,

        I find it extraordinary the stance the pm is taking re protest.

        He lost all credibility on the matter when he referred to the Law Society and the Human Rights Commission amongst others as ‘misinformed’ and ‘not understanding the law’ (GCSB concerns).

        He is dealing with people lobbying on a daily basis – they are ‘all the same people’, they protest to get their interests upheld and could be described in the same way. That’s what they do all day. When they are paid to do it ‘protesting’ is called ‘lobbying’, however and that’s different. /sarc

        Protest is an important part of the democratic process and I would like to see Nzers voting for politicians and political leaders that have some respect and understanding of democracy, unlike our pm who appears to have none.

        Interesting 2011 report on the Counterfire website on the rising trend of protest and fall in public trust in government.

        Two of the stated findings:

        “There has been an unprecedented fall in public trust in government, the media, corporations and other central institutions in British society – with less than a quarter of Britons trusting national government, less than a fifth trusting parliament and fewer than 15% having any confidence in the press.

        There has been a marked and significant rise in protest movements – twice as many of us are taking part in demonstrations compared to the 1970s and the proportion of the population describing themselves as ‘left wing’ has grown by over 2 million since the 1980s. – “

        So perhaps Key and those who sycophantically repeat his mutterings marginalising protest need to ‘get over it’ and start dealing with the issues that these ‘lobbyists for public interest’ are raising.

      • felix 17.1.3
        9 December 2013 at 8:45 pm

        Hilariously that’s exactly what his political predecessors said about the anti-apartheid protests too.

      • Tracey 17.1.4
        10 December 2013 at 7:02 am

        kind of like when he was 20, but had far better things to do… like study for his exams…

  18. Morrissey 18
    9 December 2013 at 10:15 am

    Suggested candidates for new ACT leader

    “The party can rebuild. …We have a number of very talented potential candidates.”
    —-ACT president John Boscawen

    The sheep of Epsom will vote for anyone they are instructed to vote for. You don’t get to the level of mediocrity that enables you to live in such a nice area without being obedient and amenable. Here are the most appealing prospects for ACT in Epsom….

    Kyle Chapman Positives: principled, in an ACT kind of way, and sounds just like an ACT spokesman. Downside: would possibly set fire to downtown Wellington.

    Garth “Gaga” George Positives: old and dopey, and never asks questions. Downside: would probably die after three months in office, thus necessitating a by-election.

    Kerre McIvor (née ohoWmad) Positives: enormous ego; staunch supporter of Chinese government; intolerant of dissent; doesn’t read much and knows less; very attractive to silly old men like Brian Edwards; very supportive of violent males like Tony Veitch. Downside: can be extraordinarily unpleasant, intolerant and judgmental. (Then again, this is ACT, and those are therefore further positives.)

    Alan Titford Positives: principled, brave, well spoken; sounds just like an ACT spokesman. Downside: in prison for the next 24 years, which would make him only slightly more effective than John Banks.

    Tony Veitch Positives: high profile; young; fit; enthusiastic; desperately eager to please, very much in the manner of Rodney Hide. Downsides: anathema to women, and knowing nothing about anything, including his “specialty” of sports; prone to extreme violence against women.

    This was first posted on Frank Macskasy’s excellent blog….

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/12/07/suggested-candidates-for-new-act-leader/#comments

    • Murray Olsen 18.1
      9 December 2013 at 9:16 pm

      In fact, if you put Kyle Chapman in a suit, he’d look and sound very much like Don Brash or Trevor Loudon giving a speech on human rights and how Maori seats are the same as apartheid.

    • Tracey 18.2
      10 December 2013 at 7:35 am

      This made me laugh. Alot!

    • rhinocrates 18.3
      11 December 2013 at 11:03 pm

      You forgot Pete George. Sure, he presents himself as “reasonable” and “moderate” but then he’d present anything as “reasonable” and “moderate” and bore people to death explaining why.

  19. Akldnut 19
    9 December 2013 at 10:18 am

    Another lie for blips collection.

    “Yes, it is true that Anadarko Petroleum Corporation had a 25 percent ownership of the company or one of the companies that had a problem in the gulf. I think it is also worth remembering that in the Gulf of Mexico since 1947, 50,000 wells have been drilled, and to the best of my knowledge that problem in the gulf was the one major one that most people can remember.”

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/12/08/key-will-he-put-his-55m-where-his-oily-mouth-is/#sthash.yE6jVkqK.dpuf

  20. Te Reo Putake 20
    9 December 2013 at 10:35 am

    Unintentional repetition, LP, firefox still playing up on occasion.

    • Arfamo 20.1
      9 December 2013 at 11:03 am

      Google chrome having the same problem. Don’t think it’s your browser.

      • Arfamo 20.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 11:07 am

        I’m posting and then the browser slows down and the comment doesn’t appear. Only way around it for me is to leave that page cranking away and to open a new tab, go to TS, and keep hitting refresh until the comment from my previous tab page appears. Hitting refresh on the same, slow page just causes duplicate posts.

        • Rogue Trooper 20.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 11:27 am

          elementary my dear Watson, although, when comment submission completes, and ‘blank’ appears, I just hit TS bookmark on the same open tab, and there are your comments in all their perceptive glory. Which reminds me, must be time for a Head Like A Hole track.

        • Rogue Trooper 20.1.1.2
          9 December 2013 at 11:30 am

          “just like that!”, although, helpful to have another page open to read while TS grinds away 😀

        • lprent 20.1.1.3
          9 December 2013 at 11:37 am

          Odd. Has this been showing up over the weekend or just within the last hour?

          The reason I ask is because the load balancer just got put on with two server rather than the single server it has been running with over the weekend.

          • Rogue Trooper 20.1.1.3.1
            9 December 2013 at 11:48 am

            last half hour for me; and slower now; the ‘ghost’ has been lost to the ether.

          • Rosie 20.1.1.3.2
            9 December 2013 at 12:24 pm

            Throughout the weekend and continues today for me Lprent. Getting the same issues mentioned above on google chrome. Am using firefox at the mo and am encountering the same issues but it is however a little faster.

            • lprent 20.1.1.3.2.1
              9 December 2013 at 12:32 pm

              Ok isn’t to do with the number of servers.. or the web/file server processes which got reset manually on saturday, and automatically on sunday.

              That leaves the database server. Ummm…

          • phillip ure 20.1.1.3.3
            9 December 2013 at 2:47 pm

            for the last few days for me..intermittant..

            ..phillip ure..

  21. bad12 21
    9 December 2013 at 10:42 am

    The Maori Party has finally made a selection for Aunty Tariana’s Te Tai Hauauru electorate,(affectionately known as the sinking Waka),

    Chris McKenzie, a relative unknown in political circles,(something set to continue after November 2014), will be the candidate to usher the Maori Party into electoral oblivion, leaving the vexed question of the selection of a female ‘co-leader’ to be answered at some time in the future,(perhaps at the time Pita Sharples electorate of Tamaki-Makaurau selects a replacement for Him),

    The Maori Party has one slim hope of political survival past November 2014 and that is for EGO’s to be put aside and a reunification with Hone Harawira’s Mana Party be engineered,

    As the Te Tai Hauauru electorate to be vacated by Turia at the end of the current Parliament now stands it is looking increasingly like reverting back to Labour as Mana have not and never had a strong presence in this electorate,

    The Green Party might like to look at it’s,(quite good), 2011 electorate results here and devise a strategy that they think will divert ‘electorate votes’,(2007 in 2011),to the Labour candidate while keeping the ‘Party Vote’ building,

    ‘Strategic voting’ for a long lasting Government of the left should be the battle cry for the 2014 election…

  22. Te Reo Putake 22
    9 December 2013 at 10:45 am

    Um, would this be an example of what happens when you fire all your sub editors?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11169356

  23. Te Reo Putake 23
    9 December 2013 at 10:46 am

    Um, would this be an example of what happens when you fire all your sub editors?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11169356

  24. Pete 24
    9 December 2013 at 10:54 am

    The PM wants an official photographer.

    That sounds a little self-aggrandising, but if it’s taxpayer funded, shouldn’t the raw footage and all the snaps be subject to the Official Information Act? It may prove more embarassing than intended.

    • Ake ake ake 24.1
      9 December 2013 at 11:00 am

      He has run out of things to say (no text, no facts, nothing of substance) and in other cases, says he can’t remember (yeah, right). So now he needs to have just pictures.

      • Pete 24.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 11:05 am

        Couldn’t he just have ministerial selfies? Has he not heard of Instagram?

        • Tracey 24.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 11:09 am

          what’s the salary, and all the parties are doing it. No wonder there is no money for the children

        • Ake ake ake 24.1.1.2
          9 December 2013 at 11:21 am

          From the tone and angle of the piece, it is quite surprising that Claire Robinson does not seem to have applied for the job or volunteered to be the photographer.

          • fender 24.1.1.2.1
            9 December 2013 at 2:22 pm

            I think her skills in propaganda will be sought after when they seek someone to write the captions.

            • Rogue Trooper 24.1.1.2.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 2:25 pm

              Five hours ’till the ‘eagle’ lands; what shall we play today… 😀

              • fender …
                9 December 2013 at 3:39 pm

                😀

                Still waiting for your H.L.A.H. track. My tastes are flawed , I know it’s a crying shame but luckily you my friend are on fire

                • Rogue Trooper …
                  9 December 2013 at 4:32 pm

                  I saw that tickle-up Lyn performed; Death or Glory (and pray the link functions)

                  • fender …
                    9 December 2013 at 5:00 pm

                    When the ‘eagle’ lands (or while in flight) please play this for the shonKey one.

                    • Rogue Trooper …
                      9 December 2013 at 5:14 pm

                      He’s on the ‘throne’, above Soweto, can hear some singing…
                      “Mirror in the bathroom
                      Please talk free
                      The door is locked
                      Just you and me
                      Can I take you to a restaurant
                      That’s got glass tables
                      You can watch yourself
                      While you are eating”.

                      (Beat this English)

                    • ghostrider888 …
                      9 December 2013 at 5:34 pm

                      For you fender et al; from Molly’s Chambers : “truth with a voice”.

                    • Rosie …
                      9 December 2013 at 5:54 pm

                      I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but I DO appreciate the musical interludes brought to TS, (including ALL of the above) and it’s often by you two, Roguey and fender.

                      It brings a cheeriness to the day when there isn’t much to cheer about.

                      Superfluous info: Glory Glory – I had as a high rotate ear worm recently but luckily that was a good ear worm. As you know with ear worms, any genre, including the really bad ones (eg, phil collins) can land in your brain and infect it, sometimes for days.

                      Last word: Do not ever, under any circumstance allow this in as ear worm prior to a job interview or any serious and important meeting or event

                      Eels. Mighty Boosh

                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwcF6ea2PMQ

                    • Rogue Trooper …
                      9 December 2013 at 6:19 pm

                      😀 Rosie

    • Tracey 24.2
      9 December 2013 at 11:04 am

      “He doesn’t mind being seen doing weird things,” she said, pointing to pictures of him drinking with Prince William as an example.

    • Ennui 24.3
      9 December 2013 at 11:30 am

      All I want for Christmas is a cycle way,
      A cycle way,
      And photograph……

      • greywarbler 24.3.1
        9 December 2013 at 2:26 pm

        Key with flash cards he saves for public at meetings (that he can’t avoid)! Saves all those time wasting, incredibly nosy questions asked by barmy individuals just trying to turn a well organised gathering into a circus. PR people start amassing a pile of cards with simple slogans now. One word a card would do.

    • Ake ake ake 24.4
      9 December 2013 at 12:01 pm

      In a new development, the PM declares there will be no more press releases, starting from his office and extending to other ministerial offices. Any government announcements and policy initiatives will be provided as pictures. When asked whether this will be a new practice or just for the interim until the next election, the PM shrugged and pointed to his spokesperson who mimed that verbal press releases would be aspirational and the PM is ambitious for the government to have higher standards. At a subsequent interview, when questioned about the advertisement for a new taxpayer-funded photographer and videographer, the PM said, “I’m not going to go and revisit that because if I do I’ll spend all day talking about it and I can’t be bothered.”

    • felix 24.5
      9 December 2013 at 8:56 pm

      “The PM wants an official photographer.”

      The PM is freaking out that the media have begun to acshly publish his acshull responses to acshull questions.

      Must. Control. Narrative.

  25. grumpy 25
    9 December 2013 at 10:54 am

    lprent sorry about multiple entries, delete if you can. Something going wrong…..

  26. Ennui 26
    9 December 2013 at 11:12 am

    Just read yesterdays columns on teaching and the standard of education, what it is like to teach etc etc. Chris73, that was, despite the crap you received well worth reading as a from the front line commentary. Redlogix, nice counterpoise, shows how perceptions of the same thing differ with each individual.

    What might we take out of this? As somebody who is in front of staff, customers, suppliers etc all day what I am very aware of is that my reality and perception thereof is often at odds with the other party. Hard as the more doctrinaire bloggers over here might find it, there is no reason why we cannot accept that we are often both correct. Duality, it is possible and we can face it with rancour if we care to open our ears and minds.

  27. vto 27
    9 December 2013 at 11:27 am

    Until such time as all private donations to political parties are banned completely there can be no true democracy as the political parties are simply bought by the largest cheque.

    End.

  28. greywarbler 28
    9 December 2013 at 11:38 am

    The gabbymouth is hooting away. Where is Col Craig’s support coming from? The grassy knoll conspiratorists? etc are going to keep voting Green. WTF.

    I don’t see Greens as dragging themselves through the sludge of dubious theories and endless arguments and abandoning their practical, and present concerns. What is of moment to them is how we are acting now with a view to the future for ourselves and the planet. That is what I expect from the Greens and that is essential, as no other Party is showing half the responsibility for that vital role.

    The rest is history and worth thinking about and analysing, but the Greens have to keep the greatest part of their mind on the important things for now and the future. But also a watchful eye on those who use the smallest part of their minds, like Hooten, and so are nearly mindless.

  29. ghostrider88 29
    9 December 2013 at 11:39 am

    88, our favourite number of comments, and so early in the mornin’

  31. greywarbler 31
    9 December 2013 at 11:49 am

    Right here’s how it’s gone for my first comment this morning.
    I put one on in Open Mike. Unconnected to any other, did not press Reply. Did it. put name and email in. Highlighted and took copy just in case. Submitted it. Got Closed by Remote Server.
    Went back- the comment still there. Thought I had better not do anything else as I would probably just be doubling up. Left it and closed TS.

    Called up site again and got in, saw greywarbler in comment list, and clicked. When I got to bottom of Open Mike comment wasn’t there. Went back up to the Comment List and my pseudo wasn’t there any more.

    Talk about fun and games. Hide the parcel and find in how many moves?

    So I’ll see what this one does. But some ghost in the machine is haunting me. Bah humbug!

  32. ghostrider888 32
    9 December 2013 at 11:53 am

    It’s haunting

  33. greywarbler 33
    9 December 2013 at 11:57 am

    And this removes my edit option. I followed the same procedure with my second comment which was a test. When I came back on to site again and clicked on my pseudonym in the comments list, I saw the list shift up and so my name disappeared. Refreshed using F5, waited some seconds, and it came back again.

    Hope this indicates something useful to you lprent. Otherwise it must be that my crankshaft is flat. (Toad Wind in Willows.)

  34. Rogue Trooper 34
    9 December 2013 at 12:29 pm

    ‘Schizophrenic’ US Foreign Policy Herds Arab States Towards Russia
    Just up the desert road

  35. lprent 35
    9 December 2013 at 1:04 pm

    Ok I have shifted the server back to two with a longer stickiness per server (you tend to stay on the same one).

    But it looks like the basic problem is in the database server getting sluggish. That hasn’t had a restart for a while. Now it gets one…

    Ah monday mornings…

  36. Rogue Trooper 36
    9 December 2013 at 1:18 pm

    China- Authorities and Dissidents -Respond to the passing of Mandela
    http://www.ibtimes.com/china-reacts-nelson-mandela-death-remembered-authorities-dissidents-alike-1498858

    meanwhile, China’s November exports rose 12.7% from a year ago, imports only 5.3% : Trade Surplus for the month $33.8B.

  37. rich the other 37
    9 December 2013 at 2:16 pm

    LABOUR SUCKERED AGAIN .
    Have a look at this from w/oil.
    Topic greenpease and the greens tactics.

    ” The main reason the Greens spent tens of thousands of (taxpayers) dollars paying people to collect petition signatures wasn’t to actually have a referendum”

    It seems those of you who signed the petition opposing asset sales can expect to be hounded by the greens now that many of you gave them your e mail address when signing the petition, that’s all they really wanted .

    The greens must be having a good laugh at labour, what labour has done is assist the greens to build their political base.
    Brilliant own GOAL labour.

    • Ake ake ake 37.1
      9 December 2013 at 2:24 pm

      National could have initiated the petition to stop the asset sales and I would have been happy to provide my email address.

    • ghostrider888 37.2
      9 December 2013 at 2:33 pm

      ghostrider@critique.com (no spam please, only hole-foods).

    • lprent 37.3
      9 December 2013 at 3:23 pm

      Ummm I see that you are kind of stupid. Why do you assume that it is just the greens and greenpeace who collect information?

      Incidentally you should really read the actual privacy legislation before acting like a illiterate wanker from whaleoil. I realise this will be hard for you as you don’t seem too capable at the comprehension parts of life. But in particular you should note that the political parties have certain privacy exemptions.

      The most notable use by a political party of collecting names and addresses can be seen in the raffle sized cost and long duration of the National party membership. So many people have regretted the stigmata of receiving mail in their new status as National party members after buying a raffle ticket.

  38. Arfamo 38
    9 December 2013 at 2:31 pm

    So much for surgery waiting lists under this National administration eh?

    http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/20225989/research-shows-280-000-need-surgery/

    • Rogue Trooper 38.1
      9 December 2013 at 2:41 pm

      from the link;
      of the 280,000 awaiting elective surgery (only 110,000 on lists)
      25% have had time of work as a result
      50% have a poorer QOL than five years ago; for 25% their QOL is ” a lot worse”.

      so, 265,000 children overlooked, 280,000 awaiting surgery… at least we do not have a trade in human body parts, yet.

    • Draco T Bastard 38.2
      9 December 2013 at 3:11 pm

      Although true that article is an advertisement for private health insurance.

  40. Will@Welly 40
    9 December 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Nice to see the old double standard at work again. Son of a well known N.Z.er gets name suppression. Guess another wealthy white middle class kid gets to cover up his misdemeanors. Or course, if he was from a lower socio-economic group, he’d probably be incarcerated by now.

    • Murray Olsen 40.1
      9 December 2013 at 9:40 pm

      I have no idea who he is, but I did notice the term “prominent leader” for his father. I might be wrong, but isn’t a term like this more normally used for Maori than for whites, who are usually described as prominent sportsmen, politicians, businessmen, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were the son of some prominent Maori Tory.

  41. Fair Observer 41
    9 December 2013 at 3:09 pm

    [deleted]

    [lprent: Already banned. Another IP for autospam. ]

    • Colonial Viper 41.1
      9 December 2013 at 4:13 pm

      In Dunedin the ‘crisis’ has cost hundreds of real, well paid manufacturing jobs over the last 5 years. Your point? Are you trying to say that this is the start of years of sustained manufacturing growth and the drought is now over?

    • McFlock 41.2
      9 December 2013 at 4:40 pm

      you might want to play with the statsnz tools and compare the 10-year performance of manufacturing with other industries and activities.

      there’s your crisis.

  42. captain hook 42
    9 December 2013 at 3:22 pm

    I saw that nutter from the business org on teevee in the weekend going on about taxes and compliance costs.
    Well the question must be asked if someone is not capable of filling in a form then are they capable of running a business.
    Its just an excuse for not paying tax.
    Some of these people want everything but dont want to pay their way at all.

  43. Morrissey 43
    9 December 2013 at 4:54 pm

    Castigating the poor for being poor;
    Jock Anderson rampant on the Panel today
    The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 9 December 2013
    Jim Mora, Jock Anderson, Mark Inglis

    First of all, perky girl Noelle McCarthy made a statement of blithering hypocrisy, which for its humbug level is right up there—or down there—with Barack Obama’s eulogy for Nelson Mandela….

    JIM MORA: It’s Noelle McCarthy with what the WOOOOOOOOORLD’s talking about.
    NOELLE McCARTHY: [light-hearted tone] Well there’s an interesting one first up. If you can swallow your ideological scruples and are going to the Winter Olympics, there’s a list of things you are not allowed to take with you!
    JIM MORA: Oh? Ha ha ha ha ha!
    MARK INGLIS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
    JOCK ANDERSON: Haw haw haw haw haw!

    Later, Jock Anderson launched into one of his ideologically charged discourses, claiming, without being challenged by either Mora or Inglis, that John Minto* was responsible for a great deal of disruption in this country in 1981, and then expressed his “skepticism” about the levels of poverty in this country, before blaming the poor for making “poor choices”. (Interestingly, he has never castigated the rich for making poor choices—at least not on this programme.) He also sneered at “the likes of Charles Waldegrave and company who make more of this than there really is.”

    Far from making him defend these extreme ideological statements, Inglis and Mora chimed in with more of the same….

    MORA: Why would Charles Waldegrave do this? Is this the poverty industry that Rodney Hide speaks of?
    MARK INGLIS: Hmmmm, I struggle with this idea of poverty. You know, I’ve been to India, where I can show you real poverty.
    MORA: [Deep sigh to indicate moral seriousness] All right, now, let’s talk to Dr Elizabeth Craig of the NZ Child and Youth Epidemiology Service at the University of Otago. Ahhhh, Elizabeth, I remember Helen Clark denying we had the really poor and we’ve just had Mark Inglis talking about India….

    Dr Craig spoke clearly and patiently, in spite of an initial barrage of faux-naïve and contrarian statements from Mora. Almost in spite of his antics, this ended up as an interesting and informative discussion. By the end of her appearance he was talking intelligently and not making dishonest and provocative statements. He is actually very good when he concentrates; it shows what he is capable of if he did not spend so much of his time trying to formulate complex sentences and pandering to his right wing guests.

    * Designated target for abuse by selected Labour Party apparatchiks.

    • logie97 43.1
      9 December 2013 at 5:05 pm

      Jock Anderson on the Panel (RNZ) suggesting, in the spirit of reconciliation, the nation forgives John Minto and sends him.
      FFS!!! John Minto was an anti-apartheid hero.
      He might forgive the NZRU and the National Party but hell will freeze over before that lot say sorry to Black Africa.

      • Te Reo Putake 43.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 5:10 pm

        Jock Anderson, wasn’t it? I only got to hear part of what he said, but he started by saying he’s rethought his opposition to Minto going while driving to the studio and now accepted that someone from the anti-tour movement should go. I thought that sounded rather considered, but if, as you say, he was just being snide, I’m disappointed.

        • logie97 43.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 5:31 pm

          TRP Anderson was conceding that John Minto should go. But only in the spirit of forgiveness. My point is that the likes of Anderson, the RFU, The majority of the National Party, despised John Minto and will never say that they were sorry for the sporting contacts.
          John Minto does not need any forgiveness.

          • marty mars 43.1.1.1.1
            9 December 2013 at 7:09 pm

            I agree logie – for me John Minto is at the top of heroes of this country – well above Ed for instance and he needs zero forgiveness from anyone. The best thing is that he is still with us and you can befriend him on facebook for instance – being a friend of your hero – wow it doesn’t get better than that!!!!!

            • North 43.1.1.1.1.1
              9 December 2013 at 10:40 pm

              That Facebook thing Marty…….yeah must admit how good it feels to be in a place small enough and special enough (excuse a whiff of hand-over-heart there) when your heroes often live just around the corner, figuratively if not literally.

              Remember a bit of a flame war happening on FB with this person whose profile picture quite ludicrously had a wallpaper of a trillion peace symbols behind her. While she performed like a right little Zionist Nazi. Until then an FB friend of Minto’s she lavishly “de-friended” him online in real time. Was hilarious !

              Admit it was good to get a thumbs up from John Minto to some comment I made. Reassured that my moral compass was working sorta thing.

              Anyway John…………you go to the funeral or you don’t…………..what really matters is Mandela knows !

        • logie97 43.1.1.2
          9 December 2013 at 5:39 pm

          Listen to what the South African High Commissioner had to say this morning on
          Morning Report regarding the “protest movement” – HART et al
          http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2579182

    • Ron 43.2
      9 December 2013 at 5:32 pm

      Talking about Noelle McCarthy does anyone know why RNZ have such a love affair with her. When she was resident in NZ they were always using her on air. She left NZ and returned to Ireland and now every year we find her coming out to NZ for her summer holidays and find work on Radio NZ. It has been suggested that RNZ pay for her to come out here. Does anyone know if this is correct and if so why?

    • logie97 43.3
      9 December 2013 at 8:19 pm

      What political hue were the prime ministers of
      Britain, New Zealand, Australia in 1981. and what was their attitude to sporting contact with SA?

      Margaret Thatcher, Robert Muldoon, and Malcolm Fraser.

      One of them was vehemently opposed to sporting contacts. (- it wasn’t Thatcher or Muldoon).

      And what political hue are the prime ministers of those countries who are attending the funeral.
      Cameron, Key, Abbott.

      Nothing changes does it ? (Except, were apartheid to be in existence still, you can bet all these three would still be branding the protesters as wreckers and criminals.)

    • rhinocrates 43.4
      9 December 2013 at 9:20 pm

      Jesus, Morrissey, why do you put yourself through this? I suppose that I should be grateful that you do it so that I don’t have to, but think of your own health!

    • Tracey 43.5
      10 December 2013 at 7:45 am

      ah yes “real poverty”. yes, Mark, let’s wait until we have people like India, it will be easier to deal with it then, won’t it.

      Mr Inglis who put quite the burden on the taxpayer and rescue services with his sometimes reckless climbing excursions. I wonder, since he’s been on the speaking circuit etc, how much has he paid back? I mean, if we use India as a template, as he wishes, an amputee such as he would be sitting on a street with a bowl begging for money.

  44. Grumpy 44
    9 December 2013 at 5:43 pm

    Meanwhile, over the Tassie, the net tightens on ex PM Gillard.
    http://michaelsmithnews.com

  45. Arfamo 45
    9 December 2013 at 6:51 pm

    Is it just me or is this place a bit more like a bar-room brawl than usual today?

    • Rogue Trooper 45.1
      9 December 2013 at 6:56 pm

      peaceful where I’m sitting, ‘ang on a mo’…nope, there’s an evening lawn-mowing occurring next door!

      • Arfamo 45.1.1
        9 December 2013 at 6:58 pm

        I think a bottle just whizzed past your head…

        • Rogue Trooper 45.1.1.1
          9 December 2013 at 7:07 pm

          you jest, yet I still bear a scar on my cheek from such a missile; Vandal, may God rest his soul, died a violent death not too many years after. And still, Punks Not Dead. 😀
          Perceptive though Arfamo; had a sh*t, time for a shower, no necessity to shave, and we’re off, Into The Great Wide Open.

  46. ghostrider888 46
    9 December 2013 at 7:02 pm

    gets HOT in the kitchen come December. 😎

  47. ianmac 47
    9 December 2013 at 7:49 pm

    Progressive Voting on the Referendum seems to have stalled on Friday 6 score. I wonder why?

  48. greywarbler 48
    9 December 2013 at 9:24 pm

    lprent
    Is there a way of getting personal archives back? Mine have gone between 3/12 and 8/12 I think.

    • lprent 48.1
      9 December 2013 at 11:53 pm

      Odd. I see what you mean

      http://thestandard.org.nz/?s=%40author+greywarbler&isopen=block&search_comments=true&search_sortby=date

      I’ll have a look at in the morning. Looks like the sphinx database has a issue.

      • greywarbler 48.1.1
        10 December 2013 at 2:17 pm

        l prent Thanks I like the name Sphinx for the database. To me it is as enigmatic as the sphinx.

        Incidentally I have been having trouble with the set up of another site, the page has gone haywire. The opinions received are that it could be that my set up is too slow and so distortion occurring. So will have to look at updating my system which is more than a few years old.

        • lprent 48.1.1.1
          10 December 2013 at 7:47 pm

          Sphinx search. It is a hell of a tool.

          http://sphinxsearch.com/

        • lprent 48.1.1.2
          11 December 2013 at 11:13 am

          Fixed that up last night. Since web servers get chopped in and out according to load and they start from a old copy of the search db AND the search db only does a single full update once per day – the web server versions got out of sync. Actually the wind up with ruddy great hole from when the image was created to when a web server was started with that image.

          The files server is now the only server indexing the search database. The web servers talk to it and don’t try to each maintain a search database.

  49. North 49
    9 December 2013 at 9:52 pm

    Sorry folks probably commented a bit much on this matter. This is my last go. Promise.

    Watching John Key about to set off to Nelson Mandela’s funeral.

    Farce….Fucking Pavlovian Farce ! And he does it as easy as havin’ a shit. With matching facial expression on occasion.

    Fucking Pavlovian Farce !

    • Rogue Trooper 49.1
      9 December 2013 at 10:02 pm

      the populace permit it. PM, close to a belated figurehead. Other than the periodic ground-breaking political lead, NZ has historically dragged the chain. ANYONE REMEMBER THE SEVENTIES?
      Agreeable climate though, for now.

  50. North 50
    9 December 2013 at 10:01 pm

    Never mind. Mandela knows and he’ll be chuckling.

  51. Arfamo 51
    9 December 2013 at 10:05 pm

    That’s it for me. This site’s been running as slow as a wet weekend all day where I am.

    • Rogue Trooper 51.1
      9 December 2013 at 10:11 pm

      go on, nothing new under the crescent moon; treat refreshing as an exercise in patience. 😀

    • lprent 51.2
      9 December 2013 at 11:45 pm

      There is sure as hell something sucking bandwidth or CPU. Has been sluggish. I suspect something odd at the server farm.

      • Rogue Trooper 51.2.1
        9 December 2013 at 11:56 pm

        Wonder what it could be. Nite mate.

      • Frank Macskasy 51.2.2
        11 December 2013 at 11:16 am

        “I suspect something odd at the server farm.”

        Too many GCSB and NSA operatives logging in and reading The Standard?

        Excellent.

        They might learn a thing or three… 😀

        • lprent 51.2.2.1
          11 December 2013 at 2:57 pm

          Just something strange with the internal VPN routing. Testing this morning it appears to be be working correctly again. But on the other hand there is no particular reason to do it one way or another. Just irritating detecting the bug the hard way.

          • Rogue Trooper 51.2.2.1.1
            11 December 2013 at 3:03 pm

            It is unfortunate when this vehicle is struggling. Still, perseverance , onwards and upwards.
            Have not e-mailed you for yonks. Must be something Panning out 😀

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    The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    9 hours ago

  • How to Remove Tree Sap from Car A Comprehensive Guide
    Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    9 hours ago

  • How Much Paint Do You Need to Paint a Car?
    The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    9 hours ago

  • Can You Jump a Car in the Rain? Safety Precautions and Essential Steps
    Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    9 hours ago

  • Can taxpayers be confident PIJF cash was spent wisely?
    Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    15 hours ago

  • EGU2024 – An intense week of joining sessions virtually
    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. ...
    Skeptical Science
    17 hours ago

  • Submission on “Fast Track Approvals Bill”
    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. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    18 hours ago

  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    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. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago

  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    21 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    22 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    23 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    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’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    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 ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    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. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    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, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    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, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    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 → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    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 ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    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.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    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 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    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 ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    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. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    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. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    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 ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    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, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
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  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
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  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
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  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
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