They claimed Sharma would get disappointed when staff members put fridge magnets in the wrong box.
"It was like walking on eggshells," they said.
"I had to go to counselling.
"I've never been depressed or wanted to harm myself. I'm a happy person who has always been positive. I had never known about mental health," the staffer said.
"I was thinking of ways that I could kill myself. I didn't want to go back to work. I would have rather killed myself than go back to work," they said.
Anyone…who has ever had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a narcissist bully…or worse, the Dark Triad, will maybe be seeing some similarities here.
Dr Gaurav Sharma is the second sitting politician to suffer a major health setback this year after East Coast MP Kiri Allan was diagnosed with cervical cancer in April.
I'm not sure what how this makes him a narcissist….unles you are happy for the same label to apply to Kiri Allan. Allan could quite rightly claim she was drawing attention to cervical cancer and the importance for women, especially wahine Maori, to get checked.
Likewise, Sharma is also drawing attention to the importance of addressing potential health issues and quite rightly highlights how beneficial it is for doctors to experience the health system from the patients' perspective.
No, not seeing how this Fits the narcissist definition.
They are extremely adept at covering themselves. They are also adept at playing the victim game and before the actual victims know it, they are deemed to be the perpetrators.
In some situations it can go on for years and the 'powers that be' just bat it away like a bothersome fly. They don't want to know. If the bully or bullies take it beyond the work-place or where-ever – as happened in my case – it can get dangerous and frightening.
There was an added dimension to my experience which put me in a dangerous position. I was the innocent piggy in the middle involving among other things, a significant incident which took place on NZ soil.
It is starting to look like the victim game-playing model. Narcissistic bullies come in all shapes and sizes and usually also have a personality disorder or two. They are not stable and, as I have said, can become quite dangerous.
Then you too must accept that maybe maybe this 'dark triad' dude was put where he is by Labour and the electorate. What does that say about Labour selection process and vetting?
In saying that, the dude at least has good job prospects once he leaves the Labour Party for good.
I know your replying to PLA @ 1.1.1 Sabine but I will add my cent-worth too.
In one sense you are right. It does not look good for Labour's selection process. But if what I suspect (and PLA) turns out to be correct, then I fully understand why they missed it. These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser.
To be fair, it applies to National and Uffindell too. National can't crystal ball gaze any more than Labour can. It is inevitable that from time to time these mistakes are made. The only difference is: there have been sufficient recent 'mistakes' by National to suggest their selection processes are in need of a major over-haul. Labour? Well time will tell.
"These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser."
Absolutely. While they systematically pull your support from under you. Evil shits.
Aye highly passive-aggressive in my experience. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths most of the time. Also took slight at the mildest of disagreeing with them. Disagreement was always portrayed as disloyalty.
Couldn't be trusted to play by normal rules e.g. confidentiality in meetings.
Very curated front facing view – until they decided you were in the out crowd.
I came home at 10am this very frosty morning after helping with a sausage sizzle duty for the organisation I volunteer at, at our local Farmers Market, to sit down and generally thaw out! I turned the TV on to see if the T20 cricket match between the West Indies and Black Caps was still in progress. It had finished with a good win to the Black Caps. Following that there was a very interesting in depth interview by Laura McGoldrick with recently retired cricketer Ross Luteru Taylor, which delved into passages in his recently published memoir 'Black and White' by/with Paul Thomas. I was so impressed with the way he coped with his treatment (bullying?) by Cricket N Z, regarding the captaincy issues and coming back after a self imposed break to resume his cricketing career was in my humble opinion the very opposite to the manner Dr Sharma has presented and endeavoured to deal with his very real problems. Ross had some great mentors he could rely on to help him, including the late, great Martin Crowe and also Ian Smith who helped him to come through those dark times to be able to finish his illustrious cricket career with honours and retire on a high. I believe Gaurav Sharma could take time out to watch that interview – I saw distinct parallels with the way both scenarios unfolded and in Gaurav's case continues to unravel. I just hope he seeks the help he so needs.
and still i don't care one bit what N does as i don't vote nor have i any intention in voting for N. I have however in the past voted L, gave money to L, gave fence space for hoardings etc to L.
So in an essence i am interested in what L does. And L in this instance either managed to hire someone totally unsuitable for the job, promoted him for the job, took his electoral victory as their own because they thought he fit their profile – another diversity/minority pick – whom they thought would not win, or could not win, but was a body that they put up for appearance sake, or they got played like fools.
Sometimes people have flaws which show up under pressure, but othering does not help.
When a person is successful as an academic, they are often surprised by their own failure to manage people and situations.
In teaching, highly educated people could write excellent units of work, but would fail in the management of implementation.
This man appears to be unwell, highly stressed, and feeling badly misunderstood. His main cry is "no one is listening" and almost "they are out to get me".
What he needs is beyond the expertise of whips and casual help. He appears to need to discover his physical medical problem, plus get treatment for stress.
It is extremely upsetting for a clever person who has been a leader to find himself not coping, and feeling isolated enough that he did not confide in friends. This is a sad situation. Otherwise, it could suggest rationalisation after the fact of lashing out.
His posts are confused cries for help imo. Sadly help has to be accepted before it begins to work. He is angry upset and lashing out. What he is saying is true to his perspective but skewed by unhappiness and anger.
Being an MP is complex and is people centered. A person skilled in noting details to diagnose, is not perhaps the person to carry out management and implementation of treatment. imo.
He appears to find no fault in his own behaviour a big red flag, in my opinion.
I hope he goes for professional assistance. He won’t find that on F.B.
'Judging from his op-ed piece, Sharma may even have been labouring under the misapprehension that he was in Parliament to represent the electors of Hamilton West. He may even have thought that they were the people to whom he was ultimately answerable. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! That is merely his constitutional role.
His actual role is to shut up and do as the Whips command. Make a speech on a subject he knows nothing about. Sit on a Select Committee and vote exactly as the Labour Chair indicates – no matter how wrong or stupid. Most importantly, say nothing, write nothing, and do nothing that attracts unwanted attention.
The poor man would soon have discovered that this “sit still and shut up” rule applied with equal force in caucus. If he was ever incautious enough to stand up in front of his colleagues and express views contrary to those of the Front Bench, then he would very soon have appreciated why those tasked with the responsibility for keeping the Back Bench under control are called “Whips”..'
It seems that Parliament, and the parties, hasn't changed a bit in the last 25 years.
Pam Corkery did one term as an MP in the Alliance Party. After that she wrote a book about it and gave a searing portrait of Jim Anderton. The book was Pam's Political Confessions, and was published in, IIRC, 1999. The Wellington City Library still has a copy available, and others may also.
In it she wrote "Politicians are, by and large, far more self-deluding, devious, bloated, insecure, egocentric wankers than I had feared."
Im not sure she necessarily would do poorly….she would certainly upset many but I suspect she would have considerable appeal to a sizeable cohort.
It is an idle wonder in any case as she has been there , done that and worked out she had better things to do….someone similar however may appear…..whether any mainstream party would stand such a candidate is another question however…I suspect not.
Anyone…who has ever had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a narcissist bully…or worse, the Dark Triad, will maybe be (sic) seeing some similarities here.
Look in the mirror. More than a few narcissists among the Woke Dogmatist element here. Indeed, certain former authors, now long-departed, were notorious for making everyone tiptoe on eggshells around them at all times … resulting in some degree of backlash from a segment of regular commenters.
Same outrageous narcissism, authoritarianism & (highly-disturbed) controlling behaviour from the (mock-)"heroic" Woke warriors on Twitter.
Hardly surprising, then, that more than one recent study in Psychology has suggested both the Alt Right & the Authoritarian Woke attract more than their fair share of activists possessing Dark Triad Personality traits (1. Machiavellianism, 2. Narcissism [esp high Entitlement], 3. Psychopathy).
I find it quite amazing how many contributors here are pontificating on a topic that must surely require a great deal of training and presonal knowledge of the person being discussed.
Are you, for example, a trained and licensed Psychologist or Psychiatrist?
Have you ever treated Dr Sharma, or even met him?
In other words are your comments based on professional knowledge, and detailed knowledge of the gentleman concerned or are they just the views of a staunch Labour Party follower who is unhappy that these things are being brought to public attention?
The same questions also seem appropriate for some of the other commenters here.
I can only think of one occasion when I commented on a person's psychological status. That was back in 2016 when someone assumed that I would, if it were possible, vote for Trump instead of Bernie Sanders.
I said I would vote for anyone except Trump because, although Bernie would be useless I thought Trump was totally nuts. That was the only time that I can remember making any such comment.
Now, to get back to the case in point, are you professionally qualified and do you know the person concerned, so that you can comment on his mental state?
Just to remind ourselves that there are two types of Labour parties that have little in common ideologically …
The Socialist Democratic type as represented by Jeremy Corbyn, at one time Bernie Sanders and it could be said recently in NZ by David Shearer.
The Centrist Free Market, Neo-Liberal type as represented by Keir Starmer, Biden (sort of) and Jacinda Ardern in NZ and sadly it seems James Shaw of The Green Party.
All institutions of main stream press and big business fear and hate the former and will generally support the later in any open battle for power between the two, for obvious reasons…a fact that, as I mentioned earlier, is well worth remembering…..
Sounds like things getting worse an worse in the UK but at least some of the unions are fighting back .Gandhi apparently said " if the people elect a fool they will be well represented " Must be fairly obvious now that the shit is well an truely hitting the fan !!
Alex Aleti Seu, who identifies as a woman, was jailed in March 2017 for six years and nine months after admitting a number of charges involving unlawful sexual connection with a male over 16, indecent assault and assault with intent to commit sexual violation in relation to three men.
She dragged him into an alleyway and threw him into a brick wall, stunning him in the process, before pulling down his pants and sexually violating him.
The man was able to escape but Seu chased him and forced him down in the grounds of a church where she raped him a second time
so when ever this dude is getting released there will be a warning going out for a 'woman' rapist, that drags man of the street, throws them into a wall before in the end raping them.
Imagine the surprise when you get instead dragged of the street, thrown into a wall before getting raped by a man instead.
Never mind the dude that has to pretend that he was not raped by a bloke. Good fucking grief, but i totally get that the dignity and safety of the rapists is more important then the dignity and safety of the raped man and any other prospective victims this man will created once he is allowed out of prison. Calling this Rapist a male – he / him – would be total bigotry, cruel and transphobic. Making a mockery out of rape is totally acceptable in order to not be a bigot, cruel and transphobic.
It says a lot about the quality of journalism in this country that in an obvious case of penis driven rape the writer refers to the perpetrator as "woman" and "she". What should have been written is "Man masquerading as a woman rapes man …", used the pronouns "he", and waited for a complaint of misgendering and hate speech. Do what journalists are supposed to do and speak truth to power…
Nah, our current lot of stenographers can not conceive of a more horrible thing then to loose access to the woksters and be cancelled. That would rival death!!
I'm just grateful that they pointed out that it is a man who identifies as a woman. There was a period of time when even that didn't happen, seems to have changed now.
Small mercies.
What I want to know, and what should be reported given the nature of the crime, is when the man started identifying as a woman. If they are trans (have a history of full time being a TW), then report that. If they started IDing after the arrest, report that. If they are part time/cross dresser report that. It matters.
I am not ever going to be OK with a man who rapes a person (rape by penis) being referred to as a women, being she/her'd, and having these crimes counted as a 'woman rapes man' crime, nor with that person potentially being incarcerated with women.
If they are a Fa'afafine, then they should be referred to as such. To me there is a big difference between a Fa'afafine and a Transwomen. Whilst both present feminine the culture behind both idendities are quite different.
The Herald referred to Toko Shane "Ashley" Winter as a woman and showered him with female pronouns all through his trial, conviction and sentencing for the crime of the sadistic torture and murder of a young woman. By the time of his (failed) appeal they were reporting his correct sex, but they mysteriously left the name of his victim out of a later feature on femicide.
"OPINION: You’ll recall the narrative driven (and accepted by many) during the Wellington protest that it was peaceful and had one objective: to end the mandates.
Scratching not too far beneath the surface, though, it was apparent there was an entirely different – and dangerous – agenda.
At Stuff Circuit our role is to investigate matters that are in the public interest, and two things happened around the time of the occupation that got our attention.
First, we saw talk in social media about making the country “ungovernable”. It sounded like a direct threat to democracy. What did it mean? Who were the people saying it and what was their intent?"
Of course Robert….I read the rags at 5 am before my caring duties begin about 5.45 ish.
I took the bait…as so should you…and clicked on the embedded links that support their view.
And bugger me, the links lead to other Stuffed pieces, which I know from previous clicking sessions, also contain links that predominantly take one to other Stuffed articles. It is rabbit hole Stuff. Very incestuous.
Somebody needs to explain to these so called journalists that their work would have more heft if they used actual factual references to support their argument.
I confess to have tried….but as soon as I suggested that a few more articles interviewing vaccine injured, and perhaps a few more interviewing we fucking filth unvaxxed who have had Covid and who didn't die or need medical intervention, to balance out the near daily "I'm triple vaxxed and Omicron nearly killed me!" pieces that they were running for a while there had me cast into the conspiracy theory basket. Another day in the trenches.
…does the hand- wavey 'we saw placards threatening violence towards politicians and journalists at the protests!!!' journalist have anything to say about these protestors from the Left back in 2012? Shall we compare the guillotine and fake blood and the beheading of lifesize photos of the PM and half the Cabinet with gallows and nooses from Wellington?
Nah. Didn't think so.
I'd love to stay and chat Robert…but I have another cubic metre of compost to mix and spread on my garden beds before it gets too hot to work. Frost here this morning in the Far Far North and it has been hot. Clouding over a little, so I need to get back to my mahi before the sun reappears.
If this opinion piece was written in 1981, it would say angry people protesting the springbok tour and donning motorbike helmets are also a threat to society.
It provides little insight or analysis into the issues at play, it stokes people fears and emotions, and it has the writing style of the King's courtier.
The pandemic be up there, but minority ‘anti-mandate’ protests weren't unique to NZ (497 Deaths/1M pop) – USA (3200), UK (2711), Canada (1123) etc. had them too.
"The bad news is that, to investigate 200,000-300,000 terrible rentals, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has employed a frontline inspectorate numbering … 37. Each inspector will have to check somewhere between 5000 and 8000 rentals.
This reminds one of the fanciful calculations showing Santa Claus would have to be a high-speed blur if he really visited each of the world’s 2 billion children on Christmas Eve. Less humorously, it recalls the sole inspector employed to check mine safety around the time of the Pike River disaster, which killed 29 men."
I reported a house as 'condemned' to the AKL Council a long time ago. I still have the emails, tenancy tribunal ruling and so on and so forth.
I asked why this house could not be condemned to protect any other tenants that may have the misfortune to rent the shitbox. I was told that if they were to do this they would have to condemn most of Aucklands housing and btw, we don't even have enough people to inspect the houses that have the facades fall off, and where the roofs are about to cave in.
Yes , it is indeed by design….and the result of decades of 'free market' economics. Regulation is an anathema to them but politically difficult to sell so we have nominal regulation but ensure we are unable to enforce it.
Did you happen to see this particular developer/landlord incentive announced this week:
Housing Minister Megan Woods today announced that certain types of new and existing build-to-rent developments would be exempt from interest limitation rules in perpetuity.
Legislation for the proposal is expected to be introduced to Parliament at the end of August.
“To qualify, developments need to offer tenants leases of at least 10 years. Tenants can ask for shorter agreements if they wish and the development will still qualify for the exemption,” she said.
Labour (Polytechs, DHBs, 3 Waters, RNZ/TVNZ) and NAct (MBIE, Super City, Schools) may be mergaholics, but we are a small country – best to 'think bigger'?
Interesting idea. What if the Effindell legacy is that the Criminal Law system regarding children is properly reformed?
If children committing serious offences can be managed without a life sentence in Germany and Spain, why can't New Zealand do it too? Instead of ruining more lives with life sentences and ineffective criminal convictions, why not reduce the scope and severity of penalties for children who offend?
At the time the criminal assault at Kings happened, it would have been like hens-teeth for a schoolboy bullying case (no matter how violent) to have ended up in court.
Schools then (and now) do everything in their power to hush up violence – especially under the new privacy laws – which protect the criminal, rather than the victim.
Had Uffindell committed the crime today – and it had gone to court (not at all guaranteed) – it would have been tried in the Youth Court, which means: it would not have been reported; the court record would have been sealed (and it would have been a criminal offence for the victim to reveal it – even 30 years later); and the focus would have been on rehabilitating the perpetrator, rather than the welfare of the victim.
Almost certainly, the victim would be facing the criminal in school, on a daily basis. And the school would do little or nothing to protect them. It's almost always the victims who leave, these days, rather than the perpetrators – certainly in public schools (private schools have different methods of informally giving someone the boot)
ATM, it is only the most serious of crimes (usually resulting in a death) for which children are charged in adult courts (rather than the youth court – which is already doing all of the things you suggest).
In those cases, 'ruining … lives with life sentences and ineffective criminal convictions' might well come a poor second to the fact that someone else's life has been ended forever.
In NZ courts, unlike Germany and Spain 'life' most certainly does not mean 'life' – most will serve 10 years or less.
" In a deglobalizing world we risk dealing with enormous price shocks and dominant economic theory is not preparing us to deal with this. Deglobalisation can be an inflationary force especially if it happens in a chaotic manner. We have an extremely interconnected global economy in which many countries are dependent on monocultural exports. If trade is disrupted this can lead to supply issues, rising prices due to rising costs or simply reflecting temporary scarcities and pricing power. On top of that we need to consider the long-term impact of climate change. Because of high temperatures we can have negative effects on basic infrastructure, such as roads melting, and there are all sorts of industrial processes that need to happen within a certain temperature band. Climate change and extreme weather events can cause or exacerbate supply chain issues. Before the current multifaceted crisis, globalisation was dominated by just-in-time production networks. If demand went up, supply could easily follow and prices were remarkably stable. But now you have the opposite situation. If supply networks are not operating just in time anymore, when supplies stop flowing prices rise. In face of sector wide supply disruptions, the dynamic of competition switches from competition for market shares, to a dynamic of competition which prioritises charging higher prices for available inventories and this can be a further inflationary factor. "
However, [Massey University associate professor Grant] Duncan predicted Molloy would not endorse Collins, and he expected he would look to negotiate policy before endorsing a centre-right candidate.
The first death threat arrived last November, on the very day Lisa-Maria Kellermayr was set to take over her own medical practice.
[…]
Kellermayr’s fears and concerns went, time after time, unaddressed by authorities at all levels of Austrian government and law enforcement. And as a result, her case raises fundamental questions about what responsibility the state has to its citizens in times of unprecedented online hatred and abuse. “You get the feeling you need to protect yourself, because nobody’s going to help you,” she told me last month.
“Everybody up to the chancellor knew about this case before I went public. Everybody said it’s horrifying and I should get help. But nobody helped me.”
While the rivers of water are drying out and cease to exist the rivers of filth are flowing stronger than ever sweeping a path of hatred & destruction.
Michel Wood correctly named it and called it out for what it is on 16 Feb 2022:
But underneath all of that, there is a river of filth. There is a river of violence and menace. There is a river of anti-Semitism. There is a river of islamophobia. There is a river of threats to people who work in this place and our staff.
Those in government/parliament/deep state and Jews and Moslems as the collective of people under threat from the crusaders – it's so post Jan 6 terminology.
For me, this reinforces the need for police to be able to track down the 'real' identities of the anonymous online trolls.
Once a threat has been made, it should simply require signoff from a judge (checking that a threat really does exist), and the online service delivering the threat be required to disclose the identity (IP address at the very least); as well as actively assist police in tracking down the individual.
Most of the time, these trolls aren't exactly IT experts – they're using their home internet connection, and just hiding behind an anonymous name.
Yes, there are lots of good reasons for anonymity in public chat rooms, etc. (TS for example) – but that right vanishes the moment the individual crosses the line into illegal behaviour.
Of course, international platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) etc are inclined to hide behind the facade of 'we're not in your jurisdiction' but law changes imposing hefty penalties or banning from operation across the EU would swiftly change their minds.
It does nothing for the 8chan style of dark net – but, really, they're not significant in the day to day harassment. It mostly is the keyboard warriors using the most basic of IT tools.
Our laws, law enforcement and judicial system is lagging way behind the modern IT world.
It was not so much a social media pile on, but a series of death threats to her and the staff of her practice – and the total lack of action against the perps (a hacker identified someone and even now it seems police have taken no action).
The person who attacked Salman Rushdie is named Hadi Matar.
The name Hadi is derived from the Arabic word for guidance (Hadi'r makes it sound of thunder) and the surname (most common in West Asia/Levant) has a meaning in Latin (to kill) and Arabic (rain).
Currently in Hospital, so I'm not watching much news atm. But the-
Poor bastard, never read his books unfortunately.
But I understand the fatwa is still valid when old mate from Iran made a decreed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad many moons ago.
But stabbing him, is plain BS!
I wonder if this is to with some internal issue/s in Iran atm or worst a possible false flag by Israel's Mossad?
They would be the type of assholes to pull a stunt like this!
Was in UAE when Mossad did their hit on the No3 (the bag man) Man for Hamas or the other mob & it wasn't pretty either considering Mossad used UK Canadian, NZ & Oz Passports as we had a major Military Presence in UAE at the time.
Tensions are getting high in Iraq. No government has been formed since elections in October 2021.
The largest party led by al-Sadr has tried and failed to form a nationalist regime with Sunni and Kurds and now other (pro Iranian) Shia parties want the chance to form a government, but al-Sadr wants to hold new elections.
The other parties fear, if al-Sadr forms a government, he will disband the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella of mostly Iran-backed Shia militias. If these forces become permanent, rather than temporary (allied to the army in the defeat of Islamic State) they would become entrenched like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What happens next will be decided in the next week or two – a civil war is not implausible.
TV3 news leads with Luxon confirming that disabled people on a benefit will face possible sanctions under his policy.
We know what happens next, because it keeps happening: Nicola Willis or another spokesperson will "clarify" his comments, and Luxon will say "let me be clear" while distancing himself from himself.
If he keeps this up, he'll talk himself out of a job.
Luxon is an idiot, but the wider question is why people who have genuine permanent disabilities that mean they can't work, are on the jobseeker benefit at all.
But, my understanding is that 'unemployed' people with significant and permanent disabilities, but who nevertheless would be able to work, either with suitable accommodations or with reduced hours, are on the jobseeker benefit.
The National Government bundled most of the benefits together and called them Jobseekers about 2014 I think. The sickness beneficiaries were included. The word "Dole" was dropped too. A bit odd that Luxon didn't know that.
But, Labour haven't changed it since they came into office in 2017, so presumably they agree with it.
I think it was covered in the WEAG report – though perhaps not in that language – it was about people with disabilities being given financial support to live in dignity.
There’s also the Supported Living benefit – for those who can’t work at all – but don’t think it’s much better (apart from a reduction in the endless pressure to ‘get a job, any job’)
There are many people on TS who will be a lot more familiar with this than I am.
Supported Living Allowance is quite a bit more generous than the Jobseeker Benefit – National's last "improvement" on it was to reduce the maximum length of Medical Certificate allowable from 5 years to 2 years. Are you still missing limbs? Are you still blind? et cetera
As examples he cites work being done at Housing New Zealand and specifically at the Ministry of Social Development by the welfare working advisory group looking at the big driver of future costs: long-term invalids and sickness beneficiaries, a group he describes as "this big hard lump of long-term waste of human potential".
English says the MSD is not set up to deal with them.
Rather, it is set up to deal with "the easy stuff" – the unemployment and the domestic purposes benefits.
"They do the easy stuff and they do it very well, but they don't worry about these guys. If they were ACC customers, we would be spending a lot of money on trying to move them. They cost a bit less on sickness and invalids [benefits], not a hell of a lot less, but we do nothing and we are actually doing nothing to reduce this very large long-term liability."
A U.S. House candidate in Wyoming who disclosed that he impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18 scoffed at the idea of dropping out of the race and challenged any legislators who might make an issue of his past. “That’d be great,” state Sen. Anthony Bouchard…
…then refused to answer questions about the girl he married after she bore his son and who killed herself at age 20 in 1990, the year after they divorced.
The man who founded the birther movement, the election loss cry baby, and those who participate in the cult of allegiance to the liar in chief – for servitude to the lie is the power of the Orwellian regime.
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
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Anyone…who has ever had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with a narcissist bully…or worse, the Dark Triad, will maybe be seeing some similarities here.
And here i thought they were the elected Labour MP for Hamilton West who is also a Doctor.
Well…Sabine. I'm sure you might..just might maybe, accept that a Doctor, could also be a narcissist. Or worse. And quite adept at covering themselves.
It's also a bit strange for a doctor, especially a GP, to share health information in so much detail and so publicly. Fits the narcissist definition.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labours-hamilton-west-mp-gaurav-sharma-reveals-health-scare-worsening-symptoms/FMMBQVE47ZASXORYC2F4HSMEHY/
Kiri Allan did too, but that was to raise awareness of cervical cancer and getting a smear. And it worked.
Dr Gaurav Sharma is the second sitting politician to suffer a major health setback this year after East Coast MP Kiri Allan was diagnosed with cervical cancer in April.
I'm not sure what how this makes him a narcissist….unles you are happy for the same label to apply to Kiri Allan. Allan could quite rightly claim she was drawing attention to cervical cancer and the importance for women, especially wahine Maori, to get checked.
Likewise, Sharma is also drawing attention to the importance of addressing potential health issues and quite rightly highlights how beneficial it is for doctors to experience the health system from the patients' perspective.
No, not seeing how this Fits the narcissist definition.
They are extremely adept at covering themselves. They are also adept at playing the victim game and before the actual victims know it, they are deemed to be the perpetrators.
In some situations it can go on for years and the 'powers that be' just bat it away like a bothersome fly. They don't want to know. If the bully or bullies take it beyond the work-place or where-ever – as happened in my case – it can get dangerous and frightening.
As ever, Anne. And I hope you escaped most of the toll these type take.
No I didn't PL.A.
There was an added dimension to my experience which put me in a dangerous position. I was the innocent piggy in the middle involving among other things, a significant incident which took place on NZ soil.
I'm off to hide. 😮
Far out. You sure have led the "Interesting" life ! But awesome how youve retained your sense of Humour : )
Thats got me thru some "interesting" times too. Good for you Anne.
It is starting to look like the victim game-playing model. Narcissistic bullies come in all shapes and sizes and usually also have a personality disorder or two. They are not stable and, as I have said, can become quite dangerous.
Then you too must accept that maybe maybe this 'dark triad' dude was put where he is by Labour and the electorate. What does that say about Labour selection process and vetting?
In saying that, the dude at least has good job prospects once he leaves the Labour Party for good.
I know your replying to PLA @ 1.1.1 Sabine but I will add my cent-worth too.
In one sense you are right. It does not look good for Labour's selection process. But if what I suspect (and PLA) turns out to be correct, then I fully understand why they missed it. These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser.
To be fair, it applies to National and Uffindell too. National can't crystal ball gaze any more than Labour can. It is inevitable that from time to time these mistakes are made. The only difference is: there have been sufficient recent 'mistakes' by National to suggest their selection processes are in need of a major over-haul. Labour? Well time will tell.
"These types are brilliant at covering themselves. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of narcissistic bullies will tell you as much. They can get away with it for years and no-one – bar the victims – is any the wiser."
Absolutely. While they systematically pull your support from under you. Evil shits.
"While they systematically pull your support from under you."
Do they ever. And its incredible the lengths they will go to in order to succeed.
Aye highly passive-aggressive in my experience. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths most of the time. Also took slight at the mildest of disagreeing with them. Disagreement was always portrayed as disloyalty.
Couldn't be trusted to play by normal rules e.g. confidentiality in meetings.
Very curated front facing view – until they decided you were in the out crowd.
I came home at 10am this very frosty morning after helping with a sausage sizzle duty for the organisation I volunteer at, at our local Farmers Market, to sit down and generally thaw out! I turned the TV on to see if the T20 cricket match between the West Indies and Black Caps was still in progress. It had finished with a good win to the Black Caps. Following that there was a very interesting in depth interview by Laura McGoldrick with recently retired cricketer Ross Luteru Taylor, which delved into passages in his recently published memoir 'Black and White' by/with Paul Thomas. I was so impressed with the way he coped with his treatment (bullying?) by Cricket N Z, regarding the captaincy issues and coming back after a self imposed break to resume his cricketing career was in my humble opinion the very opposite to the manner Dr Sharma has presented and endeavoured to deal with his very real problems. Ross had some great mentors he could rely on to help him, including the late, great Martin Crowe and also Ian Smith who helped him to come through those dark times to be able to finish his illustrious cricket career with honours and retire on a high. I believe Gaurav Sharma could take time out to watch that interview – I saw distinct parallels with the way both scenarios unfolded and in Gaurav's case continues to unravel. I just hope he seeks the help he so needs.
and still i don't care one bit what N does as i don't vote nor have i any intention in voting for N. I have however in the past voted L, gave money to L, gave fence space for hoardings etc to L.
So in an essence i am interested in what L does. And L in this instance either managed to hire someone totally unsuitable for the job, promoted him for the job, took his electoral victory as their own because they thought he fit their profile – another diversity/minority pick – whom they thought would not win, or could not win, but was a body that they put up for appearance sake, or they got played like fools.
What is it?
A bit of all of that Sabine.
Sometimes people have flaws which show up under pressure, but othering does not help.
When a person is successful as an academic, they are often surprised by their own failure to manage people and situations.
In teaching, highly educated people could write excellent units of work, but would fail in the management of implementation.
This man appears to be unwell, highly stressed, and feeling badly misunderstood. His main cry is "no one is listening" and almost "they are out to get me".
What he needs is beyond the expertise of whips and casual help. He appears to need to discover his physical medical problem, plus get treatment for stress.
It is extremely upsetting for a clever person who has been a leader to find himself not coping, and feeling isolated enough that he did not confide in friends. This is a sad situation. Otherwise, it could suggest rationalisation after the fact of lashing out.
His posts are confused cries for help imo. Sadly help has to be accepted before it begins to work. He is angry upset and lashing out. What he is saying is true to his perspective but skewed by unhappiness and anger.
Being an MP is complex and is people centered. A person skilled in noting details to diagnose, is not perhaps the person to carry out management and implementation of treatment. imo.
He appears to find no fault in his own behaviour a big red flag, in my opinion.
I hope he goes for professional assistance. He won’t find that on F.B.
Thank you Patricia, my thoughts exactly.
As what? And Oh Yeah, we ALL get you hate Labour. Thing is… I also have previously posted about JLR….and John Banks….and….
Anyway. Have a Nice Day. I'm sure the Sun must be shining for you sometime. even UNDER Labour
As a doctor.
Desperate shortage of them in NZ at the moment.
Chris Trotter’s article is worth a read.
'Judging from his op-ed piece, Sharma may even have been labouring under the misapprehension that he was in Parliament to represent the electors of Hamilton West. He may even have thought that they were the people to whom he was ultimately answerable. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! That is merely his constitutional role.
His actual role is to shut up and do as the Whips command. Make a speech on a subject he knows nothing about. Sit on a Select Committee and vote exactly as the Labour Chair indicates – no matter how wrong or stupid. Most importantly, say nothing, write nothing, and do nothing that attracts unwanted attention.
The poor man would soon have discovered that this “sit still and shut up” rule applied with equal force in caucus. If he was ever incautious enough to stand up in front of his colleagues and express views contrary to those of the Front Bench, then he would very soon have appreciated why those tasked with the responsibility for keeping the Back Bench under control are called “Whips”..'
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2022/08/parting-shots.html
It seems that Parliament, and the parties, hasn't changed a bit in the last 25 years.
Pam Corkery did one term as an MP in the Alliance Party. After that she wrote a book about it and gave a searing portrait of Jim Anderton. The book was Pam's Political Confessions, and was published in, IIRC, 1999. The Wellington City Library still has a copy available, and others may also.
In it she wrote "Politicians are, by and large, far more self-deluding, devious, bloated, insecure, egocentric wankers than I had feared."
It sounds as if nothing has changed.
Lol…and that is a very Pam Corkery quote.
Theres a certain type of person that succeeds in politics…unfortunately.
I wonder how she would fare (politically) in todays environment?
Very poorly, I suspect. She excelled in calling a spade a bloody spade, and completely failed to suffer fools at all (let alone gladly).
Im not sure she necessarily would do poorly….she would certainly upset many but I suspect she would have considerable appeal to a sizeable cohort.
It is an idle wonder in any case as she has been there , done that and worked out she had better things to do….someone similar however may appear…..whether any mainstream party would stand such a candidate is another question however…I suspect not.
Pam Squarkery wouldn't cross the road unless you…paid her.
.
Look in the mirror. More than a few narcissists among the Woke Dogmatist element here. Indeed, certain former authors, now long-departed, were notorious for making everyone tiptoe on eggshells around them at all times … resulting in some degree of backlash from a segment of regular commenters.
Same outrageous narcissism, authoritarianism & (highly-disturbed) controlling behaviour from the (mock-)"heroic" Woke warriors on Twitter.
Hardly surprising, then, that more than one recent study in Psychology has suggested both the Alt Right & the Authoritarian Woke attract more than their fair share of activists possessing Dark Triad Personality traits (1. Machiavellianism, 2. Narcissism [esp high Entitlement], 3. Psychopathy).
Classic deception, the traits exist amongst all classes and spheres of politics – not just those you resent.
Huh? I usually ignore you…but are you aiming that at me?
I find it quite amazing how many contributors here are pontificating on a topic that must surely require a great deal of training and presonal knowledge of the person being discussed.
Are you, for example, a trained and licensed Psychologist or Psychiatrist?
Have you ever treated Dr Sharma, or even met him?
In other words are your comments based on professional knowledge, and detailed knowledge of the gentleman concerned or are they just the views of a staunch Labour Party follower who is unhappy that these things are being brought to public attention?
The same questions also seem appropriate for some of the other commenters here.
Whatever..its sure never stopped you. Maybe you have more "presonal" knowledge when pontificating…..
I can only think of one occasion when I commented on a person's psychological status. That was back in 2016 when someone assumed that I would, if it were possible, vote for Trump instead of Bernie Sanders.
I said I would vote for anyone except Trump because, although Bernie would be useless I thought Trump was totally nuts. That was the only time that I can remember making any such comment.
Now, to get back to the case in point, are you professionally qualified and do you know the person concerned, so that you can comment on his mental state?
Just to remind ourselves that there are two types of Labour parties that have little in common ideologically …
All institutions of main stream press and big business fear and hate the former and will generally support the later in any open battle for power between the two, for obvious reasons…a fact that, as I mentioned earlier, is well worth remembering…..
Sounds like things getting worse an worse in the UK but at least some of the unions are fighting back .Gandhi apparently said " if the people elect a fool they will be well represented " Must be fairly obvious now that the shit is well an truely hitting the fan !!
Happy he has been vindicated. Shame the media are/were such chumps.
The Forde Report is here:
https://www.fordeinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-Forde-Report.pdf
and this rapist is a man, not a she/her.
This is not a womans crime.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/woman-who-sexually-assaulted-dunedin-man-after-all-blacks-game-denied-parole-again/IYDVUP3SKJJZQSJKUH4TG4F76A/
so when ever this dude is getting released there will be a warning going out for a 'woman' rapist, that drags man of the street, throws them into a wall before in the end raping them.
Imagine the surprise when you get instead dragged of the street, thrown into a wall before getting raped by a man instead.
Never mind the dude that has to pretend that he was not raped by a bloke. Good fucking grief, but i totally get that the dignity and safety of the rapists is more important then the dignity and safety of the raped man and any other prospective victims this man will created once he is allowed out of prison. Calling this Rapist a male – he / him – would be total bigotry, cruel and transphobic. Making a mockery out of rape is totally acceptable in order to not be a bigot, cruel and transphobic.
assuming he's trans 😉 Anyone can be a woman now!
'you can't make this shit..up'!
It says a lot about the quality of journalism in this country that in an obvious case of penis driven rape the writer refers to the perpetrator as "woman" and "she". What should have been written is "Man masquerading as a woman rapes man …", used the pronouns "he", and waited for a complaint of misgendering and hate speech. Do what journalists are supposed to do and speak truth to power…
Tear the scab of this festering sore.
We have journalism in NZ ?
Best laugh I've had in a long time Rosemary.
Nah, our current lot of stenographers can not conceive of a more horrible thing then to loose access to the woksters and be cancelled. That would rival death!!
I'm just grateful that they pointed out that it is a man who identifies as a woman. There was a period of time when even that didn't happen, seems to have changed now.
Small mercies.
What I want to know, and what should be reported given the nature of the crime, is when the man started identifying as a woman. If they are trans (have a history of full time being a TW), then report that. If they started IDing after the arrest, report that. If they are part time/cross dresser report that. It matters.
Reading the article, possibly they are fa'afafine. I'm ok with them or TW being referred to as they in cases like this.
I am not ever going to be OK with a man who rapes a person (rape by penis) being referred to as a women, being she/her'd, and having these crimes counted as a 'woman rapes man' crime, nor with that person potentially being incarcerated with women.
If they are a Fa'afafine, then they should be referred to as such. To me there is a big difference between a Fa'afafine and a Transwomen. Whilst both present feminine the culture behind both idendities are quite different.
I suspect that the journo and/or editor are concerned over being sued for 'mis-using preferred pronouns' .
However, it it not only the content which spread mis-information, it's the headline (which is the only part many people will see).
I suppose it might be click-bait (What! A woman raping someone)
It might so easily have been better worded, e.g.: Rapist who sexually assaulted a Dunedin man after AB game in Dunedin is denied parole again.
And then make it clear in the first para that (named) offender identifies as a woman, but is biologically male.
The Herald referred to Toko Shane "Ashley" Winter as a woman and showered him with female pronouns all through his trial, conviction and sentencing for the crime of the sadistic torture and murder of a young woman. By the time of his (failed) appeal they were reporting his correct sex, but they mysteriously left the name of his victim out of a later feature on femicide.
Rosemary – have you looked at this article?
"OPINION: You’ll recall the narrative driven (and accepted by many) during the Wellington protest that it was peaceful and had one objective: to end the mandates.
Scratching not too far beneath the surface, though, it was apparent there was an entirely different – and dangerous – agenda.
At Stuff Circuit our role is to investigate matters that are in the public interest, and two things happened around the time of the occupation that got our attention.
First, we saw talk in social media about making the country “ungovernable”. It sounded like a direct threat to democracy. What did it mean? Who were the people saying it and what was their intent?"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/300657828/opinion-why-we-decided-we-should-report-this-dangerous-speech
Of course Robert….I read the rags at 5 am before my caring duties begin about 5.45 ish.
I took the bait…as so should you…and clicked on the embedded links that support their view.
And bugger me, the links lead to other Stuffed pieces, which I know from previous clicking sessions, also contain links that predominantly take one to other Stuffed articles. It is rabbit hole Stuff. Very incestuous.
Somebody needs to explain to these so called journalists that their work would have more heft if they used actual factual references to support their argument.
I confess to have tried….but as soon as I suggested that a few more articles interviewing vaccine injured, and perhaps a few more interviewing we fucking filth unvaxxed who have had Covid and who didn't die or need medical intervention, to balance out the near daily "I'm triple vaxxed and Omicron nearly killed me!" pieces that they were running for a while there had me cast into the conspiracy theory basket. Another day in the trenches.
Again…(and as yet not a single Labour flag waver here on TS has responded to this) … https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/02/20/guest-blog-suzie-dawson-remembering-the-left/
…does the hand- wavey 'we saw placards threatening violence towards politicians and journalists at the protests!!!' journalist have anything to say about these protestors from the Left back in 2012? Shall we compare the guillotine and fake blood and the beheading of lifesize photos of the PM and half the Cabinet with gallows and nooses from Wellington?
Nah. Didn't think so.
I'd love to stay and chat Robert…but I have another cubic metre of compost to mix and spread on my garden beds before it gets too hot to work. Frost here this morning in the Far Far North and it has been hot. Clouding over a little, so I need to get back to my mahi before the sun reappears.
No frost here today, Rosemary, but some of my sub-tropical plants have been "nipped" by the frost that fell on the past 2 mornings.
I asked maui, "… the article suggests that those "very angry people" represent a growing threat to the country's hauora.
What do you think about that suggestion/concern?" and thought to seek your thoughts also, if you can find the time and energy 🙂
In one of the biggest moments in NZ civil rights history, journos found some very angry people. Stunning journalism that…
Maui, the article suggests that those "very angry people" represent a growing threat to the country's hauora.
What do you think about that suggestion/concern?
Concern troll is concerned.
If this opinion piece was written in 1981, it would say angry people protesting the springbok tour and donning motorbike helmets are also a threat to society.
It provides little insight or analysis into the issues at play, it stokes people fears and emotions, and it has the writing style of the King's courtier.
There's a post up now, mauī, on the film.
Looking forward to your participation in the discussion.
https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/12-moments-that-shaped-new-zealands-history/
The pandemic be up there, but minority ‘anti-mandate’ protests weren't unique to NZ (497 Deaths/1M pop) – USA (3200), UK (2711), Canada (1123) etc. had them too.
https://elius-books.com/so-many-rabbit-holes-even-in-trusting-new-zealand-protests-show-fringe-beliefs-canish-new-zealand/
"The bad news is that, to investigate 200,000-300,000 terrible rentals, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has employed a frontline inspectorate numbering … 37. Each inspector will have to check somewhere between 5000 and 8000 rentals.
This reminds one of the fanciful calculations showing Santa Claus would have to be a high-speed blur if he really visited each of the world’s 2 billion children on Christmas Eve. Less humorously, it recalls the sole inspector employed to check mine safety around the time of the Pike River disaster, which killed 29 men."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/129555393/max-rashbrooke-terrible-landlords-arent-bad-apples–theyre-endemic
The same issue applies to employment law especially pertaining to migrants…the lack of enforcement of already minimal protections.
Claytons regulation.
I reported a house as 'condemned' to the AKL Council a long time ago. I still have the emails, tenancy tribunal ruling and so on and so forth.
I asked why this house could not be condemned to protect any other tenants that may have the misfortune to rent the shitbox. I was told that if they were to do this they would have to condemn most of Aucklands housing and btw, we don't even have enough people to inspect the houses that have the facades fall off, and where the roofs are about to cave in.
Its by design.
Yes , it is indeed by design….and the result of decades of 'free market' economics. Regulation is an anathema to them but politically difficult to sell so we have nominal regulation but ensure we are unable to enforce it.
Did you happen to see this particular developer/landlord incentive announced this week:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/472745/tax-break-for-investors-providing-long-term-rentals
They seem to prefer tax incentives to actual regulation.
Yes, have seen that announcement…and agree that they continue to adhere to the free market ideology in deed even if not in word.
"They seem to prefer tax incentives to actual regulation."
I think they seem to prefer tax incentives to actual building of homes.
One's easy, the other is difficult.
False dichotomy that is not surprising coming from someone who only knows and thinks in B & W.
In any case, this Government has been building new houses, which you would have known unless you’ve been living under a rook.
Santa, however has magic; MBIE…. less so
Labour (Polytechs, DHBs, 3 Waters, RNZ/TVNZ) and NAct (MBIE, Super City, Schools) may be mergaholics, but we are a small country – best to 'think bigger'?
Interesting idea. What if the Effindell legacy is that the Criminal Law system regarding children is properly reformed?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sam-uffindell-was-lucky-to-avoid-nzs-criminal-justice-system-as-a-schoolboy-but-it-was-the-right-outcome/4JJFJQXVOALL5C76BSBTNU4N5Y/
At the time the criminal assault at Kings happened, it would have been like hens-teeth for a schoolboy bullying case (no matter how violent) to have ended up in court.
Schools then (and now) do everything in their power to hush up violence – especially under the new privacy laws – which protect the criminal, rather than the victim.
Had Uffindell committed the crime today – and it had gone to court (not at all guaranteed) – it would have been tried in the Youth Court, which means: it would not have been reported; the court record would have been sealed (and it would have been a criminal offence for the victim to reveal it – even 30 years later); and the focus would have been on rehabilitating the perpetrator, rather than the welfare of the victim.
Almost certainly, the victim would be facing the criminal in school, on a daily basis. And the school would do little or nothing to protect them. It's almost always the victims who leave, these days, rather than the perpetrators – certainly in public schools (private schools have different methods of informally giving someone the boot)
ATM, it is only the most serious of crimes (usually resulting in a death) for which children are charged in adult courts (rather than the youth court – which is already doing all of the things you suggest).
In those cases, 'ruining … lives with life sentences and ineffective criminal convictions' might well come a poor second to the fact that someone else's life has been ended forever.
In NZ courts, unlike Germany and Spain 'life' most certainly does not mean 'life' – most will serve 10 years or less.
The Iranian bounty on Rushdie's life remains active.
― Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
https://twitter.com/Anthony/status/1558235634866786309
" In a deglobalizing world we risk dealing with enormous price shocks and dominant economic theory is not preparing us to deal with this. Deglobalisation can be an inflationary force especially if it happens in a chaotic manner. We have an extremely interconnected global economy in which many countries are dependent on monocultural exports. If trade is disrupted this can lead to supply issues, rising prices due to rising costs or simply reflecting temporary scarcities and pricing power. On top of that we need to consider the long-term impact of climate change. Because of high temperatures we can have negative effects on basic infrastructure, such as roads melting, and there are all sorts of industrial processes that need to happen within a certain temperature band. Climate change and extreme weather events can cause or exacerbate supply chain issues. Before the current multifaceted crisis, globalisation was dominated by just-in-time production networks. If demand went up, supply could easily follow and prices were remarkably stable. But now you have the opposite situation. If supply networks are not operating just in time anymore, when supplies stop flowing prices rise. In face of sector wide supply disruptions, the dynamic of competition switches from competition for market shares, to a dynamic of competition which prioritises charging higher prices for available inventories and this can be a further inflationary factor. "
https://agendapublica.elpais.com/noticia/18172/world-of-overlapping-emergencies-we-need-new-forms-of-price-stabilization
New tools needed…but more importantly an acceptance by the powers that be that the old paradigm is unfit for purpose (if it ever was).
A feature article to look forward to tomorrow: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/stuff-circuit/300657828/opinion-why-we-decided-we-should-report-this-dangerous-speech
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/472792/efeso-collins-could-scoop-molloy-votes-analyst
Sounds more like ‘the kiss of death’ to me, but to the (some) candidates it’ll be ‘mana from heaven’ – votes are votes, after all.
Pile-ons have consequences.
/
The first death threat arrived last November, on the very day Lisa-Maria Kellermayr was set to take over her own medical practice.
[…]
Kellermayr’s fears and concerns went, time after time, unaddressed by authorities at all levels of Austrian government and law enforcement. And as a result, her case raises fundamental questions about what responsibility the state has to its citizens in times of unprecedented online hatred and abuse. “You get the feeling you need to protect yourself, because nobody’s going to help you,” she told me last month.
“Everybody up to the chancellor knew about this case before I went public. Everybody said it’s horrifying and I should get help. But nobody helped me.”
https://www.codastory.com/waronscience/lisa-maria-kellermayr-anti-science/
While the rivers of water are drying out and cease to exist the rivers of filth are flowing stronger than ever sweeping a path of hatred & destruction.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/300660877/european-drought-dries-up-rivers-kills-fish-shrivels-crops
Michel Wood correctly named it and called it out for what it is on 16 Feb 2022:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/combined/HansDeb_20220216_20220216_16
Michael Wood our very own Enoch Powell.
Higherstandard, the commenter with the wrong de plume.
Those in government/parliament/deep state and Jews and Moslems as the collective of people under threat from the crusaders – it's so post Jan 6 terminology.
It is so post March 15 terminology
Who in government felt threatened after March 15?
They are us
But not those protesting.
Choices, people make choices and then they try to mould the reality (aka perceptions) to fit & suit those choices (aka confirmation bias).
For me, this reinforces the need for police to be able to track down the 'real' identities of the anonymous online trolls.
Once a threat has been made, it should simply require signoff from a judge (checking that a threat really does exist), and the online service delivering the threat be required to disclose the identity (IP address at the very least); as well as actively assist police in tracking down the individual.
Most of the time, these trolls aren't exactly IT experts – they're using their home internet connection, and just hiding behind an anonymous name.
Yes, there are lots of good reasons for anonymity in public chat rooms, etc. (TS for example) – but that right vanishes the moment the individual crosses the line into illegal behaviour.
Of course, international platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) etc are inclined to hide behind the facade of 'we're not in your jurisdiction' but law changes imposing hefty penalties or banning from operation across the EU would swiftly change their minds.
It does nothing for the 8chan style of dark net – but, really, they're not significant in the day to day harassment. It mostly is the keyboard warriors using the most basic of IT tools.
Our laws, law enforcement and judicial system is lagging way behind the modern IT world.
The term troll has a wider meaning than someone making a direct threat.
Making a threat to kill is itself a crime, regardless of whether it is assessed as a serious one or not.
Yes but it is alot harder to prove a verbal threat than one that can be tracked in the cyber world.
It was not so much a social media pile on, but a series of death threats to her and the staff of her practice – and the total lack of action against the perps (a hacker identified someone and even now it seems police have taken no action).
Her family should sue the police.
Double-you-aitch-eh-eh tee tee ???????????
"Inside the Caesars hotel and casino, rain fell through the ceiling onto the heads of diners in a restaurant."
What?
Where?
No! Surely not!!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/us-canada/300661091/las-vegas-casinos-flooding-for-second-time-in-two-weeks
The person who attacked Salman Rushdie is named Hadi Matar.
The name Hadi is derived from the Arabic word for guidance (Hadi'r makes it sound of thunder) and the surname (most common in West Asia/Levant) has a meaning in Latin (to kill) and Arabic (rain).
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62528689
Imad Mughniyeh was a former Hezbollah Chief of Staff reputedly assassinated by Mossad.
https://twitter.com/karol/status/1558217204373618697
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imad_Mughniyeh
The inference is a cult of assassins activated because the nuclear talks have folded.
Currently in Hospital, so I'm not watching much news atm. But the-
Poor bastard, never read his books unfortunately.
But I understand the fatwa is still valid when old mate from Iran made a decreed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad many moons ago.
But stabbing him, is plain BS!
I wonder if this is to with some internal issue/s in Iran atm or worst a possible false flag by Israel's Mossad?
They would be the type of assholes to pull a stunt like this!
Was in UAE when Mossad did their hit on the No3 (the bag man) Man for Hamas or the other mob & it wasn't pretty either considering Mossad used UK Canadian, NZ & Oz Passports as we had a major Military Presence in UAE at the time.
Tensions are getting high in Iraq. No government has been formed since elections in October 2021.
The largest party led by al-Sadr has tried and failed to form a nationalist regime with Sunni and Kurds and now other (pro Iranian) Shia parties want the chance to form a government, but al-Sadr wants to hold new elections.
The other parties fear, if al-Sadr forms a government, he will disband the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella of mostly Iran-backed Shia militias. If these forces become permanent, rather than temporary (allied to the army in the defeat of Islamic State) they would become entrenched like Hezbollah in Lebanon.
What happens next will be decided in the next week or two – a civil war is not implausible.
TV3 news leads with Luxon confirming that disabled people on a benefit will face possible sanctions under his policy.
We know what happens next, because it keeps happening: Nicola Willis or another spokesperson will "clarify" his comments, and Luxon will say "let me be clear" while distancing himself from himself.
If he keeps this up, he'll talk himself out of a job.
Luxon is an idiot, but the wider question is why people who have genuine permanent disabilities that mean they can't work, are on the jobseeker benefit at all.
Not supporting this….
But, my understanding is that 'unemployed' people with significant and permanent disabilities, but who nevertheless would be able to work, either with suitable accommodations or with reduced hours, are on the jobseeker benefit.
He is constantly showing his true colours for which we should be thankful.
The National Government bundled most of the benefits together and called them Jobseekers about 2014 I think. The sickness beneficiaries were included. The word "Dole" was dropped too. A bit odd that Luxon didn't know that.
Yeah, looks like 2013.
https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/benefit/benefit-factsheet-changes-2013.html
But, Labour haven't changed it since they came into office in 2017, so presumably they agree with it.
I think it was covered in the WEAG report – though perhaps not in that language – it was about people with disabilities being given financial support to live in dignity.
There’s also the Supported Living benefit – for those who can’t work at all – but don’t think it’s much better (apart from a reduction in the endless pressure to ‘get a job, any job’)
There are many people on TS who will be a lot more familiar with this than I am.
Some reaction: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/08/health-and-disability-advocates-hit-out-at-national-s-unfair-new-welfare-policy.html
Supported Living Allowance is quite a bit more generous than the Jobseeker Benefit – National's last "improvement" on it was to reduce the maximum length of Medical Certificate allowable from 5 years to 2 years. Are you still missing limbs? Are you still blind? et cetera
There are many people on TS who will be a lot more familiar with this than I am.
Groundhog Day it is.
Luxon…nobody can accuse him of not recycling.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/driver-of-the-big-cuts/62IRSCMLOD264ROVUKYXHHQCNQ/
As examples he cites work being done at Housing New Zealand and specifically at the Ministry of Social Development by the welfare working advisory group looking at the big driver of future costs: long-term invalids and sickness beneficiaries, a group he describes as "this big hard lump of long-term waste of human potential".
English says the MSD is not set up to deal with them.
Rather, it is set up to deal with "the easy stuff" – the unemployment and the domestic purposes benefits.
"They do the easy stuff and they do it very well, but they don't worry about these guys. If they were ACC customers, we would be spending a lot of money on trying to move them. They cost a bit less on sickness and invalids [benefits], not a hell of a lot less, but we do nothing and we are actually doing nothing to reduce this very large long-term liability."
#nothingnewunderthesun
Agree Chess Player. The rolling of all benefits under "job seeker" did not help.
What would bomber make of this?
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wyoming-house-elections-teen-pregnancy-health-7ac5a0a6221a0472c7a75263575eaae2
'Murica!
– Edwin Edwards
https://oilcity.news/wyoming/legislature/2020/02/13/wyoming-house-kills-child-marriage-restriction-bill3/
16 year olds would find it hard to predict the realities of marriage. Some in their 20s find it hard.
Don't limit it. There are eternal children in their 30s and 40s – the Peter Pan syndrome is alive and well.
In Wyoming under 16s can marry with judicial approval.
The man who founded the birther movement, the election loss cry baby, and those who participate in the cult of allegiance to the liar in chief – for servitude to the lie is the power of the Orwellian regime.
https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1558218986898210821