Green Party co-leader Russel Norman has accused Prime Minister John Key of conspiring to establish a surveillance state in New Zealand by encouraging American data-mining company Palantir to set up shop here.
-snip-
Dr Norman voiced concerns this week about Palantir and its software Prism, which he suggested was similar to the huge online data gathering and tracking tool of the same name used by United States spy organisation the National Security Agency.
He also pointed out Palantir had set up an office in Wellington and was advertising for an analyst to be embedded with the Government.
Yesterday he said: “We need to know, is John Key effectively trying to replicate Prism in New Zealand by getting this organisation Palantir to set up here and start spying on all of our internet communications and everything digital that we do?”
-snip-
And in a tone reminiscent of the scientists of old who crowed that all that there was to be discovered already had been and laughed when the suggestion was made that the world wasn’t flat…here’s Tony Ryall:
State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall said Dr Norman suffered from paranoia and called him the Chicken Little of New Zealand politics. “Every time he talks about anything the sky’s falling in … it’s all big business big politics, the right against the innocent little Greens.”
Palantir: The ancient seeing stones of Middle Earth; originally used to keep the free peoples in contact with one another, but which fell under the power of the Eye of Sauron. Corrupting; Saruman the White, and driving mad with despair; Denethor (steward of Gondor, and lord of Minas Tirith; bulwark against the forces of evil). How appropriate.
@AwW
These scientists of old you mention; which ones do you mean? Aristarchus was the first (circa 300 BC!) to accurately describe the approximate size and shape of the solar system. But his work was more; lost, than derided by other scientists. Copernicus certainly came in for his share of flak, but that was mainly from the church; who demanded his heliocentricism be taught as merely a hypothesis (tactics reminiscent of the present attacks on teaching evolution).
A better example might be Galileo, the first astronomer to make and use telescopes (all Aristarchus had was; his eyes, the phases of the moon, and the length of shadows cast by the sun). In regard to his discovery of the moons of Jupiter, he begged a priest to look through one of his telescopes and see the evidence for himself. The reply? “I don’t need to look, for my faith informs me that they are not there” [paraphrased from the original Italian, obviously].
One you’ll like most is the new interview with snowde in the South China Morning Post, but it seems to have crashed their server, I imagine it’s popular. the link is here
This is great stuff Pb. Some thought provoking and considered commentary. Also good quotes in here. Appreciated.
The citizens of Hong Kong come in for some well deserved praise for their courage for standing up for democracy against the communist regional Power. I see that the citizens of that great city are rallying to support Snowden already.
Meanwhile the communist toady administrator of Hong Kong is calling for Snowden to be promptly sent back to the US. The US and their Communist China rivals and sometimes enemy, rally together against their common foe. Their own people’s thirst for democracy and freedom.
I take back my first impression that Snowden should come here. Hong Kong sounds like the perfect place for Snowden. Snowden has knowingly and willingly placed his life in the hands of the citizens of Hong Kong knowing of their record of standing up for democracy and freedom. Refusing to be bullied by the Communist Leaders of China or the past Colonial rulers.
Snowden has given recognition to the people of Hong Kong and their great history.
I only wish it had been us who had been so honoured.
“But yeah, as you say, no no no….”
Yet another failure by a “liberal” commentator
The Huddle, NewstalkZB, Wednesday 12 June 2013
Tim Dower, Damian Christie, Maria Slade
Larry “Lackwit” Williams is away, possibly with swine flu. But the format of this horror show remains the same: a dim but nasty host (TIM DOWER), a virulently dogmatic right wing opinionator (MARIA SLADE) and one token “liberal” who, in almost every case, is bullied into dithering silence or nervously tries to “find common ground” with the other two. Today that contemptible wimp is played to perfection by DAMIAN CHRISTIE. For anyone concerned at media irresponsibility, mediocrity and downright cowardliness, this little exchange, right at the end of today’s Huddle, is a perfect case study. Note how Christie initially makes a (weak) statement supporting Edward Snowden, but when the other two grunt their disapproval, he not only falls into line, but preposterously compares Snowden to Nazi war criminals hiding in South America….
TIM DOWER: Okay, we’re back with The Huddle. Now, uh, [snicker] this BIZARRE suggestion today that we should grant asylum to this guy Edward Snowden! Ha ha ha ha ha! What do you think of THAT?
MARIA SLADE:[snicker] No, no, no, no, NO.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: Well…[nervous snicker]… I have some time for Edward Snowden actually. I think that what this Prism business shows is that the very LEAST, I should at least know that my emails are not being spied on! [nervous snicker]
TIM DOWER:[dubiously] Mmmmmmmmm.
MARIA SLADE:[dubiously] Mmmmmmmmmmm. They must have caught Geoffrey Robinson at a low point! I have a lot of time for him actually and, you know, his stand against the death penalty?
TIM DOWER: Yup.
MARIA SLADE: But THIS? [snicker] This is just…aaaaarrrgghhhh!! And you know he’s married to that FABULOUS novelist Kathy Lette! But THIS? No, no, no, no, no.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: I suppose New Zealand could be like Brazil and Argentina after World War Two, where characters like this could hide out. But yeah, as you say, no, no, no.
MARIA SLADE: Not with our relationship with the United States. It could never happen! No. NO.
TIM DOWER: Damian Christie and Maria Slade, thank you!
Point to Ponder….
The following are all used in NewstalkZB’s on air promos…..
Ranting. Reacting. Reasoning. Reflecting. The Huddle with LarryWilliams, on NewstalkZB!
NewstalkZB. Fair and Balanced.
NewstalkZB. Tune Your Mind.
Here’s the official line on dissent for today, written for the morally unimpeachable Daily Telegraph by one Tim Stanley, who is a British version of Dr Michael Bassett.
It’s full of flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis, but it’s as good as the British and U.S. regimes can manage, short of flinging rape allegations at him.
Those of us with a conscience will simply laugh at statements like this one about Prism: “it’s not a snooping programme but a data management tool.” But you will no doubt fall on such made-to-measure soundbites like a maggot on a chop.
How sweet, and ironic too, Morrissey, given that you’re the bastion of “flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis” around here. I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws, did not take his concerns to Congress, nor protested to the organisations and institutions for which he worked – the system is undoubtedly flawed. It is, however, curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation some weeks before the leaking. It is also rather interesting that Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech. Surely it did not escape one so erudite that Hong Kong remains a part of the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US. In any case, I ceased to have any sympathy for the man when he just recently made the transition (from his plush and expensive hotel room) from whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far. I would postulate that Mr Snowden, if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
Here are some of the ‘flaws’ of the whistle blowing process as told by one who used it:
I differed as a whistleblower to Snowden only in this respect: in accordance with the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, I took my concerns up within the chain of command, to the very highest levels at the NSA, and then to Congress and the Department of Defense. I understand why Snowden has taken his course of action, because he’s been following this for years: he’s seen what’s happened to other whistleblowers like me.
By following protocol, you get flagged – just for raising issues. You’re identified as someone they don’t like, someone not to be trusted. I was exposed early on because I was a material witness for two 9/11 congressional investigations. In closed testimony, I told them everything I knew – about Stellar Wind, billions of dollars in fraud, waste and abuse, and the critical intelligence, which the NSA had but did not disclose to other agencies, preventing vital action against known threats. If that intelligence had been shared, it may very well have prevented 9/11.
But as I found out later, none of the material evidence I disclosed went into the official record. It became a state secret even to give information of this kind to the 9/11 investigation.
I reached a point in early 2006 when I decided I would contact a reporter. I had the same level of security clearance as Snowden. If you look at the indictment from 2010, you can see that I was accused of causing “exceptionally grave damage to US national security”. Despite allegations that I had tippy-top-secret documents, In fact, I had no classified information in my possession, and I disclosed none to the Baltimore Sun journalist during 2006 and 2007. But I got hammered: in November 2007, I was raided by a dozen armed FBI agents, when I was served with a search warrant. The nightmare had only just begun, including extensive physical and electronic surveillance.
In April 2008, in a secret meeting with the FBI, the chief prosecutor from the Department of Justice assigned to lead the prosecution said, “How would you like to spend the rest of your life in jail, Mr Drake?” – unless I co-operated with their multi-year, multimillion-dollar criminal leak investigation, launched in 2005 after the explosive New York Times article revealing for the first time the warrantless wiretapping operation. Two years later, they finally charged me with a ten felony count indictment, including five counts under the Espionage Act. I faced upwards of 35 years in prison.
In July 2011, after the government’s case had collapsed under the weight of truth, I plead to a minor misdemeanor for “exceeding authorized use of a computer” under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act – in exchange for the DOJ dropping all ten felony counts. I received as a sentence one year’s probation and 240 hours of community service: I interviewed almost 50 veterans for the Library of Congress veterans history project. This was a rare, almost unprecedented, case of a government prosecution of a whistleblower ending in total defeat and failure.
And none of the rest is interesting at all in the way you seem to suggest. It can all be explained in the quote above.
It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.
I also don’t see any particular need to spend much time trying to psychoanalyse the guy. His personality is pretty much completely beside the point.
While you mind find your confirmation bias comforting, I still find the remainder interestingL Why did he flee to China? WHy is he now spilling his guts that have nothing to do with domestic spying on US citizens?
My bias is not to believe anything, never trust in an ideology, and when something is current and widely available news, I don’t feel I need to google for you
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
Youbleaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he appears to be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
game theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
You leaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he could well be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. ( ie, telling both the Chinese and the US that he has more stuff, and may talk without letting them know wjhat he has, and to what extent he will talk). It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
That would explain why he went to china. An opponent of the US will act differently toward him than an ally of the US will.
Game theory, Information theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into. Especially crypto geeks.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
First he tries to pillory Snowden for being a high school and army drop out. Now he’s trying to position Snowden as a Chinese spy.
Mate, just get over the fact that this guy is so smart he got a senior consulting position with Booz Allen on $200K pa (including benefits), which is something you couldn’t do.
And that’s before the fact he just threw that and more in, and put his fucking neck on the line. While you whine about his dirty socks.
And maybe you’re jealous of his pole-dancing girfriend – though it seems his salary was actually considerably less than $200,000 a year. Yep, your right, I couldn’t pull that and neither could he. I’m not actually suggesting anything except something remains very fishy, if only his motivations.
Also, you do realise Snowden is a Ron Paul fanatic, don’t you?
Ron Paul’s economic theories are beside the point; his comments about the illegal spying of the government are entirely reasonable and solidly mainstream. Not, of course, if you consider the political class the “mainstream”, but then what does public opinion matter?
Ron Paul is what Richard Prebble would be if he had a conscience and the courage to speak plainly.
You delusional narcissists do like to stick together. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that he has in fact “leaked” anything that wasn’t already well known to anyone who cared to think about the Patriot Act for ten seconds. Now he’s giving interviews to the Chinese dailies – curiouser and curiouser….
1.) I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws
We can see the way that the US treats its whistleblowers, simply by looking at the judicial lynching being perpetrated in Fort Meade, Maryland.
2.) ….the system is undoubtedly flawed.
“Flawed”? What Edward Snowden has confirmed irrefutably is that the U.S. government is spying on its own citizens ILLEGALLY. It is perpetrating CRIMES against its own citizens.
3.) ….curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation [sic] some weeks before the leaking…
Yes, it was a momentous action he undertook. Planning was essential.
4.) Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech.
He chose a place where he would be safe from the depradations of another regime which has scant respect for free speech. Similarly, Ai Wei Wei recently sought asylum in the embassy of a regime which has scant respect for free speech. Not that a dedicated servant of state power like yourself is ever likely to anger any criminals like Snowden has done, but you need to remember the concept of “any port in a storm.”
5.) …the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US.
That is for criminal activity, not for political activity. If anyone were to be deported from Hong Kong now, it would be those U.S. operatives in the consul there who have not denounced their country’s criminal activities and are, therefore, still directly or indirectly involved in the commission of those crimes.
6.) …whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far.
He blew the whistle on illegal surveillance of American citizens. THAT is what the criminal U.S. regime wants him for.
7.) …if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
EQC. The government department set up to provide a form of land and building insurance in the event of a major disaster hitting anyone in NZ, but especially hitting a large population centre in one of our cities.
Its very reason for being of course came into play in Christchurch during 2010 and 2011.
EQC’s failings to comply with its own legislated obligations is legendary. It has completely and utterly failed. It has failed to such an extent that EQC offices have no signs, have razor wire around the perimeter and security guards. It is so completely incompetent that if you want to “opt-out” you cannot even speak to the people and you cannot even find out where their offices are to pay a visit.
EQC is the most incompetent and useless bureaucratic organisation I have ever had to deal with, bar none. Fucked.
EQC of course is subject to Gerry Brownlee’s rule in Christchurc. BIG MOST MASSIVE FAIL FOR THE BIG MAN.
So…. when I hear yesterday that the big man Brownlee has had enough of Christchurch City Council building consent delays I laughed. And laughed. and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed
Brownlee wants to take consent processing off the Council due to their delays.
So I look forward to EQC being taken off Brownlee.
Fucking scab-arsed hypocrite prick. I hate shit like this – double standards and total bullshit.
be great for journos to access their media vaults for the statements regarding the EQC reserves,
the ones that after the first quake, had Key saying the following
day one: ” EQC has cash reserves of 15 billion dollars ”
day two: EQC has cash reserves of 6 billion dollars
day three (to present) “EQC has (had) cash reserves of 3 billion dollars”
Yeah. The funny thing is that we are better than this…..
Example – Christchurch City Council building consent applications of all things. We’ve punched a few through there over the years and the staff are brilliant. Helpful, friendly, competent (mostly). We have just pushed our first one through post-earthquake and while there were some biggish delays overall it was not bad and I’ve heard of plenty that have gone through in time. The Council has very real resource constraint issues, just like everybody down here. They are dealing with it better than fucking Brownlee departments with the same issue that’s for sure.
This broadside has wider intent imo.
That can be the only explanation – what does Brownlee expect if the consent process is taken elsewhere? They going to deal with them quicker? Where will he get the staff and competence to do this? Fucking joke ha ha ha ha ha ha. Given Brownlee’s competency with EQC one must expect that if Brownlee is to process consents then it will be on a par with EQC and take bloody shitloads longer than Council. Council outperforms Brownlee.
There is wider intent to this …… keep the ears peeled …….
It is all a part of a general theme the Nats are building up that everything that is wrong is the fault of Local Government and Central Government is not to blame.
Same sort of stuff is happening in Auckland. The Housing Accord stuff is really scary and is clearly an attempt to transfer blame. There is also an underlying anti environmental meme as well and if you look at Environment Canterbury a similar thing is happening.
It is really really scary and my contempt for this Government has hit a new high this year.
Yep, this government is doing everything to shift the blame from them onto government bureaucrats and then we’ll see the private is better meme come front and centre and from there we’ll see even more of our administration shifted into private hands giving National’s rich mates a government guaranteed profit while we get to pay more and get less for it.
Where will he get the staff and competence to do this?
And that is the biggest question of all and the answer is that he will have to get them from the council thus crippling the council even more than it is. National and Labour have no understanding of economics – they just see the money.
The more I think about this attack on the Christchurch City Council by Gerry Brownlee (and it is an attack. The allegation perception and reality are a mullion miles apart) the more I see it as a political stunt as part of a longer campaign (as much as it is).
You watch – this “crisis” will evaporate and nothing will be heard of it in a few weeks. Gets Brownlee and Key and his lot some good headlines for a while though…
VTO – The situation in ChCh, quite clearly contrived , I would not expect to see any opportunity missed, to outsource.
Up here, the attacks are happening from the inside, courtesy of the appointments made by the unelected agency, which is now disbanded, who also signed the city into expensive, long term, damaging contracts, many of which have been *disappeared* from public view, and many which are evident by the numbers of consultants, the agencies they represent, and the *professional*, relationships, which dominate the departments, are easily available to track.
Preferred supplier lists are not adhered to, contractors enter on over-inflated rates/salaries, via the agencies with the *professional connections* – The fraudulant, crony behaviour, to line the pockets of the few, while the many, pick up the tab, is unbelieveable!
It’s a fruadulant enterprise, covering itself, and its actions, in more fraud!
… all appear to be symptoms of a government that has been hell bent on cutting back-office here and back-office there. I suspect that the delay in action is largely because there are not enough operators to deal with queries/phones/ etc.
From my shortish (two terms) experiences in local government (North Shore) it was very clear that the Nats really want to take over local government for themselves and their mates. The infrastructure and potential profit to be made from it is huge.
While it might seem ridiculous for Brownlee to say he’ll take over from Ch’ch city because they’ve got delays in approving resource consents, and you wonder where/how he’ll get the staff to do it any better – this could well be just another form of privatisation and takeover of NZ”s traditional way of doing things. As Mickey Savage says above – its very scarey – and there seems to be no stopping them. There’s still 16 months or so to the next general election – that sufficient time for the Nats to do still more enormous damage.
Does anyone know why Kim Hill is not on Morning Report today?
I woke up invigorated at the prospect of another good morning listening to the much improved programme since Kim has been back – only to find Susie Ferguson on with Simon Mercep and heard no explanation re Kim. I also don’t recall any mention of Kim not being on today in yesterday’s programme.
Nothing against Susie as I am impressed with her, but it seems unusual when she is currently filling in for Mary Wilson on Checkpoint – and then suddenly pops up again on the early morning show as well.
Have Kim’s brilliant interviews of Key and Parata been too revealing for some RNZ management – or their ‘masters’ who pay the cheques using our taxpayer dollars?
I realise that PB – but was it planned for today or is Kim sick or have other commitments today (eg preparation for Saturday)? My understanding from what has been said on MR was that Kim was to on for the full two weeks.
Edit – What I mean is that it would be nice if MR actually said something as to why Kim is not on today.
I reckon after shonkey the word went out to compliant RNZ natty boys, takes a few days. Susie is dogmatic but Kim is incisive and they are trained to cope with susies style, they lack the brains to cope with Kim.
vv
Yes I was wondering wheres Kim. But somebody said she was only standing in for 2 weeks. I think it will definitely be short term as I dont know if she would want the early starts each day to do the morning news and she has the reading and keeping up to date to do that enables her to surprise so many interviewees on her Saturday morning show with her depth of knowledge and understanding and get very memorable and interesting interviews from them. They’re gold, but getting gold requires work, time and commitment.
Fa’foi the Mana MP, no Sky City links to his area.
Cosgrave the Chch MP, no Sky City links to his area.
WTF? Why did they think Sky wanted to grease them?
What a pair of numpties!
Goff? Unbelievable. Sky is a big employer of his constituents. However Phil should have known the huge political risk of accepting this invitation.
Shearer’s ten minutes of fame! He continues to match the low expectations we have of him.
My understanding is that corporate boxes are often rented out to other organisations, for functions etc unconnected to the actual longterm owner/renter of the box. Maybe that was the situation on this occasion.
Memo to Labour’s caucus. Do not accept corporate gifts from anyone, especially a corporate that profits on human misery and is engaged in the selling of our law.
When do we seriously start asking if Shearer has been planted as leader by National? Because no leader could be this shit, without trying to be this shit
I know the tory-fan-boys did all they could to make him leader, and now they are doing all they can to keep him there. But I’m beginning to think that National run the Labour party
Could be the database process. It has been boosting over 50% midday. Or the email, which is on a amazon server and seems to get dup issues with the emails from people monitoring via email.
But when National Party’s no 1 PR Man….John Armstrong writes about it, it does serious damage.
I would expect far better discipline from Labour MP’s, what the hell was going through their mind when they were invited and then accepted an invitation to Sky’s box…using the same thick part of their brain that made them select Shearer as leader.
Surely you don’t mean “weren’t happy with the National govt using the Hobbit as an excuse to ram through changes to employment law while giving massive subsidies to the foreign corporates who insisted on the changes”.
If not, then you’ll be able to find me an example of someone – anyone – from Labour being not happy with the Hobbit. gogogo.
Maybe you’re right and maybe you’re wrong but what I know is that Sir Peter Jackson is more trusted and respected then anyone in the Labour party
And when the election campaign starts the MSM (in the pay of the National party backers) will be running the line that Labour were against the Hobbit movies
But hey I’m sure David Shearer will be able to succinctly and clearly put the matter to rest eh
So you might have told a bit of a fib before (labour being anti the hobbit), but you’re pretty confident that PJ the titular knight and the band of merry MSM will repeat the story even if it’s untrue.
And everyone will believe Sir PJ the publicly-funded VJ because Reader’s Digest says so.
The thing about evil plans to mislead the public is that they tend to not work if you tell everyone about them. You should have learned that at Minitrue.
Goff, ‘n, King (sounds like a famous songwriting pair) are obviously making hay while the sun shines. They won’t be around parliament much longer, so won’t get many more opportunities. Appalling judgement though. We had to watch the match, full of adverts, on Prime after the match had finished.
Just as an aside, we caught a glimpse of Joky Hen in some important seats. Who supplied them?
They don’t seem to get it do they. Three of them have received huge ministerial salaries and are currently paid amounts that the ordinary punter can only dream of – why don’t they just spend their own “hard earned” for once. In this household, we have been waiting some time now for Shearer to show some leadership and authority. Won’t be supporting this shower of a party next election now, (though local electorate MP may still get the votes).
Wishful thinking.
They are 2 of Shearer’s 3 enforcers.
They are awaiting their 2014 reward, and will on current track be even more necessary to prop up what will be our weakest pm since Palmer.
If you have any doubts about Phil’s commitment to the cause take a look at 3 News footage last night of him tearing into Tolley over the Hutton euology. I wish he had been a bit more like that in the last election.
From what I can see, Labour not being elected next year would be the best thing for NZ.
At least Key amuses me, he’s our version of George W, or Berlusconi without the sex appeal.
Shearer just makes me want to shove my face in a food blender.
He also surely had the opportunity to expedite the police review into the Thomas / Crewe investigation when in office. Yet, here we are in 2013 still knocking it around the paddock..
Not to mention the Ellis case which was shamefully handled on Goff’s watch.
Yes, him and Ahmed Zaoui would be a good reminder to anyone who thinks that the Labour Mandarins such as Goff – who are still front benchers – are liberal in any real way. Fucking hypocrites.
Heard on Radionz this morning.
The Turkish leader is talking about a referendum about confiscating green area in the city used as a park and allocating it to businesspeople to build on. It’s a step towards fairness though shouldn’t need to be considered because taking the park should never have been considered.
The Afghani interpreters and their families have arrived, but there are still about ten they are worried about. And the way things are going there the truth that they could be endangered seems evident.
Queenstown is unhappy with government withdrawal of personal services and replacing with on line etc distant communication by voice or electronics. Do we want our government to be constantly breaking down their relationship with us in this way? Computers are great as an adjunct and aid but they have bugs and we don’t want to feel that we are being ordered by machines which is what will happen as they increase the automation and drop the amount of actual people staff employed. I have thought of a name for this government at a distance approach – Portcullis government. This brings to mind the barred gate that dropped down at the entrance to castles in days not so different as now.
Christchurch is being threatened with a takeover of its services. The problem is that there are millions to be invested in the CBD and they can’t get timely okays on their plans. Bob Parker is his usual smooth self. He was very involved in who was employed as ceo and one wonders if both are the right people for the job. More takeover by the central government. They will rule us all soon, in every way. We have to be brave and wise hobbits and make our supportive relationships to prevent being swamped by the corrupted ones.
In an old Listener Gareth Morgan commented unfavourably on the corruption and selfishness of African governments and officials and blamed them for being greedy and preventing so many African countries from being able to provide decent living standards and effective systems for the people.
Viewing NZ I think we need to be under scrutiny for the same reason. The latest – our mining approach is all right Australia and Canada provide the example of good practice. We don’t look to see what is good for the country beyond immediate gratification of new industry bringing in some money and turnover, and of course its so macho, men in hard hats and big machines doing big things – really it’s very like Think Big all over again.
Gareth in Under African Skies -My country, my aid money p.50 20/10/2007 comments on shoddy government screwing the people. But I think he also shows how public-private type partnerships do the same and says:
Africa will go nowhere so long as dictatorships equipped with the machinery of democratic government institutions are able to abuse their public. It’s a toxic mix of village or tribal feudalism controlling Westminster-style institutions, significantly funded by money derived from Euro-American, Middle Eastern and Chinese imperialist and development strategies. Global expansionism is driven by the coveting of access to oil and the other natural resources…and pursuit of military alliances and accommodations.
“The first wave of post-colonial rulers in Africa, who having led their peoples to independence, felt the need to articulate the theoretical foundations of their programmes for socio-economic development and cultural renewal. With rare exceptions they argued for forms of socialism based on first principles deriving from traditional African communalism. The African provenance of their philosophies was clearest in the ‘Ujamaa’ (Familyhood) socialism of Nyerere of Tanzania and the ‘Zambian humanism’ of Kaunda, who both steered studiously clear of foreign ideological admixtures.More indebted to foreign philosophies, specifically to Marxism-Leninism, though no less sincere in their pursuit of African authenticity, were the ‘scientific’ socialisms of Nkrumah of Ghana and Sekou Toure of Guinea. In between these philosopher-kings was Senghor of Senegal, poet, statesman, scholar, and philosopher of Negritude, whose writings display more scholarly appreciation for Marx than ideological commitment to him.
Although no continental unanimity is assumed, traditional African conceptions of the cosmos in many instances involve homogenous ontologies that cut across the natural / supernatural opposition in Western philosophy. God is conceived of as a cosmic architect of the world rather than it’s ex nihilo creator, and minds as capacity rather than entity. The associated conception of the human personality, though postulating a life principle not fully material, is still devoid of any sharp dualism of body and spirit. That conception also has a normative dimension which incorporates a communalist and humanistic (as distinct from a religious) notion of moral responsibility into the very definition of a person. At the level of the state this goes along naturally with a consensual philosophy of politics based on kinship representation under a kingship dispensation.
How to adapt this understanding of politics to current African conditions is oone of the severest challenges facing African philosophy today.” 🙂
Hey Rogue that is a mighty comment and one I’ll read more than once for best understanding. But unfortunately for Africans the west knows how to prise the community part from the personal enrichment (including nepotism) part. We don’t have that here though it is noticeable common connections between power givers and peer compatriots.
What have you to say about Botswana? I have read Alexander McCall Smith’s books on Mma Ramotswe and he has spent time there I think. They are simple books with a sentimental approach. It would be good to hear that there is a core of goodness and pride running strong in that country as he portrays it.
mighty reply. chose not to read the McCall Smith books; RGP enjoyed them from memory. Have you circumnavigated The Pillars of The Earth or studied The Testament of Gideon Mack Stone ; just biding time, Minnie keeps Mickey honest, 1979, the old man’s favourite song, lying cheating, that’s all they seem to do, their Time is gonna’ come. the cooper has refilled with chunks (and the Sargent is at arms length,1 2 3). If not free, then a spree.
Seen this?
______________________________________________________________________________
Professor Prem Sikka exposes STATE CAPTURE BY BIG BUSINESS IN THE UK.
“In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders.”
Ahead of the G8 meeting I have an article on the website of The Conversation.
It provides examples to show that big business has thoroughly penetrated and captured the state. In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders. Yet this is not on the G8 agenda and without this no fight against organised tax avoidance is going to be effective.
The article is titled “Without curbing corporate power the G8 have no chance of combating tax avoidance” and is available at
Prem Sikka
Professor of Accounting
Centre for Global Accountability
Essex Business School
University of Essex
Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK
Office Tel: +44(0)1206 873773
Office Fax: +44 (01206) 873429
AABA Website: http://www.aabaglobal.org
Scabby Jami-Lee Ross’ Employment Relations (Continuity of Labour) Bill has been drawn from the ballot.
According to the draft legislation, the bill aims to repeal section 97 of the Employment Relations Act 2000. Which prevents replacement/causal/management aka SCAB labour being employed during a strike or lockout. Ross is another brown nosing piece of detritus that needs to be jumped on from a great height.
Peoples livelihoods in the hands of a beige man who left school with no qualifications to become a career trougher. His bio says that he had a crack at tertiary with so far nothing to show for it and the only thing that he’s done that looks even remotely like a job was a sinecure as Williamson’s electorate office toe sucker. Peachy.
I look forward to the council telling Brownlee to go fuck himself when he tries to do to the CCC what was done to ECan, which is the government’s standard response to council’s not submitting to stupidity.
As for the whining over consent times, it seems a good deal of unwarranted self-importance is present in some, along with a detachment from reality vis the shear number of new consents vs the lack of graduate planners to process them. As planners have to go through a 4 year degree, and can’t be imported, combined with the quakes, it’s created a man-power shortage for the council that wont disappear with bloody stupid solutions. Solutions that the RMA was created in the first place to lock away and so try to prevent long-term issues with environment or building issues.
QT 11.6 : Collins on the uptake from maori to enrol on the Maori Roll, “has not been favourable-only 5000 new enrolments”. Need for the ministry (Justice) and Electoral Commission to encourage face-to-face assistance. mana to MANA for solicitation at local P ‘n’ S, although some officious prat followed up complaints about the flags. I canvassed the cu-de-sac; officer does not vote, next neighbour, ambivalent, next, on roll and advised of by-election date, next, on General Roll and so on.
Q.3 Nats put Shanks in the camera; own goal. “economic growth (mainly) due to private consumption”.-English.
Q.4 Hipkins is on the right track re Nat.Stds moderation. (Carter-suggests he answer his own question by Google :-D). This “progression” explanation of Parata’s is not relevant to current results.This is gonna be another f*ck-up, to paraphrase the “education academics” surveyed on RNZ -“this is a farce”.
(can see the subdued demeanour of the govt. benches; how they believe their own spin is beyond comprehension 😉 )
But (they) have planted wickedness, (they) have reaped evil, (they) have eaten the fruit of deception…
-Hosea 10:13.
as even Stephen Franks finds, the Sky City agreement is “unlawful”, with the BORA implications not sought-Turei.
Q.7 “restrictive land supply issues favouring the old and rich, penalising the poor”- Nick Smith
(“the grey greedies”- Susan Wood).
Q.8″ MRI and ultra-sound waiting times pose a risk to patients right now; 25,000 awaiting”-King.
Q.10 “I trust the collective judgement of teachers”- Parata. yet they oppose National Standards in general; tie your stoopid self up in pony-tails Parata.
Key continued to minimise the Henry Report deficiencies.
Mallard and Metiria have been like attack dogs; “(have) cobbled together a coalition of disgrace”.
and as Dunne’s e-mails are likey subject to OIA, “will eventually come out, while Key continues to defend the indefensible”.
17:23 A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.
17:26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity.
18:9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys (Joyce and Guy come to mind).
Paul Thompson – new head of RNZ.
Mmmmm …. From my perspective, that doesn’t bode well for its future.
Business business business
We’re in the business of story-telling [tall story telling]
Right-sizing
No doubt Jim and others will be creaming themselves.
Question for Morissey….
Did I just hear that vacuous …. on the Panel correctly? She effectively referred to the Police as a Corporation.
I’ll wait till audio is posted, but it went over the nicest man on Earth completely.
(Jim was – as usual – too busy trying to be ‘nice’)
… PolCorp (needs a new logo and some severe ‘re-imaging’)
Denise Strange Sorbet was on the afternoon radionz saying that really victims ought to decide on the severity of crimes. Apparently having a disinterested and stable justice system hasn’t caught on in her neck of the woods doing its pilot period. I think it’s nice that in one country someone who will otherwise be stoned to death can be forgiven by the other party. Perhaps that’s what we need more of, she feels, after someone broke into her van and stole money etc.
I knew it would be a substandard Panel as soon as I learned the guests were Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and Barry Corbett. I have never heard Denise L’Estrange Corbet utter a single sentence that indicates she has even a lick of common sense, let alone ever sat down with a book and engaged in some higher order thinking, or even lower order thinking.
And Barry Corbett is a dunderhead, pure and simple.
“The property market favours the older people, disadvantages the younger”. -Luke Malpass, The New Zealand Initiative (think-tank).(fingers down throat).
“…widening inequalities due to house prices”. -Hickey (feeling better again).
Immigration Amendment Bill; Committee Stage Pt.2 : Woodhouse vs Cunliffe. It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).
Ratana “unity under God, negation of the Tohunga” hmmmm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohunga
that was a broad wero. anyway, the establishment turned against Ratana-prophet of innovation, hope and potential. interesting.
C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves
-agape’, equivalent to Kant’s ‘practical love’
-affection
-friendship
-eros.
“agent-relative moralities are difficult to reconcile with consequentialism-that each agent should pursue the common aim of promoting the best outcome from an impartial perspective”.
One of my anarchist fellows listens to political pod-casts while he works, Behind The News, Democracy Now etc, and he reads from the consensus that the financial mess will wash-up in 4-5 years time, Winston S.
“It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).”
Call me fick Rogue – but whats pwn mean?
I’m genuinely interested – since my brother was Christened Ratana and I well remember the ‘discovery’ – even including the symbolism of Rising Suns and Rising Moons (WWII time – all that – and who and where Ratana was going to have to ‘stick phat’ with)
“pwn” is netspeak (l33tspeak) that rumour has it came from one of the earlier incarnations of Warcraft. Or hackers.
To thoroughly thrash someone in the game is/was to “own” them, and legend has it that a rushed programmer made an undetected typo in a message box “you’ve been pwned!”. Because it was the mark of a strong victory, it became a bit like a gold medal to “pwn” someone. The other option is that when a hacker gains control of a server they “own” it – but then gleeful messages written on sleep-deprived caffeine highs can create the “o/p” typo.
[edit] lol – and because it’s a gloating claim of outright victory, use of the “p” variant shunts a comment straight to the moderation list: sorry ’bout the workload 🙂
Samuel Alexander http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Alexander
Space, Time and Deity
-emergent evolution
-existence, hierarchically ordered (apologies Bill); an ongoing evolutionary process with the emergence of ever-higher levels of existence-principles of organization (apologies RL).
meanwhile, back in Hawkes Bay, according to the HBRC propaganda, land-owners are increasingly turning to ground-water (currently easier to get) which may start affecting the reliability of takes, as the aquifiers may not have time to recover over winter.
Rabbit numbers are on the rise ;); 70% of the rabbit pop. have immunity tp strains of RHD.
h/t to Eugenie Sage (sage); the RWSS includes allowable levels of nitrates in the Tukituki to increase 1000%, with the only mitigating ‘benefit’, the return of summer flows close to natural levels.(QT 12.6,Q.9).
Q.4 Rebuilding ChCh is redirecting investment from the tradeables sector. treasury has no forecast of an increase in export-related jobs. Exports to decline 2.8% in year to March 2014. (17% decline in manufacturing exports since 2008, excluding the primary sector. This is despite business-growth initiatives numbering 300 and the public funds being poured into Primary Growth Partnerships.
Q.6 Ardern- “govt. will not measure ‘deprivation’.
English- “income =/= deprivation.hmmm.Even Treasury identifies there is currently a gap in the monitoring of material-living standards.
From a different cell; “tensions are rising in the nation’s prisons”, despite Tolley’s denials. The word from the dog across the way with 18 years experience up his sleeves ) and across his fore-head; “no nicotine bro!”
RNZ- “globally, a mining slow-down, particularly as small companies cash-strapped”.
3: Business News / Sharemarket Shill – “credit-card spending up, consumption sign of the economy going forward” Yep (echoed by English- a “consumption-driven re-bound) Rubber Ball 😉
It beggars belief that Key, the minister in charge of the nation’s security and the member of parliament for the seat that K.dc resides in, new nothing of these raids.
It has come to my attention that Andrea Vance is friendly with Jordan Williams, to the point of helping him make some contacts in London. Jordan Williams is, of course, Simon Lusk’s minion. Make of that what you will…..
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 ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
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The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
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In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
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Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10890189
Quotes:
Green Party co-leader Russel Norman has accused Prime Minister John Key of conspiring to establish a surveillance state in New Zealand by encouraging American data-mining company Palantir to set up shop here.
-snip-
Dr Norman voiced concerns this week about Palantir and its software Prism, which he suggested was similar to the huge online data gathering and tracking tool of the same name used by United States spy organisation the National Security Agency.
He also pointed out Palantir had set up an office in Wellington and was advertising for an analyst to be embedded with the Government.
Yesterday he said: “We need to know, is John Key effectively trying to replicate Prism in New Zealand by getting this organisation Palantir to set up here and start spying on all of our internet communications and everything digital that we do?”
-snip-
And in a tone reminiscent of the scientists of old who crowed that all that there was to be discovered already had been and laughed when the suggestion was made that the world wasn’t flat…here’s Tony Ryall:
State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall said Dr Norman suffered from paranoia and called him the Chicken Little of New Zealand politics. “Every time he talks about anything the sky’s falling in … it’s all big business big politics, the right against the innocent little Greens.”
Palantir: The ancient seeing stones of Middle Earth; originally used to keep the free peoples in contact with one another, but which fell under the power of the Eye of Sauron. Corrupting; Saruman the White, and driving mad with despair; Denethor (steward of Gondor, and lord of Minas Tirith; bulwark against the forces of evil). How appropriate.
@AwW
These scientists of old you mention; which ones do you mean? Aristarchus was the first (circa 300 BC!) to accurately describe the approximate size and shape of the solar system. But his work was more; lost, than derided by other scientists. Copernicus certainly came in for his share of flak, but that was mainly from the church; who demanded his heliocentricism be taught as merely a hypothesis (tactics reminiscent of the present attacks on teaching evolution).
A better example might be Galileo, the first astronomer to make and use telescopes (all Aristarchus had was; his eyes, the phases of the moon, and the length of shadows cast by the sun). In regard to his discovery of the moons of Jupiter, he begged a priest to look through one of his telescopes and see the evidence for himself. The reply? “I don’t need to look, for my faith informs me that they are not there” [paraphrased from the original Italian, obviously].
Mal Brough compares Gillard to a plucked chook at a QLD fund-raiser ..
http://news.google.co.nz/news/rtc?ncl=d9EFS0Jkf887MwMIV4k4E0SIFNofM&topic=w
Nice one, Mal !
Classy
Subtext
The mining industry own the media in Australia and they want more money. Tony Abbott will give it to them.
.. certainly in QLD & WA – where the state governments are refusing federal Labour to campaign in some places.
Paul – please elucidate on your subtext re mining industry owning media
A big chunk of the mining industry is owned by a woman who has MSM aspirations. I doubt she likes Gillard one bit.
Morning jenny. I’m on my morning tea break, thought I’d drop you a few links I’ve seen today coming down the ol’ wires:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/edward-snowden-bradley-manning-and-the-risk-of-the-low-level-tech-savvy-leaker/2013/06/11/f5e3ad72-d2c7-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/10/qa_with_laura_poitras_the_woman_behind_the_nsa_scoops/
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/12/snowden-surveillance-subverting-constitution
One you’ll like most is the new interview with snowde in the South China Morning Post, but it seems to have crashed their server, I imagine it’s popular. the link is here
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/12/snowden-surveillance-subverting-constitution
you can see some more deets about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/edward-snowden-hong-kong-live#block-51b892e8e4b053cde2ed63d3
Thanks, PB. I am off to work. Will read them when I get home.
Here’s the link to the SCMP story, c&ped from the wrong tab:
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1259422/edward-snowden-let-hong-kong-people-decide-my-fate
This is great stuff Pb. Some thought provoking and considered commentary. Also good quotes in here. Appreciated.
The citizens of Hong Kong come in for some well deserved praise for their courage for standing up for democracy against the communist regional Power. I see that the citizens of that great city are rallying to support Snowden already.
Meanwhile the communist toady administrator of Hong Kong is calling for Snowden to be promptly sent back to the US. The US and their Communist China rivals and sometimes enemy, rally together against their common foe. Their own people’s thirst for democracy and freedom.
I take back my first impression that Snowden should come here. Hong Kong sounds like the perfect place for Snowden. Snowden has knowingly and willingly placed his life in the hands of the citizens of Hong Kong knowing of their record of standing up for democracy and freedom. Refusing to be bullied by the Communist Leaders of China or the past Colonial rulers.
Snowden has given recognition to the people of Hong Kong and their great history.
I only wish it had been us who had been so honoured.
“But yeah, as you say, no no no….”
Yet another failure by a “liberal” commentator
The Huddle, NewstalkZB, Wednesday 12 June 2013
Tim Dower, Damian Christie, Maria Slade
Larry “Lackwit” Williams is away, possibly with swine flu. But the format of this horror show remains the same: a dim but nasty host (TIM DOWER), a virulently dogmatic right wing opinionator (MARIA SLADE) and one token “liberal” who, in almost every case, is bullied into dithering silence or nervously tries to “find common ground” with the other two. Today that contemptible wimp is played to perfection by DAMIAN CHRISTIE. For anyone concerned at media irresponsibility, mediocrity and downright cowardliness, this little exchange, right at the end of today’s Huddle, is a perfect case study. Note how Christie initially makes a (weak) statement supporting Edward Snowden, but when the other two grunt their disapproval, he not only falls into line, but preposterously compares Snowden to Nazi war criminals hiding in South America….
TIM DOWER: Okay, we’re back with The Huddle. Now, uh, [snicker] this BIZARRE suggestion today that we should grant asylum to this guy Edward Snowden! Ha ha ha ha ha! What do you think of THAT?
MARIA SLADE: [snicker] No, no, no, no, NO.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: Well…[nervous snicker]… I have some time for Edward Snowden actually. I think that what this Prism business shows is that the very LEAST, I should at least know that my emails are not being spied on! [nervous snicker]
TIM DOWER: [dubiously] Mmmmmmmmm.
MARIA SLADE: [dubiously] Mmmmmmmmmmm. They must have caught Geoffrey Robinson at a low point! I have a lot of time for him actually and, you know, his stand against the death penalty?
TIM DOWER: Yup.
MARIA SLADE: But THIS? [snicker] This is just…aaaaarrrgghhhh!! And you know he’s married to that FABULOUS novelist Kathy Lette! But THIS? No, no, no, no, no.
DAMIAN CHRISTIE: I suppose New Zealand could be like Brazil and Argentina after World War Two, where characters like this could hide out. But yeah, as you say, no, no, no.
MARIA SLADE: Not with our relationship with the United States. It could never happen! No. NO.
TIM DOWER: Damian Christie and Maria Slade, thank you!
Point to Ponder….
The following are all used in NewstalkZB’s on air promos…..
Ranting. Reacting. Reasoning. Reflecting. The Huddle with LarryWilliams, on NewstalkZB!
NewstalkZB. Fair and Balanced.
NewstalkZB. Tune Your Mind.
Yeah I heard Dower’s unpleasant jibes against teachers.
Today’s talking points for Populuxe1
Here’s the official line on dissent for today, written for the morally unimpeachable Daily Telegraph by one Tim Stanley, who is a British version of Dr Michael Bassett.
It’s full of flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis, but it’s as good as the British and U.S. regimes can manage, short of flinging rape allegations at him.
Those of us with a conscience will simply laugh at statements like this one about Prism: “it’s not a snooping programme but a data management tool.” But you will no doubt fall on such made-to-measure soundbites like a maggot on a chop.
Don’t say I never do anything for you, my friend.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100221535/is-edward-snowdens-story-unravelling-why-the-guardians-scoop-is-looking-a-bit-dodgy/
How sweet, and ironic too, Morrissey, given that you’re the bastion of “flippant putdowns and piss-weak analysis” around here. I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws, did not take his concerns to Congress, nor protested to the organisations and institutions for which he worked – the system is undoubtedly flawed. It is, however, curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation some weeks before the leaking. It is also rather interesting that Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech. Surely it did not escape one so erudite that Hong Kong remains a part of the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US. In any case, I ceased to have any sympathy for the man when he just recently made the transition (from his plush and expensive hotel room) from whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far. I would postulate that Mr Snowden, if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
Here are some of the ‘flaws’ of the whistle blowing process as told by one who used it:
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/12/snowden-surveillance-subverting-constitution
And none of the rest is interesting at all in the way you seem to suggest. It can all be explained in the quote above.
It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.
I also don’t see any particular need to spend much time trying to psychoanalyse the guy. His personality is pretty much completely beside the point.
you are on the money bookie.
While you mind find your confirmation bias comforting, I still find the remainder interestingL Why did he flee to China? WHy is he now spilling his guts that have nothing to do with domestic spying on US citizens?
find comfort in your own bias (and read the entire reference you link might be helpful).
My bias is not to believe anything, never trust in an ideology, and when something is current and widely available news, I don’t feel I need to google for you
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
Youbleaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he appears to be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
game theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
“It’s not odd that someone working where he did would have an interest in game theory and signalling and use those insights in his actions. It’s a pretty serious game he’s playing.”
What I meant by that is there are explanations for his behaviour that relate to to strategy rather than ideology.
You leaped to answer your questions with ‘treason’ and psychoanalysis. Good for you I guess. I just see other possible explanations.
What he could well be doing is sending signals about what cards he has in order to change the calculations made by the various people in whose hands his future lies. ( ie, telling both the Chinese and the US that he has more stuff, and may talk without letting them know wjhat he has, and to what extent he will talk). It’s about affecting decisions that are made by changing the information the decision makers hold.
That would explain why he went to china. An opponent of the US will act differently toward him than an ally of the US will.
Game theory, Information theory. Signals. Geeky stuff that geeks get into. Especially crypto geeks.
Or maybe just out of the blue he turned chicom. We don’t have enough information. I’ve not made my mind up about him, and don’t see any particular need to. Like I said, his personality is a bit of a non event in the scheme of things.
P1 is hilarious.
First he tries to pillory Snowden for being a high school and army drop out. Now he’s trying to position Snowden as a Chinese spy.
Mate, just get over the fact that this guy is so smart he got a senior consulting position with Booz Allen on $200K pa (including benefits), which is something you couldn’t do.
And that’s before the fact he just threw that and more in, and put his fucking neck on the line. While you whine about his dirty socks.
And maybe you’re jealous of his pole-dancing girfriend – though it seems his salary was actually considerably less than $200,000 a year. Yep, your right, I couldn’t pull that and neither could he. I’m not actually suggesting anything except something remains very fishy, if only his motivations.
Also, you do realise Snowden is a Ron Paul fanatic, don’t you?
Also, you do realise Snowden is a Ron Paul fanatic, don’t you?
Ron Paul’s economic theories are beside the point; his comments about the illegal spying of the government are entirely reasonable and solidly mainstream. Not, of course, if you consider the political class the “mainstream”, but then what does public opinion matter?
Ron Paul is what Richard Prebble would be if he had a conscience and the courage to speak plainly.
You delusional narcissists do like to stick together. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that he has in fact “leaked” anything that wasn’t already well known to anyone who cared to think about the Patriot Act for ten seconds. Now he’s giving interviews to the Chinese dailies – curiouser and curiouser….
He took The Bourne Identity too seriously perhaps.
Nah, more like he needed a mate like Jason Bourne.
1.) I shall forbear to meditate on the interesting question as to why Mr Snowden failed to take advantage of US federal whistleblower laws
We can see the way that the US treats its whistleblowers, simply by looking at the judicial lynching being perpetrated in Fort Meade, Maryland.
2.) ….the system is undoubtedly flawed.
“Flawed”? What Edward Snowden has confirmed irrefutably is that the U.S. government is spying on its own citizens ILLEGALLY. It is perpetrating CRIMES against its own citizens.
3.) ….curious to say the least, n’est-ce pas, that his exodus to Hong Kong appears to have been in preperation [sic] some weeks before the leaking…
Yes, it was a momentous action he undertook. Planning was essential.
4.) Mr Snowden chose Hong Kong to flee to because of its regard for free speech.
He chose a place where he would be safe from the depradations of another regime which has scant respect for free speech. Similarly, Ai Wei Wei recently sought asylum in the embassy of a regime which has scant respect for free speech. Not that a dedicated servant of state power like yourself is ever likely to anger any criminals like Snowden has done, but you need to remember the concept of “any port in a storm.”
5.) …the People’s Republic of China and has an extradition treaty with the US.
That is for criminal activity, not for political activity. If anyone were to be deported from Hong Kong now, it would be those U.S. operatives in the consul there who have not denounced their country’s criminal activities and are, therefore, still directly or indirectly involved in the commission of those crimes.
6.) …whistleblower to treasonist by blabbing too all and sundry about US espionage arrangements in China – a bridge too far.
He blew the whistle on illegal surveillance of American citizens. THAT is what the criminal U.S. regime wants him for.
7.) …if not a conscious saboteur, is at least then like you a delusional narcissist.
It is telling that you reserve all your bile and vitriol for the whistle-blower, not the criminals he has exposed. Perhaps you would be well advised to spend some of your time dreaming up some adjectives to describe Barack Obama or THIS liar….
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ETjGOxY5q6U/UUGEcuF1lsI/AAAAAAAAOk4/D_LLTUoCDCs/s1600/Clapper.jpg
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/james-clapper-intelligence-chief-criticism
EQC. The government department set up to provide a form of land and building insurance in the event of a major disaster hitting anyone in NZ, but especially hitting a large population centre in one of our cities.
Its very reason for being of course came into play in Christchurch during 2010 and 2011.
EQC’s failings to comply with its own legislated obligations is legendary. It has completely and utterly failed. It has failed to such an extent that EQC offices have no signs, have razor wire around the perimeter and security guards. It is so completely incompetent that if you want to “opt-out” you cannot even speak to the people and you cannot even find out where their offices are to pay a visit.
EQC is the most incompetent and useless bureaucratic organisation I have ever had to deal with, bar none. Fucked.
EQC of course is subject to Gerry Brownlee’s rule in Christchurc. BIG MOST MASSIVE FAIL FOR THE BIG MAN.
So…. when I hear yesterday that the big man Brownlee has had enough of Christchurch City Council building consent delays I laughed. And laughed. and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed
Brownlee wants to take consent processing off the Council due to their delays.
So I look forward to EQC being taken off Brownlee.
Fucking scab-arsed hypocrite prick. I hate shit like this – double standards and total bullshit.
be great for journos to access their media vaults for the statements regarding the EQC reserves,
the ones that after the first quake, had Key saying the following
day one: ” EQC has cash reserves of 15 billion dollars ”
day two: EQC has cash reserves of 6 billion dollars
day three (to present) “EQC has (had) cash reserves of 3 billion dollars”
V.
I’m so sorry this is happening man. Our country should be better than this.
Yeah. The funny thing is that we are better than this…..
Example – Christchurch City Council building consent applications of all things. We’ve punched a few through there over the years and the staff are brilliant. Helpful, friendly, competent (mostly). We have just pushed our first one through post-earthquake and while there were some biggish delays overall it was not bad and I’ve heard of plenty that have gone through in time. The Council has very real resource constraint issues, just like everybody down here. They are dealing with it better than fucking Brownlee departments with the same issue that’s for sure.
This broadside has wider intent imo.
That can be the only explanation – what does Brownlee expect if the consent process is taken elsewhere? They going to deal with them quicker? Where will he get the staff and competence to do this? Fucking joke ha ha ha ha ha ha. Given Brownlee’s competency with EQC one must expect that if Brownlee is to process consents then it will be on a par with EQC and take bloody shitloads longer than Council. Council outperforms Brownlee.
There is wider intent to this …… keep the ears peeled …….
It is all a part of a general theme the Nats are building up that everything that is wrong is the fault of Local Government and Central Government is not to blame.
Same sort of stuff is happening in Auckland. The Housing Accord stuff is really scary and is clearly an attempt to transfer blame. There is also an underlying anti environmental meme as well and if you look at Environment Canterbury a similar thing is happening.
It is really really scary and my contempt for this Government has hit a new high this year.
Yep, this government is doing everything to shift the blame from them onto government bureaucrats and then we’ll see the private is better meme come front and centre and from there we’ll see even more of our administration shifted into private hands giving National’s rich mates a government guaranteed profit while we get to pay more and get less for it.
passing the bucket is certainly a modus operandi of this government clear to see.
And that is the biggest question of all and the answer is that he will have to get them from the council thus crippling the council even more than it is. National and Labour have no understanding of economics – they just see the money.
The more I think about this attack on the Christchurch City Council by Gerry Brownlee (and it is an attack. The allegation perception and reality are a mullion miles apart) the more I see it as a political stunt as part of a longer campaign (as much as it is).
You watch – this “crisis” will evaporate and nothing will be heard of it in a few weeks. Gets Brownlee and Key and his lot some good headlines for a while though…
I doubt its a stunt. These rightwing people are on a mission : privatise all of NZ for their rich mates.
hmm… it does smell a tad fishy, the private sector to the rescue.
would this be the same private sector that issued consents for leaky buildings in auckland?
the same private sector that seems incapable to settle their insuranse obligations to the insured after taking premiums for decades?
the same private sector that needed $1.2 billion from the state when sth canterbury finance fell over?
there is something else at play here
VTO – The situation in ChCh, quite clearly contrived , I would not expect to see any opportunity missed, to outsource.
Up here, the attacks are happening from the inside, courtesy of the appointments made by the unelected agency, which is now disbanded, who also signed the city into expensive, long term, damaging contracts, many of which have been *disappeared* from public view, and many which are evident by the numbers of consultants, the agencies they represent, and the *professional*, relationships, which dominate the departments, are easily available to track.
Preferred supplier lists are not adhered to, contractors enter on over-inflated rates/salaries, via the agencies with the *professional connections* – The fraudulant, crony behaviour, to line the pockets of the few, while the many, pick up the tab, is unbelieveable!
It’s a fruadulant enterprise, covering itself, and its actions, in more fraud!
It’s merely more of the same: the National Party War Against Christchurch has been in full gear for a while now.
… all appear to be symptoms of a government that has been hell bent on cutting back-office here and back-office there. I suspect that the delay in action is largely because there are not enough operators to deal with queries/phones/ etc.
From my shortish (two terms) experiences in local government (North Shore) it was very clear that the Nats really want to take over local government for themselves and their mates. The infrastructure and potential profit to be made from it is huge.
While it might seem ridiculous for Brownlee to say he’ll take over from Ch’ch city because they’ve got delays in approving resource consents, and you wonder where/how he’ll get the staff to do it any better – this could well be just another form of privatisation and takeover of NZ”s traditional way of doing things. As Mickey Savage says above – its very scarey – and there seems to be no stopping them. There’s still 16 months or so to the next general election – that sufficient time for the Nats to do still more enormous damage.
Does anyone know why Kim Hill is not on Morning Report today?
I woke up invigorated at the prospect of another good morning listening to the much improved programme since Kim has been back – only to find Susie Ferguson on with Simon Mercep and heard no explanation re Kim. I also don’t recall any mention of Kim not being on today in yesterday’s programme.
Nothing against Susie as I am impressed with her, but it seems unusual when she is currently filling in for Mary Wilson on Checkpoint – and then suddenly pops up again on the early morning show as well.
Have Kim’s brilliant interviews of Key and Parata been too revealing for some RNZ management – or their ‘masters’ who pay the cheques using our taxpayer dollars?
She’s filling in for Kim, who is filling in for the usuals. Kim’s last day of filling in will be tommorrow.
I realise that PB – but was it planned for today or is Kim sick or have other commitments today (eg preparation for Saturday)? My understanding from what has been said on MR was that Kim was to on for the full two weeks.
Edit – What I mean is that it would be nice if MR actually said something as to why Kim is not on today.
“Edit – What I mean is that it would be nice if MR actually said something as to why Kim is not on today.”
MR usually doesn’t say why people are gone, just saying “xx is filling in for yy”. Presume because of illness.
I reckon after shonkey the word went out to compliant RNZ natty boys, takes a few days. Susie is dogmatic but Kim is incisive and they are trained to cope with susies style, they lack the brains to cope with Kim.
very likely, but we feel for the poor spinmeisters…. it is so inconvenient when the interviewer listens to the answers given
Relief – as MR closes Suzie stated that Kim is back tomorrow.
vv
Yes I was wondering wheres Kim. But somebody said she was only standing in for 2 weeks. I think it will definitely be short term as I dont know if she would want the early starts each day to do the morning news and she has the reading and keeping up to date to do that enables her to surprise so many interviewees on her Saturday morning show with her depth of knowledge and understanding and get very memorable and interesting interviews from them. They’re gold, but getting gold requires work, time and commitment.
Fa’foi the Mana MP, no Sky City links to his area.
Cosgrave the Chch MP, no Sky City links to his area.
WTF? Why did they think Sky wanted to grease them?
What a pair of numpties!
Goff? Unbelievable. Sky is a big employer of his constituents. However Phil should have known the huge political risk of accepting this invitation.
Shearer’s ten minutes of fame! He continues to match the low expectations we have of him.
My understanding is that corporate boxes are often rented out to other organisations, for functions etc unconnected to the actual longterm owner/renter of the box. Maybe that was the situation on this occasion.
Still looks and smells dodgy and is utterly hypocritical.
However it is par for the course for the current Labour leadership
Hypocritical indeed. Labour should’ve voted for the Sky City deal.
Feckin MPs.
Memo to Labour’s caucus. Do not accept corporate gifts from anyone, especially a corporate that profits on human misery and is engaged in the selling of our law.
Dickheads.
When do we seriously start asking if Shearer has been planted as leader by National? Because no leader could be this shit, without trying to be this shit
You mean you haven’t been asking that, fatty?
I’ve been taking it as read.
I know the tory-fan-boys did all they could to make him leader, and now they are doing all they can to keep him there. But I’m beginning to think that National run the Labour party
You mean you haven’t been asking that, fatty?
I’ve been taking it as read.
Alright alright what’s what’s with with all all the the double double comments comments lately lately??
Must be a temporal rift in space…space…..space……..space……….space……………
Could be the database process. It has been boosting over 50% midday. Or the email, which is on a amazon server and seems to get dup issues with the emails from people monitoring via email.
Agreed, SP. Not a good look.
I doubt Sky would rent their box out for an All Black game.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10890195
But when National Party’s no 1 PR Man….John Armstrong writes about it, it does serious damage.
I would expect far better discipline from Labour MP’s, what the hell was going through their mind when they were invited and then accepted an invitation to Sky’s box…using the same thick part of their brain that made them select Shearer as leader.
Dumb!
10 minutes…yeah right.
Par for the course for the Labour party though I mean they wern’t happy with the Hobbit but didn’t mind walking the red carpet
Grudging respect for the Greens for not going
Please define “weren’t happy with the Hobbit”.
Surely you don’t mean “weren’t happy with the National govt using the Hobbit as an excuse to ram through changes to employment law while giving massive subsidies to the foreign corporates who insisted on the changes”.
If not, then you’ll be able to find me an example of someone – anyone – from Labour being not happy with the Hobbit. gogogo.
David shearer should hire you, you’d be a better spin meister then the people hes got now.
So, that would mean that you failed to find any evidence to back up what you previously said?
Nope it means I can’t be bothered googling to find what I already know and giving props to someone whos a good spinner
The description you’re reaching for would be “spin-buster” actually Winston.
It’s a straight question. Who in Labour has ever been opposed to the Hobbit?
If you can’t answer it’s because you know you weren’t being honest.
Maybe you’re right and maybe you’re wrong but what I know is that Sir Peter Jackson is more trusted and respected then anyone in the Labour party
And when the election campaign starts the MSM (in the pay of the National party backers) will be running the line that Labour were against the Hobbit movies
But hey I’m sure David Shearer will be able to succinctly and clearly put the matter to rest eh
So you might have told a bit of a fib before (labour being anti the hobbit), but you’re pretty confident that PJ the titular knight and the band of merry MSM will repeat the story even if it’s untrue.
And everyone will believe Sir PJ the publicly-funded VJ because Reader’s Digest says so.
The thing about evil plans to mislead the public is that they tend to not work if you tell everyone about them. You should have learned that at Minitrue.
Goff, ‘n, King (sounds like a famous songwriting pair) are obviously making hay while the sun shines. They won’t be around parliament much longer, so won’t get many more opportunities. Appalling judgement though. We had to watch the match, full of adverts, on Prime after the match had finished.
Just as an aside, we caught a glimpse of Joky Hen in some important seats. Who supplied them?
They don’t seem to get it do they. Three of them have received huge ministerial salaries and are currently paid amounts that the ordinary punter can only dream of – why don’t they just spend their own “hard earned” for once. In this household, we have been waiting some time now for Shearer to show some leadership and authority. Won’t be supporting this shower of a party next election now, (though local electorate MP may still get the votes).
+1
National … The Haves
Left … The Have Nots
Labour … Have Box
Wishful thinking.
They are 2 of Shearer’s 3 enforcers.
They are awaiting their 2014 reward, and will on current track be even more necessary to prop up what will be our weakest pm since Palmer.
It’s like they want to lose the next election. I feel sorry for paid up Labour members and activists. This is how they repay your work.
If you have any doubts about Phil’s commitment to the cause take a look at 3 News footage last night of him tearing into Tolley over the Hutton euology. I wish he had been a bit more like that in the last election.
Tolley will get her come-uppance.
2017 isn’t that far away
iPredict sooner, rather than later; defending Hutton and Bush.a half-century.
2017 isn’t that far away
From what I can see, Labour not being elected next year would be the best thing for NZ.
At least Key amuses me, he’s our version of George W, or Berlusconi without the sex appeal.
Shearer just makes me want to shove my face in a food blender.
Yep, ditto.
He also surely had the opportunity to expedite the police review into the Thomas / Crewe investigation when in office. Yet, here we are in 2013 still knocking it around the paddock..
Not to mention the Ellis case which was shamefully handled on Goff’s watch.
Yes, him and Ahmed Zaoui would be a good reminder to anyone who thinks that the Labour Mandarins such as Goff – who are still front benchers – are liberal in any real way. Fucking hypocrites.
Agree about Zaoui as well. Total travesty and I never understood Clark’s almost feral and apparently irrational dislike of the man.
Heard on Radionz this morning.
The Turkish leader is talking about a referendum about confiscating green area in the city used as a park and allocating it to businesspeople to build on. It’s a step towards fairness though shouldn’t need to be considered because taking the park should never have been considered.
The Afghani interpreters and their families have arrived, but there are still about ten they are worried about. And the way things are going there the truth that they could be endangered seems evident.
Queenstown is unhappy with government withdrawal of personal services and replacing with on line etc distant communication by voice or electronics. Do we want our government to be constantly breaking down their relationship with us in this way? Computers are great as an adjunct and aid but they have bugs and we don’t want to feel that we are being ordered by machines which is what will happen as they increase the automation and drop the amount of actual people staff employed. I have thought of a name for this government at a distance approach – Portcullis government. This brings to mind the barred gate that dropped down at the entrance to castles in days not so different as now.
Christchurch is being threatened with a takeover of its services. The problem is that there are millions to be invested in the CBD and they can’t get timely okays on their plans. Bob Parker is his usual smooth self. He was very involved in who was employed as ceo and one wonders if both are the right people for the job. More takeover by the central government. They will rule us all soon, in every way. We have to be brave and wise hobbits and make our supportive relationships to prevent being swamped by the corrupted ones.
In an old Listener Gareth Morgan commented unfavourably on the corruption and selfishness of African governments and officials and blamed them for being greedy and preventing so many African countries from being able to provide decent living standards and effective systems for the people.
Viewing NZ I think we need to be under scrutiny for the same reason. The latest – our mining approach is all right Australia and Canada provide the example of good practice. We don’t look to see what is good for the country beyond immediate gratification of new industry bringing in some money and turnover, and of course its so macho, men in hard hats and big machines doing big things – really it’s very like Think Big all over again.
Gareth in Under African Skies -My country, my aid money p.50 20/10/2007 comments on shoddy government screwing the people. But I think he also shows how public-private type partnerships do the same and says:
Africa will go nowhere so long as dictatorships equipped with the machinery of democratic government institutions are able to abuse their public. It’s a toxic mix of village or tribal feudalism controlling Westminster-style institutions, significantly funded by money derived from Euro-American, Middle Eastern and Chinese imperialist and development strategies. Global expansionism is driven by the coveting of access to oil and the other natural resources…and pursuit of military alliances and accommodations.
“The first wave of post-colonial rulers in Africa, who having led their peoples to independence, felt the need to articulate the theoretical foundations of their programmes for socio-economic development and cultural renewal. With rare exceptions they argued for forms of socialism based on first principles deriving from traditional African communalism. The African provenance of their philosophies was clearest in the ‘Ujamaa’ (Familyhood) socialism of Nyerere of Tanzania and the ‘Zambian humanism’ of Kaunda, who both steered studiously clear of foreign ideological admixtures.More indebted to foreign philosophies, specifically to Marxism-Leninism, though no less sincere in their pursuit of African authenticity, were the ‘scientific’ socialisms of Nkrumah of Ghana and Sekou Toure of Guinea. In between these philosopher-kings was Senghor of Senegal, poet, statesman, scholar, and philosopher of Negritude, whose writings display more scholarly appreciation for Marx than ideological commitment to him.
Although no continental unanimity is assumed, traditional African conceptions of the cosmos in many instances involve homogenous ontologies that cut across the natural / supernatural opposition in Western philosophy. God is conceived of as a cosmic architect of the world rather than it’s ex nihilo creator, and minds as capacity rather than entity. The associated conception of the human personality, though postulating a life principle not fully material, is still devoid of any sharp dualism of body and spirit. That conception also has a normative dimension which incorporates a communalist and humanistic (as distinct from a religious) notion of moral responsibility into the very definition of a person. At the level of the state this goes along naturally with a consensual philosophy of politics based on kinship representation under a kingship dispensation.
How to adapt this understanding of politics to current African conditions is oone of the severest challenges facing African philosophy today.” 🙂
Hey Rogue that is a mighty comment and one I’ll read more than once for best understanding. But unfortunately for Africans the west knows how to prise the community part from the personal enrichment (including nepotism) part. We don’t have that here though it is noticeable common connections between power givers and peer compatriots.
What have you to say about Botswana? I have read Alexander McCall Smith’s books on Mma Ramotswe and he has spent time there I think. They are simple books with a sentimental approach. It would be good to hear that there is a core of goodness and pride running strong in that country as he portrays it.
mighty reply. chose not to read the McCall Smith books; RGP enjoyed them from memory. Have you circumnavigated The Pillars of The Earth or studied The Testament of Gideon Mack
Stone ; just biding time, Minnie keeps Mickey honest, 1979, the old man’s favourite song, lying cheating, that’s all they seem to do, their Time is gonna’ come. the cooper has refilled with chunks (and the Sargent is at arms length,1 2 3). If not free, then a spree.
The Chinese don’t seem to need to adapt to anything like this.
They just buy what they need, without full colonization.
Cash seems to be the superior translator, and change of ownership the strongest liminal threshold.
that is well-written Ad, particularly the last line.
http://inaliminalspace.com/about/what
(liminal spaces).
Seen this?
______________________________________________________________________________
Professor Prem Sikka exposes STATE CAPTURE BY BIG BUSINESS IN THE UK.
“In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders.”
Ahead of the G8 meeting I have an article on the website of The Conversation.
It provides examples to show that big business has thoroughly penetrated and captured the state. In fact, tax policymaking seems to be handed over tax avoiders. Yet this is not on the G8 agenda and without this no fight against organised tax avoidance is going to be effective.
The article is titled “Without curbing corporate power the G8 have no chance of combating tax avoidance” and is available at
https://theconversation.com/without-curbing-corporate-power-the-g8-have-no-chance-of-combating-tax-avoidance-15153
Prem Sikka
Professor of Accounting
Centre for Global Accountability
Essex Business School
University of Essex
Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK
Office Tel: +44(0)1206 873773
Office Fax: +44 (01206) 873429
AABA Website: http://www.aabaglobal.org
Scabby Jami-Lee Ross’ Employment Relations (Continuity of Labour) Bill has been drawn from the ballot.
According to the draft legislation, the bill aims to repeal section 97 of the Employment Relations Act 2000. Which prevents replacement/causal/management aka SCAB labour being employed during a strike or lockout. Ross is another brown nosing piece of detritus that needs to be jumped on from a great height.
Just what we need. A return to 1913 or 1951 style Industrial Relations.
I bet that Jamie dreamt of being one of Massey’s cossacks when he was a young lad.
Peoples livelihoods in the hands of a beige man who left school with no qualifications to become a career trougher. His bio says that he had a crack at tertiary with so far nothing to show for it and the only thing that he’s done that looks even remotely like a job was a sinecure as Williamson’s electorate office toe sucker. Peachy.
Yup, imagine what he had to *offer*, to get himself inside the *career trougher*, club!
Nothing, is for free!
two Conservative words- Todd McClay.
a mirror of the wider mental illness problems facing peoples in the Pacific (Dreaver).
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/brownlee-not-confident-council-can-turn-consent-process-around-5462846
I look forward to the council telling Brownlee to go fuck himself when he tries to do to the CCC what was done to ECan, which is the government’s standard response to council’s not submitting to stupidity.
As for the whining over consent times, it seems a good deal of unwarranted self-importance is present in some, along with a detachment from reality vis the shear number of new consents vs the lack of graduate planners to process them. As planners have to go through a 4 year degree, and can’t be imported, combined with the quakes, it’s created a man-power shortage for the council that wont disappear with bloody stupid solutions. Solutions that the RMA was created in the first place to lock away and so try to prevent long-term issues with environment or building issues.
QT 11.6 : Collins on the uptake from maori to enrol on the Maori Roll, “has not been favourable-only 5000 new enrolments”. Need for the ministry (Justice) and Electoral Commission to encourage face-to-face assistance. mana to MANA for solicitation at local P ‘n’ S, although some officious prat followed up complaints about the flags. I canvassed the cu-de-sac; officer does not vote, next neighbour, ambivalent, next, on roll and advised of by-election date, next, on General Roll and so on.
Q.3 Nats put Shanks in the camera; own goal. “economic growth (mainly) due to private consumption”.-English.
Q.4 Hipkins is on the right track re Nat.Stds moderation. (Carter-suggests he answer his own question by Google :-D). This “progression” explanation of Parata’s is not relevant to current results.This is gonna be another f*ck-up, to paraphrase the “education academics” surveyed on RNZ -“this is a farce”.
(can see the subdued demeanour of the govt. benches; how they believe their own spin is beyond comprehension 😉 )
But (they) have planted wickedness, (they) have reaped evil, (they) have eaten the fruit of deception…
-Hosea 10:13.
as even Stephen Franks finds, the Sky City agreement is “unlawful”, with the BORA implications not sought-Turei.
Q.7 “restrictive land supply issues favouring the old and rich, penalising the poor”- Nick Smith
(“the grey greedies”- Susan Wood).
Q.8″ MRI and ultra-sound waiting times pose a risk to patients right now; 25,000 awaiting”-King.
Q.10 “I trust the collective judgement of teachers”- Parata. yet they oppose National Standards in general; tie your stoopid self up in pony-tails Parata.
Key continued to minimise the Henry Report deficiencies.
Mallard and Metiria have been like attack dogs; “(have) cobbled together a coalition of disgrace”.
and as Dunne’s e-mails are likey subject to OIA, “will eventually come out, while Key continues to defend the indefensible”.
17:23 A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice.
17:26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity.
18:9 One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys (Joyce and Guy come to mind).
Paul Thompson – new head of RNZ.
Mmmmm …. From my perspective, that doesn’t bode well for its future.
Business business business
We’re in the business of story-telling [tall story telling]
Right-sizing
No doubt Jim and others will be creaming themselves.
Question for Morissey….
Did I just hear that vacuous …. on the Panel correctly? She effectively referred to the Police as a Corporation.
I’ll wait till audio is posted, but it went over the nicest man on Earth completely.
(Jim was – as usual – too busy trying to be ‘nice’)
… PolCorp (needs a new logo and some severe ‘re-imaging’)
Denise Strange Sorbet was on the afternoon radionz saying that really victims ought to decide on the severity of crimes. Apparently having a disinterested and stable justice system hasn’t caught on in her neck of the woods doing its pilot period. I think it’s nice that in one country someone who will otherwise be stoned to death can be forgiven by the other party. Perhaps that’s what we need more of, she feels, after someone broke into her van and stole money etc.
I knew it would be a substandard Panel as soon as I learned the guests were Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and Barry Corbett. I have never heard Denise L’Estrange Corbet utter a single sentence that indicates she has even a lick of common sense, let alone ever sat down with a book and engaged in some higher order thinking, or even lower order thinking.
And Barry Corbett is a dunderhead, pure and simple.
I’m not sad I missed this episode..
“The property market favours the older people, disadvantages the younger”. -Luke Malpass, The New Zealand Initiative (think-tank).(fingers down throat).
“…widening inequalities due to house prices”. -Hickey (feeling better again).
Immigration Amendment Bill; Committee Stage Pt.2 : Woodhouse vs Cunliffe. It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).
Ratana “unity under God, negation of the Tohunga” hmmmm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohunga
that was a broad wero. anyway, the establishment turned against Ratana-prophet of innovation, hope and potential. interesting.
C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves
-agape’, equivalent to Kant’s ‘practical love’
-affection
-friendship
-eros.
“agent-relative moralities are difficult to reconcile with consequentialism-that each agent should pursue the common aim of promoting the best outcome from an impartial perspective”.
One of my anarchist fellows listens to political pod-casts while he works, Behind The News, Democracy Now etc, and he reads from the consensus that the financial mess will wash-up in 4-5 years time, Winston S.
“It is saying something even further about the capacity of Cunliffe to pwn Woodhouse (who is an admirable Nat, if there is such an animal).”
Call me fick Rogue – but whats pwn mean?
I’m genuinely interested – since my brother was Christened Ratana and I well remember the ‘discovery’ – even including the symbolism of Rising Suns and Rising Moons (WWII time – all that – and who and where Ratana was going to have to ‘stick phat’ with)
“pwn” is netspeak (l33tspeak) that rumour has it came from one of the earlier incarnations of Warcraft. Or hackers.
To thoroughly thrash someone in the game is/was to “own” them, and legend has it that a rushed programmer made an undetected typo in a message box “you’ve been pwned!”. Because it was the mark of a strong victory, it became a bit like a gold medal to “pwn” someone. The other option is that when a hacker gains control of a server they “own” it – but then gleeful messages written on sleep-deprived caffeine highs can create the “o/p” typo.
[edit] lol – and because it’s a gloating claim of outright victory, use of the “p” variant shunts a comment straight to the moderation list: sorry ’bout the workload 🙂
own.( you are clearly not ‘fick’, though hard to reduce at times).;)
geez Wayne – I was tired, obviously (and I had the nicest man on Earth on as background noise).
Cheers
thats naughty ‘Tim’; yet I’ll let you off, gotta cycle home and watch the news. 😉
Daniel Ellsberg on Snowdon.
http://www.ellsberg.net/archive/edward-snowden
Joseph Albo Ikkarim
Samuel Alexander
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Alexander
Space, Time and Deity
-emergent evolution
-existence, hierarchically ordered (apologies Bill); an ongoing evolutionary process with the emergence of ever-higher levels of existence-principles of organization (apologies RL).
oh god. Now Fairfax’s chief editor,
Good job.
About time they got some sponsorship in there.
It’s fucking Orwell to the letter.
meanwhile, back in Hawkes Bay, according to the HBRC propaganda, land-owners are increasingly turning to ground-water (currently easier to get) which may start affecting the reliability of takes, as the aquifiers may not have time to recover over winter.
Rabbit numbers are on the rise ;); 70% of the rabbit pop. have immunity tp strains of RHD.
h/t to Eugenie Sage (sage); the RWSS includes allowable levels of nitrates in the Tukituki to increase 1000%, with the only mitigating ‘benefit’, the return of summer flows close to natural levels.(QT 12.6,Q.9).
Q.4 Rebuilding ChCh is redirecting investment from the tradeables sector. treasury has no forecast of an increase in export-related jobs. Exports to decline 2.8% in year to March 2014. (17% decline in manufacturing exports since 2008, excluding the primary sector. This is despite business-growth initiatives numbering 300 and the public funds being poured into Primary Growth Partnerships.
Q.6 Ardern- “govt. will not measure ‘deprivation’.
English- “income =/= deprivation.hmmm.Even Treasury identifies there is currently a gap in the monitoring of material-living standards.
From a different cell; “tensions are rising in the nation’s prisons”, despite Tolley’s denials. The word from the dog across the way with 18 years experience up his sleeves ) and across his fore-head; “no nicotine bro!”
RNZ- “globally, a mining slow-down, particularly as small companies cash-strapped”.
3: Business News / Sharemarket Shill – “credit-card spending up, consumption sign of the economy going forward” Yep (echoed by English- a “consumption-driven re-bound) Rubber Ball 😉
Cemetery Gates .
Have just watched the latest Kim Dotcom video.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8793127/Dotcom-humour-in-raid-music-video
It beggars belief that Key, the minister in charge of the nation’s security and the member of parliament for the seat that K.dc resides in, new nothing of these raids.
Yeah, naah
Wasn’t it that Key knew nothing til about a day or so before the raids took place, when he was alerted to it?
Tory women are way worse though…
That was not meant to be in this thread. Can it be deleted?
It has come to my attention that Andrea Vance is friendly with Jordan Williams, to the point of helping him make some contacts in London. Jordan Williams is, of course, Simon Lusk’s minion. Make of that what you will…..