An up scaled version of one of these should be in the boot of every police car.
they used to catch galloping deer with them it would stop a fool with a machete .
UK Labour Party rule changing. I wonder if the Party fears that a huge heap of anti-Labour Party activists could sign up to be members in order to”sink” the Party with huge “support” for Jeremy? Hence the shut down of voting rights. Could it be part of the Conservative Dirty Tricks brigade?
NZ Labour Party could be vulnerable too.
Apparently pepper spray and tasers were used but didn’t stop the guy but were deployed before firearms were used
I note that the guy is still alive and since the suggestion is, at this stage, the guy was high on meth a .22 probably wouldn’t have done anything but annoy the guy even more
Normally I would use this situation to point out that this is exactly why the police have the weapons they have and why they use them
I won’t however because we still don’t know the full story, we still don’t know if the actions the police took were the right action and we don’t know if any other actions could have been used
We get this, you’re an establishment guy who supports militarization. And if people happen to die while being in an unstable frame of mind for a split second of their lives then so be it.
“We get this, you’re an establishment guy who supports militarization. And if people happen to die while being in an unstable frame of mind for a split second of their lives then so be it.”
I support the police being given all the tools needed to do their job of protecting the community but I support keeping the military and police separate.
When it comes down to it the police are reactive and they were reacting to (a couple of days ago) a suspected drug pusher and seller of illegal weapons with gang connections and, yesterday, a guy that pepper spray and tasers wasn’t working on, due to the possible influence of meth
As for the possible influence of meth, I think the words were that the perpetrator “may have been high on P” or somesuch on the news last night. Well, he may also have been an alien from Mars, or a shapeshifting lizard, we won’t know until we’ve looked.
What I’m getting at, why is that even reported? Unsubstantiated guesses are not news. Attacking police is, of course, but why put that out there?
Exactly, when something like this happens you can put a bet on it that before all the facts and evidence are collected that commentators on the left will be crucifying the police and preparing the victim for canonisation
Someone trained with sword and buckler, bo or quarter staff ought to have been able to parry, disarm or subdue him. Presumably long batons also, with a shield. Especially several on one because of flanking.
A number of gas agents that cause sleep or vomiting – though there are differing effects with drugged or hysterical subjects.
“He was shot and injured – you should be happy. A .22 could’ve shot and injured him as easily. Injuring is better avoided if possible”
If a taser and pepper spray isn’t going to stop him then .22 (unless it actually kills him) is probably only going to enrage him even more
“The deer capture device, nets or bolas. Pretty sure a cyanoacrylate entangler could be made that would incapitate anyone too.”
Do the police have those tools? No they don’t, the police only have the tools they’re issued with, they tried pepper spray and they tried a taser neither worked.
“Someone trained with sword and buckler, bo or quarter staff ought to have been able to parry, disarm or subdue him. Presumably long batons also, with a shield. Especially several on one because of flanking”
Are you serious? Please stop referencing Hollywood movies for your idiot ideas on how to take someone down
“A number of gas agents that cause sleep or vomiting – though there are differing effects with drugged or hysterical subjects.”
Its a wide open space so gas is less effective, depending on which way the wind is blowing you could end up with even more issues (you really want to gas a playcenter as an example) and unleashing sleeping gas?
I mean are you aware of any allergic reactions anyone nearby might have?
“No need to go all Chris Kyle on him.”
Unlike you the police have to consider the safety of the community (and of course themselves as well), they warned the victim, the used pepper spray, they used a taser and the victim still wouldn’t stop so the police used their firearms and then the victim stopped
“If a taser and pepper spray isn’t going to stop him then .22 (unless it actually kills him) is probably only going to enrage him even more”
He can rage all he wants if you leg him a couple of times he’s going nowhere. But if you leg him with a .223 chances are you’ll wreck his femoral artery & won’t be able to save him.
“Do the police have those tools? No they don’t” – “I support the police being given all the tools needed to do their job”
A bit – difficult I agree – but a larger bore doesn’t make it any easier. Part of the point of a .22 is that you would have to pick your target area to have a worthwhile effect – it’s an opposite strategy to handguns, where you target centre of mass.
“He can rage all he wants if you leg him a couple of times he’s going nowhere. But if you leg him with a .223 chances are you’ll wreck his femoral artery & won’t be able to save him.”
I don’t know if you’re being deliberately stupid in an attempt to bait me or you really are that ignorant but I thought this belief that you can easily shoot someone in the leg had died out, I guess not so heres some very quick links about why police don’t shoot limbs:
If you think you can adequately teach someone to take down a meth head armed with a long bladed machete nice and quickly without long and rigorous training then you really are naive
The police are likely in the course of their careers to have to deal with angry people armed with improvised weapons or tools among which softball bats and machetes are reasonably typical.
Correct, however anyone with an ounce of sense will tell you the closer you are to be able to take someone down armed with a weapon the closer you are to getting attacked with said weapon
Hence why tasers and pepper spray are issued so police don’t have to go to their firearms as a first resort
If I were training them (never gonna happen) I’d want them to carry a shield if that kind of offender is outdoors (shields and doorways can be a problem) I think Scandinavian police have a small round version of the riot shield. Wouldn’t want to have to block a typical blow with a taser or pepper sprayer – same goes for a handgun really.
The police were facing a potentially dangerous individual that was armed, that was ignoring police warnings, shrugged of pepper spray, disregard a taser and was in a built up area filled with people and you brilliant ideas include:
Tools the police don’t currently have
Martial arts training
A .22 to the leg
A shield
The police on the other hand managed to stop the individual without injuring themselves, without harm to any bystanders and the victim is still alive
Police often do have some martial arts training.
Police do have riot shields.
Police proved unable to contain the offender without shooting him, though he did not have a firearm. It remains to be determined whether his survival was professionalism or chance.
The proliferation of firearms among police remains questionable – though there is some evidently some convenience in using them to intimidate people who are not hysterical.
My ideas are pretty pedestrian – but yours are more in accord with the functions of an army than those of a police force.
“Police often do have some martial arts training.
Police do have riot shields. ”
Yes some but police are also allowed to defend themselves as well and to use their judgement as to when to escalate the response
“Police proved unable to contain the offender without shooting him, though he did not have a firearm. It remains to be determined whether his survival was professionalism or chance.”
He didn’t have a firearm however he had a weapon, if you’d read any of the links I’ve provided (you wouldn’t though because its runs contrary to your opinion) you’d know that shooting centre is mass is designed to stop the person and that getting shot in centre mass is not a death sentence as you seem to think which means that they used lawful means to stop him
(Seriously click on some of the links, you might actually learn something)
“The proliferation of firearms among police remains questionable – though there is some evidently some convenience in using them to intimidate people who are not hysterical.”
If a firearm can intimidate someone into stopping being a threat then good.
“My ideas are pretty pedestrian – but yours are more in accord with the functions of an army than those of a police force”
Your ideas simply do not work which I’ve tried to point out to you with reasoning and links yet you seem to want to ignore everything that said.
My ideas are currently already in place with the NZ police, which I agree with
PR you’ve been trolling me for days – it doesn’t make you more persuasive. We were trying to discuss the rising incidence of injuries and deaths from police firearms use – which might include alternative weapons or tactics. Your need to count coup has not served your argument.
“PR you’ve been trolling me for days – it doesn’t make you more persuasive. We were trying to discuss the rising incidence of injuries and deaths from police firearms use – which might include alternative weapons or tactics. Your need to count coup has not served your argument.”
Your arguments are weak, based on opinions formed by Hollywood movies and not backed up by any links or anything more then “someone told me”
Whereas I’ve used countless links (which you ignore of course) to explain why police shoot at the centre mass, why they shoot at all and why shooting at centre mass is designed to stop rather kill
That you haven’t read any of the links and continue to espouse ideas like using martial arts against a meth head armed with a machete as completely reasonable or thinking that a bolt action .22 rifle is all that’s needed for police tells me you have no idea of what you’re talking about.
Meh – your opinion and $5 will get me a cup of coffee.
You’ve cobbled together a bunch of conservative stats that justify doing nothing about what could be an alarming increase in fatal shootings. No wonder you support the Gnats – their do-nothing policies are aimed right where you live.
Why would I link for you? – you’re perfectly capable of using google.
“My ideas are currently already in place with the NZ police, which I agree with”
“Meh – your opinion and $5 will get me a cup of coffee.”
No, my opinion and most other western police departments in the world including the NZ police
“You’ve cobbled together a bunch of conservative stats that justify doing nothing about what could be an alarming increase in fatal shootings. No wonder you support the Gnats – their do-nothing policies are aimed right where you live.”
No I’ve linked from different sources, including left wing newspapers, that all explain why police shoot at centre mass rather then the legs and help explain police tactics
“Why would I link for you? – you’re perfectly capable of using google.”
You don’t link because you can’t find anything reputable to back up what you say
“My ideas are currently already in place with the NZ police, which I agree with”
“So you’re an authoritarian – no one is surprised.”
As the person most frequently proved wrong on this site PR, your opinion is scarcely determinate.
Lets see now, I’ve backed up my argument with links from many different sources whereas you…haven’t 🙂
However instead of using sound reasoning, logic or links you’ve gone for insults, its a bold strategy I’ll give you that 🙂
I know what you were thinking though, you were thinking you could say a couple of insults, champion the use of non-lethal weapons, maybe throw out some over used emotive terms and hey presto you’d prove your point 🙂
Unfortunately you’ve shown your opinion has been formed by Hollywood, you have no practical experience to speak of, you’re not interested in changing your opinion in light of new information and, quite frankly, your views on this matter are a joke 🙂
But please keep on going, at the very least I find you amusing so you have that going for you 🙂
“Two dead and one wounded this month – laugh it up”
Don’t worry, I’m not laughing at the victims or the police, I am laughing at you though 🙂
Hey for whats it worth I knock off at 1630hrs so you’ll be able to post something no doubt terribly witty and cutting and get the last word in, won’t that be something for you 🙂
I reference your response to me below…that you have seen first hand the effects of meth on someone. So you should know the difference between a person on meth or a person just worked up (say pissed) is immense.
This is now what the police have to deal with…”the new phenomenon”.
Probably need more police officers and full time police trainers which would require more funding – exactly the opposite of what National have been doing:
Police receive training in “take down methods already”. Even a person not high on meth or similar is not easy to restrain if they don’t want to be.
I wager Stuart that you have not been around someone high on meth? they feel no pain, have enhanced strength, and anyone in their way – look out.
The police are between a rock and hard place…if for example yesterday the suspect hurt or killed a member of the public while the police were trying to subdue him…guess what the headlines would be today?
There is no easy answer to deal with people high on meth (or similar drugs) when trying to arrest them.
You’d lose your wager – I prefer the term adrenalised – people can reach that stage without drugs too. They’re a handful for half a dozen people – but they’re not exactly Inigo Montoya.
Yes, some of them teach useful skills. Some of those skills might even be useful on the street. But most martial arts are sports, now – many holds/moves are illegal, but most importantly you’re not defending yourself from someone who is intent on doing you serious harm. That’s a very different kettle of fish.
That’s not to say it can’t be done, but I think your restraint techniques are the product of too much D&D.
It’s actually more about teamwork than anything else. And, in my experience, making sure you’re the one who grabs the feet, not the end with the teeth.
Although in this instance there was a dog on scene at the time or very soon afterwards, so I’d be asking why that wasn’t considered or was turned down.
Sure, one of the reasons that until the dust has settled and the matter investigated that we shouldn’t jump to conclusion and start trying to apportion blame
i see road rage a lot, a lot of angry yelling and shoving, a bit of drunken disorderly conduct, but the way you speak about it i was wondering if I needed to call a support person tonight before going home, lest I meat one of your rampaging machete wielding Meth / P addicts.
And what is our Minister of ze Police doing? Is she hiring? You know to save us all from the Meth/P Zombies roaming the streets of NZ.
Well Sabine I’m talking about how the polices response may (or may not be depending on the investigation) be appropriate for the situation they find themselves in
I’m talking about the gear they’re allocated to use and why its reasonable for them to use them
I’m also saying why we (all of us, even myself) shouldn’t rush to judgement and decide that the police should be tried and convicted or the victim is a living saint before all of the facts are known
i have no doubt i will be safe on my way home. I have always been. As for arming the force, once we have a better force, some of the cops that i have had to deal with (bikie here 🙂 ) i would not even entrust with a knife and fork, as they don’t seem to be the brightest but the most obedient lot.
But you made it sound as if we had to fear the Meth Zombie apocalypse while in fact more people get killed by drunk drivers then anything else. 🙂
Do you think they were justified, do you think they could have handled it differently and, if so, how?
well, a textbook response would be to maintain a defensive interval of at least 20m from the suspect so he’s not an immediate threat to your life.
Now, the police are maintaining that the proximity of the carpark and mall required immediate closing of the gap, so that’s their legal justification sorted. Whether distractions could have been used to heard him into a tactically useful area is another question.
i was wondering if I needed to call a support person tonight before going home, lest I meat one of your rampaging machete wielding Meth / P addicts.
If you think really hard, you might be able to figure out why the statistical unlikelihood of meeting a rampaging, machete-wielding P addict was of little use to the two cops faced with a rampaging, machete-wielding P addict (EDIT: assuming that the adjectives other than ‘machete-wielding’ actually apply in this instance).
“well, a textbook response would be to maintain a defensive interval of at least 20m from the suspect so he’s not an immediate threat to your life.
Now, the police are maintaining that the proximity of the carpark and mall required immediate closing of the gap, so that’s their legal justification sorted. Whether distractions could have been used to heard him into a tactically useful area is another question”
I wonder if a dog team could have been used as well but then how long would it have taken them to get there (or was a team nearby)
I can say the thought of taking on someone armed with a big machete, that’s shrugged off pepper spray and ignored a taser is not something high on my to do list
I guess these answers will come out in the investigation
lol yeah as to do lists go, it sucks.
They’re bad enough without the machete.
But part of the trick is to not let your adrenaline make you almost as dysfunctional as the bad guy (which is incidentally why most police firearm training involves firing at centre mass – fine motor skills like aiming are the first to go under stress).
The biggest clusterfucks I’ve seen (no guns or blades, thankfully) were when the security guy or cop got just as objective-fixated and tunnel-visioned as the bad guy. The best “ninja move” I ever saw was a verbal discombobulation that confused a chap so much he forgot to clock off and walked away with a chuckle.
And I’m not sure the investigation will ask the right questions. Big angry guy with machete approaches cop, cop pulls trigger, all legal. But do the police actually have a full investigative body that would ask questions like “how did they get into that situation in the first place?”, “what could they have done to avoid that situation?”, and “for shits and giggles, what other ways could the situation have been resolved?”? Not even in a disciplinary sort of way – just walk it through with the officers involved, when did they start to fear for their life, what were they seeing, what were their colleagues seeing, could they have used more psychological methods, etc.
For instance, forget firearms certification: how often are police officers trained in identifying and dealing with people under different types of mental distress, including the stereotypical P psychosis? Six month refresher seminars? Or half a day at police college and that’s it?
A good explanation of how the idea of competition to sharpen everybody up to get ahead has fucked up how science gets done, when science really works best in an open, collaborative information-sharing environment.
[Second comment in as many minutes that’s been sent to ‘open mike’. That link has nothing whatsoever to do with the post – or anything anywhere that’s being discussed. Cut the crap or you’ll be sent on holiday] – Bill
While backing up some statements with evidence is sometimes warranted. I think putting up link after link after link is unnecessary and it isn’t really “commenting”.
Not meant as a personal attack Greg ☺. Others may like it
Qi has some good stuff. This is about the 1% of Americans who are in prison. Includes the 3 strikes Law. The Ratio of black white. Terrifying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHz2Hmq7soo
“Christchurch has become a city strangled by corporate control foisted on the city by the National government in the form of MP Gerry Brownlee and assisted by the Mayor – former Labour MP Lianne Dalziel.
Dalziel has led the charge to sell city assets beginning with the council works division City Care which is currently on the block. She is still implementing the failed 1980s Labour government policies which enriched the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.
The culture of corporate greed and council impotence is such at the council recently gave a $300,000 grant to multi-millionaire developer Antony Gough for an energy-efficient heating system for his $150 million apartment development.
So while low-income residents can’t afford to turn on the power to keep warm in winter Gough will be able to reap that much more profit from the tenants of this development.”
Its official: both US presidential candidates now oppose the TPPA:
Hillary Clinton delivered a shot across the bows to the Trans-Pacific Partnership as her bid for the US presidency was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, a vocal opponent of the controversial trade agreement.
[…]
But at a rally held in New Hampshire yesterday to mark Sanders’ endorsement, Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, went beyond the bounds of the party’s official platform.
“We’re going to say no to a tax on working families and no to bad trade deals and unfair trade practices including the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” she said to a raucous crowd, which included many Sanders supporters.
Its not dead yet – there are still fantasies that the US Congress will ratify it in the “lame duck” session, where they can’t be held accountable for their decision – but in the likely scenario that that doesn’t happen, the TPPA will be over.
Meanwhile, legislation to implement the TPPA in New Zealand is currently before select committee, but is due back in November. Hopefully the government won’t move too quickly on it. Otherwise we could be left in the situation of extending our copyright term and gutting Pharmac for nothing.
Of course there is often a difference between what politicians say when they are trying to get elected, and what they do after being elected.
My money is on Clinton pulling a Peter Dunne circa “willing buyer willing seller”, demanding superficial changes then claiming that having won ‘concessions’ the TPPA is now aok for the peoplez.
As I’ve said before it is a constant source of amusement to sociopaths and psychopaths that all they have to do is say stuff and people will believe it.
For them words are just things that make people do what they want. You can always figure out how to lie your way out of your ‘promises’ and ‘positions’ later.
In Auckland investors now account for 46 per cent of all sales, QV says, up from 37 per cent in 2012.
The combination of high investor demand and rampant house price inflation is no coincidence. It reflects the toxic interaction between how the tax system and the banking system view the purchase of rental properties.
For the taxman, the landlord is in business and entitled to deduct all the costs, including interest, incurred in earning taxable rental income.
For a bank, the landlord is someone borrowing against the security of a dwelling and banks are generally happy to lend as much as the Reserve Bank allows.
But few other businesses can gear up their balance sheet to the same extent. Few other investors can enjoy the same benefits of leverage in a rising market, amplifying the increase in their equity until they are ready to collect their tax-free capital gain.
The message from the tax system is clear: if you want to provide for your old age, don’t save money. Instead, borrow and engage in highly geared plays in the housing market.
Dealing with this now perilous distortion requires a pincer movement, attacking it from both the tax and banking (macro-prudential) sides.
Otherwise gravity will prevail, in the form of the ever-widening disconnect between house prices and household debt on the one hand and incomes on the other.
The Reserve Bank is doing what it can. The Government is not.
It is a private UMR poll rather than one of those public ones Jenny. But if true not only Winston will be pleased but certainly the 12% Green and 33% Labour will be pleased. Roll out the Joycie speak.
I think that Stephen Mills from Nine to Noon is UMR.
“The show attracted a lot of criticism, so much so that it was referred to the ABC’s independent Audience and Consumer Affairs (A&CA) unit who considered the complaints, including a detailed complaint from AMTA (Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association), the peak body for the mobile telecommunications industry in Australia
As a result the episode has been retracted and taken off the Catalyst website and the iView site and reporter Dr Maryanne Demasi has been suspended from on-air assignments”
Four years ago, the Republican platform on Israel read:
“We support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state with secure, defensible borders; and we envision two democratic states – Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine.”
And now this week, Trump and the Republications have got a Convention manifesto that throws the two-state solution out the window for the first time in over 30 years:
“The U.S. seeks to assist in the establishment of comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, to be negotiated among those living in the region. We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for immediate termination of all U.S. funding of any entity that attempts to do so.”
Trump tweeted on Wednesday:
“The Republican platform is most pro-Israel of all time!”
Generally I’m a pretty firm Israel supporter. But this is a nasty peace reversal for Palestinians. This Trump Republican position is more aggressively anti-UN and anti-Palestinian that I’ve ever seen in U.S. foreign policy.
Am I reading that right? That this proposal would have the US not engage in any ME peace processes? (Maybe not such a bad thing seeing as how they’ve essentially stymied any progress for years and decades)
We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for immediate termination of all U.S. funding of any entity that attempts to do so.
So…if the UN attempts to broker a deal, where the UN suggests conditions, then the US doubles down on it’s historical recalcitrance to pay its UN dues or levies.
So…the UN engages in a purely neutral fashion – as a facilitator.
If Israel throws up a host of pre-conditions, then Israel loses US funding? I guess not, insofar as they are directly involved in negotiations and so couldn’t be said to be imposing anything.
Given that Israel holds most of the cards in any negotiations with Palestine due to massive asymmetries of power, the US going ‘hands off’ and kind of threatening sanctions of a sort on anyone who gets ‘hands on’ in any way…I’m thinking that proposed US stance would be a gift to Israel.
Mmmm…….Ad…….interesting that you say “Generally I’m a pretty firm Israel supporter.” Can’t quite put my finger on why I’m not surprised. I guess vibes can be read quite reliably.
In a time of low inflation how is it that this weekend the price of parking at middlemore hospital has increased by 11% ?
Not nice especially as the catchment comprises of many of those disadvantaged and struggling🤑🤑
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Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
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http://www.net-gun.com/
An up scaled version of one of these should be in the boot of every police car.
they used to catch galloping deer with them it would stop a fool with a machete .
Well I wouldn’t mind seeing it tested out first, might be another tool for the police to use
For you PR http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/uploads/AndrewHess/2006-11-27_142614_cow_tools.jpg
Nice 🙂
Did some trials on them in the UK for riot control in NI. Not as effective as the baton round or( rubber bullet)
But a lone gunman or machette wielder in the open would differ from a person in a crowd.
UK Labour Party rule changing. I wonder if the Party fears that a huge heap of anti-Labour Party activists could sign up to be members in order to”sink” the Party with huge “support” for Jeremy? Hence the shut down of voting rights. Could it be part of the Conservative Dirty Tricks brigade?
NZ Labour Party could be vulnerable too.
Why is a former leader of the National Party writing columns for a magazine that celebrates neo-Nazism and advances anti-semitic conspiracy theories?
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2016/07/david-ickes-kiwi-fans-and-their.html
Scratch the surface, interesting to see what comes bubbling up, I wish political leaders would be more truthful. http://www.funnyjunk.com/channel/funny/Have+you+seen+kyle/GDnzGTQ#97fdd0_5021594
This is for The Pink Postman and Stuart Munro:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/82104175/police-shoot-man-in-rotorua
Apparently pepper spray and tasers were used but didn’t stop the guy but were deployed before firearms were used
I note that the guy is still alive and since the suggestion is, at this stage, the guy was high on meth a .22 probably wouldn’t have done anything but annoy the guy even more
Normally I would use this situation to point out that this is exactly why the police have the weapons they have and why they use them
I won’t however because we still don’t know the full story, we still don’t know if the actions the police took were the right action and we don’t know if any other actions could have been used
So I’ll wait until the investigation is complete
We get this, you’re an establishment guy who supports militarization. And if people happen to die while being in an unstable frame of mind for a split second of their lives then so be it.
“We get this, you’re an establishment guy who supports militarization. And if people happen to die while being in an unstable frame of mind for a split second of their lives then so be it.”
I support the police being given all the tools needed to do their job of protecting the community but I support keeping the military and police separate.
When it comes down to it the police are reactive and they were reacting to (a couple of days ago) a suspected drug pusher and seller of illegal weapons with gang connections and, yesterday, a guy that pepper spray and tasers wasn’t working on, due to the possible influence of meth
As for the possible influence of meth, I think the words were that the perpetrator “may have been high on P” or somesuch on the news last night. Well, he may also have been an alien from Mars, or a shapeshifting lizard, we won’t know until we’ve looked.
What I’m getting at, why is that even reported? Unsubstantiated guesses are not news. Attacking police is, of course, but why put that out there?
Exactly, when something like this happens you can put a bet on it that before all the facts and evidence are collected that commentators on the left will be crucifying the police and preparing the victim for canonisation
He was shot and injured – you should be happy. A .22 could’ve shot and injured him as easily. Injuring is better avoided if possible.
But, although it’s easy to be wise after the event, there are multiple options for restraining people with a machete in a reasonably open space:
The deer capture device, nets or bolas. Pretty sure a cyanoacrylate entangler could be made that would incapitate anyone too.
Capture sticks http://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs/eng_ht_control_pole.pdf
Riot armour & close to grapple.
Someone trained with sword and buckler, bo or quarter staff ought to have been able to parry, disarm or subdue him. Presumably long batons also, with a shield. Especially several on one because of flanking.
A number of gas agents that cause sleep or vomiting – though there are differing effects with drugged or hysterical subjects.
No need to go all Chris Kyle on him.
“He was shot and injured – you should be happy. A .22 could’ve shot and injured him as easily. Injuring is better avoided if possible”
If a taser and pepper spray isn’t going to stop him then .22 (unless it actually kills him) is probably only going to enrage him even more
“The deer capture device, nets or bolas. Pretty sure a cyanoacrylate entangler could be made that would incapitate anyone too.”
Do the police have those tools? No they don’t, the police only have the tools they’re issued with, they tried pepper spray and they tried a taser neither worked.
“Someone trained with sword and buckler, bo or quarter staff ought to have been able to parry, disarm or subdue him. Presumably long batons also, with a shield. Especially several on one because of flanking”
Are you serious? Please stop referencing Hollywood movies for your idiot ideas on how to take someone down
“A number of gas agents that cause sleep or vomiting – though there are differing effects with drugged or hysterical subjects.”
Its a wide open space so gas is less effective, depending on which way the wind is blowing you could end up with even more issues (you really want to gas a playcenter as an example) and unleashing sleeping gas?
I mean are you aware of any allergic reactions anyone nearby might have?
“No need to go all Chris Kyle on him.”
Unlike you the police have to consider the safety of the community (and of course themselves as well), they warned the victim, the used pepper spray, they used a taser and the victim still wouldn’t stop so the police used their firearms and then the victim stopped
“If a taser and pepper spray isn’t going to stop him then .22 (unless it actually kills him) is probably only going to enrage him even more”
He can rage all he wants if you leg him a couple of times he’s going nowhere. But if you leg him with a .223 chances are you’ll wreck his femoral artery & won’t be able to save him.
“Do the police have those tools? No they don’t” – “I support the police being given all the tools needed to do their job”
Make up your mind.
Have you done any shooting ? There would be very few people that could consistently leg shoot someone on the run with a rimfire.
A bit – difficult I agree – but a larger bore doesn’t make it any easier. Part of the point of a .22 is that you would have to pick your target area to have a worthwhile effect – it’s an opposite strategy to handguns, where you target centre of mass.
https://www.pfoa.co.uk/110/shooting-to-wound
http://www.guns.com/2015/02/23/opinion-10-reasons-why-police-dont-aim-for-the-legs/
http://criminologycareers.about.com/od/Criminology_Basics/fl/Why-Dont-Police-Shoot-People-in-the-Arms-or-Legs.htm
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865619655/Why-police-don7t-aim-for-the-legs.html?pg=all
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/21/police-shoot-kill-taser-force-experts-law
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/police-deadly-force_n_5693020.html
http://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2014/08/why-dont-police-shoot-to-wound.html
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/12/shooting_to_kill_why_police_ar.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/08/weekinreview/why-can-t-they-shoot-just-to-wound.html
http://forums.officer.com/t16239/
Read whatever links you like but just stop saying such stupid things
“He can rage all he wants if you leg him a couple of times he’s going nowhere. But if you leg him with a .223 chances are you’ll wreck his femoral artery & won’t be able to save him.”
I don’t know if you’re being deliberately stupid in an attempt to bait me or you really are that ignorant but I thought this belief that you can easily shoot someone in the leg had died out, I guess not so heres some very quick links about why police don’t shoot limbs:
https://www.pfoa.co.uk/110/shooting-to-wound
http://www.guns.com/2015/02/23/opinion-10-reasons-why-police-dont-aim-for-the-legs/
http://criminologycareers.about.com/od/Criminology_Basics/fl/Why-Dont-Police-Shoot-People-in-the-Arms-or-Legs.htm
(Please take note of what is called the Hollywood effect)
“Do the police have those tools? No they don’t” – “I support the police being given all the tools needed to do their job”
I thought that was rather clear, they don’t have those tools so they can’t use them.
If those tools are found to be useful then the police should be issued with them.
But they can’t magically call them out of thin air to use if they’re not issued
“Are you serious? Please stop referencing Hollywood movies for your idiot ideas on how to take someone down”
On the whole the martial arts community probably have a better handle on tackling people armed with melee weapons that RWNJ armchair soldiers.
If you think you can adequately teach someone to take down a meth head armed with a long bladed machete nice and quickly without long and rigorous training then you really are naive
The police are likely in the course of their careers to have to deal with angry people armed with improvised weapons or tools among which softball bats and machetes are reasonably typical.
This is not a new phenomenon – shooting them is.
Correct, however anyone with an ounce of sense will tell you the closer you are to be able to take someone down armed with a weapon the closer you are to getting attacked with said weapon
Hence why tasers and pepper spray are issued so police don’t have to go to their firearms as a first resort
If I were training them (never gonna happen) I’d want them to carry a shield if that kind of offender is outdoors (shields and doorways can be a problem) I think Scandinavian police have a small round version of the riot shield. Wouldn’t want to have to block a typical blow with a taser or pepper sprayer – same goes for a handgun really.
The police were facing a potentially dangerous individual that was armed, that was ignoring police warnings, shrugged of pepper spray, disregard a taser and was in a built up area filled with people and you brilliant ideas include:
Tools the police don’t currently have
Martial arts training
A .22 to the leg
A shield
The police on the other hand managed to stop the individual without injuring themselves, without harm to any bystanders and the victim is still alive
Please don’t ever offer your ideas to the police.
Considering reports of what he was wearing I’d say that the Taser didn’t even hit him.
Police often do have some martial arts training.
Police do have riot shields.
Police proved unable to contain the offender without shooting him, though he did not have a firearm. It remains to be determined whether his survival was professionalism or chance.
The proliferation of firearms among police remains questionable – though there is some evidently some convenience in using them to intimidate people who are not hysterical.
My ideas are pretty pedestrian – but yours are more in accord with the functions of an army than those of a police force.
“Police often do have some martial arts training.
Police do have riot shields. ”
Yes some but police are also allowed to defend themselves as well and to use their judgement as to when to escalate the response
“Police proved unable to contain the offender without shooting him, though he did not have a firearm. It remains to be determined whether his survival was professionalism or chance.”
He didn’t have a firearm however he had a weapon, if you’d read any of the links I’ve provided (you wouldn’t though because its runs contrary to your opinion) you’d know that shooting centre is mass is designed to stop the person and that getting shot in centre mass is not a death sentence as you seem to think which means that they used lawful means to stop him
(Seriously click on some of the links, you might actually learn something)
“The proliferation of firearms among police remains questionable – though there is some evidently some convenience in using them to intimidate people who are not hysterical.”
If a firearm can intimidate someone into stopping being a threat then good.
“My ideas are pretty pedestrian – but yours are more in accord with the functions of an army than those of a police force”
Your ideas simply do not work which I’ve tried to point out to you with reasoning and links yet you seem to want to ignore everything that said.
My ideas are currently already in place with the NZ police, which I agree with
PR you’ve been trolling me for days – it doesn’t make you more persuasive. We were trying to discuss the rising incidence of injuries and deaths from police firearms use – which might include alternative weapons or tactics. Your need to count coup has not served your argument.
“PR you’ve been trolling me for days – it doesn’t make you more persuasive. We were trying to discuss the rising incidence of injuries and deaths from police firearms use – which might include alternative weapons or tactics. Your need to count coup has not served your argument.”
Your arguments are weak, based on opinions formed by Hollywood movies and not backed up by any links or anything more then “someone told me”
Whereas I’ve used countless links (which you ignore of course) to explain why police shoot at the centre mass, why they shoot at all and why shooting at centre mass is designed to stop rather kill
That you haven’t read any of the links and continue to espouse ideas like using martial arts against a meth head armed with a machete as completely reasonable or thinking that a bolt action .22 rifle is all that’s needed for police tells me you have no idea of what you’re talking about.
Meh – your opinion and $5 will get me a cup of coffee.
You’ve cobbled together a bunch of conservative stats that justify doing nothing about what could be an alarming increase in fatal shootings. No wonder you support the Gnats – their do-nothing policies are aimed right where you live.
Why would I link for you? – you’re perfectly capable of using google.
“My ideas are currently already in place with the NZ police, which I agree with”
So you’re an authoritarian – no one is surprised.
“Meh – your opinion and $5 will get me a cup of coffee.”
No, my opinion and most other western police departments in the world including the NZ police
“You’ve cobbled together a bunch of conservative stats that justify doing nothing about what could be an alarming increase in fatal shootings. No wonder you support the Gnats – their do-nothing policies are aimed right where you live.”
No I’ve linked from different sources, including left wing newspapers, that all explain why police shoot at centre mass rather then the legs and help explain police tactics
“Why would I link for you? – you’re perfectly capable of using google.”
You don’t link because you can’t find anything reputable to back up what you say
“My ideas are currently already in place with the NZ police, which I agree with”
“So you’re an authoritarian – no one is surprised.”
and you’re simply wrong in this matter
“You’re simply wrong on this matter”
As the person most frequently proved wrong on this site PR, your opinion is scarcely determinate.
“You’re simply wrong on this matter”
As the person most frequently proved wrong on this site PR, your opinion is scarcely determinate.
Lets see now, I’ve backed up my argument with links from many different sources whereas you…haven’t 🙂
However instead of using sound reasoning, logic or links you’ve gone for insults, its a bold strategy I’ll give you that 🙂
I know what you were thinking though, you were thinking you could say a couple of insults, champion the use of non-lethal weapons, maybe throw out some over used emotive terms and hey presto you’d prove your point 🙂
Unfortunately you’ve shown your opinion has been formed by Hollywood, you have no practical experience to speak of, you’re not interested in changing your opinion in light of new information and, quite frankly, your views on this matter are a joke 🙂
But please keep on going, at the very least I find you amusing so you have that going for you 🙂
Two dead and one wounded this month – laugh it up.
“Two dead and one wounded this month – laugh it up”
Don’t worry, I’m not laughing at the victims or the police, I am laughing at you though 🙂
Hey for whats it worth I knock off at 1630hrs so you’ll be able to post something no doubt terribly witty and cutting and get the last word in, won’t that be something for you 🙂
I reference your response to me below…that you have seen first hand the effects of meth on someone. So you should know the difference between a person on meth or a person just worked up (say pissed) is immense.
This is now what the police have to deal with…”the new phenomenon”.
I would expect the police to get that long and rigorous training as part of their basic training and ongoing development.
As well as long and rigorous firearms training as well as long and rigorous training on applications of the law and etc etc
Yes, exactly.
Probably need more police officers and full time police trainers which would require more funding – exactly the opposite of what National have been doing:
2016
2015
2013
I note that the last time that the police got better funding and more actual police officers was under the last labour led government.
I agree with you, its shoddy and the police should be better funded
Police receive training in “take down methods already”. Even a person not high on meth or similar is not easy to restrain if they don’t want to be.
I wager Stuart that you have not been around someone high on meth? they feel no pain, have enhanced strength, and anyone in their way – look out.
The police are between a rock and hard place…if for example yesterday the suspect hurt or killed a member of the public while the police were trying to subdue him…guess what the headlines would be today?
There is no easy answer to deal with people high on meth (or similar drugs) when trying to arrest them.
You’d lose your wager – I prefer the term adrenalised – people can reach that stage without drugs too. They’re a handful for half a dozen people – but they’re not exactly Inigo Montoya.
Actually, on the whole, no they don’t.
Yes, some of them teach useful skills. Some of those skills might even be useful on the street. But most martial arts are sports, now – many holds/moves are illegal, but most importantly you’re not defending yourself from someone who is intent on doing you serious harm. That’s a very different kettle of fish.
That’s not to say it can’t be done, but I think your restraint techniques are the product of too much D&D.
It’s actually more about teamwork than anything else. And, in my experience, making sure you’re the one who grabs the feet, not the end with the teeth.
Although in this instance there was a dog on scene at the time or very soon afterwards, so I’d be asking why that wasn’t considered or was turned down.
Sure, one of the reasons that until the dust has settled and the matter investigated that we shouldn’t jump to conclusion and start trying to apportion blame
How many Meth / P addled people are roaming the streets of NZ?
274 692 thousand as 1407hrs 15/07/16, why do you ask?
i seem to miss them all.
i see road rage a lot, a lot of angry yelling and shoving, a bit of drunken disorderly conduct, but the way you speak about it i was wondering if I needed to call a support person tonight before going home, lest I meat one of your rampaging machete wielding Meth / P addicts.
And what is our Minister of ze Police doing? Is she hiring? You know to save us all from the Meth/P Zombies roaming the streets of NZ.
So to put some perspective
search in Google
People killed in NZ by drunk drivers
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/road-deaths/toll.html
and then
search in Google
People killed by machete wielding P addicts in NZ
comes up with the geezer killed by Police
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/82104175/police-shoot-man-in-rotorua
It seems that maybe you want the cops armed so they can shoot drunk drivers? They seem to be a bit more of an issue in NZ.
Well Sabine I’m talking about how the polices response may (or may not be depending on the investigation) be appropriate for the situation they find themselves in
I’m talking about the gear they’re allocated to use and why its reasonable for them to use them
I’m also saying why we (all of us, even myself) shouldn’t rush to judgement and decide that the police should be tried and convicted or the victim is a living saint before all of the facts are known
I’m sure you’ll be safe on your way home though
Hi Sabine
Nice diversion attempt
Thank you
i have no doubt i will be safe on my way home. I have always been. As for arming the force, once we have a better force, some of the cops that i have had to deal with (bikie here 🙂 ) i would not even entrust with a knife and fork, as they don’t seem to be the brightest but the most obedient lot.
But you made it sound as if we had to fear the Meth Zombie apocalypse while in fact more people get killed by drunk drivers then anything else. 🙂
“But you made it sound as if we had to fear the Meth Zombie apocalypse while in fact more people get killed by drunk drivers then anything else.”
I’m sorry you feel that way but what is your opinion on how the police could have handled this latest situation or indeed the previous situation
Do you think they were justified, do you think they could have handled it differently and, if so, how?
well, a textbook response would be to maintain a defensive interval of at least 20m from the suspect so he’s not an immediate threat to your life.
Now, the police are maintaining that the proximity of the carpark and mall required immediate closing of the gap, so that’s their legal justification sorted. Whether distractions could have been used to heard him into a tactically useful area is another question.
i was wondering if I needed to call a support person tonight before going home, lest I meat one of your rampaging machete wielding Meth / P addicts.
If you think really hard, you might be able to figure out why the statistical unlikelihood of meeting a rampaging, machete-wielding P addict was of little use to the two cops faced with a rampaging, machete-wielding P addict (EDIT: assuming that the adjectives other than ‘machete-wielding’ actually apply in this instance).
“well, a textbook response would be to maintain a defensive interval of at least 20m from the suspect so he’s not an immediate threat to your life.
Now, the police are maintaining that the proximity of the carpark and mall required immediate closing of the gap, so that’s their legal justification sorted. Whether distractions could have been used to heard him into a tactically useful area is another question”
I wonder if a dog team could have been used as well but then how long would it have taken them to get there (or was a team nearby)
I can say the thought of taking on someone armed with a big machete, that’s shrugged off pepper spray and ignored a taser is not something high on my to do list
I guess these answers will come out in the investigation
lol yeah as to do lists go, it sucks.
They’re bad enough without the machete.
But part of the trick is to not let your adrenaline make you almost as dysfunctional as the bad guy (which is incidentally why most police firearm training involves firing at centre mass – fine motor skills like aiming are the first to go under stress).
The biggest clusterfucks I’ve seen (no guns or blades, thankfully) were when the security guy or cop got just as objective-fixated and tunnel-visioned as the bad guy. The best “ninja move” I ever saw was a verbal discombobulation that confused a chap so much he forgot to clock off and walked away with a chuckle.
And I’m not sure the investigation will ask the right questions. Big angry guy with machete approaches cop, cop pulls trigger, all legal. But do the police actually have a full investigative body that would ask questions like “how did they get into that situation in the first place?”, “what could they have done to avoid that situation?”, and “for shits and giggles, what other ways could the situation have been resolved?”? Not even in a disciplinary sort of way – just walk it through with the officers involved, when did they start to fear for their life, what were they seeing, what were their colleagues seeing, could they have used more psychological methods, etc.
For instance, forget firearms certification: how often are police officers trained in identifying and dealing with people under different types of mental distress, including the stereotypical P psychosis? Six month refresher seminars? Or half a day at police college and that’s it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZW_ARzMYX4
Warning extremely graphic content: Police release body camera recording of the shooting of Dylan Noble (seriously you’ve been warned)
Bugger being the cops in this situation
In some countries this would be called corruption, but in the US this is called Democracy.
Monsanto Paid Senators $58 Million to Pass Anti-GM Labeling Bill
http://anonhq.com/monsanto-paid-senators-58-million-pass-anti-gm-labeling-bill/
A good explanation of how the idea of competition to sharpen everybody up to get ahead has fucked up how science gets done, when science really works best in an open, collaborative information-sharing environment.
http://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process
Society works best when the people in it work cooperatively as well.
IMO, it’s competition that’s destroying our society and that article highlights just one aspect of how it’s being destroyed.
Meanwhile, the people best at the actual job will leave and do something else as they’re not supported in their efforts.
For Bernie bros and rabid Hillary-haters that have deluded themselves into thinking the orally flatulent mutant swamp-carrot is the better choice…
http://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12167824/bernie-sanders-on-trump
http://www.thegirlsproject.org.nz/
[Second comment in as many minutes that’s been sent to ‘open mike’. That link has nothing whatsoever to do with the post – or anything anywhere that’s being discussed. Cut the crap or you’ll be sent on holiday] – Bill
While backing up some statements with evidence is sometimes warranted. I think putting up link after link after link is unnecessary and it isn’t really “commenting”.
Not meant as a personal attack Greg ☺. Others may like it
Is this another display of your misogyny Greg?
Qi has some good stuff. This is about the 1% of Americans who are in prison. Includes the 3 strikes Law. The Ratio of black white. Terrifying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHz2Hmq7soo
Don’t be Nat Lite, Labour!
“Christchurch has become a city strangled by corporate control foisted on the city by the National government in the form of MP Gerry Brownlee and assisted by the Mayor – former Labour MP Lianne Dalziel.
Dalziel has led the charge to sell city assets beginning with the council works division City Care which is currently on the block. She is still implementing the failed 1980s Labour government policies which enriched the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.
The culture of corporate greed and council impotence is such at the council recently gave a $300,000 grant to multi-millionaire developer Antony Gough for an energy-efficient heating system for his $150 million apartment development.
So while low-income residents can’t afford to turn on the power to keep warm in winter Gough will be able to reap that much more profit from the tenants of this development.”
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/07/13/minto-for-mayor-in-christchurch/
Dalziel belonged in ACT along with goff.
Its official: both US presidential candidates now oppose the TPPA:
Hillary Clinton delivered a shot across the bows to the Trans-Pacific Partnership as her bid for the US presidency was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, a vocal opponent of the controversial trade agreement.
[…]
But at a rally held in New Hampshire yesterday to mark Sanders’ endorsement, Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, went beyond the bounds of the party’s official platform.
“We’re going to say no to a tax on working families and no to bad trade deals and unfair trade practices including the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” she said to a raucous crowd, which included many Sanders supporters.
Its not dead yet – there are still fantasies that the US Congress will ratify it in the “lame duck” session, where they can’t be held accountable for their decision – but in the likely scenario that that doesn’t happen, the TPPA will be over.
Meanwhile, legislation to implement the TPPA in New Zealand is currently before select committee, but is due back in November. Hopefully the government won’t move too quickly on it. Otherwise we could be left in the situation of extending our copyright term and gutting Pharmac for nothing.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz
If either of the US or Japan don’t ratify, it dies – meaning that any and all concessions from whoever become null and void.
Of course there is often a difference between what politicians say when they are trying to get elected, and what they do after being elected.
My money is on Clinton pulling a Peter Dunne circa “willing buyer willing seller”, demanding superficial changes then claiming that having won ‘concessions’ the TPPA is now aok for the peoplez.
As I’ve said before it is a constant source of amusement to sociopaths and psychopaths that all they have to do is say stuff and people will believe it.
For them words are just things that make people do what they want. You can always figure out how to lie your way out of your ‘promises’ and ‘positions’ later.
You forgot the cat antics.
I spend some time deleting God Squad posts, and advertisements.
[I make a comment that specifically criticises dross and you reply with dross? Fuck off. Moving to ‘open mike’] – Bill
This article is worth a thread in its own right.
Brian Fallow: Ignoring the landlord in the room
An excerpt from this important article
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11674502
Breaking news…..
Some 60 feared dead after lorry crashes in crowd at Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bastille-day-lorry-truck-crash-crowd-nice-france-panic-run-a7137791.html
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/308715/live-terror-fears-as-'60-dead'-in-nice
At least 73 dead, another terrible day for France.
So awful
How real is this – currently on The Daily Blog “BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: UMR SECRET POLL – National 41% Labour/Greens 45%”
Does anyone have any updates ?
It is a private UMR poll rather than one of those public ones Jenny. But if true not only Winston will be pleased but certainly the 12% Green and 33% Labour will be pleased. Roll out the Joycie speak.
I think that Stephen Mills from Nine to Noon is UMR.
I guess you could trust it as much as anything else posted on the Daily Blog.
So, far more than I can trust anything you say?
And supported by Hooten
Killary mounts Pokemon Go! event demonstrating superior understanding of her constituents.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-14/peak-pandering-clinton-plans-pokestop-event-ohio
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ZOJZQbkmI
“The show attracted a lot of criticism, so much so that it was referred to the ABC’s independent Audience and Consumer Affairs (A&CA) unit who considered the complaints, including a detailed complaint from AMTA (Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association), the peak body for the mobile telecommunications industry in Australia
As a result the episode has been retracted and taken off the Catalyst website and the iView site and reporter Dr Maryanne Demasi has been suspended from on-air assignments”
Another brick from the wall
Four years ago, the Republican platform on Israel read:
“We support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state with secure, defensible borders; and we envision two democratic states – Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine.”
And now this week, Trump and the Republications have got a Convention manifesto that throws the two-state solution out the window for the first time in over 30 years:
“The U.S. seeks to assist in the establishment of comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, to be negotiated among those living in the region. We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for immediate termination of all U.S. funding of any entity that attempts to do so.”
Trump tweeted on Wednesday:
“The Republican platform is most pro-Israel of all time!”
Generally I’m a pretty firm Israel supporter. But this is a nasty peace reversal for Palestinians. This Trump Republican position is more aggressively anti-UN and anti-Palestinian that I’ve ever seen in U.S. foreign policy.
Am I reading that right? That this proposal would have the US not engage in any ME peace processes? (Maybe not such a bad thing seeing as how they’ve essentially stymied any progress for years and decades)
We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for immediate termination of all U.S. funding of any entity that attempts to do so.
It’s pretty fresh news, within Foreign Policy’s paywall.
But yep, that’s what it means.
So…if the UN attempts to broker a deal, where the UN suggests conditions, then the US doubles down on it’s historical recalcitrance to pay its UN dues or levies.
So…the UN engages in a purely neutral fashion – as a facilitator.
If Israel throws up a host of pre-conditions, then Israel loses US funding? I guess not, insofar as they are directly involved in negotiations and so couldn’t be said to be imposing anything.
Given that Israel holds most of the cards in any negotiations with Palestine due to massive asymmetries of power, the US going ‘hands off’ and kind of threatening sanctions of a sort on anyone who gets ‘hands on’ in any way…I’m thinking that proposed US stance would be a gift to Israel.
It would indeed.
I’ll keep you posted as soon as the Democrat Party line on it goes up.
How many ‘dual citizens’ occupy positions of so called power and authority in the USA?
Which ME states have nuclear weapons?
Mmmm…….Ad…….interesting that you say “Generally I’m a pretty firm Israel supporter.” Can’t quite put my finger on why I’m not surprised. I guess vibes can be read quite reliably.
Israel, the state built on paramilitary ethnic cleansing and land confiscation.
In a time of low inflation how is it that this weekend the price of parking at middlemore hospital has increased by 11% ?
Not nice especially as the catchment comprises of many of those disadvantaged and struggling🤑🤑