“The richest 10 per cent of New Zealanders are wealthier than the rest of the population combined, according to figures cited by Oxfam NZ.”
So there it is, in black and white. But Bill English is still peddling the tired old trickle-down lie: “The best contribution the Government can make to support lower income families is to support a growing economy that provides more jobs and higher incomes.”
So whats new amirite? That in the starkest terms is the core of the Left Right divide, the old old debate about who gets what and why? And the continuation of the 10%ers domination is the starkest reminder that the “Centre” so beloved of the major parties is so easily bribed by “crumbs from the rich mans table” so long as they get first cut of the aforesaid “crumbs”.
In a nut shell the above is why I despise “centrist” politics.
The Oxfam report is on the wealth gap. English is presumably talking about the income gap. The wealth gap is the major problem, with the housing bubble leading the way.
I do not object to the wealthy having their wealth … but wish they paid a fair share from the results of their ability to help those without the ability …. Thomas Piketty makes a good suggestion in his book IMO
Have you read Picketty’s book?
He says National Debt would be quickly piad back so there would then be plenty for your dole Dumrse and all the other support programmes we believe in ….DTB is so mindset on the current situation that he cannot envisage where while covering everybody there is opportunity for those to improve on that if they have the opportunity and energy.
We need to stop valuing peoples worth to society and community by the mere dollars they pull in, to what they actually contribute to the lives of others in terms of learning and caring.
As opposed to what? Direct transfers whereby say the work and wealth generated by 90% of the population is directly redistributed to the top 10% of the population, as it is now?
The entire wealth distribution structure in place at the moment is woeful and does not serve the needs of the New Zealand community. At all. It needs changing.
I doubt very much doubt if it was ‘designed into the system’ as it is a natural progression for those who are fortunate to have a bit to spare over their daily needs and wisely invest it and it naturally compounds if not spent on immediate luxuries whathaveyou.
If you have a well thought out progressive taxation system there is plenty to support the socialistic values of ensuiring everybody is looked after to a reasonable level … that is the modification to the capitalistic system that is needed.
Though I imagine that a lot here would like to see the capitalistic system go to the wall and people would be enslaved by the beaurocratic regulations ensuring that nobody can improve themselves … aa very dull world indeed.
That is the lessons of history and Piketty’s research. Taxation doesn’t pay for anything, it’s people actually working that pays for everything. This also applies to the rich – they don’t pay for anything either and they also don’t produce any wealth.
The capitalist system does need to go to the wall simply because it doesn’t work. Will this end up with a boring world? Nope. If anything, I figure it would be far more interesting.
A world where the focus is on relationships, on people and on culture in communities. Nothing more interesting than that. Nothing more fucking boring and lifeless than the latest Bugatti.
Though I imagine that a lot here would like to see the capitalistic system go to the wall and people would be enslaved by the beaurocratic regulations ensuring that nobody can improve themselves … aa very dull world indeed.
Oddly enough, standardisation is absolutely demanded and required by the corporate world. From logo colours to memo character spacing. To the way employees are dressed to how the phone is answered.
No one complains of that being bureaucratic or stifling. It’s just the way its done.
That’s the way we need to push back towards, to find the path of being fully human beings again, nice thing is that people tend towards that way anyways – when they aren’t being misled and distracted by endless commercial, economic (and dare I say it – political) crap.
That is truly depressing. For two reasons – one, it makes life unbearably difficult for the bulk of the population relative to their neighbours; and two, it leads to the destruction of society (French revolution anyone?).
People that support that sort of system are scum bastards.
and two, it leads to the destruction of society (French revolution anyone?).
Seems to me like the US authorities are on to it, anticipating the likely rise of civil unrest when the combination of austerity, climate change disasters and oligarchy become irresistable.
Hence surveillance of everyone all the time, militarisation of the police, enabling US military to be deployed on US streets against US citizens, etc.
Oh, and then there’s the Minerva Research Initiative as described by Zero Hedge:
Such war-games are consistent with a raft of Pentagon planning documents which suggest that National Security Agency (NSA) mass surveillance is partially motivated to prepare for the destabilising impact of coming environmental, energy and economic shocks.
But that is just more lunacy. What do the authorities think such repression of already repressed people will do? Make the population bow down to their guns and jackboots?
Lunacy. Gns and jackboots are not the solution – all they will do is exacerbate the problem.
And any Americans thinking they can just uplift their wealth and relocate to somewhere “safe” like NZ backblocks better think again. They would be, and are, entirely unwelcome…
What a vision. I suppose you could couple that with phil Ure’s desire to have grass distributed to all on a daily basis, and then we could all sit around in our pyjama’s all day passing the bong around. No chance of any civilian uprising then eh.
Great messaage for kids entering the work force, don’t be too successul in what you do as we will just take it all from you in 10 years. Stirling stuff eh. In fact dont even bother about qualifing in anything as its easy just to sit on your arse and get a pay out. By the way the burger and liquor shops are going great guns.
Great messaage for kids entering the work force, don’t be too successul in what you do as we will just take it all from you in 10 years.
And there’s the problem right there – success measured in monetary terms. Meaning that future generations are herded and goaded into a reality where the systems surrounding production and distribution (ie, the market) will ensure their continued relative impoverishment.
Way to go.
Ever reflected on why it is that so many kids are told not to pursue their passion? Y’know, the passions, valuable as they may be, that can’t be monetised?
You are correct Bill . I agree that success should not be measured in only monetary terms.
I am looking at it from a tax perspective & redistribution perspective. You would like the Govt to redistribute wealth to the segments that do not have much. That requires people to generate wealth. If there is no wealth being created then it is very difficult for anyone to distribute anything.
For some strange reason you seem to think that the rich create wealth. They don’t. The poor do but the rich take that wealth from them because our present system is set up to allow them to do that.
What I did say is that some wealth is required if you wish to redistribute it.
You only need redistribution if the wealth wasn’t correctly distributed in the first place and the only place that it could possibly be redistributed from would be the rich.
Pretty childish of me I suppose but I thought I’d get a bite from a ‘Rob’ or a ‘Gosman’ or a ‘Srylands’ etc with that little lure. An’ I wuz rite!
You hang the bait in the water and the frothing misanthropes like Rob can’t help themselves.
(Watch this…)
Hey Rob, beneficiaries should be paid the living wage ay?
That’s very biblical of you Hamish, but you’re a little off on your numbers as according to Leviticus 25, debt is to be reset, slaves freed and property returned to the original owners every 50 years.
It was really scary “shit” a friend told me yesterday, about his recent medical review by WINZ. They are hard as nails now, and want to get sick and disabled into work, no matter what conditions. So he had a horrible experience a few years back, got another 2 years “grace”, and now they though it is time to “check” on his PERMANENT conditions again, whether Jesus may have appeared in his third coming, to heal him from all ailments.
The case manager did at first refuse all other info and records apart from the person’s GP’s medical certificate, now UK style called “Work Capacity Medical Certificate”. And the GP did this time not present too clear and conclusive info. So the case manager tried to question every entitlement, and was preparing the poor soul, desperate and scared to hell, given mental health issues, to basically move him onto the “jobseeker” benefit.
It took my mate a hell of an effort, to present all kinds of records, also a trusted psychologist’s one, to finally convince the manager, albeit rather reluctantly, as it sounded. Hell, there are things going on that scare me, it is not right what WINZ are doing to sick, injured and disabled now. If you can lift your hand and arm, they think you are “fit” to work, no matter what other condition. It comes back to David Bratt, WINZ’s Principal Health Advisor, likening benefit dependence to “drug dependence”, and that “mad” UK professor Mansel Aylward, who actually claims, most sickness is just in people’s minds. He calls it “illness belief”, all being just “psychological” fantasy, so to say, and the best “medicine” is work in open employment, competing with the fit and healthy. Do we live in a humane and honest society, or am I living a bloody nightmare here? Who else had bad experiences with WINZ in this area, I really would like to know. Study the following for your own well being:
‘WORK ABILITY ASSESSMENTS DONE FOR WORK AND INCOME – PARTLY FOLLOWING ACC’s APPROACH: A REVEALING FACT STUDY’
You and others may be interested to know that it is perfectly (?) legal for the Medical Appeals Board not to look at notes in coming to their decision around whether or not a person qualifies for Jobseeker (sickness with reduced work assessment), Supported Living, or Child Disability Allowance.
And I trust you have been here writehanded.org
ACCforum has a higher level of nutters than the average forum, mainly due I suspect to the abusive system forum members are subjected to.
Yes, ACC Forum has issues, and went downhill a bit, because of some there not being that honest and also getting at each other’s collars. I know what is going on there, and I ignore the bad stuff and read what is worth reading.
As for MABs, they have always had their own “rules”, being appointed by an appeals coordinator employed by MSD and WINZ, and of course always making sure at least 2 on a panel are “designated doctors”, chosen by Bratt and WINZ, and being favourable to WINZ.
This is nothing new, the whole system stinks, and what makes me so bloody angry is, that so many just shrug things off, and put up with all the BS, while people, no matter how sick and disabled, should get together with their fitter compatriots, to fight the damned injustice.
I know someone who has now the Ombudsmen Office on the attack line, as even they refused to even look at totally blunt evidence, of what goes on. It seems this country is with the upper echelons of admin and “public offices” so damned corrupt, it is not funny!
And yes, writehanded.org raised a fair bit, and justifiably, so I support Sarah Wilson, as I think her name is, she is due to her challenges still too cautious about it all, we need a full blown challenge and attack of the WINZ approach we now have. Who is “ready” for it, I ask?
@ xtasy…this may sound naive ….but …maybe there needs to be a Bill brought before the House to protect the rights of those with chronic mental health and physical health issues NOT to be harassed by WINZ into work….and where such people have been pressurized illegitimately with adverse and sometimes dire effects …WINZ can be sued! ( legal fees paid for by a publicly funded forensic health watch dog)
for example a person with schizophenia … who once would have been in sheltered care, which the state has now disestablished…but is now on compulsory medication and forced onto the streets with a health disability benefit ….is then pressurized by WINZ to be taken off their compulsory medication ( pressure brought on psychiatrists and mental health workers to get people off their lists, who seem to be coping and hence certified as capable of work)…. and this person is then by WINZ taken off their disability benefit and forced to hunt for work
….this can lead to a personal and public crisis…it can set chronically ill people back years…it could lead to suicide …..and in some cases such people forced into stress and work which they are not capable of by WINZ …could be a danger to the public as well
imo WINZ and the State has to be held accountable for the consequences of pressurizing chronically ill people off their disability benefits and to hunt for work
Depends on how it was set up and whether it was tory-proofed into the future. Prejudice against people with disabilities who are perceived as being blugers is entrenched in parts of NZ culture, including civil servants and NGOs. A UBI is not going to solve that issue for people with illness and disability who are dependent on the state for income, unless maybe the UBI is set higher for them. If they have to apply to any agency for a topup, then there are still going to be criteria that need to be met, and those criteria will be set by govt departments that currently practice discrimination (health or welfare). Even if the UBI was higher, it would still require testing for eligibility.
While I think that the UBI is impertative, we need to be careful not to think it will be an automatic panacea for people with disabilities. The work of dismantling prejudice could be done within WINZ and the health system as it is now, and it’s not, so what guarantees are there that a UBI scheme would be done differently?
…however another angle is enough free half way housing/homes/shelters which would go a long way to alleviating the problem for people with long term chronic disabilities…this seems to be a crucial area of need that needs addressing
eg in Christchurch they have had to requisition an acute mental health patient ward at Hillmorton…just to cater for the homeless with long term chronic health disabilities…seems like the need for free or affordable housing for people with long term chronic diasabilites is huge
Chooky, for those able to live in the community, still having manageable mental health issues, one would think that Housing NZ should look after them.
But learning a couple of years back, how they treated another mate of mine, also having mental and physical health issues leading to disability, they were at first damned anti his application, meaning they did not “trust” he was a genuinely deserving case.
He stayed in a cockroach infested, overcrowded and damp boarding house, and they still tried to argue he was “suitably housed”!
As he was close to breaking point, I assisted where I could, and we went to their regional head office and took other action, which they were not happy about. Only when he finally had a NZ Herald journalist take up his story and write about it, then suddenly, Housing NZ obliged with an offer within a week.
That is what we are up against, there is NO honest appreciation of person’s circumstances, it is all treated with one brush for all, and you have to basically end up in the gutter in too many cases, until the system kicks in and takes action. Ask the cops, they are dealing with endless misery stories all the time, expected to pick up the pieces at the bottom of the cliff, when it is often too bloody late. This government has NO HEART and NO SPIRIT, it dishonest and uncaring, and since Key and Nats got into power, things really turned nasty, we only do not hear much about it, because the media are bought off also, and happy to work with keeping this government happy and protected from too much criticism.
What we have is a situation, where doctors get off most malpractice and wrong decisions, as the HDC (Health and Disability Commissioner) is so far the ONLY institution to go to and make any complaint about breaches of the Code they are supposed to enforce and monitor. But last year’s report showed they had over 1,600 complaints, of which only just about 60 were “formally” investigated, and of those 42 had valid complaints about breaches by medical and health practitioners established.
Most cases are never seriously investigated, are dealt with through “advocacy” and “consultation” and “training” and so forth. The offending practitioners get at worst a kind of slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket “punishment”, and recommendations are made to “review” practice, and in some cases to “apologise” to the affected.
The ACC legislation does take away a lot of opportunities for affected to take action against doctors and other practitioners, as the right to sue was abolished. We have a situation where the Medical Council won’t usually act unless the rather useless HDC makes a referral to have a case investigated by them, and actions taken. Few cases ever go to the Director of Proceedings, and it is truly a disgrace what goes on.
What we need is to change the HDC Act to give the Commissioner some “teeth”, and to basically put in a requirement for investigations to be made, and certain sanctions being possible. As New Zealand has always struggled to maintain and afford a functioning health work force, the government is rather bending over backwards to not punish medicals too harshly. They need them, and they forgive too easily in too many cases.
As for assessors, like designated WINZ doctors, they are not strictly delivering treatment, so that gets them off the hook. They are not covered by the code for consumers of health and disability services that the HDC deal with. The same applies to persons like Principal Health Advisor for MSD Bratt, he is just an “advisor”, and thus does not even provide health services, so he gets away with comments and more, that are not what a usual doctor would get away with. The HDC also have a “memorandum of understanding” with ACC and probably MSD, so no serious actions will ever result in assessors making flawed assessments. It is indeed a gap in the law, so to say, why designated WINZ assessors and others get away with what they do.
It stinks, but even the opposition parties seem too damned inexperienced with medico legal matters, and too scared to take action in this area. So we have the status quo of “Gods” in white coats doing whatever they see fit, and one Mansel Aylward, the extreme UK professor, he even delivers them ideologically driven “science” to do what they wish to do, like tell sick and disabled, hey, you can still lift your arm, you can be a “signal giver” in roadworks then.
FFS I had enough of all this, but it seems at times it is a lost battle, as politicians are always just focused on the usual headline stuff, often trivial, and will do nothing to help people treated unfairly and disgustingly by WINZ and their “experts”!
“You and others may be interested to know that it is perfectly (?) legal for the Medical Appeals Board not to look at notes in coming to their decision around whether or not a person qualifies for Jobseeker (sickness with reduced work assessment), Supported Living, or Child Disability Allowance.”
So what are they basing their decision on?
Does anyone know if the review doctors and the appeal process are covered by the Health and Disability Act? I know WINZ itself isn’t, not being a health provider, but am curious how they’ve classified assessors.
Oh yeah, slightly off topic but there is a tender from an Australian insurance company for the ACC sensitive claims (% impairment) assessments. More oz crap contractors taking/attempting to take work from our specialised sexual abuse services.
Awww – yes, stuff to be worried about, and that is just the beginning, look at what they have done in the UK, and what they are planning there for the future, it is not getting easier or better.
If you do actually read the stuff on “work ability assessments”, that post on ACC Forum, also soon to be published (in bits) on nzsocialjusticeblog2013, you will see what is already happening here, how we get it all privatised, and it involves Australian players too.
People should take this bloody seriously, but sadly so many are not bothering to study and read stuff, they still rely their own GP, who is though, due to the AFOEM new policy on the “health benefits of work” (introduced by Mansel Aylward there, well received by former ATOS President of AFOEM, Dr David Beaumont, who also got a “reputation” with ACC claimants AND runs his own “rehab” outfit “Pathways to work”!) also being indoctrinated now.
GPs are now being trained to follow the new agenda, and Bratt and Aylward made sure, the NZ College of General Practitioners and the Medical Schools all adopted the dogma, and we have it taught there now, believe it or not, and most do not even get any idea of what goes on!
Had an email from an Opposition M.P. regarding some queries I posed earlier, and he said a lot of the G.P.’s were also being driven by policy from the DHB’s, which comes straight from the Minister. We are truly being shafted. This Government is the most corrupt in the history of this nation.
10% are wealthier than the combined wealth of the rest of the country. Not a virtue to be proud of. And none of that was done by hard work, just pure speculation.
Yes, talk about GPs, they are ALL now pressured or “convinced” to tow the ideologically driven “new approach” to work ability. It comes now in this part of the world from the AFOEM (Australaisian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine), who are also part of the RACP (Royal Australasian College of Physicians), and they invite the top propagator of the ideology, about the “health benefits of work” (paid open employment!), Mr Mansel Aylward from the UK, in 2010 to give them the pseudo scientific justification for all cost saving.
If only more would open eyes, ears and braincells, and start reading stuff of relevance, publicly available:
And yes, the CTU themselves fell for this propaganda approach, about the “work will set you free” mantra, and even one Helen Kelly signed it!
As I kept on challenging her and the CTU on this, she had a comment by me deleted on one of her posts. Fair enough, it may have been a bit “off topic”, but she has never answered to any challenges.
This whole stuff is now being drummed into each GP’s brain, and hence the government can faithfully rely on the collaboration of medical professionals in all this. The DHBs are very concerned about costs, so they will embrace it just to have another justification to save costs. The sick and disabled are told to “toughen up”, as Dr Bratt, Principal Health Advisor at WINZ and MSD says, benefit dependence is like “drug dependence”, I presented plenty of info on that before.
NZ is indeed corrupt, as this stuff was also presented to the Health and Disability Commissioner and is before the Office of Ombudsmen now, but it seems they want nothing to do with it!?
What kind of society has this country become? Are there any daring to speak up and out, and challenge all this? Too many just think of “number one” and are too scared to rock the boat, I am afraid.
With such vested interests and his background, also having “advised” ACC and MSD before, no wonder he loved to have Aylward come here and sell the UNUM Provident paid “research” presented here!
Professor Norman Finkelstein’s analysis of latest developments in the John Kerry-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian “Peace Talks”.
“If Kerry succeeds or if Kerry fails – either way, it’s a disaster for the Palestinians, who are caught between U.S.-brokered capitulation and the miserable status quo.”
So you believe williamson called the cops cos of a donation, that collins went out of her way to promote oravida cos of a donation, you cant have it both ways.
But the Herald can reveal Liu, 53, also paid $15,000 at a Labour Party auction in 2007 for a book signed by Helen Clark, the Prime Minister at the time, according to a party source.
All we fought for in Iraq is on the cusp of vanishing.
That’s what Mitt Romney says.
We fought for. We fought for. We.
Oh, so it’s we now, is it, Mitt?
We.
I must have missed you over there, but it was a busy place. We. The guy who helped set up “pro-draft” rallies and yet somehow managed to avoid service in Vietnam is upset about losing what “we” fought for? We.
Yeah, fuck you, Mitt.
And you’re all welcome to quote me on that.
Somebody stepped into my office yesterday and asked how I felt about it. He wanted to know how I felt about “losing” Iraq.
The reality is that the whole of the Middle East and beyond is going through a huge, agonising and protracted transition. We have to liberate ourselves from the notion that ‘we’ have caused this. We haven’t. We can argue as to whether our policies at points have helped or not; and whether action or inaction is the best policy and there is a lot to be said on both sides. But the fundamental cause of the crisis lies within the region not outside it.
Why the media still give that talking head airtime is beyond me. In fact, I’m still slightly amazed he’s avoided being prosecuted for war crimes but nonetheless..
Minor event happening in Ukraine in the next few hours. The “junta” (I wont give them any credit for their legitimacy) are laying bare the vacuity of EU backing of their cause. They are demanding Russia sells gas to them at a discount of over 35% of what the EU buys for. If they don’t get it they are threatening to walk away from their massive debt to their suppliers.
The Russia Gazprom are saying that they will cut the supply and demand pre-payment, the “junta” are threatening to cut supplies to EU as they transit Ukraine. The Kremlin are keeping quiet, a bad sign…..my suspicion is that the “bear” may just wake up angry and walk on in.
Russia is playing this very gradually step by step. Given that they have essentially been supplying Ukraine with free natural gas for many many months now they are being very patient – why? Because they want to demonstrate to Germany and other key EU states that they are giving their ‘valued commercial partner’ Ukraine the benefit of the doubt and all the due process available – and then some.
Which completely stymies US provocations aiming for Putin to militarily act rashly and justify a NATO move into Ukraine.
Very true: one wonders how the EU would react to the “puppet” regime denying them gas? It would really lay bare the disparity in interests between the Whitehouse and European economies.A true hot potato. As you say Putin very likely will just sit, all the cards are falling his way.
This is a recent interview where French media grilled Putin, during his visit to the Normandy commemorations. Over half an hour long of tough questions non-stop. Covering many topics, on Syria, on Ukraine, on Crimea, on Russia itself.
You got to hand it to Putin, he plays a very straight, statesman-like line in public.
Interestingly it’s only the period of her time as Minister for oravida that Collins didnt register overseas trips and their funding, in previous years she did so quite happily.
10 Overseas travel costs
Australia – joint Cabinet meeting and bilateral meetings. Contributor to
accommodation: Australian Government.
Her colleagues also happily declared their Chinese government funded trips.
I guess she is just too busy with her new portfolio
I have thought for some time there is a conflict/hypocracy in the Ukraine situation where it seemed that a demonstration led to the current Ukraine regime in a simular manner to how the Crimea changed hands … all very puzzling.
Further south it seems the abitary by western power[s] setting up of Iraq is now going to split into its natural parts with any luck despite the anguish of the west.
”Vote to end ACT Party rort in Epsom”, so says, apparently a Labour Party election pamphlet delivered to letter-boxes in the Epsom electorate, according to the Herald’s Clare Trevett that’s ”code” that Labour voters should vote for the National Party candidate,
If it were, ”code” that is, and i have my doubts, it would be pretty lame don’t you think, a real waste of paper, Labour would better serve it’s voters in Epsom, the Party, and, the country by simply telling Labour voters that a electorate vote for the National Candidate will rid them and us of the ACT Party and have Labour halfway to the Treasury Benches,
Micheal Wood, the Labour Party candidate for Epsom seems to know what is required having been quoted in the Trevett piece in today’s Herald as saying He is ”not campaigning for the National Party candidate yet”,
My opinion says that He should be tho, and openly, the sooner the ”party strategists” give Him the nod to do so the better…
Never gonna happen, Bad. A nod and a wink is as good at will get because the NZLP is never going to publicly support a Tory candidate. And nor should we.
Good O Te Reo, stuff the head back in the sand and pretend you can win the election while National ”gifts” electorates here, there, and, everywhere,
Dense seems a mild epithet to attach to such ”thinking”, Labour will not publicly support tactical voting to (a) get rid of ACT, and (b) ensure that they are more likely to be the next Government,
Is Te Reo tho saying that not ”publicly supporting” a tactical vote in Epsom means that it will do so via ”coded statements”,
Dishonest i would suggest could be added to Dense if that were the case…
As usual, you haven’t got a clue. Still, no doubt you’ll be equally appalled at the other party’s failure to endorse Paul Goldsmith. Looking forward to reading your condemnation of Hone’s dishonest and dense silence on the matter.
Neither Mana or in its new guise InternetMana have a presence of any size in the electorate that could sway the outcome in any way, the same cannot tho be said of Labour,
Your dragging into the conversation InternetMana vis a vis Epsom is simply more of your personal dishonesty, and, an unkind person would suggest that such personal dishonesty as you display is exhibited on a Party wide basis vis a vis the Epsom electorate…
Ooooh, hypocrisy alert! It’s only dense and dishonest if you’re a big party? Really? Presumably you think the Greens are are half dense and half dishonest. Doofus.
Te Reo, you need a name change, i suggest ‘Te Tupeke Pine’ as your debate consists of leaping from pin-head to pin-head,
If Labour cannot convince it’s voters in the Epsom electorate to vote for the National candidate then it is odds on that come September they will still be the opposition,
Sit down, man. Take control. You have done something to your brain. You have made it high. If I lay ten mils of Diazepam on you, you will do something else to your brain, You will make it low. Why trust one drug and not the other?
Hey Phil, stop whining and get out there and campaign.
If you’re out to change the government rather than sitting on your couch inhaling, great. But if you’re trying to tell any party what to do without some skin in this game, at this point you’re wasting your breath.
Never gonna happen, Bad. A nod and a wink is as good at will get because the NZLP is never going to publicly support a Tory candidate. And nor should we.
Yeah but there was plenty of public support for Douglas, Caygill, Prebble, et al
one of the people living at our address got a letter from john key. The other two did not. I wonder how they decide who in the epsom electorate to send the mailout to?
“Labour would better serve it’s voters in Epsom, the Party, and, the country by simply telling Labour voters that a electorate vote for the National Candidate will rid them and us of the ACT Party and have Labour halfway to the Treasury Benches”
Nope. Labour is simultaneously sending a message:
a) to Labour voters to back Goldsmith in order to help Labour, and
b) to National voters to reject ACT
Your suggestion only achieves one of those objectives.
The bouncer who tackled the streaker at the Dunedin test should be charged with assault. It was outrageous. Bouncers routinely assault and even kill people in NZ. They are a pseudo-police force and are out of control. The police need to investigate and charge imo as this sort of behaviour by bouncers is not even remotely reasonable.
It was a vicious unnecessary tackle and the employer of that bouncer should also be sued for negligence resulting in physical harm.
Also looking at how the streaker was dragged away from the field – what was that about – the streaker did not appear to put up any resistance whatsoever but looked like he was getting roughed up any way.
“It was a vicious unnecessary tackle and the employer of that bouncer should also be sued for negligence resulting in physical harm”
What an ignorant comment. It was a vicious unnecessary tackle but to suggest that it was his employers fault is typical left thinking. You are assuming this thug was instructed to do a vicious tackle. It is common knowledge that if you do an unsafe act at work that it is serious misconduct and if there is an injury you can be fined as well as fired.
“It was a vicious unnecessary tackle but to suggest that it was his employers fault is typical left thinking”
Remind never to contract you to provide me any type of service. Apparently you believe that once you employ someone to provide the service to me on your behalf that you are no longer responsible for the work.
Oh nakiman, I think that you’re assuming that the employer correctly trained the bouncer in question and had a full set of proper policies in place governing the use of physical force.
But I’m going to guess that there are big gaps there and the employer has liability.
Further, if it comes out that the employer at any time stated to the bouncers that a hard line was to be taken against any pitch intrusion, then the legal fun really begins.
You seen the sad on-line poll results? 70+% reflecting pathetic ‘macho’ opinions. Doubt those numbers would stack up the same if a streaking woman had been similarly tackled by a female security guard. I don’t quite get it though seeing as how there’s no homophobia in NZ these days.
Yep. Simple boofheads who don’t even realise what they are advocating, namely vigilante justice and the establishment of anarchy. Boofheads who don’t think is what they are … I hope they don’t get a vote at the election – imagine the sort of idiotic damage they could do ….
With the exit of its former leader John Banks, the Act Party is currently in what might charitably be called a rebuilding phase. Mind you, it still appears to be preaching the old time religion of plucky self-reliance – which is pretty amusing, given that its own survival in Parliament has long been reliant on electorate handouts from the National Party, a form of welfare set to continue in Epsom this year. How on earth Act rationalizes its policy stance on welfare with its own modus operandi in Epsom is anyone’s guess.
borne out of former labour cabinet ministers, preaching personal responsibility, particularly for law breakers, they are the definition of contradiction.
I hear that there is a new party being set up to oppose the use of 1080. I think it would be a good idea to start one that bans the use of private cars. Every day there are hurtful accidents, injuries and even deaths through the use of cars. People using them run over little children and kill them. They spread pollution and result in the high use of imported oil which has to be paid for from our precious export returns. Almost every holiday results in deaths, sometimes of adults and children, even whole families. Cars should be limited in availability just for taxi use, with more buses available, more frequently and good train services. Then more room for bikes, giving safer use of them.
So what about starting a Facebook campaign and build up interest and support to ban cars as death-causing bad technology causing untold harm. There is as much a case for this than that for banning 1080.
national will try and run a non campaign.
rely on photo ops and pr bullshit + crosby textor tricks and ruses.
Its going to be very subtle but very powerful.
get ready for the ride!
amy adams has begun by blaming auckland council for aucklands housing problems.
When the supercity was being pimped, cos we didnt get to vote, it was that as a single behemouth we could make our own decisions. Of course the truth was the nacts wanted a single entity to impose its will on, rather than going through 8.
It is the councils fault, I heard Penny H say that Auckland house’s are expensive because its a great place to live and lots of people want to live here. These councillors want to become wealthy from a housing shortage and over priced housing that is why they don’t want to make more land available to build on.
The Internet Party has a petition up to:
“I agree that our Party Votes should have equal value. This means lowering the 5% threshold and removing the one-seat (coat-tails) threshold.”
This appeals to me regardless of Party loyalty. https://internet.org.nz/petition
New Zealand manufacturing activity fell for a second consecutive month in May to the lowest level in 17 months, with a decline in new orders and a rise in inventory suggesting demand is waning.
Yep, a ‘rockstar’ economy with no crisis in manufacturing | Tui.
Late yesterday there was a post up about the Kiwiassurance. I was sure it was on the NS??? There is now no sign of it. Am I going mad/senile?
Please someone release me from my doubt.
I must be senile Weka. I meant here on the The Standard. There was a post I am sure about Kiwiassure and a followup of DC giving speech. There is nothing in the comments or anywhere.
Would appreciate it if it could be confirmed that it had existed.
Coat-tailing should be removed.
*Threshold should be reduced to 3 % (or at most to 4%)
All the electoral commission recommendations should be implemented.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS
Abolishing the rule that allows MPs to bring in other members after winning one electorate seat.
Lowering the party vote threshold from five to four per cent.
That there be a statutory requirement for the commission to review four per cent threshold after three elections.
Abolishing the overhang provision.
The ratio of electorate seats be fixed at 60:40.
Political parties continue to have responsibility for the selection and ranking party lists.
List MPs should be able to contest by-elections.
Candidates should be able to stand on the list and in an electorate.
Political parties should have to give a statutory declaration that
they have complied with their rules in selecting and ranking their list
candidates.
The government should not allow the immediate political interests of any single party get in the way of changes that strengthen our electoral system in the long term.
In its report the commission said,
“Relatively few changes were needed to the electoral system. but those we recommend are important. They would enhance public
confidence in the fairness and operation of our MMP voting system and
parliamentary democracy.”
CV, prefer 1%=1 seat, thus the issues on the periphery would get a full airing in the Parliament, Phillips animal rights and dope decriminalization being two where i see most here would be in agreement with that have no specific voice,
i am sure when thought about there are quite a few issues that while parties might have specific policies that address these such are always ”on the slide” in terms of importance as the various Parties look at what their various coalition options are and what each component of such a coalition might react like in the face of the peripheral issues,
my view is stuff the present political parties, true MMP would consign them to the same fate as the Dinosaur…
Why even have a threshold? It’s just a way of keeping out parties that have enough support to warrant 1-6 seats in parliament – elections therefore less accurately represent voter choice with a threshold than without.
The coat-tailing clause at least mitigates that somewhat – but then makes first-past-the-post electorate contests have undue relevance to the outcome of the election. I would also advocate preferential voting in electorates to make those seats also a fairer representation of voter preference.
Funny when the power went out in Auckland for a day back in 2006 the Troy scum screamed blue bloody murder. Well some of us in West Auckland have either no power or no hot water for a week – the Tory press does bugger all. Yesterday finally something said in Herald but only on full outage – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11274099
The problem with hot water not being available is still on going for many. Funny they just can’t get the hot water to work properly again. This is a major structural flaw. I have asked around and many tradesmen fell Auckland is a ticking time bomb, especially it’s power and sewage.
I remember some slimy opposition MP back in 06 ranting for weeks on the telly about how the power outage was a crime for all New Zealanders and a disaster for Auckland. It 2014 and these Tory slime are in power and the power is still fubar, and getting worse. Once again political advantage is, who can steal the most off the working folk of this country. Thanks Len and thanks National the party of sell and hope – I would say pray, but you are so self absorbed god would struggle to hear you through all that petty self congratulations.
Well,as well as it now happening under the Nats’ watch, the continuing outages seem to be a West Auckland problem. The central part of Auckland has been increasingly colonised by the well off, while parts of West Auckland, since 2010, are becoming increasingly ghettoised.
Folks in Parnell, Remmers, etc, probably don’t care much about the trials and struggles of Westies.
(b) National Party Values
We believe this will be achieved by building a society based on the
following values:
• Loyalty to our country, its democratic principles and our Sovereign as
Head of State
• National and personal security
• Equal citizenship and equal opportunity
• Individual freedom and choice
• Personal responsibility
• Competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement
• Limited government
• Strong families and caring communities
• Sustainable development of our environment
National = Equal opportunity Green/Labour/Internet Mana = Equal income
National = Rewards for achievement Green/Labour/Internet Mana = Tax for achievement
National = Sustainable development of our environment Green/Labour/Internet Mana = no development, industry closure and killing of cows
National = competitive enterprise Green/Labour/Internet Mana = nationalisation
Is it any wonder that National id polling so high?
I’m guessing because the last two Roy Morgan polls were good for National and bad for the left but don’t worry you’ll know if its good for the left if it gets its own thread:
If its still bad for the left it’ll get a mention in open mike 😉
[lprent: This has come up before. But usually in non-election year polls only get posts every 2-3 months because that is how long it takes before a trend becomes clear outside of the noise. Obviously the frequency increases in a election year. The probability that a poll is relatively good or bad for the left in a post seems to to unrelated. When I have time I often pull the graphs through in OpenMike.
However I really don’t like people attempting to say what we do and just lying about it. You know this. 2 week ban for stupidity. ]
So when national cabinet ministers signed off on novopay with at least one “mission critical” target unachieved (after renegotiating it twice and possibly with six other critical targets unachieved) and all are still in cabinet, how is that consistent with the value of “Personal responsibility”?
You are an idiot. Look at the history of the governments led by National and Labour. Every one of the great progressive achievements on economic and social issues were all instituted and delivered by Labour administrations because Labour represents the bulk of the society while National primarily represents the wealthy and the privileged. Fact! Open your eyes.
Labour does NOT represent the bulk of the nation and can barely hold over 31% support for the last couple of years, even as the economic situation gets grimmer and grimmer, and 300,000 kids live in poverty.
The polling figures and support may be low, but the policies and programmes of Labour help the bulk of the country, the workers, the families and ordinary people. That is the point.
Former National Business Review owner Barry Colman recently gave over $50,000 to the National Party in what is the wealthy publisher’s first contribution to the party that’s required to be disclosed.
Mr Colman paid $50,000 to the party earlier this month, on top of previous donations of $600 and $1520 in recent months according to recent filings of party donations over $30,000 on the Electoral Commission’s website.
Mr Colman’s previous donations to National were revealed in journalist Nicky Hager’s book the Hollow Men but were done in a way that didn’t require disclosure at the time.
The website also shows Conservative Party Leader Colin Craig sank a further $100,000 into his party earlier this month taking his total donations since the last election to $876,000.
He has said he intends funding the bulk of his party’s projected $1.5 million campaign costs.
A donation of just under $1.7 million shortly after the last election was the write-off of loans he made to the party during its 2011 election campaign.
NEWSFLASH! Barry Corbett is now OPPOSED to knife attacks The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 16 June 2014
Jim Mora, Barry Corbett, Finlay Macdonald
One night in January 2008, a Manurewa resident called Bruce Emery took a knife in his hand and chased 15-year-old Pihema Cameron down a street. Pihema Cameron, a Māori, had been tagging the fence of Emery, a Pākehā. When Emery caught the boy, he stabbed him repeatedly. The killing was shocking, and was regarded with horror and condemned by all decent people. But a significant and shameless minority took the opportunity to praise the killer. The leading cheerleaders for this exercise in depravity were most—not all, but most—of the hosts on the notorious right wing radio station NewstalkZB, who ran a campaign of denigration, night after night after night, for months on end, against the dead boy and his family. They took their lines almost verbatim from the demonic partnership of Emery’s lawyer Chris Comesky and the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Imperial Wizard Garth “The Knife” McVicar, who insisted truculently that the killer was a “decent citizen” who had been pushed over the brink by the low-life scum that infested his neighbourhood.
The brutal campaign even made it onto National Radio for a short time. The day after the killing of Pihema Cameron, Christchurch city councillor Barry Corbett expressed his concern and sympathy—not for the victim, but for the killer. A chorus of outrage led to Corbett making a vapid apology, and a mealy-mouthed “clarification” of his statement.
But no disciplinary action of any kind was taken against him by Radio New Zealand. Bomber Bradbury was permanently banned after committing the monumental crime of criticizing the behaviour of the Prime Minister—but Corbett, who actually spoke out in favour of a knife-killer, faced no such sanctions, and indeed has continued to regularly appear on The Panel.
As anyone who listened to today’s show will have noted, Corbett is as vacuous and reactionary as ever, and judging by his unstinting support for the thuggish behaviour by a security guard at the football in Dunedin on Saturday night, he still supports extremely violent behaviour. But he seems to have somewhat lost his enthusiasm for knife attacks.
Just to show him that some of us haven’t forgotten what Corbett said six years ago, I sent Jim Mora the following….
Barry Corbett’s dishonesty and hypocrisy
Dear Jim,
Barry Corbett predictably came out in support of that brutal hit on the streaker. But he claimed that the violence happened because the victim “stopped suddenly”. In fact, the victim was standing still for some time before the security guard hit him. Corbett’s words were entirely misleading; whether or not they were deliberately misleading is not clear.
It’s perfectly acceptable for Corbett to voice his endorsement of a high-velocity assault on an unsighted man—but he is not entitled to his own facts.
It was also intriguing to hear Barry Corbett try to bolster his argument by invoking the stabbing of Monica Seles by a crazed spectator. What a difference to Corbett’s attitude in 2008, when he loudly spoke out in FAVOUR of the frenzied knife-killing of a teenage boy in Auckland.
Yours in concern at the quality of your guests, Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
At 5:07 p.m. I received the following reply:
Thank you Morrissey; when Barry mentioned that the streaker had been on the move I wished I’d looked at the video again. Jim
Moz, while Corbett was clearly lying when he claimed to have watched the video several times and that he was convinced the security guard couldn’t have pulled out of the ‘tackle’, you don’t don’t do yourself any favours by referring to the Emery stabbing as frenzied or repeated. It was a single stab wound, and did not penetrate the full length of the blade. That fact is probably what saved Emery from an otherwise deserved murder conviction.
Moz, …you don’t don’t do yourself any favours by referring to the Emery stabbing as frenzied or repeated. It was a single stab wound, and did not penetrate the full length of the blade. That fact is probably what saved Emery from an otherwise deserved murder conviction.
Thanks for that, Te Reo. I guess I’ve just gotten into the pattern of describing it as a frenzied killing because no one has bothered to correct me before, and it’s become a pat formula by now. As you point out, it does no good to anyone to exaggerate like I have done here.
Anyway, it’s not Emery that disgusts me about this whole sordid business. Certainly, he committed a violent act, but he was remorseful and there seems to be little or no likelihood he will do it again. His vicious and cynical cheerleaders on the other hand, like Corbett, McVicar, Larry “Lackwit” Williams, Bruce Russell, “Whaleoil” and the rest of them, are beneath contempt.
It gives me a slight degree of pleasure to note that Emery’s rotten lawyer, Chris Comeskey, was eventually struck off for corrupt practices, and is now selling false teeth in the Australian outback.
Watch the tide turning on the “dietary fat is bad” mantra of the past handful of decades. Time magazine has front paged that the scientists were wrong, but appears to lay correct blame on the politicians and media who manufactured the mantra in the first place in the actual article (which is behind a paywall).
Sarcasm aside, your statement is still wrong. Medical science has its own set of flaws, both in terms of bias/corruption, and the mere fact that it can’t study everything. It also lacks the capacity to study things that fall outside its current models of understanding. There is evidence of many things that have never been studied. To say that the only valid medicine is that which has been through an RCT is daft beyond belief.
On the other hand, you are right, it’s all medicine, which is why there are such things as herbal medicine, or medicine wo/men ;-p
CV, you do medicine a disservice. It’s not just iatrogenesis that makes McFlock wrong, it’s that many alternatives models work better than mainstream ones 😉
Get your facts right. Increasing lifespan coincides with raised standards of living (better shelter, less over-crowding, better hygiene, better diet etc). Obviously medical science has helped on some areas, but much of the improvement is down to coal, gas and oil.
The irony of course is that had we combined alternative and mainstream approaches (the smart thing to do) we would have much better outcomes and would haven’t major fuckups like MRSA within half a century of the discovery of penicillin.
Get your facts right. Increasing lifespan coincides with raised standards of living (better shelter, less over-crowding, better hygiene, better diet etc).
Also, income levels as an independent factor separate from better access to healthcare or nutrition, is also a noted factor in improving longevity.
As you have so aptly described, it’s nothing to do with the myth (i.e. conceit) that modern scientific medicine has been the major demographic explanation to living longer.
But as income levels fall across the world, we can expect this to reverse as well.
Of course for individuals or very specific populations, modern medicine is indeed a life saver. But on a population basis, taking into account benefits as well as iatrogenesis and adverse effects, it doesn’t work out wholly positively.
Perhaps marginally so, except burning sage doesn’t screw you over with a limb losing hospital acquired infection (that’s the fat tail downside I’ve been mentioning).
The move from cut-throats to safety razors are what has prevented the most infections from shaving cuts since 1900. That’s health benefits due to industrial design and product technology improvement, in other words. Not medical care or antibiotics.
Just another little example of how medical care may have had some minor positive impact, but much less than other often overlooked non-medical factors.
Have to agree with CV on the statins McFlock. There should be some very red faces and big bloody lawsuits over the whole dietary fat = high cholestorol = heart diseases/diabetes thing. Anyone that values science should be appalled at what has been done with both the advice on diet, and the prescribing of statins.
Start with the link above, or Gary Taubes’ NYT article ‘What if it’s all been a big fat lie?’ and follow the trail.
My point is that I don’t particularly give a shit that science progresses and maybe changes direction in some cases. That’s how it works. And corporate involvement is a major kick in the nuts to scientific advancement.
But the fact remains that more evidence eventually overrules corporate influence. Asbestos, lead in fuel, CFCs, car safety – all evidence overcoming corporate influence.
So on balance, I won’t be suddenly giving medical-doctor-grade credibility to a certified pyramid therapiser who thinks tying a cat to my head will cure my cancer.
Calling modern primary care medicine “merely passable to crap” is just a fucking lie. It’s a lot better, as I said, than the alternatives that had us rebalancing humours or praying.
You obviously haven’t read. This isn’t about science progresseing and perhaps changing direction, unless you call an about turn progress. When Ancel Keys pushed the fat hypothesis, scientists at the time said he was wrong. Politicians followed the Keys’ line and then subsequent science fucked up. For decades. We now have 30 or 40 years of people having been given the wrong advice and this having led to a public health epidemic. You can downplay it all you like, but it just makes you look like a fundamentalist when the evidence is there to see. I’m kind of gobsmacked at your dismissal of the fat hypothesis issue given your involvement in public health promotion.
As for your criticism of alternative health, if you think this is about a certified pyramid therapiser, then you’re either incredibly ignorant, or extremely disingenuous. I’d actually go for the former because you come across as generally balanced in your understanding of information. The same fundy arguments you use were previously used against things like acupuncture that are now routinely available in the mainstream. It’s ok though, because thankfully people are still free to choose alternatives and don’t have to wait for the sanctioning from medical science when other bodies of knowledge are already leading the way.
Much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong. So why are doctors—to a striking extent—still drawing upon misinformation in their everyday practice?
Studies which were preceded by practitioners practicing competently within their own body of knowledge and patients going to acupuncturists and medical doctors seeing that their patients were getting better and eventually studies being done. Which kind of proves my point: medical science drags the chain on this, alternative medicine leads the way. If medical science wasn’t so full of itself, we would be a lot further along.
But until those studies were done, acupuncture was indistinguishable from whatever therapy steve jobs chose to delay actual treatment for.
Consider this analogy:
in front of me is a plate of small granules. There are slight differences in colour, shape and texture. Some granule types are a wonder food that will cure my ills and make me an Adonis. Other granule types don’t do a damned thing. A third type might actually slowly kill me. A variety of folk with varying degrees of eye-glaze insist that different granules are the wonder food.
Calling modern primary care medicine “merely passable to crap” is just a fucking lie. It’s a lot better, as I said, than the alternatives that had us rebalancing humours or praying.
Oh FFS McFlock, what % of primary care medicine procedures are evidenced based on RCTs on meta-analyses?
25%? If you are lucky?
By your own standards you should be calling for 75% of primary care medicine to be ditched, right here, right now.
Do your own research. Like try and find out how much proven benefit an annual medical check provides (clue: next to none) vs how many doctors keep doing them.
But I suppose that suggesting an assertion without evidence means I should just believe you is good enough for someone who thinks medicine doesn’t need evidence.
Anybody esss wotchin Kemble Loive tunoite?
Re chasing Crims and the devasshun on ear mota ways?
Tork abeart stupudityt fuck!
We shud be fankful thet the only thung thet saves us from devastayshun is thet the crims (crumbs) are a wee bit fucker than the Police! )Or Please es Greffie calls ’em)
( Ans of course they’ve got the likes of Jude, en Greg, en an “Indy” Please Kwoiry Thority ta bek em all up.
mmmm – that 3rd whurl bolt hole is looking more trektuv by the day goan forwid (especially knowing Key and Co hav it nex on their genda to cum grovling for FTA’s and the like loik.
[loik loik hoik hoik)
I really should be thinking farts and funnies – except that it’s ekshully quite serious (goan forwid).
20 – 30 years ago when I used to have to attend the dad-in-laws Saturfay morning Gardeninf Sess in the local – listening him reminisce about Al Alamein and various other campaigns – and the individuals barious legacies in the Nu Zull Please, I never expected I’d have to be laughing like fuck about their 21st legacy of cowardice, lying, woosiness, – you frikken name it.
Gref Fuckn O’Connor eh? (I mean JUST for starters!)
Pardon the fuk fingers
‘g’s ken pear es ‘f’s en the loik – but you get the idea.
I’ve not changed the channel (3), and I’m now witnessing another round of stupid.
I feel really sorry for Joe Average policeman! Really I do. Their own worst enema is their supposed representative and foreskin of their welfare (Greg).
fisianis said he was going and not coming back.
did hooton get an order from crosby textor to keep sending this machine manufacted crap down the line.
national only believes in one thing and that is ling their own pockets.
I can here the shredders buzzing, the hard drive being nuked on the 9th floor from here
Conspiring to defeat justice
Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who conspires to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or defeat the course of justice in New Zealand or the course of justice in an overseas jurisdiction.
Compare: 1908 No 32 s 137
Section 116: amended, on 18 June 2002, by section 6(1) of the Crimes Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 20).
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This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
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:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
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. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
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 ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
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. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
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“The richest 10 per cent of New Zealanders are wealthier than the rest of the population combined, according to figures cited by Oxfam NZ.”
So there it is, in black and white. But Bill English is still peddling the tired old trickle-down lie: “The best contribution the Government can make to support lower income families is to support a growing economy that provides more jobs and higher incomes.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11274603
So whats new amirite? That in the starkest terms is the core of the Left Right divide, the old old debate about who gets what and why? And the continuation of the 10%ers domination is the starkest reminder that the “Centre” so beloved of the major parties is so easily bribed by “crumbs from the rich mans table” so long as they get first cut of the aforesaid “crumbs”.
In a nut shell the above is why I despise “centrist” politics.
Out of the top 10% it’s the 0.1% who run and own the nation
the other 9.9% are simply the paid professional lackeys, servants and careerists who enable that.
The Oxfam report is on the wealth gap. English is presumably talking about the income gap. The wealth gap is the major problem, with the housing bubble leading the way.
I do not object to the wealthy having their wealth … but wish they paid a fair share from the results of their ability to help those without the ability …. Thomas Piketty makes a good suggestion in his book IMO
I do as we can’t afford the rich.
So, let’s get rid of all of the nett tax payers? Who will fund my dole ?
You won’t need the dole, the government will provide you with a living wage job instead, building wind farms and railways.
I suspect that we’d get more taxes if we didn’t have the rich – about $5b dollars more in fact. And that’s without even changing the tax laws.
Have you read Picketty’s book?
He says National Debt would be quickly piad back so there would then be plenty for your dole Dumrse and all the other support programmes we believe in ….DTB is so mindset on the current situation that he cannot envisage where while covering everybody there is opportunity for those to improve on that if they have the opportunity and energy.
That fails to make any sense.
We need to stop valuing peoples worth to society and community by the mere dollars they pull in, to what they actually contribute to the lives of others in terms of learning and caring.
Radical concept, I know.
As opposed to what? Direct transfers whereby say 5 percent of the wealth of the top 10 percent is directly redistributed to the other 90 percent?
Not 5% of their wealth but 7% of their annual income with those at the bottom paying 0.5%
No, those ten percent shouldn’t have the level of wealth that they have in the first place as it’s detrimental for society.
It’s also very concentrated at the top, 1% having more than the bottom 70%.
As opposed to what? Direct transfers whereby say the work and wealth generated by 90% of the population is directly redistributed to the top 10% of the population, as it is now?
The entire wealth distribution structure in place at the moment is woeful and does not serve the needs of the New Zealand community. At all. It needs changing.
+1
A flaw in the monetary system
There’s no way that you can say that that channeling of the wealth to the few hasn’t been designed into the system.
I doubt very much doubt if it was ‘designed into the system’ as it is a natural progression for those who are fortunate to have a bit to spare over their daily needs and wisely invest it and it naturally compounds if not spent on immediate luxuries whathaveyou.
If you have a well thought out progressive taxation system there is plenty to support the socialistic values of ensuiring everybody is looked after to a reasonable level … that is the modification to the capitalistic system that is needed.
Though I imagine that a lot here would like to see the capitalistic system go to the wall and people would be enslaved by the beaurocratic regulations ensuring that nobody can improve themselves … aa very dull world indeed.
Hmmm
Wouldn’t beaurocratic regulations dictate how everyone will look beautiful?
btw, the “capitalism or 100% planned economy/communism” dichotomy is false. There are different flavours of anarchism and communitarianism, too
The capitalist system:
That is the lessons of history and Piketty’s research. Taxation doesn’t pay for anything, it’s people actually working that pays for everything. This also applies to the rich – they don’t pay for anything either and they also don’t produce any wealth.
The capitalist system does need to go to the wall simply because it doesn’t work. Will this end up with a boring world? Nope. If anything, I figure it would be far more interesting.
A world where the focus is on relationships, on people and on culture in communities. Nothing more interesting than that. Nothing more fucking boring and lifeless than the latest Bugatti.
Oddly enough, standardisation is absolutely demanded and required by the corporate world. From logo colours to memo character spacing. To the way employees are dressed to how the phone is answered.
No one complains of that being bureaucratic or stifling. It’s just the way its done.
+111
Uniformity has become the new norm. I remember when life was so much more interesting, diverse and people tended to help others.
That’s the way we need to push back towards, to find the path of being fully human beings again, nice thing is that people tend towards that way anyways – when they aren’t being misled and distracted by endless commercial, economic (and dare I say it – political) crap.
Also gosman, this line here “the wealth of the top 10 percent ” ….
is total bullshit. It is not the wealth of the top 10%, it is the wealth of the nation that the top 10% have managed to grab for themselves.
You are coming up short on the thinking stakes again. Quelle surprise…
What percentage would be acceptable?
In a survey of 5000 Americans, 9 out of 10 had this preference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vttbhl_kDoo
But who cares about the opinions of people who don’t have any money?
That is truly depressing. For two reasons – one, it makes life unbearably difficult for the bulk of the population relative to their neighbours; and two, it leads to the destruction of society (French revolution anyone?).
People that support that sort of system are scum bastards.
yep
Seems to me like the US authorities are on to it, anticipating the likely rise of civil unrest when the combination of austerity, climate change disasters and oligarchy become irresistable.
Hence surveillance of everyone all the time, militarisation of the police, enabling US military to be deployed on US streets against US citizens, etc.
Oh, and then there’s the Minerva Research Initiative as described by Zero Hedge:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-14/meet-minerva-research-initiative-pentagons-preparation-mass-civil-breakdown
But that is just more lunacy. What do the authorities think such repression of already repressed people will do? Make the population bow down to their guns and jackboots?
Lunacy. Gns and jackboots are not the solution – all they will do is exacerbate the problem.
And any Americans thinking they can just uplift their wealth and relocate to somewhere “safe” like NZ backblocks better think again. They would be, and are, entirely unwelcome…
The situation will eventually descend into insanity IMO.
Have a look at what they were willing to do with peaceful, young Occupy protestors.
http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Davis.jpg
then think about what the authorities would be willing to do if a real and substantial challenge to their position came up.
Hint – the USA were quite happy to do it to their own Japanese citizens in WWII
http://robledo.fromthefog.com/upstanders/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/related6.jpg
Every 10 years there should be a reset.
All wealth distributed evenly amongst everyone and then let people go for it for another ten years.
Reset all debt too.
What a vision. I suppose you could couple that with phil Ure’s desire to have grass distributed to all on a daily basis, and then we could all sit around in our pyjama’s all day passing the bong around. No chance of any civilian uprising then eh.
Great messaage for kids entering the work force, don’t be too successul in what you do as we will just take it all from you in 10 years. Stirling stuff eh. In fact dont even bother about qualifing in anything as its easy just to sit on your arse and get a pay out. By the way the burger and liquor shops are going great guns.
And there’s the problem right there – success measured in monetary terms. Meaning that future generations are herded and goaded into a reality where the systems surrounding production and distribution (ie, the market) will ensure their continued relative impoverishment.
Way to go.
Ever reflected on why it is that so many kids are told not to pursue their passion? Y’know, the passions, valuable as they may be, that can’t be monetised?
You are correct Bill . I agree that success should not be measured in only monetary terms.
I am looking at it from a tax perspective & redistribution perspective. You would like the Govt to redistribute wealth to the segments that do not have much. That requires people to generate wealth. If there is no wealth being created then it is very difficult for anyone to distribute anything.
For some strange reason you seem to think that the rich create wealth. They don’t. The poor do but the rich take that wealth from them because our present system is set up to allow them to do that.
Ragged Trousered Philanthropists all.
🙂
Draco , I did not say that rich create wealth at all. What I did say is that some wealth is required if you wish to redistribute it.
There is plenty of great entrepreneurial endeavours of great acheivers and great givers in society.
Its pretty bleak for everyone if there is no wealth anywhere.
You only need redistribution if the wealth wasn’t correctly distributed in the first place and the only place that it could possibly be redistributed from would be the rich.
Pretty childish of me I suppose but I thought I’d get a bite from a ‘Rob’ or a ‘Gosman’ or a ‘Srylands’ etc with that little lure. An’ I wuz rite!
You hang the bait in the water and the frothing misanthropes like Rob can’t help themselves.
(Watch this…)
Hey Rob, beneficiaries should be paid the living wage ay?
That’s very biblical of you Hamish, but you’re a little off on your numbers as according to Leviticus 25, debt is to be reset, slaves freed and property returned to the original owners every 50 years.
Every 7 years or 49 years are the classical interpretations.
It was really scary “shit” a friend told me yesterday, about his recent medical review by WINZ. They are hard as nails now, and want to get sick and disabled into work, no matter what conditions. So he had a horrible experience a few years back, got another 2 years “grace”, and now they though it is time to “check” on his PERMANENT conditions again, whether Jesus may have appeared in his third coming, to heal him from all ailments.
The case manager did at first refuse all other info and records apart from the person’s GP’s medical certificate, now UK style called “Work Capacity Medical Certificate”. And the GP did this time not present too clear and conclusive info. So the case manager tried to question every entitlement, and was preparing the poor soul, desperate and scared to hell, given mental health issues, to basically move him onto the “jobseeker” benefit.
It took my mate a hell of an effort, to present all kinds of records, also a trusted psychologist’s one, to finally convince the manager, albeit rather reluctantly, as it sounded. Hell, there are things going on that scare me, it is not right what WINZ are doing to sick, injured and disabled now. If you can lift your hand and arm, they think you are “fit” to work, no matter what other condition. It comes back to David Bratt, WINZ’s Principal Health Advisor, likening benefit dependence to “drug dependence”, and that “mad” UK professor Mansel Aylward, who actually claims, most sickness is just in people’s minds. He calls it “illness belief”, all being just “psychological” fantasy, so to say, and the best “medicine” is work in open employment, competing with the fit and healthy. Do we live in a humane and honest society, or am I living a bloody nightmare here? Who else had bad experiences with WINZ in this area, I really would like to know. Study the following for your own well being:
‘WORK ABILITY ASSESSMENTS DONE FOR WORK AND INCOME – PARTLY FOLLOWING ACC’s APPROACH: A REVEALING FACT STUDY’
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/16092-work-ability-assessments-done-for-work-and-income-%E2%80%93-partly-following-acc%E2%80%99s-approach-a-revealing-fact-study/
Also essential material to study is found here:
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/15463-designated-doctors-%e2%80%93-used-by-work-and-income-some-also-used-by-acc/
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/15188-medical-and-work-capability-assessments-based-on-the-bps-model-aimed-at-disentiteling-affected-from-welfare-benefits-and-acc-compo/
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/15264-welfare-reform-the-health-and-disability-panel-msd-the-truth-behind-the-agenda/
And also try a newer website, a forum with lots of similar info, search:
‘nzsocialjusticeblog2013’!
Link: http://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/
You and others may be interested to know that it is perfectly (?) legal for the Medical Appeals Board not to look at notes in coming to their decision around whether or not a person qualifies for Jobseeker (sickness with reduced work assessment), Supported Living, or Child Disability Allowance.
And I trust you have been here writehanded.org
ACCforum has a higher level of nutters than the average forum, mainly due I suspect to the abusive system forum members are subjected to.
Yes, ACC Forum has issues, and went downhill a bit, because of some there not being that honest and also getting at each other’s collars. I know what is going on there, and I ignore the bad stuff and read what is worth reading.
As for MABs, they have always had their own “rules”, being appointed by an appeals coordinator employed by MSD and WINZ, and of course always making sure at least 2 on a panel are “designated doctors”, chosen by Bratt and WINZ, and being favourable to WINZ.
This is nothing new, the whole system stinks, and what makes me so bloody angry is, that so many just shrug things off, and put up with all the BS, while people, no matter how sick and disabled, should get together with their fitter compatriots, to fight the damned injustice.
I know someone who has now the Ombudsmen Office on the attack line, as even they refused to even look at totally blunt evidence, of what goes on. It seems this country is with the upper echelons of admin and “public offices” so damned corrupt, it is not funny!
And yes, writehanded.org raised a fair bit, and justifiably, so I support Sarah Wilson, as I think her name is, she is due to her challenges still too cautious about it all, we need a full blown challenge and attack of the WINZ approach we now have. Who is “ready” for it, I ask?
@ xtasy…this may sound naive ….but …maybe there needs to be a Bill brought before the House to protect the rights of those with chronic mental health and physical health issues NOT to be harassed by WINZ into work….and where such people have been pressurized illegitimately with adverse and sometimes dire effects …WINZ can be sued! ( legal fees paid for by a publicly funded forensic health watch dog)
for example a person with schizophenia … who once would have been in sheltered care, which the state has now disestablished…but is now on compulsory medication and forced onto the streets with a health disability benefit ….is then pressurized by WINZ to be taken off their compulsory medication ( pressure brought on psychiatrists and mental health workers to get people off their lists, who seem to be coping and hence certified as capable of work)…. and this person is then by WINZ taken off their disability benefit and forced to hunt for work
….this can lead to a personal and public crisis…it can set chronically ill people back years…it could lead to suicide …..and in some cases such people forced into stress and work which they are not capable of by WINZ …could be a danger to the public as well
imo WINZ and the State has to be held accountable for the consequences of pressurizing chronically ill people off their disability benefits and to hunt for work
a UBI would solve this problem as well
“a UBI would solve this problem as well”
Depends on how it was set up and whether it was tory-proofed into the future. Prejudice against people with disabilities who are perceived as being blugers is entrenched in parts of NZ culture, including civil servants and NGOs. A UBI is not going to solve that issue for people with illness and disability who are dependent on the state for income, unless maybe the UBI is set higher for them. If they have to apply to any agency for a topup, then there are still going to be criteria that need to be met, and those criteria will be set by govt departments that currently practice discrimination (health or welfare). Even if the UBI was higher, it would still require testing for eligibility.
While I think that the UBI is impertative, we need to be careful not to think it will be an automatic panacea for people with disabilities. The work of dismantling prejudice could be done within WINZ and the health system as it is now, and it’s not, so what guarantees are there that a UBI scheme would be done differently?
Ok agreed about the UBI
…however another angle is enough free half way housing/homes/shelters which would go a long way to alleviating the problem for people with long term chronic disabilities…this seems to be a crucial area of need that needs addressing
eg in Christchurch they have had to requisition an acute mental health patient ward at Hillmorton…just to cater for the homeless with long term chronic health disabilities…seems like the need for free or affordable housing for people with long term chronic diasabilites is huge
Chooky, for those able to live in the community, still having manageable mental health issues, one would think that Housing NZ should look after them.
But learning a couple of years back, how they treated another mate of mine, also having mental and physical health issues leading to disability, they were at first damned anti his application, meaning they did not “trust” he was a genuinely deserving case.
He stayed in a cockroach infested, overcrowded and damp boarding house, and they still tried to argue he was “suitably housed”!
As he was close to breaking point, I assisted where I could, and we went to their regional head office and took other action, which they were not happy about. Only when he finally had a NZ Herald journalist take up his story and write about it, then suddenly, Housing NZ obliged with an offer within a week.
That is what we are up against, there is NO honest appreciation of person’s circumstances, it is all treated with one brush for all, and you have to basically end up in the gutter in too many cases, until the system kicks in and takes action. Ask the cops, they are dealing with endless misery stories all the time, expected to pick up the pieces at the bottom of the cliff, when it is often too bloody late. This government has NO HEART and NO SPIRIT, it dishonest and uncaring, and since Key and Nats got into power, things really turned nasty, we only do not hear much about it, because the media are bought off also, and happy to work with keeping this government happy and protected from too much criticism.
Too many vacant paper pushers on $45K pa and too many vacuous target setting line managers on $55K pa.
Anyone on staff who shows too much empathy or caring, they organisationally beat it out of you until you conform.
Chooky – if you ever have time, read some stuff under this link:
http://accforum.org/forums/index.php?/topic/14923-health-and-disability-commissioner/
What we have is a situation, where doctors get off most malpractice and wrong decisions, as the HDC (Health and Disability Commissioner) is so far the ONLY institution to go to and make any complaint about breaches of the Code they are supposed to enforce and monitor. But last year’s report showed they had over 1,600 complaints, of which only just about 60 were “formally” investigated, and of those 42 had valid complaints about breaches by medical and health practitioners established.
Most cases are never seriously investigated, are dealt with through “advocacy” and “consultation” and “training” and so forth. The offending practitioners get at worst a kind of slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket “punishment”, and recommendations are made to “review” practice, and in some cases to “apologise” to the affected.
The ACC legislation does take away a lot of opportunities for affected to take action against doctors and other practitioners, as the right to sue was abolished. We have a situation where the Medical Council won’t usually act unless the rather useless HDC makes a referral to have a case investigated by them, and actions taken. Few cases ever go to the Director of Proceedings, and it is truly a disgrace what goes on.
What we need is to change the HDC Act to give the Commissioner some “teeth”, and to basically put in a requirement for investigations to be made, and certain sanctions being possible. As New Zealand has always struggled to maintain and afford a functioning health work force, the government is rather bending over backwards to not punish medicals too harshly. They need them, and they forgive too easily in too many cases.
As for assessors, like designated WINZ doctors, they are not strictly delivering treatment, so that gets them off the hook. They are not covered by the code for consumers of health and disability services that the HDC deal with. The same applies to persons like Principal Health Advisor for MSD Bratt, he is just an “advisor”, and thus does not even provide health services, so he gets away with comments and more, that are not what a usual doctor would get away with. The HDC also have a “memorandum of understanding” with ACC and probably MSD, so no serious actions will ever result in assessors making flawed assessments. It is indeed a gap in the law, so to say, why designated WINZ assessors and others get away with what they do.
It stinks, but even the opposition parties seem too damned inexperienced with medico legal matters, and too scared to take action in this area. So we have the status quo of “Gods” in white coats doing whatever they see fit, and one Mansel Aylward, the extreme UK professor, he even delivers them ideologically driven “science” to do what they wish to do, like tell sick and disabled, hey, you can still lift your arm, you can be a “signal giver” in roadworks then.
FFS I had enough of all this, but it seems at times it is a lost battle, as politicians are always just focused on the usual headline stuff, often trivial, and will do nothing to help people treated unfairly and disgustingly by WINZ and their “experts”!
“You and others may be interested to know that it is perfectly (?) legal for the Medical Appeals Board not to look at notes in coming to their decision around whether or not a person qualifies for Jobseeker (sickness with reduced work assessment), Supported Living, or Child Disability Allowance.”
So what are they basing their decision on?
Does anyone know if the review doctors and the appeal process are covered by the Health and Disability Act? I know WINZ itself isn’t, not being a health provider, but am curious how they’ve classified assessors.
Oh yeah, slightly off topic but there is a tender from an Australian insurance company for the ACC sensitive claims (% impairment) assessments. More oz crap contractors taking/attempting to take work from our specialised sexual abuse services.
It’s high time we looked after our own.
Awww – yes, stuff to be worried about, and that is just the beginning, look at what they have done in the UK, and what they are planning there for the future, it is not getting easier or better.
If you do actually read the stuff on “work ability assessments”, that post on ACC Forum, also soon to be published (in bits) on nzsocialjusticeblog2013, you will see what is already happening here, how we get it all privatised, and it involves Australian players too.
People should take this bloody seriously, but sadly so many are not bothering to study and read stuff, they still rely their own GP, who is though, due to the AFOEM new policy on the “health benefits of work” (introduced by Mansel Aylward there, well received by former ATOS President of AFOEM, Dr David Beaumont, who also got a “reputation” with ACC claimants AND runs his own “rehab” outfit “Pathways to work”!) also being indoctrinated now.
GPs are now being trained to follow the new agenda, and Bratt and Aylward made sure, the NZ College of General Practitioners and the Medical Schools all adopted the dogma, and we have it taught there now, believe it or not, and most do not even get any idea of what goes on!
Had an email from an Opposition M.P. regarding some queries I posed earlier, and he said a lot of the G.P.’s were also being driven by policy from the DHB’s, which comes straight from the Minister. We are truly being shafted. This Government is the most corrupt in the history of this nation.
10% are wealthier than the combined wealth of the rest of the country. Not a virtue to be proud of. And none of that was done by hard work, just pure speculation.
Yes, talk about GPs, they are ALL now pressured or “convinced” to tow the ideologically driven “new approach” to work ability. It comes now in this part of the world from the AFOEM (Australaisian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine), who are also part of the RACP (Royal Australasian College of Physicians), and they invite the top propagator of the ideology, about the “health benefits of work” (paid open employment!), Mr Mansel Aylward from the UK, in 2010 to give them the pseudo scientific justification for all cost saving.
If only more would open eyes, ears and braincells, and start reading stuff of relevance, publicly available:
http://www.racp.org.nz/page/afoem-health-benefits-of-work
http://www.racp.org.nz/page/racp-faculties/australasian-faculty-of-occupational-and-environmental-medicine/realising-the-health-benefits-of-work/may-2010-video-presentation-professor-sir-mansel-aylward/
http://www.racp.org.nz/page/racp-faculties/australasian-faculty-of-occupational-and-environmental-medicine/realising-the-health-benefits-of-work/october-2010-stakeholder-meeting-professor-dame-carol-black/
Their “President Elect” is a former ATOS man, a convinced one, who has with some others facilitated to get all this introduced “Down Under”:
http://www.racp.org.nz/page/racp-faculties/australasian-faculty-of-occupational-and-environmental-medicine/realising-the-health-benefits-of-work/latest-news/
Their idea of the role of GPs:
http://www.racp.org.nz/index.cfm?objectid=E1D5428F-B1BF-2C2F-7A247F80DC4F363C
The Position Statement on the Health Benefit of Work:
http://www.racp.org.nz/index.cfm?objectid=F07790EC-0F2D-D1EB-4298E5D44500162A
The Consensus Statement:
http://www.racp.org.nz/index.cfm?objectid=57063EA7-0A13-1AB6-E0CA75D0CB353BA8
And yes, the CTU themselves fell for this propaganda approach, about the “work will set you free” mantra, and even one Helen Kelly signed it!
As I kept on challenging her and the CTU on this, she had a comment by me deleted on one of her posts. Fair enough, it may have been a bit “off topic”, but she has never answered to any challenges.
This whole stuff is now being drummed into each GP’s brain, and hence the government can faithfully rely on the collaboration of medical professionals in all this. The DHBs are very concerned about costs, so they will embrace it just to have another justification to save costs. The sick and disabled are told to “toughen up”, as Dr Bratt, Principal Health Advisor at WINZ and MSD says, benefit dependence is like “drug dependence”, I presented plenty of info on that before.
NZ is indeed corrupt, as this stuff was also presented to the Health and Disability Commissioner and is before the Office of Ombudsmen now, but it seems they want nothing to do with it!?
What kind of society has this country become? Are there any daring to speak up and out, and challenge all this? Too many just think of “number one” and are too scared to rock the boat, I am afraid.
Dr David Beaumont, from the UK, another bought “expert”, formerly working for ATOS and thus serving the DWP and so there:
His LinkedIn profile:
http://nz.linkedin.com/pub/david-beaumont/2a/780/943
His business Pathways to Work:
http://www.pathwaystowork.co.nz/category/general-news
His ‘Fit for Work’ involvement:
http://www.fitforwork.co.nz/team
With such vested interests and his background, also having “advised” ACC and MSD before, no wonder he loved to have Aylward come here and sell the UNUM Provident paid “research” presented here!
NaziYahoo accuses Hamas……..80 Palestinians arrested……..remind me again how many Palestinian kids rot in IDF detention……..average stay etc etc. For throwing stones.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/15/israel-raids-hamas-kipdnapping-netanyahu
Love your work NaziYahoo……..against throwing stones.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.592352
All’s well……..Zionist ‘exceptionalism’ makes it so……..and the US Congress agrees……..so yeah, all’s well.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-22/west-bank-israeli-and-palestinian-kids-who-throw-stones-face-unequal-justice
Professor Norman Finkelstein’s analysis of latest developments in the John Kerry-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian “Peace Talks”.
“If Kerry succeeds or if Kerry fails – either way, it’s a disaster for the Palestinians, who are caught between U.S.-brokered capitulation and the miserable status quo.”
http://www.newleftproject.org/index.php/site/article_comments/the_kerry_initiative_the_next_round
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11274606
“Mr Cunliffe doubted there was any connection between Liu’s residency bid and his donation two years later.”
Actually, it sounds like the truth, Chris. However, I can understand why you might not be familiar with that concept.
Sounds like National’s ‘Research Unit’ has been furiously trying to dig up some dirt.
How many Labour MPs interfered with a police investigation?
So you believe williamson called the cops cos of a donation, that collins went out of her way to promote oravida cos of a donation, you cant have it both ways.
Jesus chris, talk about burying the lede:
..a book she DIDN’T EVEN WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol felix
chuckle
Is that sort of like the painting she didn’t paint?
And surprise surprise, chris73 was spreading bullshit. According to Checkpoint, Labour has no record of any donation from Mr Liu.
Some people never learn !
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11274748
A mighty fine fuck you by Jim Wright.
.
All we fought for in Iraq.
All we fought for in Iraq is on the cusp of vanishing.
That’s what Mitt Romney says.
We fought for. We fought for. We.
Oh, so it’s we now, is it, Mitt?
We.
I must have missed you over there, but it was a busy place. We. The guy who helped set up “pro-draft” rallies and yet somehow managed to avoid service in Vietnam is upset about losing what “we” fought for? We.
Yeah, fuck you, Mitt.
And you’re all welcome to quote me on that.
Somebody stepped into my office yesterday and asked how I felt about it. He wanted to know how I felt about “losing” Iraq.
How do I feel about losing all we fought for?
I don’t know.
http://www.stonekettle.com/2014/06/absolutely-nothing.html
.
And Blair’s weaseling.
The reality is that the whole of the Middle East and beyond is going through a huge, agonising and protracted transition. We have to liberate ourselves from the notion that ‘we’ have caused this. We haven’t. We can argue as to whether our policies at points have helped or not; and whether action or inaction is the best policy and there is a lot to be said on both sides. But the fundamental cause of the crisis lies within the region not outside it.
http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/iraq-syria-and-the-middle-east-an-essay-by-tony-blair/
He’s learned fine – he took the UK into an illegal war and has been richly rewarded for doing so.
Why the media still give that talking head airtime is beyond me. In fact, I’m still slightly amazed he’s avoided being prosecuted for war crimes but nonetheless..
A crisis is Iraq, John Key visits Obama, and a new NATO treaty signed in June 2012. What could go wrong?
Minor event happening in Ukraine in the next few hours. The “junta” (I wont give them any credit for their legitimacy) are laying bare the vacuity of EU backing of their cause. They are demanding Russia sells gas to them at a discount of over 35% of what the EU buys for. If they don’t get it they are threatening to walk away from their massive debt to their suppliers.
The Russia Gazprom are saying that they will cut the supply and demand pre-payment, the “junta” are threatening to cut supplies to EU as they transit Ukraine. The Kremlin are keeping quiet, a bad sign…..my suspicion is that the “bear” may just wake up angry and walk on in.
Russia is playing this very gradually step by step. Given that they have essentially been supplying Ukraine with free natural gas for many many months now they are being very patient – why? Because they want to demonstrate to Germany and other key EU states that they are giving their ‘valued commercial partner’ Ukraine the benefit of the doubt and all the due process available – and then some.
Which completely stymies US provocations aiming for Putin to militarily act rashly and justify a NATO move into Ukraine.
Very true: one wonders how the EU would react to the “puppet” regime denying them gas? It would really lay bare the disparity in interests between the Whitehouse and European economies.A true hot potato. As you say Putin very likely will just sit, all the cards are falling his way.
This is a recent interview where French media grilled Putin, during his visit to the Normandy commemorations. Over half an hour long of tough questions non-stop. Covering many topics, on Syria, on Ukraine, on Crimea, on Russia itself.
You got to hand it to Putin, he plays a very straight, statesman-like line in public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gvbS09gN80
So did Rick Barker declare the trip to Chongqing in the pecuniary interests register. I assume he just went to Chongqing on the way to the airport.
Is Barker’s partner on the board of Liu’s cement company?
I believe so.
He was on holiday, so, no, he wouldn’t have put it on the register. Does Key put the rounds of golf the American taxpayer shouts him on the register?
Yes he does.
Barker was at the time not traveling as a Government Minister, He was traveling as a private citizen…
so was Collins….oh wait a minute
Interestingly it’s only the period of her time as Minister for oravida that Collins didnt register overseas trips and their funding, in previous years she did so quite happily.
10 Overseas travel costs
Australia – joint Cabinet meeting and bilateral meetings. Contributor to
accommodation: Australian Government.
Her colleagues also happily declared their Chinese government funded trips.
I guess she is just too busy with her new portfolio
I have thought for some time there is a conflict/hypocracy in the Ukraine situation where it seemed that a demonstration led to the current Ukraine regime in a simular manner to how the Crimea changed hands … all very puzzling.
Further south it seems the abitary by western power[s] setting up of Iraq is now going to split into its natural parts with any luck despite the anguish of the west.
”Vote to end ACT Party rort in Epsom”, so says, apparently a Labour Party election pamphlet delivered to letter-boxes in the Epsom electorate, according to the Herald’s Clare Trevett that’s ”code” that Labour voters should vote for the National Party candidate,
If it were, ”code” that is, and i have my doubts, it would be pretty lame don’t you think, a real waste of paper, Labour would better serve it’s voters in Epsom, the Party, and, the country by simply telling Labour voters that a electorate vote for the National Candidate will rid them and us of the ACT Party and have Labour halfway to the Treasury Benches,
Micheal Wood, the Labour Party candidate for Epsom seems to know what is required having been quoted in the Trevett piece in today’s Herald as saying He is ”not campaigning for the National Party candidate yet”,
My opinion says that He should be tho, and openly, the sooner the ”party strategists” give Him the nod to do so the better…
Never gonna happen, Bad. A nod and a wink is as good at will get because the NZLP is never going to publicly support a Tory candidate. And nor should we.
Good O Te Reo, stuff the head back in the sand and pretend you can win the election while National ”gifts” electorates here, there, and, everywhere,
Dense seems a mild epithet to attach to such ”thinking”, Labour will not publicly support tactical voting to (a) get rid of ACT, and (b) ensure that they are more likely to be the next Government,
Is Te Reo tho saying that not ”publicly supporting” a tactical vote in Epsom means that it will do so via ”coded statements”,
Dishonest i would suggest could be added to Dense if that were the case…
As usual, you haven’t got a clue. Still, no doubt you’ll be equally appalled at the other party’s failure to endorse Paul Goldsmith. Looking forward to reading your condemnation of Hone’s dishonest and dense silence on the matter.
Neither Mana or in its new guise InternetMana have a presence of any size in the electorate that could sway the outcome in any way, the same cannot tho be said of Labour,
Your dragging into the conversation InternetMana vis a vis Epsom is simply more of your personal dishonesty, and, an unkind person would suggest that such personal dishonesty as you display is exhibited on a Party wide basis vis a vis the Epsom electorate…
Ooooh, hypocrisy alert! It’s only dense and dishonest if you’re a big party? Really? Presumably you think the Greens are are half dense and half dishonest. Doofus.
Te Reo, you need a name change, i suggest ‘Te Tupeke Pine’ as your debate consists of leaping from pin-head to pin-head,
If Labour cannot convince it’s voters in the Epsom electorate to vote for the National candidate then it is odds on that come September they will still be the opposition,
Take some responsibility wont you…
it horrifies me that u may be ‘somebody’ in labour..t.r.p..
..and that you could somehow be indicative of their mindset..
..dumb as..!
Have you got the fear, Phil?
Sit down, man. Take control. You have done something to your brain. You have made it high. If I lay ten mils of Diazepam on you, you will do something else to your brain, You will make it low. Why trust one drug and not the other?
That’s politics, isn’t it?
Hey Phil, stop whining and get out there and campaign.
If you’re out to change the government rather than sitting on your couch inhaling, great. But if you’re trying to tell any party what to do without some skin in this game, at this point you’re wasting your breath.
Yeah but there was plenty of public support for Douglas, Caygill, Prebble, et al
Yeah, good call, CV 🙂 Though technically, Actoids aren’t tories.
one of the people living at our address got a letter from john key. The other two did not. I wonder how they decide who in the epsom electorate to send the mailout to?
“Labour would better serve it’s voters in Epsom, the Party, and, the country by simply telling Labour voters that a electorate vote for the National Candidate will rid them and us of the ACT Party and have Labour halfway to the Treasury Benches”
Nope. Labour is simultaneously sending a message:
a) to Labour voters to back Goldsmith in order to help Labour, and
b) to National voters to reject ACT
Your suggestion only achieves one of those objectives.
Iceland’s President on capitalism vs democracy (short video)
The bouncer who tackled the streaker at the Dunedin test should be charged with assault. It was outrageous. Bouncers routinely assault and even kill people in NZ. They are a pseudo-police force and are out of control. The police need to investigate and charge imo as this sort of behaviour by bouncers is not even remotely reasonable.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/10160784/Streaker-tackle-out-of-character-for-moonlighting-No-8
It was a vicious unnecessary tackle and the employer of that bouncer should also be sued for negligence resulting in physical harm.
Also looking at how the streaker was dragged away from the field – what was that about – the streaker did not appear to put up any resistance whatsoever but looked like he was getting roughed up any way.
“It was a vicious unnecessary tackle and the employer of that bouncer should also be sued for negligence resulting in physical harm”
What an ignorant comment. It was a vicious unnecessary tackle but to suggest that it was his employers fault is typical left thinking. You are assuming this thug was instructed to do a vicious tackle. It is common knowledge that if you do an unsafe act at work that it is serious misconduct and if there is an injury you can be fined as well as fired.
“It was a vicious unnecessary tackle but to suggest that it was his employers fault is typical left thinking”
Remind never to contract you to provide me any type of service. Apparently you believe that once you employ someone to provide the service to me on your behalf that you are no longer responsible for the work.
Oh nakiman, I think that you’re assuming that the employer correctly trained the bouncer in question and had a full set of proper policies in place governing the use of physical force.
But I’m going to guess that there are big gaps there and the employer has liability.
Further, if it comes out that the employer at any time stated to the bouncers that a hard line was to be taken against any pitch intrusion, then the legal fun really begins.
Wow………Naki’ launches furious attack on ‘vicarious liability’.
Unwittingly mind. He not having a fucking clue what it is……..obviously.
Well done Naki’ you poor thick bastard !
You seen the sad on-line poll results? 70+% reflecting pathetic ‘macho’ opinions. Doubt those numbers would stack up the same if a streaking woman had been similarly tackled by a female security guard. I don’t quite get it though seeing as how there’s no homophobia in NZ these days.
Yep. Simple boofheads who don’t even realise what they are advocating, namely vigilante justice and the establishment of anarchy. Boofheads who don’t think is what they are … I hope they don’t get a vote at the election – imagine the sort of idiotic damage they could do ….
Superb lines from Gordon Campbell:
With the exit of its former leader John Banks, the Act Party is currently in what might charitably be called a rebuilding phase. Mind you, it still appears to be preaching the old time religion of plucky self-reliance – which is pretty amusing, given that its own survival in Parliament has long been reliant on electorate handouts from the National Party, a form of welfare set to continue in Epsom this year. How on earth Act rationalizes its policy stance on welfare with its own modus operandi in Epsom is anyone’s guess.
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2014/06/16/gordon-campbell-on-obamas-need-to-engage-with-iran-and-acts-need-to-engage-with-reality/
borne out of former labour cabinet ministers, preaching personal responsibility, particularly for law breakers, they are the definition of contradiction.
Heh, stalker economy.
http://pando.com/2014/06/11/al-gore-says-silicon-valley-is-a-stalker-economy/
I hear that there is a new party being set up to oppose the use of 1080. I think it would be a good idea to start one that bans the use of private cars. Every day there are hurtful accidents, injuries and even deaths through the use of cars. People using them run over little children and kill them. They spread pollution and result in the high use of imported oil which has to be paid for from our precious export returns. Almost every holiday results in deaths, sometimes of adults and children, even whole families. Cars should be limited in availability just for taxi use, with more buses available, more frequently and good train services. Then more room for bikes, giving safer use of them.
So what about starting a Facebook campaign and build up interest and support to ban cars as death-causing bad technology causing untold harm. There is as much a case for this than that for banning 1080.
national will try and run a non campaign.
rely on photo ops and pr bullshit + crosby textor tricks and ruses.
Its going to be very subtle but very powerful.
get ready for the ride!
amy adams has begun by blaming auckland council for aucklands housing problems.
When the supercity was being pimped, cos we didnt get to vote, it was that as a single behemouth we could make our own decisions. Of course the truth was the nacts wanted a single entity to impose its will on, rather than going through 8.
It is the councils fault, I heard Penny H say that Auckland house’s are expensive because its a great place to live and lots of people want to live here. These councillors want to become wealthy from a housing shortage and over priced housing that is why they don’t want to make more land available to build on.
What did you think of the unitary plan?
amy adams is a prune.
aye..!..if you had politicians as fruit/veges….she wd be a prune..
..whereas brownlee wd be the prize-winning giant pumpkin @ the country fete…
..bennett an over-boiled beetroot…
..and key a stick of rancid celery…
Spoken like a true veggie 🙂
Collins would be a lemon…
craig a limp stick of rhubarb..
..finlayson is a martini olive..
.and joyce wd b something sour..
..ryall is one of those strange pomegranete things..
..that everyone looks at..but no-one wants to eat…
..and of course english..as some form of lumpen-turnip…
..(only good for (slow-cooked) veggie-stews..)
Collins would be a sweet, juicy peach…
way past its’ eat/use-by date..
The Internet Party has a petition up to:
“I agree that our Party Votes should have equal value. This means lowering the 5% threshold and removing the one-seat (coat-tails) threshold.”
This appeals to me regardless of Party loyalty.
https://internet.org.nz/petition
despite being a likely beneficiary they want it gone. Cf ACT UF and national
the threshold should be lowered to 3%…
..i’ll start the animal-rights party then..
..neither left nor right..
..just there for the animals..
..people from right across the spectrum welcomed..
..they just have to want to end animal-slavery..
..it’s time to get cracking on that one..i reckon..
start it now. John banks is looking for a job in public service
heh..!
..first target:..
..the vivisectors..
NZ manufacturing falls for second month as new orders decline
Yep, a ‘rockstar’ economy with no crisis in manufacturing | Tui.
Late yesterday there was a post up about the Kiwiassurance. I was sure it was on the NS??? There is now no sign of it. Am I going mad/senile?
Please someone release me from my doubt.
What’s the NS?
I must be senile Weka. I meant here on the The Standard. There was a post I am sure about Kiwiassure and a followup of DC giving speech. There is nothing in the comments or anywhere.
Would appreciate it if it could be confirmed that it had existed.
Lower threshold to 3 percent – Harre
http://www.3news.co.nz/Lower-threshold-to-3-percent—Harre/tabid/1607/articleID/348719/Default.aspx#disqus_thread
In my opinion, the
*Threshold should be reduced to 3 % (or at most to 4%)
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS
they have complied with their rules in selecting and ranking their list
candidates.
The government should not allow the immediate political interests of any single party get in the way of changes that strengthen our electoral system in the long term.
In its report the commission said,
“Relatively few changes were needed to the electoral system. but those we recommend are important. They would enhance public
confidence in the fairness and operation of our MMP voting system and
parliamentary democracy.”
The threshold should be dropped to the equivalent of 1 seat in Parliament. Someone has posted that figure on TS before but I can’t find it.
From memory it was around 25,000 votes which would be the equivalent of 1 seat in Parliament, although I could be wrong.
A 3 to 4 seat caucus = 2.5% of the vote is a practical, productive grouping of MPs in Parliament.
That should be what the threshold is set at.
Multiple 1 MP caucuses will fragment Parliament too much.
CV, prefer 1%=1 seat, thus the issues on the periphery would get a full airing in the Parliament, Phillips animal rights and dope decriminalization being two where i see most here would be in agreement with that have no specific voice,
i am sure when thought about there are quite a few issues that while parties might have specific policies that address these such are always ”on the slide” in terms of importance as the various Parties look at what their various coalition options are and what each component of such a coalition might react like in the face of the peripheral issues,
my view is stuff the present political parties, true MMP would consign them to the same fate as the Dinosaur…
“..true MMP would consign them to the same fate as the Dinosaur…..”
..+ 1..
One other comment – a 3-4 seat caucus would prevent “single issue” parties from gaining Parliamentary traction.
If a political party wants into Parliament, it will have to stand for a broad range of policies, and not just a single issue.
as harre pointed out..3% is preferable for giving more a voice in parliament..
..and she noted the 4% in germany was only put in just after ww2..’cos of a fear of a resurgance of the far-right/nazis..
..there would be no more need for coat-tailing..
.and all ideas wd go out and argue/stand on their merits..
..and a 3% threshold would be a major strengthening of democracy..
..and would give us a much more representitive-parliament..
.and yes..the likes of craig wd likely b there.
..but if 3% of the population doubt the moon-landings happened..fear chem-trails..and think the earth is 10,000 yrs old..
..well i guess democracy dictates they too get a voice..
Why even have a threshold? It’s just a way of keeping out parties that have enough support to warrant 1-6 seats in parliament – elections therefore less accurately represent voter choice with a threshold than without.
The coat-tailing clause at least mitigates that somewhat – but then makes first-past-the-post electorate contests have undue relevance to the outcome of the election. I would also advocate preferential voting in electorates to make those seats also a fairer representation of voter preference.
Funny when the power went out in Auckland for a day back in 2006 the Troy scum screamed blue bloody murder. Well some of us in West Auckland have either no power or no hot water for a week – the Tory press does bugger all. Yesterday finally something said in Herald but only on full outage – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11274099
The problem with hot water not being available is still on going for many. Funny they just can’t get the hot water to work properly again. This is a major structural flaw. I have asked around and many tradesmen fell Auckland is a ticking time bomb, especially it’s power and sewage.
I remember some slimy opposition MP back in 06 ranting for weeks on the telly about how the power outage was a crime for all New Zealanders and a disaster for Auckland. It 2014 and these Tory slime are in power and the power is still fubar, and getting worse. Once again political advantage is, who can steal the most off the working folk of this country. Thanks Len and thanks National the party of sell and hope – I would say pray, but you are so self absorbed god would struggle to hear you through all that petty self congratulations.
paula used to care but she isnt a westie anymore she is an Upper T now.
You also have fewer judder bars than remuera epsom or mt eden. Your children and pets just arent as valuable
Well,as well as it now happening under the Nats’ watch, the continuing outages seem to be a West Auckland problem. The central part of Auckland has been increasingly colonised by the well off, while parts of West Auckland, since 2010, are becoming increasingly ghettoised.
Folks in Parnell, Remmers, etc, probably don’t care much about the trials and struggles of Westies.
oh they LOVE paula, even more now they know she was never a real Westie 😉
West of Auckland meet the East of Christchurch. Entitled to be ignored by those in power.
(b) National Party Values
We believe this will be achieved by building a society based on the
following values:
• Loyalty to our country, its democratic principles and our Sovereign as
Head of State
• National and personal security
• Equal citizenship and equal opportunity
• Individual freedom and choice
• Personal responsibility
• Competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement
• Limited government
• Strong families and caring communities
• Sustainable development of our environment
National = Equal opportunity Green/Labour/Internet Mana = Equal income
National = Rewards for achievement Green/Labour/Internet Mana = Tax for achievement
National = Sustainable development of our environment Green/Labour/Internet Mana = no development, industry closure and killing of cows
National = competitive enterprise Green/Labour/Internet Mana = nationalisation
Is it any wonder that National id polling so high?
how do you know roy morgan poll results in advance
I’m guessing because the last two Roy Morgan polls were good for National and bad for the left but don’t worry you’ll know if its good for the left if it gets its own thread:
http://thestandard.org.nz/latest-roy-morgan/
If its still bad for the left it’ll get a mention in open mike 😉
[lprent: This has come up before. But usually in non-election year polls only get posts every 2-3 months because that is how long it takes before a trend becomes clear outside of the noise. Obviously the frequency increases in a election year. The probability that a poll is relatively good or bad for the left in a post seems to to unrelated. When I have time I often pull the graphs through in OpenMike.
However I really don’t like people attempting to say what we do and just lying about it. You know this. 2 week ban for stupidity. ]
i didnt realise you and fisiani were the same person.
I’ve never been shy about jumping into a thread
So bad it wont get a mention.
so good Stuff and the herald haven’t even mentioned it yet… /sarc
So when national cabinet ministers signed off on novopay with at least one “mission critical” target unachieved (after renegotiating it twice and possibly with six other critical targets unachieved) and all are still in cabinet, how is that consistent with the value of “Personal responsibility”?
Fisi haw-haw. Sounds catchy…
Apia Rose…
You are an idiot. Look at the history of the governments led by National and Labour. Every one of the great progressive achievements on economic and social issues were all instituted and delivered by Labour administrations because Labour represents the bulk of the society while National primarily represents the wealthy and the privileged. Fact! Open your eyes.
Labour does NOT represent the bulk of the nation and can barely hold over 31% support for the last couple of years, even as the economic situation gets grimmer and grimmer, and 300,000 kids live in poverty.
The polling figures and support may be low, but the policies and programmes of Labour help the bulk of the country, the workers, the families and ordinary people. That is the point.
(speaking to the lies from fisi.)
..the greens are going into the election promising tax cuts..
..but don’t let facts get in the way of yr steaming-bullshit-fantasies….eh..?
and ‘sustainable development’..eh..?..national admit their policies will see out emissions increase by 50% over the next decade..
..and drill-baby-drill..!..mine-baby-mine..!..eh..?
..so that’s more steaming-bullshit from you..isn’t it..?
..and for ‘competitive-enterprise’..read ‘corporate-welfare’..for ‘friends-of-national’..
..so that’s three for three…eh..?
..you really are fucken full of it..aren’t ya..?
Granny herald reports today…
Former National Business Review owner Barry Colman recently gave over $50,000 to the National Party in what is the wealthy publisher’s first contribution to the party that’s required to be disclosed.
Mr Colman paid $50,000 to the party earlier this month, on top of previous donations of $600 and $1520 in recent months according to recent filings of party donations over $30,000 on the Electoral Commission’s website.
Mr Colman’s previous donations to National were revealed in journalist Nicky Hager’s book the Hollow Men but were done in a way that didn’t require disclosure at the time.
The website also shows Conservative Party Leader Colin Craig sank a further $100,000 into his party earlier this month taking his total donations since the last election to $876,000.
He has said he intends funding the bulk of his party’s projected $1.5 million campaign costs.
A donation of just under $1.7 million shortly after the last election was the write-off of loans he made to the party during its 2011 election campaign.
NEWSFLASH! Barry Corbett is now OPPOSED to knife attacks
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Monday 16 June 2014
Jim Mora, Barry Corbett, Finlay Macdonald
One night in January 2008, a Manurewa resident called Bruce Emery took a knife in his hand and chased 15-year-old Pihema Cameron down a street. Pihema Cameron, a Māori, had been tagging the fence of Emery, a Pākehā. When Emery caught the boy, he stabbed him repeatedly. The killing was shocking, and was regarded with horror and condemned by all decent people. But a significant and shameless minority took the opportunity to praise the killer. The leading cheerleaders for this exercise in depravity were most—not all, but most—of the hosts on the notorious right wing radio station NewstalkZB, who ran a campaign of denigration, night after night after night, for months on end, against the dead boy and his family. They took their lines almost verbatim from the demonic partnership of Emery’s lawyer Chris Comesky and the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Imperial Wizard Garth “The Knife” McVicar, who insisted truculently that the killer was a “decent citizen” who had been pushed over the brink by the low-life scum that infested his neighbourhood.
The brutal campaign even made it onto National Radio for a short time. The day after the killing of Pihema Cameron, Christchurch city councillor Barry Corbett expressed his concern and sympathy—not for the victim, but for the killer. A chorus of outrage led to Corbett making a vapid apology, and a mealy-mouthed “clarification” of his statement.
But no disciplinary action of any kind was taken against him by Radio New Zealand. Bomber Bradbury was permanently banned after committing the monumental crime of criticizing the behaviour of the Prime Minister—but Corbett, who actually spoke out in favour of a knife-killer, faced no such sanctions, and indeed has continued to regularly appear on The Panel.
As anyone who listened to today’s show will have noted, Corbett is as vacuous and reactionary as ever, and judging by his unstinting support for the thuggish behaviour by a security guard at the football in Dunedin on Saturday night, he still supports extremely violent behaviour. But he seems to have somewhat lost his enthusiasm for knife attacks.
Just to show him that some of us haven’t forgotten what Corbett said six years ago, I sent Jim Mora the following….
Barry Corbett’s dishonesty and hypocrisy
Dear Jim,
Barry Corbett predictably came out in support of that brutal hit on the streaker. But he claimed that the violence happened because the victim “stopped suddenly”. In fact, the victim was standing still for some time before the security guard hit him. Corbett’s words were entirely misleading; whether or not they were deliberately misleading is not clear.
It’s perfectly acceptable for Corbett to voice his endorsement of a high-velocity assault on an unsighted man—but he is not entitled to his own facts.
It was also intriguing to hear Barry Corbett try to bolster his argument by invoking the stabbing of Monica Seles by a crazed spectator. What a difference to Corbett’s attitude in 2008, when he loudly spoke out in FAVOUR of the frenzied knife-killing of a teenage boy in Auckland.
Yours in concern at the quality of your guests,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
At 5:07 p.m. I received the following reply:
Thank you Morrissey; when Barry mentioned that the streaker had been on the move I wished I’d looked at the video again. Jim
Moz, while Corbett was clearly lying when he claimed to have watched the video several times and that he was convinced the security guard couldn’t have pulled out of the ‘tackle’, you don’t don’t do yourself any favours by referring to the Emery stabbing as frenzied or repeated. It was a single stab wound, and did not penetrate the full length of the blade. That fact is probably what saved Emery from an otherwise deserved murder conviction.
Moz, …you don’t don’t do yourself any favours by referring to the Emery stabbing as frenzied or repeated. It was a single stab wound, and did not penetrate the full length of the blade. That fact is probably what saved Emery from an otherwise deserved murder conviction.
Thanks for that, Te Reo. I guess I’ve just gotten into the pattern of describing it as a frenzied killing because no one has bothered to correct me before, and it’s become a pat formula by now. As you point out, it does no good to anyone to exaggerate like I have done here.
Anyway, it’s not Emery that disgusts me about this whole sordid business. Certainly, he committed a violent act, but he was remorseful and there seems to be little or no likelihood he will do it again. His vicious and cynical cheerleaders on the other hand, like Corbett, McVicar, Larry “Lackwit” Williams, Bruce Russell, “Whaleoil” and the rest of them, are beneath contempt.
It gives me a slight degree of pleasure to note that Emery’s rotten lawyer, Chris Comeskey, was eventually struck off for corrupt practices, and is now selling false teeth in the Australian outback.
Nicely put, mon ami. And good news about Comeskey; a laugh out loud bit of imagery that one!
Watch the tide turning on the “dietary fat is bad” mantra of the past handful of decades. Time magazine has front paged that the scientists were wrong, but appears to lay correct blame on the politicians and media who manufactured the mantra in the first place in the actual article (which is behind a paywall).
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/commentary-time-magazine-pushes-fat-myths-offers-mea-culpa-in-2014/22899
tl;dr dietary fat does not cause heart disease, obesity etc, refined carbohyrdates do. If you want to eat fat, eat it with veges not carbs.
And what about the bloody statins
Western conventional medicine, great when you are in a crisis, ranges from merely passable to crap every other instance.
still better than the alternatives.
Nah you’re wrong, and the reason that you are wrong is a fat probability tail of iatrogenics.
based on more evidence.
You know what they call alternative and complementary medicines that have evidence of efficacy? “Medicine”.
That would explain why Cam on Pubmed exists 🙄
Sarcasm aside, your statement is still wrong. Medical science has its own set of flaws, both in terms of bias/corruption, and the mere fact that it can’t study everything. It also lacks the capacity to study things that fall outside its current models of understanding. There is evidence of many things that have never been studied. To say that the only valid medicine is that which has been through an RCT is daft beyond belief.
On the other hand, you are right, it’s all medicine, which is why there are such things as herbal medicine, or medicine wo/men ;-p
CV, you do medicine a disservice. It’s not just iatrogenesis that makes McFlock wrong, it’s that many alternatives models work better than mainstream ones 😉
Yeah. That’s why lifespan has plummeted since scientific medical research started.
Get your facts right. Increasing lifespan coincides with raised standards of living (better shelter, less over-crowding, better hygiene, better diet etc). Obviously medical science has helped on some areas, but much of the improvement is down to coal, gas and oil.
The irony of course is that had we combined alternative and mainstream approaches (the smart thing to do) we would have much better outcomes and would haven’t major fuckups like MRSA within half a century of the discovery of penicillin.
Also, income levels as an independent factor separate from better access to healthcare or nutrition, is also a noted factor in improving longevity.
As you have so aptly described, it’s nothing to do with the myth (i.e. conceit) that modern scientific medicine has been the major demographic explanation to living longer.
But as income levels fall across the world, we can expect this to reverse as well.
Of course for individuals or very specific populations, modern medicine is indeed a life saver. But on a population basis, taking into account benefits as well as iatrogenesis and adverse effects, it doesn’t work out wholly positively.
who the fuck said “wholly positively”? It’s just a lot better than burning sage.
Perhaps marginally so, except burning sage doesn’t screw you over with a limb losing hospital acquired infection (that’s the fat tail downside I’ve been mentioning).
until you burn the house down 🙂
night night
“Some areas”.
Like everything from infant mortality to geriatric care.
MRSA? I’d rather cut myself shaving today than in 1900. Much less risky.
The move from cut-throats to safety razors are what has prevented the most infections from shaving cuts since 1900. That’s health benefits due to industrial design and product technology improvement, in other words. Not medical care or antibiotics.
Just another little example of how medical care may have had some minor positive impact, but much less than other often overlooked non-medical factors.
what bollocks.
Have to agree with CV on the statins McFlock. There should be some very red faces and big bloody lawsuits over the whole dietary fat = high cholestorol = heart diseases/diabetes thing. Anyone that values science should be appalled at what has been done with both the advice on diet, and the prescribing of statins.
Start with the link above, or Gary Taubes’ NYT article ‘What if it’s all been a big fat lie?’ and follow the trail.
read. Meh.
My point is that I don’t particularly give a shit that science progresses and maybe changes direction in some cases. That’s how it works. And corporate involvement is a major kick in the nuts to scientific advancement.
But the fact remains that more evidence eventually overrules corporate influence. Asbestos, lead in fuel, CFCs, car safety – all evidence overcoming corporate influence.
So on balance, I won’t be suddenly giving medical-doctor-grade credibility to a certified pyramid therapiser who thinks tying a cat to my head will cure my cancer.
Calling modern primary care medicine “merely passable to crap” is just a fucking lie. It’s a lot better, as I said, than the alternatives that had us rebalancing humours or praying.
You obviously haven’t read. This isn’t about science progresseing and perhaps changing direction, unless you call an about turn progress. When Ancel Keys pushed the fat hypothesis, scientists at the time said he was wrong. Politicians followed the Keys’ line and then subsequent science fucked up. For decades. We now have 30 or 40 years of people having been given the wrong advice and this having led to a public health epidemic. You can downplay it all you like, but it just makes you look like a fundamentalist when the evidence is there to see. I’m kind of gobsmacked at your dismissal of the fat hypothesis issue given your involvement in public health promotion.
As for your criticism of alternative health, if you think this is about a certified pyramid therapiser, then you’re either incredibly ignorant, or extremely disingenuous. I’d actually go for the former because you come across as generally balanced in your understanding of information. The same fundy arguments you use were previously used against things like acupuncture that are now routinely available in the mainstream. It’s ok though, because thankfully people are still free to choose alternatives and don’t have to wait for the sanctioning from medical science when other bodies of knowledge are already leading the way.
Something for you weka
Oct 4, 2010.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/308269/
sort of proves my point.
What was the reason for why it’s now routinely available in the mainstream? I seem to recall something about studies on its effectiveness…
Studies which were preceded by practitioners practicing competently within their own body of knowledge and patients going to acupuncturists and medical doctors seeing that their patients were getting better and eventually studies being done. Which kind of proves my point: medical science drags the chain on this, alternative medicine leads the way. If medical science wasn’t so full of itself, we would be a lot further along.
But until those studies were done, acupuncture was indistinguishable from whatever therapy steve jobs chose to delay actual treatment for.
Consider this analogy:
in front of me is a plate of small granules. There are slight differences in colour, shape and texture. Some granule types are a wonder food that will cure my ills and make me an Adonis. Other granule types don’t do a damned thing. A third type might actually slowly kill me. A variety of folk with varying degrees of eye-glaze insist that different granules are the wonder food.
Fuck ’em all. I’ll wait for the evidence.
Oh FFS McFlock, what % of primary care medicine procedures are evidenced based on RCTs on meta-analyses?
25%? If you are lucky?
By your own standards you should be calling for 75% of primary care medicine to be ditched, right here, right now.
cite pls.
Do your own research. Like try and find out how much proven benefit an annual medical check provides (clue: next to none) vs how many doctors keep doing them.
whatever, dude. You made the assertion.
But I suppose that suggesting an assertion without evidence means I should just believe you is good enough for someone who thinks medicine doesn’t need evidence.
Edit: I’m off to bed.
Easy way out.
Well, yeah. I’m not going to support his assertions for him when I don’t have any basis to believe them in the first place.
Anybody esss wotchin Kemble Loive tunoite?
Re chasing Crims and the devasshun on ear mota ways?
Tork abeart stupudityt fuck!
We shud be fankful thet the only thung thet saves us from devastayshun is thet the crims (crumbs) are a wee bit fucker than the Police! )Or Please es Greffie calls ’em)
( Ans of course they’ve got the likes of Jude, en Greg, en an “Indy” Please Kwoiry Thority ta bek em all up.
mmmm – that 3rd whurl bolt hole is looking more trektuv by the day goan forwid (especially knowing Key and Co hav it nex on their genda to cum grovling for FTA’s and the like loik.
[loik loik hoik hoik)
I really should be thinking farts and funnies – except that it’s ekshully quite serious (goan forwid).
20 – 30 years ago when I used to have to attend the dad-in-laws Saturfay morning Gardeninf Sess in the local – listening him reminisce about Al Alamein and various other campaigns – and the individuals barious legacies in the Nu Zull Please, I never expected I’d have to be laughing like fuck about their 21st legacy of cowardice, lying, woosiness, – you frikken name it.
Gref Fuckn O’Connor eh? (I mean JUST for starters!)
Pardon the fuk fingers
‘g’s ken pear es ‘f’s en the loik – but you get the idea.
I’ve not changed the channel (3), and I’m now witnessing another round of stupid.
I feel really sorry for Joe Average policeman! Really I do. Their own worst enema is their supposed representative and foreskin of their welfare (Greg).
Oh well …. more fool ’em eh?
Good shit OWT – I couldn’t understand a lot of it but you know most of our communications are non-verbal so… and I enjoyed trying to understand it.
Minister officially a waste of time and space…says same minister. 🙂
“Ms Adams said her Government had said all it needed to and she did not believe talking in person would add any weight to their arguments.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/247309/dismay-at-criticism-of-auckland-plan
fisianis said he was going and not coming back.
did hooton get an order from crosby textor to keep sending this machine manufacted crap down the line.
national only believes in one thing and that is ling their own pockets.
John Key charged at the Auckland District Court with Conspiring to defeat justice.
lol wow.
Anyone else I’d say they were overreaching. McCready though – he’s as unpredictable success-wise as Winston Peters 🙂
I can here the shredders buzzing, the hard drive being nuked on the 9th floor from here
Conspiring to defeat justice
Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years who conspires to obstruct, prevent, pervert, or defeat the course of justice in New Zealand or the course of justice in an overseas jurisdiction.
Compare: 1908 No 32 s 137
Section 116: amended, on 18 June 2002, by section 6(1) of the Crimes Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 20).
Enjoying the world cup ?
a lot of Brazilians certainly are not !
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/video