Pete George causes a lot of discussion in comments. Moderators have been considering it, there’s no strong consensus on what to do.
There’s no doubt that Pete’s debating “tactics” (for want of a better word) are infuriating to many and generally disruptive. There’s no doubt that he uses The Standard for link whoring (sorry – never liked that phrase). But in most cases he stays on the right side of the Policy, so a permanent ban seems unwarranted.
At this point Pete we’ve decided on a week-long ban for your behaviour yesterday (the deliberate misrepresentation of another commenter was way out of line). As for the linking, lprent has his own ideas about that…
Thanks for that, R0b. I for one understand and respect the position and decisions of the moderators.
I notice that two links to PG’s own website have now appeared in the comments section in the right hand column. Are these in line with the moderators’ decision?
Those are comments that Pete has made today. Because he’s on the ban list the comments themselves go to the spam queue, but that link in the comments pane does still appear.
I’m wishing now I had not been so busy elsewhere and had come back to hose things down sooner.
To his credit PG has responded sensibly to my own response here.
I could add in my defense that my original statement … the one that started the whole shitstorm … is curiously enough, pretty much modelled on an very similar one that no-one other than Maanu Paul himself ran on me about 20 years ago.
IMO I don’t think you should in any way feel bad or regretful about your original comment or the resultant ‘dialogue’. Most of us read the original in the manner you intended. In fact, I believe that the situation has had a good side, in allowing people to express their views on what has been happening and to discuss ways of handling it in a ‘community’ type of way – in effect, a form of detoxing and community-building!
It may have also been a warning to others who seek to undermine here….
PS – I have been impressed with Maanu Paul and his forthrightness in the last few days – and can well imagine him running the line you mentioned.
For those of us who do not have the power of moderation there is an easy way to silence PG. Ignore him. It is very difficult for him to debate with silence.
You can almost guarantee that following every PG comment is a Savage ‘Petey’ response. And from there the game begins for him. In my mind the two of them are as bad as each other. Savage the rest of your comments are insightful but your Petey ones are infuriating.
Yep, that was pretty much the consensus toward the end of yesterday. Either just ignore the bore or post a patronising smiley face.
I think the whole debate has been excellent and it echoes the dilemma union members have when there is one hold out who won’t join and insists on the boss passing on the results of union bargaining to him. It’s best to simply ignore the bludger and let the silence be the rebuke.
DNFTT only works if everyone does it (or most people most of the time). I will be interested to see if those how are now on record as not replying to PG are able to manage that once he is back 😉
Quiz: What has Clare Curran, Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson and David Shearer have in common?
They work hard to make sure the Labour Party rank and file members do not upset the cosy little world they have come to enjoy in Parliament. They believe they know better than you, when it comes to selecting a leader for the whole party, your party.
You see, they put Shearer in power to maintain the status quo. Shearer is the new Goff. Jacinda, Clare and Grant are in the golden circle now and they are not going to let the great unwashed upset the apple-cart. And they have a great plan (ok, ok Pagani has). Just don’t irritate people who voted National last two times and watch them flock in droves to Labour in 2014!
Marvellous! Four geniuses! And the nice NZ Council did what they were told.
Crikey that’s harsh. I’m not even sure yet what is changing, or what is staying the same. I am guessing you have seen the remits. Would love to be enlightened.
Is there such a thing as a plan in Labour, I mean for things other than succession?
Probably I would care less about who was leader or even by what means if I could see a plan of where Labour and the Greens could go together (other than wait for National to fail).
As an ex LEC chair (we all walked because Roger stayed) I have long held the deepest suspicion of “party central”. As the song goes
“The peoples flags a shade of pink,
Its not as red as you might think”.
Hence we are burdened forever by the likes of Shearer and Parker. careerist, not boat rockers. Status quo, but capable of managing a broken system better, (it will remain broken however because they are all straight jacketed into the present paradigm).
An an ex LRC chair for three years, Policy Council and committee member, along with founding a youth branch (which was eventually destroyed by a party-central candidate’s actions), I would concur with those remarks.
The party desperately needs a circuit-breaker to cut off these elements of caucus.
Can’t see what would have brought that accusation on TRP. Is any comment on the currently insipid Labour Party a de-facto comment of a troll or a spin line?
I mean, that says a lot about any appetite (or lack thereof) for any discussion on the Labour Party, it’s pathetic presence or any (reasonable imo) suspicion that it’s decended to the level whereby internal dynamics that are akin to navel staring and cock comparing has consumed the party as the ‘old guard’ manouvere to hang on to, well…basically pay cheques that flow from ‘their turf’.
We’re in a bar at a regular drinks/bullshit session. Quite a few diverse folk around, lots of different opinions.
A guy comes in who nobody’s ever seen before. He loudly yells some unimaginative lines, thus causing a bar fight. He is never seen again.
A while later, the same thing happens with a different guy, but similar lines. And so on.
After a few iterations, the random folk start trying harder to cause a bar fight. Their expressions evolve, become more blunt, but all have the same objective. Some of them let slip that they are regulars or even staff at another bar, or are seen there by some of the regulars. It’s going around town that your own bar is rough and prone to fights.
After a while, it becomes pretty obvious that someone’s just trying to give your bar a bad reputation, and that randoms coming in and calling your mother a whore are usually part of that plan. And if they’re not, they sure as hell aren’t trying to make a serious comment or have a meaningful dicussion.
Do you know what has been decided in regard to party membership input?
I’d be interested to know, but I’m not convinced your comment is anything more than guesswork.
Apologies Olwyn. It was emailed to secretaries of constituent bodies rather than members. If you check with your branch secretary they should be able to let you have a copy.
John Key has admitted that the MRP share float may be delayed because of Maori’s legal challenge over water.
The Herald reports that Key acknowledged in 2009 that Maori had “specific rights and interests” in fresh water in a 2009 letter to iwi leaders.
And Manu Paul, co leader of the Maori Council has urged the Maori Party to walk away from the coalition while its mana is intact. On radio he used the word “kupapa” meaning collaborator, in describing those who continued to support the Government. He said if they had mana they would walk. Strong words …
Oddly I think the main party to worry about now is New Zealand First.
The intersecting media themes of “Maori” and “Treaty” and “Save our assets” is custom built for Winston Peters. I could easily see him sustaining sufficient base to be an alternative support partner to National in 2014. Nowhere near as strong as the Greens, but doesn’t yet have to be.
This theme intersection will be amplified as Key goes for the High Court, and then has to make a call to either go for Court of Appeal, and negotiating in parallel for a share allocation. Or alternatively put fresh legislation into the house stripping Maori of any water claim.
I think Key will go for negotiate with a High Court backup, because he will see it taking away much of the asset sale bogey and waking people up to how much this is just about everyone’s financial self-interest. He will then be ablet o complete the first listing.
That will largely strip Labour of its’ most important policy advantage: being anti-asset sales.
The public bitterness a pro-Maori share of the IPO engenders will again play into Winston’s hands. Maori without being Maori Party, pro-seniors, pro-assets, pro-talkback sympathy. And I think by December tracking to 8%.
ADd peters is anti asset sales so ditching that policy would leave him out in the cold again as a lot of his support came from disaffected labour supporters wanting him in parliament to give national a run for their money but alas Peters has lost his Mojo and can’t be found.
Not that I would try to fathom Peters’ murky mind but if I did I would join the Government, and negotiate that no further asset sales would occur. Key could say “I floated one, Maori are being settled with, and I no longer need further sales to achieve financial stability”.
The point is merely that we should not presume that Key has no options, and could still win in 2014. Even if it is harder.
Nobody could fathom Winston’s mind – not even himself.
Unless it is a publicity stunt to get into the media periodically (and the MSM love him – he would not have got back into Parliament without their help).
If the MSM love him, why do they only report on anything he says that might be framed as controversial, rather than, say, reporting on NZF policy?
NZF is anti asset-sales and it will be a cold day in hell before we go anywhere near National
Governments in NZ, from the point they could comprehend the rough idea, have been actively negligent in their response to the necessary elevation of indigenous identity here. It is necessary though, to point out one thing in this latest act of a cold war by our Prime Minister and his supporters. As much as I despise it’s modern popular form, Pakeha culture allows a point of contact, without conflict, for whatever other peoples it meets.
Put aside the question of racism and insult over John Key’s comments that he did not have to listen to a tribunal ruling, before it happened, and you find that he is not acting under Pakeha culture.
John Key does not have mandate, or right, to misrepresent Pakeha culture in such coarse, rude, ungracious, disrespectful to office, void of diplomatic, etiquette.
For a moment, place aside who he has insulted and realise he has also insulted the honor of Pakeha people and their culture. Who is this man? What cultural protocol is he using? He has insulted the people he represents, the office of the Prime Minister and since we are still part of the Commonwealth, the office of Governor General and by association, the Queen Herself. What he has done can only be matched in Pakeha culture, to the deeds of a victorious General during talks for unconditional surrender. No such conditions exist. Under Pakeha culture, under Commonwealth diplomatic etiquette, he should be replaced immediately. This will not happen, but that is not the point.
To those watching, with justifiable outrage at a rude and culture-less man: do not call your own people Kupapa over this. If your mainstream political party leaves government, it should be for the right reasons; not under pressure of shame, by associating with a corrupt system, the only official system of participation; in which there is a worthy history. The value of a certain kind of leader should be appreciated. How can anyone attempting to subdue the pigs stay clean while in the sty? It would be unfair to condemn them for doing their job.
Maori and Pakeha relationship will outlive – and lives outside – one particular individual or regime. Almost one million people did not vote in the last election. This also does not include people who are old enough to be forming the views that will shape the future, but who are still too young to vote. Realise that the acts of an economic theory, are not the rules of culture for Pakeha at large – however many of us have lost the ability to recognise the difference. We have no rule that allows insult to host or guest. We know that money does not make right. We know how, when and why to apologise. What you are seeing illustrated in this latest conflict is pure greed and hubris, and those are human traits. Consider that in calling your own people useless, traitors or collaborators, you are allowing the poison of greed to do its full damage.
Your last paragraph identifies the real culprit: the culture of greed that has its own theological justification (the words of St Ayn, Friedman etc). I fear that the likes of Key were brought up and educated in the narrow amorality of this thinking: worse I suspect that culture does not come into it. There are Maori. Pakeha, Chinese, Eskimos etc who are also afflicted with the same materialist malady. For example what will it take to make Turia walk from the baubles of office?
Excellent post, Uturn. In his approach to this whole issue, Key certainly does not represent me as a NZ pakeha, and IMO continues to exhibit a total lack of regard, respect and/or knowledge for NZ’s unique Treaty of Waitangi relationship.
I agree, CV, that Key exhibits a banker/dealer culture and is continuing to do so, despite the reactions to his approach over the last week, as evident in this Stuff article this morning:
Prime Minister John Key says negotiating directly with the Government is a ”much more logical and sensible way” for Maori to resolve water rights issues than through the Waitangi Tribunal.
Maori had achieved good outcomes over the Waikato River, Taniwha Springs in Rotorua and more recently at Tahuna, he said.
”The Government’s view is that is the right process, it’s been the most successful.” …
Key today said much of what had been raised at the Tribunal hearing had already been dealt with or was in the process of being dealt with by the Government.
”There is a much more logical and sensible way of dealing with that,” he told TV3’s Firstline programme.
”We don’t agree there is ownership rights in water and we never have.” …
The Maori Council only represented one group within Maoridom, Key said.
”It’s not necessarily the view shared by many other groups within Maoridom.”
In other words, divide to undermine the existing Treaty issue process, and I’ll cut you a deal if you deal with me directly.
And his attempts to discredit the Maori Council continue in an updated version of the above Stuff column (it still contains the above version in the second half of the column)
Seems to be digging hiis heels in terms of going ahead with the sale of MRP regardless of possible legal action – and possibly buying a fight with the judiciary?
Last night Annette Sykes suggested the same thing, re: baubles and the Maori Party. She has respect in her circles and I don’t challenge that, but I disagree. This particular conflict is not about Turia or anyone associated with maori parliamentarians. If there are maori issues with the Maori Party, that’s none of my business. The MP can vote as they see fit on any particular issue, with responsiblity to whoever voted for them, or whoever they claim to represent. That’s as fair as our system gets.
The self interest of certain people to see the Nats go down at any cost or the Maori Party go down at cost to maori justifiable by hastening the demise of the Nat government, is also an act against the partnership between maori and pakeha. What this means is that certain pakeha are willing, through the excuse of combatting the applied greed of John Key and friends, to have maori hacking off another historical limb of their own, while we look on and wait for the fall out to settle – fall out, we know, that will favour pakeha. Then our favorite pakeha system can get back to enforcing more destructive attitudes on maori through legislation and leave them not only with a mainstream link to control in their affairs in tatters, but further animosity between ranks within their own world.
This is unacceptable, and if done consciously, worse than John Key’s openly demonstrated efforts. Maori are proud of their attempts to engage the, so far, reluctant and unengageable. Young people being groomed for leadership positions in the maori world look up to the examples of several historic maori parliamentary leaders. Regardless of philosophical reasoning, to consciously attack that link, would be dishonorable and despicable by pakeha standards. It is not Pakeha’s place.
That is the evil of applied greed. The Maori Party, per see, is not the target. Maori claims supporting a maori world view are not the target. How can they be? They have remained unchanged since forever. It is Key and his aggressive bullying incompetent supporters who are the target – by their own acts. That is where the pakeha attention must go, not on (sometimes inadvertently) manipulating or profiting from the the damage they cause.
“…At this point Pete we’ve decided on a week-long ban…”
Hallelujah! I refuse to bother even engaging with him. It became very clear very quickly to me that he was an old man with to much time on his hands. Once upon a time he would have written endless tedious letters to the ODT on all manner of subjects but primarily about how right he is all the time. Unlike today, when such people can infest multiple blogs across the internet for only a modest outlay of money, the only victims of this habit would have been the long-suffering readers of Dunedin newspapers, until such time as the ODT letters editor would have finally banned him. Probably then some sort of endless litigation would have been embarked upon, as a substitute for letter writing.
Eventually such old fellows die, usually mid-court action, and after a few years every ones opinion softens and people start to fondly recall the eccentric old duffer who wrote incessant letters to the editor and had the temerity to sue the ODT.
+1 Sanctuary. If we all ignore him then we can get on with the real business of this Blog. That, in my view, is the pushing , teasing, challenging of policies and strategies that improve the lot of the people of new Zealand .
the only victims of this habit would have been the long-suffering readers of Dunedin newspapers, until such time as the ODT letters editor would have finally banned him.
Actually no, editors of newspapers are under no obligation to publish letters and regularly choose not to for all sorts of reasons. Someone writing letters to the editor all the time has no guarantee of them being published, and editors are not going to overload their letters space with someone spamming them.
There is no reason why TS couldn’t also exercise such discretion (except maybe it would be alot of work for TS admin/moderators).
“If gareth or anyone else thinks they’re hard enough they can meet me outside.”
Colonial Viper said “I’m really very dubious ”
So I’ll quote a response to my criticism (I am sickened) of that in full so it can be judged in it’s entirety:
Gareth, that is the most disgusting example of one way racism I have ever seen
I think there is growing concern about what appears to be one way reverse racism.
I’ve been confronting them at The Standard and seem to have initiated an uprising against me. They don’t like being challenged. They’ve been trying to hound any challenging out of there, and this time made a concerted effort.
I think we should reafirm to work positively a bit more and work together a bit more (rather than wallowing in bitch and moan) then things will work better.Here’s a challenge to step back and consider Positive Politics, what can be done better in political blogs and in parliament.
I won’t respond or comment in Open Mic today – that may be a positive for some. If there’s anything positive here today I’ll collate and summarise.
Suggestions, pledges, whatever – people here claim The Standard is much better than Kiwiblog, show that it is at least as good. Get positive.
And as information grows I will firm up a position – if it’s important enough for me to do that. But it is rarely a fixed position, new information or circumstances can adjust it, a major revelation or time can lead to a major change of position.
Nothing to worry about, Gareth, CV (and felix). Just a bit of humour that appears to have been misundertood. I rather enjoyed the exchange; it was the funniest extended satire I think I’ve ever seen here.
No offence or misunderstanding I enjoyed it as well, It’s hilarious searching back some of Petes posts everything above is pretty much word for word cut n paste, That last paragraph has to be my favourite Pete quote of all time. Pretty much sums up both Pete’s ( George & Dunne)beautifully….
Peak water
I-Pad in preschool-machine wedge
“little victorians” pursuing self-seeking bias
content?
North American APA stories, particularly machine analogy story
essential ideas being filed in machine
not
Connecting in brain
Apple-fruit machine
hope slave
Master act-not act
NAct intermittent reinforcement (generally effective for behav maintenance and shaping) fuels intoxication of people in plunge, Anticipation, of saviour.
but no fuhrer, fuhrer not necessary anymore
all people can “read” history
Occams razor
ratio of scientist/priest tribute spent on description and tradition?
It seems to me to be a description of society and how it works. The money go round that enriches the few while dis-empowering and impoverishing everyone else.
An actual money go-round wouldn’t be this bad. This is the money going around society briefly, then being trapped and hoarded by the elite who sit on it, or sit on assets bought with it.
So was interesting watching it all unfold yesterday, already todays open mic seems alot more informative. Last night I was sent a link to a NZ design company “String Theory” for an ad the did for Good Books international. Cool Hunter S Thompson styled ad, bnut while there I saw this ten minute video they have done for Cunliffe on the Economy. Can’t find it anywhere on youtube etc but it’s brilliant, just click the picture and it should play. I really wanted to share it with a few friends but it’s nowhere to be found besides here:
Just having a read of the proposed changes to the LP constitution, policy development, list selection and party leadership. Excellent stuff and it gives the lie to the C/T and leftist trolling that has been going on here for the last couple of days. Particularly the rubbish about caucus refusing to listen to the membership.
No, I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag, but, as Micky notes above, members should contact their branch sec’s in the first instance. Your next branch meeting is going to be an exercise in democracy and creative thinking! Members, branches and LEC’s are actively encouraged to have their say in this set of changes and have no doubt, this is a real step forward in the evolution of our great party.
Righto, the feline has exited the enclosure. The details of the review process and proposals are up on the LP website.
Highlights are a slimmer moderating committee, list rankings in bands (ie top 5, next 5 etc.), a move to have branches and LEC’s more closely linked (the Palmy model?) and an increased say from the rank and file in the selection of the Parliamentary leader. That is proposed to be 40% members, 20% affiliates, 40% caucus.
the funny thing is if you disagree with whalesh*t or fatboy farr*r then you are kicked off their blogs but here you can mostly say what you like.
So who is the real standard bearer of freedom and truth?
obviously not the wing nuts of the right who only want obedience and slavish adherence to their desires to beat down the people who actually do the real work in this society.
send it anywhere you want in the universe, maybe “right” maybe “wrong”
but new boss not same as old boss
learning Revolution
or
the resurrection
(on forgiveness, memory and forgetting)
dedicated and in memoriam to people who Chose to love.
Master of Being
slave to fate
Master of destiny
slave to His-tory
Master of faith
slave to priest
Master of wisdom
slave to truth
Master of Comedy
slave to Tragedy
Master of emotion
slave to thoughts
Master of thoughts
slave to stories
Master of stories
slave to telling
Master of fear
slave to guilt
Master of happiness
slave to content
Master of sadness
slave to loss
Master of awareness
slave to denial
Master of surprise
slave to excitement
Master of anger
slave to outrage
Master of interest
slave to boredom
Master of disgust
slave to contempt
Master of anticipation
slave to obsession
Master of security
slave to exchange
Master of shelter
slave to lender
Master of wealth
slave to debt
Master of diet
slave to process sugar,fat
Master of warmth
slave to generator
Master of apparel
slave to sweatshop
Master of gold
slave to mine
Master of activity
slave to compulsion
Master of aggression
slave to hostility
Master of curiosity
slave to addiction
Master of achievement
slave to recognition
Master of affiliation
slave to status
Master of autonomy
slave to loneliness
Master of solitude
slave to crowd
Master of nurturance
slave to control
Master of exhibition
slave to fame
Master of order
slave to geometry
Master of Dominance
slave to Authority
Master of play
slave to rule
Master of universe
slave to electron
Master of nature
slave to extinction
Master of energy
slave to entropy
Master of growth
slave to decay
Master of water
slave to thirst
Master of breath
slave to lungs
Master of land
slave to fence
Master of home
slave to ancestors
Master of time
slave to clock
Master of cycle
slave to routine
Master of motion
slave to road
Master of road
slave to car
Master of car
slave to oil
Master of learning
slave to book
Master of exploration
slave to teacher
Master of labour
slave to contract
Master of contract
slave to government
Master of creativity
slave to medium
Master of medium
slave to media
Master of Profession
slave to form
Master of role
slave to economy
Master of economy
slave to wind
Master of sex-tant
slave to galley
Master of consumption
slave to market
Master of chance
slave to dice
Master of insight
slave to drug
Master of innovation
slave to tradition
Master of tool
slave to machine
Master of machine
slave to ghost
slave pick crop
slave built road
slave carry water
slave chop wood
slave mine rock
slave built monument
slave shepherd flock
slave built temple
slave guard altar
slave bear tribute
slave rear children
slave ferry old
John with respect, after the fourth or fifth line I started to get bored and I thought, what the fuck is he on about. Is this generation X or Y speak, so us down to earth “oldies” cannot comprehend it? It looks very academic and very intelligent to me. but frankly whatever the point you are trying to make has gone completely over my head and I suspect quite a few others as well. Do me a favour pal, in future if you have an opinion to tell, do it in simple terms so a thicky like me may comprehend what the fuck you are on about.
HCM – Here is a thought to help get out of the hole you have fallen into , as others here seem to also.
Let people post how they want, or like to, if you don’t or can’t comprehend it, then try asking for clarification, as opposed to asking for the writer to change his/her style…
On Marae Investigates on Sunday, Hone said that whanau Ora has received 13.4 million and that the Maori Party asked for 134 million. The Maori Party looks as though they usually end up with one tenth of what they ask for.
I am finding that the biggest diversion from the day to day running of the country is the issue over water:
Who owns it?
Who manages it?
What Maori interest is?
The Glenn Family Foundation has announced a 80 million dollar package to stem family violence and abuse, with children at the top of the pyramid. 8 million dollars was pledged today with a pilot programme in Otara. I expect that demand is going to exceed supply. I am going to watch the gains which the Glenn Family Foundation make in regard to child poverty, child abuse and violence in the home.
I also read today that ACC is dragging the ball and chain when it comes to 11 recommendations concerning sensitive claims. The other recommendation 16 counselling sessions has strings attached.
This has got to be the WORSE government on record for child poverty, child abuse, violence in the home and not supporting ACC sensitive claimants.
“National embrassment” according to Glenn re child abuse and that he will pay 10 – 15 million for a commission into child abuse; highlighted is child fatality if the government will not.
Over 200 million for consultants to build roads and nothing for a commission into the death and serious injury of children, I regard this as a national embrassment.
Thank you for supplying the links, I was not aware of the Child & Youth Mortality Review Committee and I will read up on them. I am interested in the funding they get.
14.1 paragraph 4.
“Nothing” is a broad word, inadequate funding to deal with the issue, (death and serious injury of children involved in abuse and violence in the home) is not seen as a priority compared to road consultants.
I saw on stuff.co.nz today that adults who have a sensitive claim pertaining to childhood are really being let down by ACC. This is the consequence of children being sexually and physically harmed and EVERYTHING possible has to be done to prevent the criminal damage done to vulnerable children.
I got a letter from John Key in the mail today (actually addressed to my wife and myself) asking me what I thought was important about the budget. Anyone else get one?
You were lucky we received one from our local nondescript MP (problem when you live in a protected rotten borough) as he was canvassing to what we thought the local area issues were, nothing asked re macro issues, I am now receiving emails !!!. It was extremely difficult to write anything of substance or constructive criticism, just enough space for 1 medium sized word or 2-3 small words !!!!
Still better to be asked and have some input.
I never got my letter.
If they send one they better include some return postage so I can tell them exactly what is wrong with their excuse for a government.
The unanimous decision of the “Dateline London panel last Sunday was that Private/Public ownership in the UK was a complete failure . Somebody should tell Key . It certainly would not be his doppelganger in the British Parliament who is slowly but surely destroying what is left of the Uk
This will interest some people. It’s a study into the collapse of present society.
It is argued that in order to understand systemic risk in the globalised economy, account must betaken of how growing complexity (interconnectedness, interdependence and the speed of processes), the de-localisation of production and concentration within key pillars of the globalised economy have magnified global vulnerability and opened up the possibility of a rapid and large-scale collapse. ‘Collapse’ in this sense means the irreversible loss of socio-economic complexity which fundamentally transforms the nature of the economy. These crucial issues have not beenrecognised by policy-makers nor are they reflected in economic thinking or modelling.
Two items on 3 News that I wish to comment on – the ‘body-snatching’ case where James Takamore was taken from his Pakeha widow and children before he could be buried. Is this okay? Definitely not. Is the refusal of iwi to obey court rulings against them okay? IMO, definitely not.
Iraena Asher. She was the victim of sexism, and a refusal to take seriously the fears of a woman with bipolar disorder. Why has it taken until now, for the authorities to investigate? That’s definitely not okay.
Note to Captain Panic Pants Re: getting the Slippery shyster to talk tough over asset sales, it’s a total FAILURE when the tough talking is via a Lithp…
Would filling out and sending back a response to the personally-addressed propaganda (sorry, survey) I received from John Key today use up some of their PS-funded-budget that they wouldn’t be able to use for other purposes, or has the money already been spent regardless of whether the response actually gets sent back? Can I put something heavy into the Freepost envelope to increase how much it costs them to ‘hear my views’?
Once upon a time I believe that a letter sent to an MP at parliament did not have to have a stamp.Democracy was free but I don’t know if that is still the case so maybe don’t muck around with that
The best route back might be to your local branch of the Nat party or to the Nats party Headquarters address. This means it will go right to the heart of the organisation -stamps optional. When I receive unsolicited mail, stuff off public registers like MV licensing gets to me but rather than stew I go for a positive approach.
I return the offending material with a typed note thanking them profusely for the supply of reading matter and say that I would like to return the compliment by supplying them with some reading matter that I find interesting. Of course I have lots of this weighing a ton so it needs a very large envelope and inevitably someone has given the cat it’s dinner on a really important piece that I had meant to save… so I send that too.
Commercial stuff is usually best sent to a director – address courtesy of the coy’s office site …
How Britain’s top spy is beating the drums for war on Iran
by Michael Higgs, Stop the War Coalition, 15 July 2012
SIR JOHN Sawers has reared his head in public for the second time since being appointed head of MI6 in 2009. Last time it was to claim that Britain has “nothing whatsoever” to do with torture.
We know this to be untrue following the revelations over MI6’s role in ‘renditioning’ Libyan dissidents to Tripoli to be tortured, as a favour to the intelligence services there. One might hope that, having learnt from his previous mistake, this latest speech would be rather more honest.
It was not to be.
In an article appearing in the the Daily Telegraph, the head of Britain’s overseas spy service is quoted at length from a speech recently given to senior civil servants. In it, he discussed Iran and its nuclear programme, claiming that covert operations by MI6 had prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons by 2008, but that the Islamic Republic is now likely to become (and we are assured it is their goal) a “nuclear weapons state” by 2014.
Coming shortly after a fresh round of sanctions, almost every line in the Telegraph article beats the drum for war. The screws are being tightened on Tehran and propaganda for an attack is in full swing.
In keeping with Sawers’ previous public appearance as head of MI6, he boasts of the agency’s relevance and effectiveness in the field, perhaps still smarting from the humiliating episode in Libya where SAS and MI6 officers were captured by rebels.
The grim reality of covert operations in Iran is acknowledged by the Telegraph, however, in what they refer to as the ‘apparent assassinations’ of multiple Iranian scientists. A reality check is in order here.
Five nuclear scientists have been murdered in as many years in a campaign of state terror directed against Iran. One, Darioush Rezaeinejad, was shot dead outside his daughter’s nursery. Israel is the most likely suspect, possibly with the support of Britain or America. Certainly neither country has condemned the killings. Imagine for a moment the outrage if Iran had, in broad daylight, executed the director of a nuclear plant in the UK.
John Sawers is a liar. We know he lied about MI6’s complicity in torture and we should be skeptical, to say the least, about his denial of complicity in the murder of Iranian civilians, particularly given the nod just made to the existence of covert action by MI6 in Iran.
Whatever the details of the covert operations Sawers has run in Iran, his claim that they prevented the development of a “nuclear weapons state” there by 2008 is a revelation to say the least.
If Iran was on the brink of possessing nuclear weapons in 2008, then I hope someone told the Americans. Because in 2007, a report by the CIA — surely the world’s largest and most well-connected spy network (no offense, Sir John) — stated “with high confidence” that “in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program” and that “Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007”.
There is no convincing evidence it has since been restarted.
The IAEA has confirmed in all of its reports that nuclear material has not been diverted from use in energy and medical research, where inspectors keep a close watch.
Nonetheless, Sawers’ claims that Iran will be a “nuclear weapons state” in just two years time. Based on what? We are expected to take his word for it.
Sawers’ phrase of choice, “nuclear weapons state” is perhaps of interest given America’s recent re-definition of its ‘red line’ with regard to Iran. The red line is the situation that America is categorically unwilling to tolerate, that is, they will go to war to prevent it. Until May this year….
Thanks for kind words Standardistas. A short break, a visit with my grandchild in Christchurch and some weeding will leave me with overdue jobs done and happy memories. So I’ll concentrate on such things for a while and return a better person, with a tidier section, I hope.
We’ve all heard about “piracy” and how it’s theft from the music and film industries but…
Five years ago a composer created music for use in a one-off anti-piracy video. However, without his permission it was used time and again on dozens of commercial DVDs such as Harry Potter. Even in the wake of a huge controversy over “corrupt” and “mafia-like” practices, the local music rights group that got involved in the case failed to pay him the money he was owed. The case went to court and this week the music rights group lost.
…apparently these groups don’t think that those same standards apply to them.
No apparently about it mate. One set of rules and enforcement for the creatives and the workers. Another completely different set for the elite and the corporates (and they get to write both sets).
“elite and the corporates (and they get to write both sets)”
Yeah nah. This is a case of a slack collection agency.
Gotta watch those torrentfreak headlines, they have a habit of conflating quite separate things. In this example they’re making it appear as if the anti-piracy group were the ones not paying up.
Which is, you know, impressively hypocritical-sounding to a 13 year old on Digg.com
Any particular reason you decided not to deem that private sector collection agency (which appears to cover deals totalling many millions of euros) a “corporate”?
You know, since they are supposed to collect monies from the huge entertainment companies they have relationships with and consequently pass them on to artists, but whoops, appears not to.
But you wouldn’t be too surprised if the senior management of that collection agency happen to be former employees of Time Warner, Sony Pictures, Viacom, etc. right?
Because as you know, that’s how the elite and the corporates do their dirty work.
Its not a “collection society”. Its a for-profit private sector corporate.
It also happens to be the same private organisation which took Kazaa to court for copyright infringement against the major media companies. Nice that they’re such good friends of the big studios.
Collection societies are always private sector organisations, designed to turn profits which are in most cases entirely distributed to their members.
Their role is to collect money payable to composers and authors of musical works, and in my experience they generally do a pretty good job of it considering the logistics.
Sounds like this particular society was a pretty slack in this instance, but I’m not going to spend time looking into it because it’s a fricking torrentfreak story which are generally either deliberately misleading (as this one seems to be) or entirely bullshit.
Couldn’t give a fuck about Kazzaa but I’m sorry for your loss.
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. 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 ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
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 ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
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Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
Pete George causes a lot of discussion in comments. Moderators have been considering it, there’s no strong consensus on what to do.
There’s no doubt that Pete’s debating “tactics” (for want of a better word) are infuriating to many and generally disruptive. There’s no doubt that he uses The Standard for link whoring (sorry – never liked that phrase). But in most cases he stays on the right side of the Policy, so a permanent ban seems unwarranted.
At this point Pete we’ve decided on a week-long ban for your behaviour yesterday (the deliberate misrepresentation of another commenter was way out of line). As for the linking, lprent has his own ideas about that…
Thanks for that, R0b. I for one understand and respect the position and decisions of the moderators.
I notice that two links to PG’s own website have now appeared in the comments section in the right hand column. Are these in line with the moderators’ decision?
Those are comments that Pete has made today. Because he’s on the ban list the comments themselves go to the spam queue, but that link in the comments pane does still appear.
I’m wishing now I had not been so busy elsewhere and had come back to hose things down sooner.
To his credit PG has responded sensibly to my own response here.
I could add in my defense that my original statement … the one that started the whole shitstorm … is curiously enough, pretty much modelled on an very similar one that no-one other than Maanu Paul himself ran on me about 20 years ago.
IMO I don’t think you should in any way feel bad or regretful about your original comment or the resultant ‘dialogue’. Most of us read the original in the manner you intended. In fact, I believe that the situation has had a good side, in allowing people to express their views on what has been happening and to discuss ways of handling it in a ‘community’ type of way – in effect, a form of detoxing and community-building!
It may have also been a warning to others who seek to undermine here….
PS – I have been impressed with Maanu Paul and his forthrightness in the last few days – and can well imagine him running the line you mentioned.
I have found this interesting video of a typical argument involving Standarnistas and Pete George. Hint, he is the one sitting …
For those of us who do not have the power of moderation there is an easy way to silence PG. Ignore him. It is very difficult for him to debate with silence.
You can almost guarantee that following every PG comment is a Savage ‘Petey’ response. And from there the game begins for him. In my mind the two of them are as bad as each other. Savage the rest of your comments are insightful but your Petey ones are infuriating.
Don’t feed the Troll
Apart from the second to last sentence you’re spot on.
Yep, that was pretty much the consensus toward the end of yesterday. Either just ignore the bore or post a patronising smiley face.
I think the whole debate has been excellent and it echoes the dilemma union members have when there is one hold out who won’t join and insists on the boss passing on the results of union bargaining to him. It’s best to simply ignore the bludger and let the silence be the rebuke.
Your metaphor is retarded.
How so, HS? PG uses this site to pimp his own, so he is very much like the worker bludging off his unionised workmates.
And up steps another troll to fill the void 🙄
DNFTT only works if everyone does it (or most people most of the time). I will be interested to see if those how are now on record as not replying to PG are able to manage that once he is back 😉
Armed with smileys and ready to ignore 😀
:-roll Just testing to see if I’ve got that ‘eye rolling’ smiley code. more expressive of indulgence, resignation and dismissal.
edit nope. Anyone?
🙄
😛
colon to finish the roll as well as start it 🙂
:-:roll: Ah! Cheers McFlock…cept it ain’t working 🙂
Lose the dash. 🙄 😛
test
‘:shock:’ => ‘icon_eek.gif’
‘:roll:’ => ‘icon_rolleyes.gif’
oops
‘icon_eek.gif’
‘icon_rolleyes.gif’
oops
🙄
😮
nice – final edit worked – yay
sheesh 🙄 cheers
No angry smileys though I reckon. That’d just encourage him. 😉
There’s always this
@:-)
or maybe
$:-)
Haha are those the Peter Dunne smileys? (“Dunnies”)
They are!
‘Dunnies’ rofl
Quiz: What has Clare Curran, Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson and David Shearer have in common?
They work hard to make sure the Labour Party rank and file members do not upset the cosy little world they have come to enjoy in Parliament. They believe they know better than you, when it comes to selecting a leader for the whole party, your party.
You see, they put Shearer in power to maintain the status quo. Shearer is the new Goff. Jacinda, Clare and Grant are in the golden circle now and they are not going to let the great unwashed upset the apple-cart. And they have a great plan (ok, ok Pagani has). Just don’t irritate people who voted National last two times and watch them flock in droves to Labour in 2014!
Marvellous! Four geniuses! And the nice NZ Council did what they were told.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Crikey that’s harsh. I’m not even sure yet what is changing, or what is staying the same. I am guessing you have seen the remits. Would love to be enlightened.
Is there such a thing as a plan in Labour, I mean for things other than succession?
Probably I would care less about who was leader or even by what means if I could see a plan of where Labour and the Greens could go together (other than wait for National to fail).
As an ex LEC chair (we all walked because Roger stayed) I have long held the deepest suspicion of “party central”. As the song goes
“The peoples flags a shade of pink,
Its not as red as you might think”.
Hence we are burdened forever by the likes of Shearer and Parker. careerist, not boat rockers. Status quo, but capable of managing a broken system better, (it will remain broken however because they are all straight jacketed into the present paradigm).
An an ex LRC chair for three years, Policy Council and committee member, along with founding a youth branch (which was eventually destroyed by a party-central candidate’s actions), I would concur with those remarks.
The party desperately needs a circuit-breaker to cut off these elements of caucus.
L’Heure, I don’t think you’ve posted here before. Where are you getting your evidence from?
Are you a Labour Party member?
…curious use of “your” rather than “our” ne c’est pas?
A member of the C/T branch of the party, Carol. Sames as yesterday’s visitors. National must be fair crapping themselves if they’ve sunk this low.
CT as in Concern Troll, or Crosby Textor?
Both!
Can’t see what would have brought that accusation on TRP. Is any comment on the currently insipid Labour Party a de-facto comment of a troll or a spin line?
I mean, that says a lot about any appetite (or lack thereof) for any discussion on the Labour Party, it’s pathetic presence or any (reasonable imo) suspicion that it’s decended to the level whereby internal dynamics that are akin to navel staring and cock comparing has consumed the party as the ‘old guard’ manouvere to hang on to, well…basically pay cheques that flow from ‘their turf’.
the ‘old guard’ manouvere to hang on to, well…basically pay cheques that flow from ‘their turf’. so true Bill, sort of “DunneLites”.
I think of it like this:
We’re in a bar at a regular drinks/bullshit session. Quite a few diverse folk around, lots of different opinions.
A guy comes in who nobody’s ever seen before. He loudly yells some unimaginative lines, thus causing a bar fight. He is never seen again.
A while later, the same thing happens with a different guy, but similar lines. And so on.
After a few iterations, the random folk start trying harder to cause a bar fight. Their expressions evolve, become more blunt, but all have the same objective. Some of them let slip that they are regulars or even staff at another bar, or are seen there by some of the regulars. It’s going around town that your own bar is rough and prone to fights.
After a while, it becomes pretty obvious that someone’s just trying to give your bar a bad reputation, and that randoms coming in and calling your mother a whore are usually part of that plan. And if they’re not, they sure as hell aren’t trying to make a serious comment or have a meaningful dicussion.
…And the nice NZ Council did what they were told…
Do you know what has been decided in regard to party membership input?
I’d be interested to know, but I’m not convinced your comment is anything more than guesswork.
Papers were emailed to members last night. There are proposed constitutional changes which are to be considered at the Conference in November.
EDIT: I have this feeling of deja vu …
I am a member, but have not yet received an email about it.
Apologies Olwyn. It was emailed to secretaries of constituent bodies rather than members. If you check with your branch secretary they should be able to let you have a copy.
Thanks Mickey. I dare say it will be forwarded in due course. If not I will get in touch with the branch.
Papers were emailed to members last night. There are proposed constitutional changes which are to be considered at the Conference in November.
National – Maori Party relations are teetering.
John Key has admitted that the MRP share float may be delayed because of Maori’s legal challenge over water.
The Herald reports that Key acknowledged in 2009 that Maori had “specific rights and interests” in fresh water in a 2009 letter to iwi leaders.
And Manu Paul, co leader of the Maori Council has urged the Maori Party to walk away from the coalition while its mana is intact. On radio he used the word “kupapa” meaning collaborator, in describing those who continued to support the Government. He said if they had mana they would walk. Strong words …
Oddly I think the main party to worry about now is New Zealand First.
The intersecting media themes of “Maori” and “Treaty” and “Save our assets” is custom built for Winston Peters. I could easily see him sustaining sufficient base to be an alternative support partner to National in 2014. Nowhere near as strong as the Greens, but doesn’t yet have to be.
This theme intersection will be amplified as Key goes for the High Court, and then has to make a call to either go for Court of Appeal, and negotiating in parallel for a share allocation. Or alternatively put fresh legislation into the house stripping Maori of any water claim.
I think Key will go for negotiate with a High Court backup, because he will see it taking away much of the asset sale bogey and waking people up to how much this is just about everyone’s financial self-interest. He will then be ablet o complete the first listing.
That will largely strip Labour of its’ most important policy advantage: being anti-asset sales.
The public bitterness a pro-Maori share of the IPO engenders will again play into Winston’s hands. Maori without being Maori Party, pro-seniors, pro-assets, pro-talkback sympathy. And I think by December tracking to 8%.
ADd peters is anti asset sales so ditching that policy would leave him out in the cold again as a lot of his support came from disaffected labour supporters wanting him in parliament to give national a run for their money but alas Peters has lost his Mojo and can’t be found.
Not that I would try to fathom Peters’ murky mind but if I did I would join the Government, and negotiate that no further asset sales would occur. Key could say “I floated one, Maori are being settled with, and I no longer need further sales to achieve financial stability”.
The point is merely that we should not presume that Key has no options, and could still win in 2014. Even if it is harder.
ad
Nobody could fathom Winston’s mind – not even himself.
Unless it is a publicity stunt to get into the media periodically (and the MSM love him – he would not have got back into Parliament without their help).
If the MSM love him, why do they only report on anything he says that might be framed as controversial, rather than, say, reporting on NZF policy?
NZF is anti asset-sales and it will be a cold day in hell before we go anywhere near National
Governments in NZ, from the point they could comprehend the rough idea, have been actively negligent in their response to the necessary elevation of indigenous identity here. It is necessary though, to point out one thing in this latest act of a cold war by our Prime Minister and his supporters. As much as I despise it’s modern popular form, Pakeha culture allows a point of contact, without conflict, for whatever other peoples it meets.
Put aside the question of racism and insult over John Key’s comments that he did not have to listen to a tribunal ruling, before it happened, and you find that he is not acting under Pakeha culture.
John Key does not have mandate, or right, to misrepresent Pakeha culture in such coarse, rude, ungracious, disrespectful to office, void of diplomatic, etiquette.
For a moment, place aside who he has insulted and realise he has also insulted the honor of Pakeha people and their culture. Who is this man? What cultural protocol is he using? He has insulted the people he represents, the office of the Prime Minister and since we are still part of the Commonwealth, the office of Governor General and by association, the Queen Herself. What he has done can only be matched in Pakeha culture, to the deeds of a victorious General during talks for unconditional surrender. No such conditions exist. Under Pakeha culture, under Commonwealth diplomatic etiquette, he should be replaced immediately. This will not happen, but that is not the point.
To those watching, with justifiable outrage at a rude and culture-less man: do not call your own people Kupapa over this. If your mainstream political party leaves government, it should be for the right reasons; not under pressure of shame, by associating with a corrupt system, the only official system of participation; in which there is a worthy history. The value of a certain kind of leader should be appreciated. How can anyone attempting to subdue the pigs stay clean while in the sty? It would be unfair to condemn them for doing their job.
Maori and Pakeha relationship will outlive – and lives outside – one particular individual or regime. Almost one million people did not vote in the last election. This also does not include people who are old enough to be forming the views that will shape the future, but who are still too young to vote. Realise that the acts of an economic theory, are not the rules of culture for Pakeha at large – however many of us have lost the ability to recognise the difference. We have no rule that allows insult to host or guest. We know that money does not make right. We know how, when and why to apologise. What you are seeing illustrated in this latest conflict is pure greed and hubris, and those are human traits. Consider that in calling your own people useless, traitors or collaborators, you are allowing the poison of greed to do its full damage.
Your last paragraph identifies the real culprit: the culture of greed that has its own theological justification (the words of St Ayn, Friedman etc). I fear that the likes of Key were brought up and educated in the narrow amorality of this thinking: worse I suspect that culture does not come into it. There are Maori. Pakeha, Chinese, Eskimos etc who are also afflicted with the same materialist malady. For example what will it take to make Turia walk from the baubles of office?
Key’s culture is the bankster culture. Manipulative, presumptive and parasitic.
Notice how over the last few years, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of banking scandals and fraud keep getting announced?
These aren’t exceptional instances in this vampire squid industry. Its the norm.
Excellent post, Uturn. In his approach to this whole issue, Key certainly does not represent me as a NZ pakeha, and IMO continues to exhibit a total lack of regard, respect and/or knowledge for NZ’s unique Treaty of Waitangi relationship.
I agree, CV, that Key exhibits a banker/dealer culture and is continuing to do so, despite the reactions to his approach over the last week, as evident in this Stuff article this morning:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7290658/Key-Maori-should-negotiate-with-Government
Prime Minister John Key says negotiating directly with the Government is a ”much more logical and sensible way” for Maori to resolve water rights issues than through the Waitangi Tribunal.
Maori had achieved good outcomes over the Waikato River, Taniwha Springs in Rotorua and more recently at Tahuna, he said.
”The Government’s view is that is the right process, it’s been the most successful.” …
Key today said much of what had been raised at the Tribunal hearing had already been dealt with or was in the process of being dealt with by the Government.
”There is a much more logical and sensible way of dealing with that,” he told TV3’s Firstline programme.
”We don’t agree there is ownership rights in water and we never have.” …
The Maori Council only represented one group within Maoridom, Key said.
”It’s not necessarily the view shared by many other groups within Maoridom.”
In other words, divide to undermine the existing Treaty issue process, and I’ll cut you a deal if you deal with me directly.
He certainly does not know when to stop digging.
And his attempts to discredit the Maori Council continue in an updated version of the above Stuff column (it still contains the above version in the second half of the column)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7290658/Key-Maori-should-negotiate-with-Government
Seems to be digging hiis heels in terms of going ahead with the sale of MRP regardless of possible legal action – and possibly buying a fight with the judiciary?
Last night Annette Sykes suggested the same thing, re: baubles and the Maori Party. She has respect in her circles and I don’t challenge that, but I disagree. This particular conflict is not about Turia or anyone associated with maori parliamentarians. If there are maori issues with the Maori Party, that’s none of my business. The MP can vote as they see fit on any particular issue, with responsiblity to whoever voted for them, or whoever they claim to represent. That’s as fair as our system gets.
The self interest of certain people to see the Nats go down at any cost or the Maori Party go down at cost to maori justifiable by hastening the demise of the Nat government, is also an act against the partnership between maori and pakeha. What this means is that certain pakeha are willing, through the excuse of combatting the applied greed of John Key and friends, to have maori hacking off another historical limb of their own, while we look on and wait for the fall out to settle – fall out, we know, that will favour pakeha. Then our favorite pakeha system can get back to enforcing more destructive attitudes on maori through legislation and leave them not only with a mainstream link to control in their affairs in tatters, but further animosity between ranks within their own world.
This is unacceptable, and if done consciously, worse than John Key’s openly demonstrated efforts. Maori are proud of their attempts to engage the, so far, reluctant and unengageable. Young people being groomed for leadership positions in the maori world look up to the examples of several historic maori parliamentary leaders. Regardless of philosophical reasoning, to consciously attack that link, would be dishonorable and despicable by pakeha standards. It is not Pakeha’s place.
That is the evil of applied greed. The Maori Party, per see, is not the target. Maori claims supporting a maori world view are not the target. How can they be? They have remained unchanged since forever. It is Key and his aggressive bullying incompetent supporters who are the target – by their own acts. That is where the pakeha attention must go, not on (sometimes inadvertently) manipulating or profiting from the the damage they cause.
“…At this point Pete we’ve decided on a week-long ban…”
Hallelujah! I refuse to bother even engaging with him. It became very clear very quickly to me that he was an old man with to much time on his hands. Once upon a time he would have written endless tedious letters to the ODT on all manner of subjects but primarily about how right he is all the time. Unlike today, when such people can infest multiple blogs across the internet for only a modest outlay of money, the only victims of this habit would have been the long-suffering readers of Dunedin newspapers, until such time as the ODT letters editor would have finally banned him. Probably then some sort of endless litigation would have been embarked upon, as a substitute for letter writing.
Eventually such old fellows die, usually mid-court action, and after a few years every ones opinion softens and people start to fondly recall the eccentric old duffer who wrote incessant letters to the editor and had the temerity to sue the ODT.
+1 Sanctuary. If we all ignore him then we can get on with the real business of this Blog. That, in my view, is the pushing , teasing, challenging of policies and strategies that improve the lot of the people of new Zealand .
Actually no, editors of newspapers are under no obligation to publish letters and regularly choose not to for all sorts of reasons. Someone writing letters to the editor all the time has no guarantee of them being published, and editors are not going to overload their letters space with someone spamming them.
There is no reason why TS couldn’t also exercise such discretion (except maybe it would be alot of work for TS admin/moderators).
Just programme the system to accept posts from PG on even numbered dates of the month.
Or give him an automated curfew. None after midday until 8am the next day.
None before midday would be better. Give others a chance to set the debate for the day.
yeah that works better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKdsArZ2Nes
The only other time I have heard this song was as a theme to a saturday morning children’s programme of the same vintage.
I’ve been accused of taking this out of context:
“If gareth or anyone else thinks they’re hard enough they can meet me outside.”
Colonial Viper said “I’m really very dubious ”
So I’ll quote a response to my criticism (I am sickened) of that in full so it can be judged in it’s entirety:
Gareth, that is the most disgusting example of one way racism I have ever seen
I think there is growing concern about what appears to be one way reverse racism.
I’ve been confronting them at The Standard and seem to have initiated an uprising against me. They don’t like being challenged. They’ve been trying to hound any challenging out of there, and this time made a concerted effort.
I think we should reafirm to work positively a bit more and work together a bit more (rather than wallowing in bitch and moan) then things will work better.Here’s a challenge to step back and consider Positive Politics, what can be done better in political blogs and in parliament.
I won’t respond or comment in Open Mic today – that may be a positive for some. If there’s anything positive here today I’ll collate and summarise.
Suggestions, pledges, whatever – people here claim The Standard is much better than Kiwiblog, show that it is at least as good. Get positive.
And as information grows I will firm up a position – if it’s important enough for me to do that. But it is rarely a fixed position, new information or circumstances can adjust it, a major revelation or time can lead to a major change of position.
Nothing to worry about, Gareth, CV (and felix). Just a bit of humour that appears to have been misundertood. I rather enjoyed the exchange; it was the funniest extended satire I think I’ve ever seen here.
No offence or misunderstanding I enjoyed it as well, It’s hilarious searching back some of Petes posts everything above is pretty much word for word cut n paste, That last paragraph has to be my favourite Pete quote of all time. Pretty much sums up both Pete’s ( George & Dunne)beautifully….
yeah I like a bit of satay too every now and again.
Peak water
I-Pad in preschool-machine wedge
“little victorians” pursuing self-seeking bias
content?
North American APA stories, particularly machine analogy story
essential ideas being filed in machine
not
Connecting in brain
Apple-fruit machine
hope slave
Master act-not act
NAct intermittent reinforcement (generally effective for behav maintenance and shaping) fuels intoxication of people in plunge, Anticipation, of saviour.
but no fuhrer, fuhrer not necessary anymore
all people can “read” history
Occams razor
ratio of scientist/priest tribute spent on description and tradition?
E.O Wilson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._O._Wilson#God_and_religion
“bottle-neck of time”
“Big Economics always trumps big POLITICS
-Wolfson
fly capital, fly
RT white Russian in information war. LIGHT
Auckland not “understandable” yet
meaning?
rosetta stone?
lifestyle creep
lifestyle settle
joyce built house on sand
liqui-faction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_Fetish
Master of growth
slave to decay
Adapt as
remainder
of Dinosaurs shed golden scales
Cerebral cortex evolved effectively to CHEAT and detect CHEATING
DETECTION superior to deception
Art
( )
Troll seeks Master
What is reclaimed from machine
Telegram via machine
round sphere
machine connected
bot to gather money
Telegram to disperse money
good faith ala Jean-Paul
not
taught to commerce
-“good Bargain”
badfaithbadfaithbadfaithbadfaithbadfaith
participatory distant
listening close
shelter, warmth, medicine
people might see 100 years
not take madicine
cell Home Hive COLLECTive
In bad faith I buy what is necessary;
Using that which no one can afford;
To hide in plain view,
From those who are dangerous.
Outside myself, I meet the authentic
Who accepts cowardice.
DEMOTIC
Pop culture
As Greece falls.
Incapable of objectivity,
grasping only my beliefs, I’m two parts blind.
Mistaking the past for hope.
The only moment of worth, in the error.
Erm…. Huh?
It seems to me to be a description of society and how it works. The money go round that enriches the few while dis-empowering and impoverishing everyone else.
An actual money go-round wouldn’t be this bad. This is the money going around society briefly, then being trapped and hoarded by the elite who sit on it, or sit on assets bought with it.
So was interesting watching it all unfold yesterday, already todays open mic seems alot more informative. Last night I was sent a link to a NZ design company “String Theory” for an ad the did for Good Books international. Cool Hunter S Thompson styled ad, bnut while there I saw this ten minute video they have done for Cunliffe on the Economy. Can’t find it anywhere on youtube etc but it’s brilliant, just click the picture and it should play. I really wanted to share it with a few friends but it’s nowhere to be found besides here:
http://www.stringtheory.me/index.html#/another-dimension
Maybe it’s something coming out soon and I got a sneak peak… But none the less I thought that it would be popular with some of you.
Looks like something form the 2008 election that was never used – he’s got a beard now.
This is pretty good stuff though, and well found.
Been up on youtube for months and, yes, it was popular.
I figured it was from the election, couldn’t find it on Youtube though.
I wish they ran these styled and informative ads on policy more often.
Just having a read of the proposed changes to the LP constitution, policy development, list selection and party leadership. Excellent stuff and it gives the lie to the C/T and leftist trolling that has been going on here for the last couple of days. Particularly the rubbish about caucus refusing to listen to the membership.
No, I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag, but, as Micky notes above, members should contact their branch sec’s in the first instance. Your next branch meeting is going to be an exercise in democracy and creative thinking! Members, branches and LEC’s are actively encouraged to have their say in this set of changes and have no doubt, this is a real step forward in the evolution of our great party.
Righto, the feline has exited the enclosure. The details of the review process and proposals are up on the LP website.
Highlights are a slimmer moderating committee, list rankings in bands (ie top 5, next 5 etc.), a move to have branches and LEC’s more closely linked (the Palmy model?) and an increased say from the rank and file in the selection of the Parliamentary leader. That is proposed to be 40% members, 20% affiliates, 40% caucus.
Background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJTURFcBuB8
Free money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSHf1svbQrA
calmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OVnNePQPsQ
waiting..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0kypyGSKsE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvhAxP-lhpU
know self know other
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee0Czl3370Y
these days
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNLhxlEU52c
return of the chisel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN17DKU7IHI
Tull
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxiHgm5UEsA
Alive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrs5DjHNUOE
the funny thing is if you disagree with whalesh*t or fatboy farr*r then you are kicked off their blogs but here you can mostly say what you like.
So who is the real standard bearer of freedom and truth?
obviously not the wing nuts of the right who only want obedience and slavish adherence to their desires to beat down the people who actually do the real work in this society.
parley-a-ment today
not kicked off, Left
redaction Complete
send it anywhere you want in the universe, maybe “right” maybe “wrong”
but new boss not same as old boss
learning Revolution
or
the resurrection
(on forgiveness, memory and forgetting)
dedicated and in memoriam to people who Chose to love.
Master of Being
slave to fate
Master of destiny
slave to His-tory
Master of faith
slave to priest
Master of wisdom
slave to truth
Master of Comedy
slave to Tragedy
Master of emotion
slave to thoughts
Master of thoughts
slave to stories
Master of stories
slave to telling
Master of fear
slave to guilt
Master of happiness
slave to content
Master of sadness
slave to loss
Master of awareness
slave to denial
Master of surprise
slave to excitement
Master of anger
slave to outrage
Master of interest
slave to boredom
Master of disgust
slave to contempt
Master of anticipation
slave to obsession
Master of security
slave to exchange
Master of shelter
slave to lender
Master of wealth
slave to debt
Master of diet
slave to process sugar,fat
Master of warmth
slave to generator
Master of apparel
slave to sweatshop
Master of gold
slave to mine
Master of activity
slave to compulsion
Master of aggression
slave to hostility
Master of curiosity
slave to addiction
Master of achievement
slave to recognition
Master of affiliation
slave to status
Master of autonomy
slave to loneliness
Master of solitude
slave to crowd
Master of nurturance
slave to control
Master of exhibition
slave to fame
Master of order
slave to geometry
Master of Dominance
slave to Authority
Master of play
slave to rule
Master of universe
slave to electron
Master of nature
slave to extinction
Master of energy
slave to entropy
Master of growth
slave to decay
Master of water
slave to thirst
Master of breath
slave to lungs
Master of land
slave to fence
Master of home
slave to ancestors
Master of time
slave to clock
Master of cycle
slave to routine
Master of motion
slave to road
Master of road
slave to car
Master of car
slave to oil
Master of learning
slave to book
Master of exploration
slave to teacher
Master of labour
slave to contract
Master of contract
slave to government
Master of creativity
slave to medium
Master of medium
slave to media
Master of Profession
slave to form
Master of role
slave to economy
Master of economy
slave to wind
Master of sex-tant
slave to galley
Master of consumption
slave to market
Master of chance
slave to dice
Master of insight
slave to drug
Master of innovation
slave to tradition
Master of tool
slave to machine
Master of machine
slave to ghost
slave pick crop
slave built road
slave carry water
slave chop wood
slave mine rock
slave built monument
slave shepherd flock
slave built temple
slave guard altar
slave bear tribute
slave rear children
slave ferry old
slave write programme
slave connect globe
slave attack enemy
slave of future
slave of present
slave of past
slave elect master
slave buried beneath master
Master of looking
slave to belief
Master of power
slave to power
Master of mask
slave to deception
Master of instinct
slave to drive
Master of game
slave to run
Master of Ego
Slave to Self
Master of death
slave to life
Master of change
slave to despair
Master of prophecy
slave to before
slave to darkness
master sage
slave to art
amor fati
Be well
John
(master of compassion, slave to charity: master of moderation, slave to excess: master of humility,
Slave to hubris)
thankyou to Peter Exeter and David Sharp
TEACHERS
John with respect, after the fourth or fifth line I started to get bored and I thought, what the fuck is he on about. Is this generation X or Y speak, so us down to earth “oldies” cannot comprehend it? It looks very academic and very intelligent to me. but frankly whatever the point you are trying to make has gone completely over my head and I suspect quite a few others as well. Do me a favour pal, in future if you have an opinion to tell, do it in simple terms so a thicky like me may comprehend what the fuck you are on about.
HCM – Here is a thought to help get out of the hole you have fallen into , as others here seem to also.
Let people post how they want, or like to, if you don’t or can’t comprehend it, then try asking for clarification, as opposed to asking for the writer to change his/her style…
On Marae Investigates on Sunday, Hone said that whanau Ora has received 13.4 million and that the Maori Party asked for 134 million. The Maori Party looks as though they usually end up with one tenth of what they ask for.
I am finding that the biggest diversion from the day to day running of the country is the issue over water:
Who owns it?
Who manages it?
What Maori interest is?
The Glenn Family Foundation has announced a 80 million dollar package to stem family violence and abuse, with children at the top of the pyramid. 8 million dollars was pledged today with a pilot programme in Otara. I expect that demand is going to exceed supply. I am going to watch the gains which the Glenn Family Foundation make in regard to child poverty, child abuse and violence in the home.
I also read today that ACC is dragging the ball and chain when it comes to 11 recommendations concerning sensitive claims. The other recommendation 16 counselling sessions has strings attached.
This has got to be the WORSE government on record for child poverty, child abuse, violence in the home and not supporting ACC sensitive claimants.
ACC making little progress on sensitive claims – report
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10820174
80 million to tackle family violence
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/owen-glenn-commits-80-million-tackle-family-violence-4973756
“National embrassment” according to Glenn re child abuse and that he will pay 10 – 15 million for a commission into child abuse; highlighted is child fatality if the government will not.
Over 200 million for consultants to build roads and nothing for a commission into the death and serious injury of children, I regard this as a national embrassment.
embarrassment is the correct spelling
Um – govt already has the Child & Youth Mortality Review Committee, as well as the Childrens’ Commissioner, and a couple of others as I vaguely recall. Not sure about “serious injury” as such, offhand. In addition to the coronial process, of course.
I mean, I agree with the sentiment, but it’s not like ‘nothing’ is being done at the moment.
Thank you for supplying the links, I was not aware of the Child & Youth Mortality Review Committee and I will read up on them. I am interested in the funding they get.
14.1 paragraph 4.
“Nothing” is a broad word, inadequate funding to deal with the issue, (death and serious injury of children involved in abuse and violence in the home) is not seen as a priority compared to road consultants.
I saw on stuff.co.nz today that adults who have a sensitive claim pertaining to childhood are really being let down by ACC. This is the consequence of children being sexually and physically harmed and EVERYTHING possible has to be done to prevent the criminal damage done to vulnerable children.
I got a letter from John Key in the mail today (actually addressed to my wife and myself) asking me what I thought was important about the budget. Anyone else get one?
Yep, went the same way as all political/council mailers – into the recycling bin.
I’ve been thinking about cutting a slot in my recycling bin and keeping it at the top of the driveway.
The idea certainly has merit.
I might scrawl weird prophecies concerning lizard people and Manta Ray’s all over mine and post it back.
We wrote back saying we were strong National supporters, but hated asset sales. Just to screw with them a little.
I am SO DOING THAT.
I’ve already done it, letter to the local MP and all. Even got a politely worded reply, that basically said “piss off, we’re doing it anyway”.
Write to the lowest ranked list MPs, I reckon. After all, they are first in line to look for a new job after the next election.
Write to the National MPs with the skinniest margins. Just make sure that your postmark is local and you have a local postal address.
Those will be Auckland Central, Christchurch Central, Waitakere and Waimakariri.
And Epsom and Ohariu.
why not return to sender i’m still waiting for my brighter future.
No, and if I did, it would go straight to the recycling bin.. 🙂
You were lucky we received one from our local nondescript MP (problem when you live in a protected rotten borough) as he was canvassing to what we thought the local area issues were, nothing asked re macro issues, I am now receiving emails !!!. It was extremely difficult to write anything of substance or constructive criticism, just enough space for 1 medium sized word or 2-3 small words !!!!
Still better to be asked and have some input.
I never got my letter.
If they send one they better include some return postage so I can tell them exactly what is wrong with their excuse for a government.
Jah, it comes with a return slip – its a survey of sorts.
The unanimous decision of the “Dateline London panel last Sunday was that Private/Public ownership in the UK was a complete failure . Somebody should tell Key . It certainly would not be his doppelganger in the British Parliament who is slowly but surely destroying what is left of the Uk
Sign the petition!
“We call on the actual Editors of New Zealand’s Newspapers to bring an end to unattributed/ anonymous Editorials.”
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/An_end_to_unattributed_anonymous_Editorials_in_New_Zealands_Newspapers/?fWBudcb&pv=3
This will interest some people. It’s a study into the collapse of present society.
My emphasis.
Two items on 3 News that I wish to comment on – the ‘body-snatching’ case where James Takamore was taken from his Pakeha widow and children before he could be buried. Is this okay? Definitely not. Is the refusal of iwi to obey court rulings against them okay? IMO, definitely not.
Iraena Asher. She was the victim of sexism, and a refusal to take seriously the fears of a woman with bipolar disorder. Why has it taken until now, for the authorities to investigate? That’s definitely not okay.
Note to Captain Panic Pants Re: getting the Slippery shyster to talk tough over asset sales, it’s a total FAILURE when the tough talking is via a Lithp…
Would filling out and sending back a response to the personally-addressed propaganda (sorry, survey) I received from John Key today use up some of their PS-funded-budget that they wouldn’t be able to use for other purposes, or has the money already been spent regardless of whether the response actually gets sent back? Can I put something heavy into the Freepost envelope to increase how much it costs them to ‘hear my views’?
Once upon a time I believe that a letter sent to an MP at parliament did not have to have a stamp.Democracy was free but I don’t know if that is still the case so maybe don’t muck around with that
The best route back might be to your local branch of the Nat party or to the Nats party Headquarters address. This means it will go right to the heart of the organisation -stamps optional. When I receive unsolicited mail, stuff off public registers like MV licensing gets to me but rather than stew I go for a positive approach.
I return the offending material with a typed note thanking them profusely for the supply of reading matter and say that I would like to return the compliment by supplying them with some reading matter that I find interesting. Of course I have lots of this weighing a ton so it needs a very large envelope and inevitably someone has given the cat it’s dinner on a really important piece that I had meant to save… so I send that too.
Commercial stuff is usually best sent to a director – address courtesy of the coy’s office site …
Its still free.
I like that idea, I might start keeping some of the guff I get in the post just for JK. Thanks 🙂
http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/iran/1683-how-britains-top-spy-is-beating-the-drums-for-war-on-iran
How Britain’s top spy is beating the drums for war on Iran
by Michael Higgs, Stop the War Coalition, 15 July 2012
SIR JOHN Sawers has reared his head in public for the second time since being appointed head of MI6 in 2009. Last time it was to claim that Britain has “nothing whatsoever” to do with torture.
We know this to be untrue following the revelations over MI6’s role in ‘renditioning’ Libyan dissidents to Tripoli to be tortured, as a favour to the intelligence services there. One might hope that, having learnt from his previous mistake, this latest speech would be rather more honest.
It was not to be.
In an article appearing in the the Daily Telegraph, the head of Britain’s overseas spy service is quoted at length from a speech recently given to senior civil servants. In it, he discussed Iran and its nuclear programme, claiming that covert operations by MI6 had prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons by 2008, but that the Islamic Republic is now likely to become (and we are assured it is their goal) a “nuclear weapons state” by 2014.
Coming shortly after a fresh round of sanctions, almost every line in the Telegraph article beats the drum for war. The screws are being tightened on Tehran and propaganda for an attack is in full swing.
In keeping with Sawers’ previous public appearance as head of MI6, he boasts of the agency’s relevance and effectiveness in the field, perhaps still smarting from the humiliating episode in Libya where SAS and MI6 officers were captured by rebels.
The grim reality of covert operations in Iran is acknowledged by the Telegraph, however, in what they refer to as the ‘apparent assassinations’ of multiple Iranian scientists. A reality check is in order here.
Five nuclear scientists have been murdered in as many years in a campaign of state terror directed against Iran. One, Darioush Rezaeinejad, was shot dead outside his daughter’s nursery. Israel is the most likely suspect, possibly with the support of Britain or America. Certainly neither country has condemned the killings. Imagine for a moment the outrage if Iran had, in broad daylight, executed the director of a nuclear plant in the UK.
John Sawers is a liar. We know he lied about MI6’s complicity in torture and we should be skeptical, to say the least, about his denial of complicity in the murder of Iranian civilians, particularly given the nod just made to the existence of covert action by MI6 in Iran.
Whatever the details of the covert operations Sawers has run in Iran, his claim that they prevented the development of a “nuclear weapons state” there by 2008 is a revelation to say the least.
If Iran was on the brink of possessing nuclear weapons in 2008, then I hope someone told the Americans. Because in 2007, a report by the CIA — surely the world’s largest and most well-connected spy network (no offense, Sir John) — stated “with high confidence” that “in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program” and that “Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007”.
There is no convincing evidence it has since been restarted.
The IAEA has confirmed in all of its reports that nuclear material has not been diverted from use in energy and medical research, where inspectors keep a close watch.
Nonetheless, Sawers’ claims that Iran will be a “nuclear weapons state” in just two years time. Based on what? We are expected to take his word for it.
Sawers’ phrase of choice, “nuclear weapons state” is perhaps of interest given America’s recent re-definition of its ‘red line’ with regard to Iran. The red line is the situation that America is categorically unwilling to tolerate, that is, they will go to war to prevent it. Until May this year….
Read more….
http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/iran/1683-how-britains-top-spy-is-beating-the-drums-for-war-on-iran
Thanks for kind words Standardistas. A short break, a visit with my grandchild in Christchurch and some weeding will leave me with overdue jobs done and happy memories. So I’ll concentrate on such things for a while and return a better person, with a tidier section, I hope.
Go well prism. I look forward to you posting again.
Is the soap opera really necessary…
Maybe best to spend some time back in real life there prism, where the online ansgt is not a feature!
Enjoy, Prism…will read you soon, I hope.
+1
We’ve all heard about “piracy” and how it’s theft from the music and film industries but…
…apparently these groups don’t think that those same standards apply to them.
No apparently about it mate. One set of rules and enforcement for the creatives and the workers. Another completely different set for the elite and the corporates (and they get to write both sets).
“elite and the corporates (and they get to write both sets)”
Yeah nah. This is a case of a slack collection agency.
Gotta watch those torrentfreak headlines, they have a habit of conflating quite separate things. In this example they’re making it appear as if the anti-piracy group were the ones not paying up.
Which is, you know, impressively hypocritical-sounding to a 13 year old on Digg.com
Any particular reason you decided not to deem that private sector collection agency (which appears to cover deals totalling many millions of euros) a “corporate”?
You know, since they are supposed to collect monies from the huge entertainment companies they have relationships with and consequently pass them on to artists, but whoops, appears not to.
Yeah, it possibly has a corporate structure.
Not really the point though.
But you wouldn’t be too surprised if the senior management of that collection agency happen to be former employees of Time Warner, Sony Pictures, Viacom, etc. right?
Because as you know, that’s how the elite and the corporates do their dirty work.
I think you’re a bit confused about the role of a collection society.
Its not a “collection society”. Its a for-profit private sector corporate.
It also happens to be the same private organisation which took Kazaa to court for copyright infringement against the major media companies. Nice that they’re such good friends of the big studios.
They consequently had Kazaa shut down.
Dude, you’re confused.
Collection societies are always private sector organisations, designed to turn profits which are in most cases entirely distributed to their members.
Their role is to collect money payable to composers and authors of musical works, and in my experience they generally do a pretty good job of it considering the logistics.
Sounds like this particular society was a pretty slack in this instance, but I’m not going to spend time looking into it because it’s a fricking torrentfreak story which are generally either deliberately misleading (as this one seems to be) or entirely bullshit.
Couldn’t give a fuck about Kazzaa but I’m sorry for your loss.